Help! My Head's Going to Explode.

In the W. Post today, two articles. One (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/28/AR2006022801450.html) reports on states cutting funding for family planning, restricting access to birth control and placing tight controls on sex education, helping to explain why "more than half of the 6 million pregnancies in the United States each year are unintended" making our unintended pregnancy rate "twice or three times as high as European countries," thus increasing, rather than decreasing, the numbers of abortions that occur and/or unwanted children who are born. Oh, we're SO smart.

The other article, "Designers Give Women Their Wrapped Attention" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/28/AR2006022801741.html) features photos from some of the latest "fashion" designers' recent shows, on which looks like the model's head is encased in some sort of gas mask........

"Viktor & Rolf exhibited their exquisite tailoring and their penchant for extravagant couture flourishes in an ode to Greta Garbo. They hid each model's face behind a catcher's mask woven from satin or strands of hair.

And at the presentation of the presciently named Undercover collection Monday evening, models stepped into the spotlight with their heads wrapped tightly, unforgivingly and, one must admit, artfully in fabric with all the translucence of a pillowcase.

Could the models in Undercover even see where they were walking? Several of them wandered just a bit off-track, bumping shoulders and even meandering into the audience seating area until redirected by a handler. Each model's entire head was bound in fabric -- black, brown or white -- with only tiny pinholes for air. The fabric was knotted in back -- or at what one assumed to be the back of the head -- in the manner of a tight chignon. Sometimes the fabric was pierced with silver rings and charms, like those worn by a tribal warrior or some disaffected teen aspiring to lead a punk band."