Incendiary Advice

Is this not the most stunning thing you've ever seen? Okay, well, probably not. As the cliche goes, "Beauty...eye...beholder..." You know the drill.

But a curious thing happened while watching "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Easy enough to recognize that John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig makes for a damned attractive male, but what to think when you realize you also find him incredibly sexy - as a female? Is that possible for a hetero female pushing 40?

Yes. The answer is...yes. Granted, seeing JCM looking as he does above for an entire movie would be more than fine. Whatever 'it' is, he's got the commodity. In spades. But there's more to it than just good bone structure (no pun intended!), smokey eyeliner and bedhead hair.

From the first scenes....“…and then she came up to me and gave me a hug. She gave me a fucking hug!” there's something so vulnerable and utterly yearning in Hedwig; you understand the overwhelming urge to hug her.

In a world filled with cardboard cut-outs, everyone trying to be exceedingly "normal" (whatever that is), it's rare to find a unique, unabashed, genuine eccentric not afraid to put themselves fully out there, warts and all.

Though she hides behind the Stevie, Tina and Farrah hair, Hedwig's humanity is more on display than she realizes. She only needs to recognize that's her true beauty, neither enhanced nor diminished by whatever form she chooses to take.

Because of this, John Cameron Mitchell's artistry in bringing Hedwig to life is truly genius. His vivid creation forces us to love her as either gender, or none - not in spite of her flaws, but because of them.