While watching the Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie, I couldn't help but notice the typefaces used on the various correspondance featured in the film--definitely prewar, serif-laced stuff. It was a nice authentic touch in the film, particularly in light of the Helvetica typeface's 50th anniversary in 2007.

Helvetica is the typeface of the modern era--clean, mechanistic, readable and with a new balance between white and black space. It was a radical departure from what had gone before, but more importantly, the world embraced this radical new style with a vengeance, accepting and even preferring it.

Its funny how a typeface can actually represent a sea change in cultural outlook.

With this fresh in my mind, I realized recently that I was seeing a new kind of symbolism of cultural change.

All the scary monsters are white and blond.

Consider that Silas, villainous monk of "the Da Vinci Code" was an albino. The Wraith of "Star Gate: Atlantis". The elves of "Hellboy II".

Albinos--all of them.

Evil white people. New symbols for a new era.

Watch a classic Star Trek episode sometime and consider the villains. Dark and saturine--the classic depiction of evil for most of the twentieth century. Klingons were, well, swarthy to say the least. From an artistic point of view, the dark-haired, dark-skinned villain has become a cliche, so going with albinos is almost predictable, but new stylistic contrivances are easy. What's hard is finding the new stylistic contrivance that captures the public imagination.

One albino villain is a stunt, three is a trend.

Blond and blue-eyed have, at least in my life-time, always been associated with virtue. Depictions of Jesus have him looking decidedly Swedish, in spite of his Palestinian origins. Its all massively simplistic to see good and evil in terms of physiognomy, but the reality is that good-looking, blond, blue-eyed people had definite social advantages. Are we witnessing a change? Has that change been driven by relentless left-wing, liberal self-loathing?

Stay tuned.

The honeymoon is already over for some. From the Obamanation, it's my party and I'll whine if I want to. First I note on CNN people are spotlighted complaining they can't get in somewhere and security is too slow. The reporter who elicited this litany ends by saying, this is going to be a big story. (Do you think it's the next Katrina?) Old habits die hard I guess.

Now the fashionista press is weighing in, and reviews are mixed. Reuters sucks them up:

Her yellow swearing-in outfit was a departure from red, white or blue tones often adopted by U.S. female politicians and spouses. Yellow is seen in many parts of the world as a symbol of hope and optimism.

"RADIATED HOPE AND OPTIMISM"

But Obama's choice did not get universal approval. An online poll on the Us Weekly celebrity magazine site showed 55 percent of readers hated the outfit and 44 percent loved it.

Bonnie Fuller, former editor in chief of Glamour magazine, called the outfit bold but wondered on www.huffingtonpost.com: "Is she walking around in inaugural upholstery?"

New York-based designer Toledo, 47, said the coat and dress were made of Swiss wool lace, backed with netting for warmth and lined in French silk.

"For me yellow represents hope," Toledo told Reuters. "It really feels like freshness to me. I wanted to capture optimism, I wanted it to feel happy, I wanted it to feel inclusive."

Her ball gown, which will go on show at the Smithsonian, received a mixed reaction with U.S. fashion bible Women's Wear Daily saying it made the Obamas look like newlyweds.

It's your show, Dems. In the interest of bipartisanship I would have to say I prefer a less busy look myself.

OK, I know we don't have total agreement on the First Lady's day dress, and after all it is her personal choice. But you have to admit this is pretty funny after all the discussion. Via Ace.

He inspired a Donatella Versace fashion line, but that was menswear--now he's on dresses. Men and women gush over him:

The Sun says the height of stilettos this year are a harbinger of doom, but there's a bright side--salespeople are being nice to middle-income shoppers, and designers are going more for stuff most people can actually wear.

There are always exceptions.