They wore the bonnets. The bonnets did not wear them. Always on the cutting edge of fashion, the precocious Janssen twins took Tulip Time in stride. While other children suffered silently through Holland Michigan’s annual tribute to het moederland, donning traditional Dutch caps and clogs with a resigned Ik zal handhaven, the twins took it to a whole new level. With their motto of “double the irony” the girls artfully parodied the archetypes and idioms of Dutch fashion, turning Hans and Gretel Brinker into postmodern caricatures that both mocked and celebrated the nationalistic zeal of this quaint patriotic pastime. Wooden shoes became haute couture. A windmill wasn’t just a windmill. Here, the twins wear prototypes for their “Escher” collection in which they skillfully utilized their identical appearances to confuse and subvert the viewer’s perspective; who was the meisje, and who was the mirror? Western Michigan never knew what hit them.
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"Look at the camera, girls ... good! Now cross you left legs over your right ... your LEFT leg, Mindy ... your OTHER left leg ... no, not you, Cindy ... don't change your legs ... that's right Mindy, no Cindy, you stay just like you are. Now wave to Grandma ... wave babies .... please wave to Grandma for the camera. Okay let's try touching our pretty hats, and putting our hands on our knees, feet flat on the ground ... flat on the ground, girls ... uncross your legs, now, okay? What pretty girls! Grandma is going to go inside now and drink some of her special medicine..." (Hey, Mindy! In about 30 minutes, Grandma's going to be taking her special nap and we can do what we want with these stupid hats! Wanna flush 'em? --- Oh Cindy my girl... it works every time ... works every time!)
ReplyDeleteHa! I laughed aloud at this one! You are so good at putting us right in the action.
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