I am traveling to Okemo Mountain (which is located in Ludlow, Vermont) for the week to snowboard. I will therefore not be blogging due to the fact that my home there does not have internet or cell phone service – welcome to Vermont! However, once I return I have exciting content. This is just a small preview:
Sources: fashionchalet.blogspot.com, audreycantwell,com, fashionising.com, google images.
On November 18th, the Red Cross accepted blood donations from students at my college. I refused to take part in the blood drive. I refused to take part in the blood drive because a few weeks before I learned that gay men cannot donate blood. Gay men cannot donate blood because they are gay and the FDA feels as though they would be a high risk donation despite the fact that all blood gets screened for HIV, viral hepatitis and any other disease in which could be transferred via. a blood transfusion.
I was ridiculed for this decision but I stand behind my beliefs. The FDA created this ban because they wanted to prevent the spread of HIV. In 2006, the Red Cross stated that they feel as though the ban is “unwarranted” but as an organization they have not pushed for the ban to be lifted. Despite the shortage of blood donations, the organization has done little to fight for the gay man’s right to donate blood. According to MSNBC, the Red Cross provides nearly half of America’s blood supply and so I feel as though if they truly wanted this ban to be lifted, then they could lobby for it to be so. Prior to donating blood, all men are asked if they have had sexual intercourse with a man since 1977. If the man answers “yes,” he is sent home. That is disgraceful.
The FDA considers a gay man’s blood a liability and that is not right. The truth is, that anybody’s blood can be infected and so no one should be treated any differently than another person despite their sexual orientation.
I am not saying that people should not donate blood – I just felt that I did not want to donate because if I were to donate my blood, then I would still be participating while supporting an organization whom I feel participates in discrimination. I was not willing to be a part of that and while I asked others to respect my decision, that was not granted to me. Some called me a “killer” and other said that I along with my opinions were “stupid”. It was hard remaining calm throughout the day and some will no longer speak to me due to my decision. However, I am proud of myself because I did what I felt was right. I intend to take this no further but I hope that others will respect my decision from now on. I feel that donating blood is a generous thing to do and I both support and respect anybody who decides to participate in a blood drive but until every healthy American can participate in this voluntary act of generosity, I will not participate myself.
For more information as to how and where you can donate blood, please click here.
You know what I like about the whole M.O.D (Model Off Duty) look? The fact that the looks in which are often seen on a female “off duty” model is often simple yet when you see her there is no mistaking that she is indeed a Model Off Duty. Your average runway model is usually much skinnier than a regular woman but other than that, they’re usually in attire that could easily be obtained which I think is so cool. Here’s an example:
Model Off Duty, Jac Jagaciak:
Sources: thecw.com, msnbc.com, redcross.org, objectfashionblog.com
Today I wore jeans. In part because in the United States of America, it is my liberty to do so. I never realized that in other nations, it is not only illegal to wear pants but a woman can receive severe penalties for doing so.
For example, yesterday two Sudanese women, ages 25 and 27 were sentenced to receive twenty lashing as well as a fine equal to $110.00 for wearing pants. The women subsequently filed an appeal following the sentencing so they have not had to face their punishment… Yet. This type of case does not seem to be uncommon in Sudan. In September, Lubna Hussein was fined $200.00 for wearing trousers. She faced up to 40 lashings but some suspect that due to the amount of publicity in which her case had faced, the judge remained reluctant in sentencing her to lashings. Ms. Hussein, a 34-year-old journalist who has worked with the United Nations, arrived to court wearing the same trousers in which she was arrested for wearing, which I consider a very brave move. She was arrested in July along with twelve other women whom were also wearing trousers.
It’s odd the small things in which women are not allowed to do in various other countries. I am just happy that I live in a nation where I can wear pants! I do feel horrible for the women who don’t get to exercise this liberty. However,I am glad that some women such as Lubna Hussein is fighting for their liberty. Feel lucky today, ladies for we can almost wear whatever we please. While it is often without scrutiny or questioning, at least we will never receive lashings for it.
Do any of you know of other restrictions in which women in other countries have to face?
The shoe above is from Asos.com. Yes, asos.com! It is incredible and I absolutely love the gold detailing of the wedge. The pair costs $164.00 and I believe that it is currently sold out, unfortunately.
Sources: nytimes.com, nymag.com, thefashionspot.com, vogue.co.uk
I never heard a foul thing come out of Karl Lagerfeld’s mouth until he stated the following,
Wait… What!? No one wants to see curvy women? Alright, that’s a discriminatory comment to make. Discriminating against a person due to their size is just like discriminating against a person because of their skin color or sexual preferences (Mr. Lagerfeld is gay). If Mr. Lagerfeld had ever been met with discrimination by the fashion due to his size, he would never have been where he is now.
