The flag structure book opens with the familiar whoosh and “flags” the viewer’s attention with vintage images and descriptive terms of how sexually active men and women are commonly described. The women are negatively labeled with words such as “hussy” and “tramp”. On the other hand, the terms used for the men are positive, like “rake” and “Romeo.” The contrast is echoed in the iconically archetypal photographs of scantily-clad pin-up girls and suave looking men. The photos of the women are tinted red, perhaps signifying danger or fiery tempestuousness. The blue-hued men imply a cool confidence, power figures all. (Not surprisingly, blue is the color of choice for corporate America.)

In the context of the myth of Helen one wonders: did the sexually promiscuous Helen truly exercise agency, and could she, in her unbridled passion for Paris, be labeled a slut? By these terms then, the notably virile Paris qualifies as a stud.

In contrast to the idealized beauty of Helen of Troy, the women depicted by Charles Hobson in Writing on the Body appear to be ordinary women in poses that range from graceful and lyrical to inelegant and awkward. Hobson superimposes reproductions of actual handwritten notes by the artist Edgar Degas over his own hand-colored photogravure etchings to create a visually complex and delicately layered image.

Hobson’s beautifully rendered Degas-like figures combined with Degas’ intriguing notations provide an enhanced vision of how both artists perceive the female form. Like Degas, Hobson has imbued these natural women with an allure and an aesthetic portrayal beyond the overworked standards of classic beauty.