girlcrushes

as a card carrying member of the vagina squad, I am allowed to have crushes on other women sans scrutiny. even though, with the advent of the 'metro-man', men are more likely these days to admit their admiration and total awe of another member of their species, they're not as likely to do it as women are. women are totally allowed to be awe struck and inspired by other women as they are to be jealous of them. i think probably the main difference being that jealousy often stems from the other woman being fabulous...but a bitch. (although i'm sure the Speer would beg to differ) when i am in total awe of another member of the v-squad, it's because on top of being absolutely talented, spiritual, caring and beautiful - the woman is often times kind, humorous and compassionate.

enter girlcrush #1: Natalie Portman.

1) she's a member of my generation who was cast in all three new 'Star Wars' movies. now, granted, those movies sort of blew, but you have to admit, Portman looks stunning in all three and manages to carry off the grace of a queen and a diplomat in ungainly costumes. and she's a fucking part of geek history. go Natalie! evidence: she's geek-chic

2) she's a Harvard graduate and in her time there, bucked trends by writing a controversial article for the Crimson, as response to an anti-israeli letter. evidence: she's smart & ballsy.

3) a model darling for marc jacobs and other high fashion magazines like vogue - her bone structure is to die for and she looks good in pretty much anything. evidence: she's gorgeous

4) portman hasn't been afraid to shave her head for movies (V for Vendetta) or date one of the weirdest musicians ever alive (Devendra Barnhardt) and star in his video. she sticks to her choices and makes them work. evidence: she's original

5) she created her own vegan shoe line that's not only cute but completely animal and cruelty free. Portman was involved with the 2004 presidential campaign of Democratic candidate John Kerry and has supported antipoverty activities. In 2004 and 2005, she traveled to Uganda, Guatemala, and Ecuador as the Ambassador of Hope for FINCA International, an organization that promotes micro-lending to help finance women-owned businesses in poor countries. evidence: she's consciencious

6) portman is multi-talented, starring both on broadway as well as in major hollywood movies. but she's rarely shown dancing on tables or falling over drunk. her very first movie was the action classic, 'the Professional' where she was shown opposite Jean Reno and Gary Oldman at the ripe old age of 13 and she held her own. evidence: she's mature and multi-faceted.

7) she did a spoof on SNL of herself as a gangster rapper. she's also appeared in such indie cult flicks as 'Garden State' as the quirky posterchild for Manic Pixies and 'Mars Attacks'. evidence: she doesn't take herself that seriously.

So there you have it, Natalie Portman as my official nomination for girlcrush. what's yours?