May I remind you that Mr. Lagerfeld used to be beyond curvy. He used to be overweight. According to The Huffington Post, Mr. Lagerfeld lost a whopping 92 pounds in recent years. Thankfully, Glamour Magazine, Marie Claire and German magazine Brigette are all going against this foolishness and committing to offering more curvy women in their magazines much to the dismay of ignorant snobs like Karl Lagerfeld.
I am disappointed by him.
Sources: huffingtonpost.com, nymag.com
I’ve written a lot about body image lately. I do not know why but I just find it to be something that is essential to a lifestyle blog like my own. It’s important to tap in to and that’s why I wrote the following piece tonight.
4women asks the following question, “When you Look in the Mirror, do you Like what you see?” according to dosomething 40-50% of American women do not like what they see and 53% of thirteen year olds don’t either. They are therefore on a constant quest to loose weight. Every year, American citizens use over 40 billion dollars on diet-related products such as but not limited to: diet-pills, books and fitness DVD’s. The U.S. federal government also spends 40 billion dollars a year… But on Education! I am starting to feel like they should start educating young women about self-worth, body-image and the media because just like subjects such as Math are essential to a person’s success in the work force, so is the feeling of confidence and self-worth.
What makes a woman decide she wants to go on a diet? Health concerns? Not often. According to Newsweek most women diet due to social pressures. Women tend to compare themselves to others but who is to blame for all the comparisons? In my opinion, the media plays a huge role in making women compare themselves to other (often famous) women. I understand that the people of the media have a job to do and products to sell. However, it has become apparent that in today’s age, these products are targeted for women and they promote things that are unattainable. It’s simply all a clever trick: promote a product that illustrates what all women want such as cellulite free thighs and watch sales go up. Truth is, 98% of all women (supermodels included) have cellulite. Yet the media will cause a huge stir, when photos like the ones featured below surface.
It’s quite frankly disgusting and I hope that I am not the only one who is fed up.
The most well known fact regarding the media is their use of computer software to alter the images in which they use. For example, a few months ago a huge stir was caused when photos of Kim Kardashian surfaced that showed her editorial featured in Complex Magazine had been altered and that she indeed does have cellulite. Like Ms. Kardashian said, “what curvy girl doesn’t?” and regardless of any of that, who can call that woman or her fellow celebrities like Jessica Simpson or Kate Winslet fat? The media scrutinizes these celebrities who are absolutely stunning and I just can’t imagine how the average 5’4”, 14o pound American woman must feel while reading headlines like that.
The pressure for American females begins at a young age. Researchers have found that popular toys like the Barbie doll would be too weak to support the weight of her upper body, and her body would be too narrow to contain more than half a liver and a few centimeters of bowel were she a real person. A real woman built that way would suffer from chronic diarrhea and eventually die from malnutrition. Yet American children grow up idolizing that same Barbie while wishing they could be like her. Researchers also report that women’s magazines have ten and one-half times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a woman’s bodily appearance— usually by diet, exercise or cosmetic surgery not just make-up. With all of this bombardment, it is no wonder that women today feel constant pressure to pursue the ideal happiness of thinness. But when does it end?
Dove is actively campaigning for what they call “real” beauty in an effort to end negative body image. The online campaign features workshops, tools, tips, facts and words of encouragement. Dove is in my opinion the absolute leader in America in promoting healthy body image. You can visit the site here.
I hope you ladies take the time to carefully think about the way you feel about yourself. The issue of body image is complex and complicated. It is impossible to wake up every morning feeling like you look incredible but you can improve your feelings regarding your own self everyday with small steps. Campaigns such as the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty lends suggestions in how to take such steps. It’s about time that women around the world learn to love themselves despite the media’s constant bombardment that tells them to do otherwise. Every person regardless of their shape, size, color or traits is a beautiful individual!
If you or someone you know is struggling with body image issues please visit the following websites & take a look at the startling facts featured below:
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
Sources: www.media-awareness.ca, www.time.com, www.dosomething.org, www.campaignforrealbeauty.com, www.starmagazine.com, www.dove.com, www.statenews.com, aol.com
I found out about The Kind Campaign when I was viewing photography taken by Nirrimi, the 16 year old photography who I featured on youarewhoyouwear a few days ago. I decided immediately that I was going to write about the campaign and after consulting with one of the founders of TKC, I was granted permission to do such.
The Kind Campaign is a movement, based upon the powerful belief in Kindness, that seeks to bring awareness and healing to the negative and lasting affects of abuse. The Kind Campaign wants to lend support to female abuse victims of what they call the “Girl World.” The abuse includes but is not limited to: physical fighting, name-calling, peer-pressure, social status, competition, manipulation and the spread of harmful rumors. The Kind Campaign strongly feels that these girl-on-girl “crimes” strip us of valuable identities and I completely agree.
