3d illusion arts: Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Thousands of Iranian Women Training to Become Ninjas
Real-Life Photoshop – Model Has 20-Inch Waistline
Artist Paints Incredible Artworks with His Mouth

Thousands of Iranian Women Training to Become Ninjas

Posted: 07 Feb 2012 12:38 AM PST

Ninjutsu is considered to be one of the deadliest forms of martial arts in the world. But this doesn't deter the 3,500 odd Iranian women who are currently receiving official training in the sport.

In fact, when I saw a video of these women in action, I was awestruck by their agility and the ease with which they performed gravity-defying stunts and back flips. I couldn't even tell that the ninjas were female until they removed the masks from their faces. Iran, like many other Islamic countries, has stringent rules regarding the freedom and conduct of women. The laws severely restrict them from participating freely in society; perhaps this is where they derive their quiet strength from. The Ninjustu school in Iran was started in 1989 by Sensei Akbar Faraji. This was the first time the martial art was introduced to the country. While the club now has over 24,000 members, the number of female participants is slowly on the rise. According to Faraji, in Ninjutsu, men are called ninjas, while women are addressed as kunoichi.

Photo via Cosplay.com

The club's female instructor, Fatima Muamer, says that the sport appeals to women as it helps in maintaining a balance between body and mind. She also points out that the most important lessons in Ninjutsu are respect and humility. "They learn to respect themselves – first to respect their existence and then the art that they are mastering." Students at the school are also taught to use dangerous weapons – including bows, swords, nunchucks and shurikens – small traditional Japanese implements known as ‘swords in the hand’.

This is not the first time Iranian women have made their mark in sports. In 2005, two Iranian women scaled Mount Everest, becoming the first Muslim women in the world to summit the peak. These women have left their mark in rugby, soccer, and several other sports in the Olympics. This proves that no law can truly suppress the spirit of strong-willed women, such as these Iranians.

Thousands of Iranian Women Training to Become Ninjas was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Real-Life Photoshop – Model Has 20-Inch Waistline

Posted: 07 Feb 2012 12:18 AM PST

30-year-old Ioana Spangenberg has something some skinny female models only dream of. A 20-inch waistline and a body that doesn't accumulate fat, no matter what she eats. Now, isn't that a dream come true? Not for Ioana, though. In a classic case of the grass being greener on the other side, the Romanian model says she wants to put on weight in order to be able to look normal.

Ioana seems to be blessed with the much-coveted 'hourglass' look, quite literally in fact. She says that she was of normal weight when she was a kid, and the transformation started to occur when she was a teenager. At age 13, her waist was only 15 inches and her friends could actually put their hands completely around it. In an attempt to put on weight, she would eat Mars bars and other sweets, but nothing ever worked. Ioana blames this on the small size of her stomach, which makes her feel sick if she eats too much. Perhaps her body's constitution is too much of a good thing, because she was never happy with herself until she married. It was her husband who encouraged her to become a model, and she is now finally comfortable in her own skin.

So you would be surprised to know that the woman you are looking at in the pictures actually eats three 'proper' meals a day, along with several snacks of chips, pizzas and kebabs. At 5ft 6inches tall, she weighs only 84 pounds. Yes, 84. Pretty unbelievable, right? I do wonder where all her organs go…

Real-Life Photoshop – Model Has 20-Inch Waistline was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Artist Paints Incredible Artworks with His Mouth

Posted: 06 Feb 2012 11:59 PM PST

Nothing can stop a person with innate artistic abilities, not even the absence of functioning limbs. 50-year-old Steve Chambers is a perfect example of this. The artist from Norfolk, UK, paints breathtaking sceneries using only his mouth. It's simply amazing how such accurate strokes can be achieved while holding a paintbrush with one's teeth.

Chambers, who suffers from arthrogryposis syndrome, has been disabled since birth. His arms lack muscles and the joints in his legs are stiff. While many people in his condition struggle to perform daily tasks, Chambers began painting at a very early age. He says it didn't take him very long to get the hang it. "To me using a paint brush with my mouth is like you using your hand to pick up a spoon." He started off by using his mouth to hold a pencil, which according to him wasn't actually difficult because he didn't know anything different. However, he did get frustrated as a kid when he couldn't get the effects he wanted while drawing.

Photo by SWNS

Chambers says that his family was a huge encouragement to his artistic pursuits, particularly his grandfather. As a child, he spent several hours with his granddad in the garden shed, observing and learning the art of painting. Eventually, he joined art college at 18, but then discontinued because he wanted to pursue his individual sense of art. Married for 22 years, and a father of four, Chambers paints mostly with watercolors using a unique technique involving paints and colored pencils. His paintings, depicting local scenes and London sights, are generally rich and colorfully vibrant. He is a part of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists association which has 800 worldwide members.