I will be the first to admit that not engaging in behavior such as bullying can some times be tough. I thought this would change upon my arriving to college but I was wrong. Interacting with young women can some times be difficult especially when one arrives in a new environment and suddenly feels the pressure to participate in activities such as threatening, rumor spreading and fighting just to name a few. That is also why I decided to write about the campaign. I wanted to lend awareness to The Kind Campaign as a support system not only for victims of abuse but also for ladies who were trying to steer away from participating in such behaviors. The Kind Campaign reminds us about who we should strive to be. It’s a reminder that we can all be kind and supportive of one another despite our differences.
The Kind Campaign stresses that females of all ages should support one another. We face so much scrutiny from the media, the opposite sex and day-to-day life that essentially we should all be there for one another. This Campaign naturally realizes that not everyone can be friends but also stresses that you can dislike someone without actually being mean to them and without negatively impacting their life.
Lauren Parsekian & Molly Stroud united in creating The Kind Campaign. Both survivors of bullying, they share a unique perspective on how these damaging behaviors can be eliminated. The Kind Campaign is a dynamic approach and wants to unite women despite their possible differences and it also wants to create an outlet for women who want to tell of their stories and experiences. The Kind Campaign features a growing online magazine that features stories of girls who have survived bullying as well as words of encouragement. The photographs were shot by Nirrimi.
One can support The Kind Campaign by purchasing merchandise such as the t-shirts featured below and/or by donating funds directly through the site via. Paypal or any major credit card.
If you are a victim of bullying and/or girl-on-girl crimes or if you know of someone who is, I encourage you to visit www.KindCampaign.com. You may also want to take a look at the Kind Campaign documentary here for stories that might be similar to yours or someone you know. They are encouraging and powerful.
Sources: KindCampaign.com
Today I was inspired by I’m Boy Crazy. See, usually I write about clothing and a lot of impersonal stuff so I figured I’d change it up. I know I’ll come to regret writing all of this but like the author of “I’m Boy Crazy” said, “Sometimes I write s*** and I say to myself “who are you? Why did you write that? you’re totally misrepresenting yourself.” and that might be what I am doing right now…
While reading “I’m Boy Crazy”, I realized it has almost been a year now. It’s almost been a year since I fell flat on my face and lost my damn mind. I’m convinced that I lost my mind, for he was (the whole situation was) so irrational that I can not justify it.
The beginning:
I walked down the flight of stairs. There was this weird arch in the ceiling so I couldn’t see the end of the staircase until I actually got there. I saw boots, faded jeans, a black t-shirt, and at last, I saw a face. What a beautiful face. Guys in my mind, can’t be beautiful. They can be handsome, hot, gorgeous even but not beautiful. Yet, he was just that. A smile later and that was it. I came to learn that he was older than I, he was musically talented and really charming. I still can’t figure out how in the world that happens? From the one day to the next? How is that it!? I’m not going to write about the entire thing – that would require 300+ pages but I will tell you this…
Everything from there on seems a bit of a blur. We began hanging out on a regular basis. I had myself some good laughs – I faked a few too or a lot but only because I seriously wanted to impress him. I always felt like I was on bought time. I felt always felt rushed, like I’d never see him again. Months later, I replaced that feeling because I suddenly felt like I had the right to get upset at him. After all, I’d known him for awhile – right? I’m irrational when upset so I would scream & shout at him. I would even have tantrums like a little girl & I do admit that it was a little manipulative since my acts were really only a plea; a plea for a reaction since that’s all I wanted from him. A reaction would imply that he actually cared. He’d always snicker, he’d tell me I was irrational – on rare occasions, he’d hug me & a few times he made the mistake of laughing at me. Regardless of what he did, it was never enough because everything he said or did, just didn’t seem genuine. Poor guy because even when he came with me home for a holiday & pulled me in and kissed me, I pulled away with the excuse, “my parents are right there…” but the truth was, I was scared of him. He scared me more than anything and I was absolutely adamant that he had malicious intentions. I once made the analogy that I was certain he was like a Viking. He sought to destroy and flee for no real reason, he just wanted to be barbaric and revengeful. It seemed like someone or something had taken all of his energy and as a result, he refused to spend any on me.
As the passage above illustrated, there were days were he tuned in. We had some really good days. Days were he would look at me like I was solid gold. He’d cuddle me, laugh with me & spend time with my family. But as quickly as those moments came, they also went. It was like he was one of those wax figures from the Night at the Museum. The minute the sun showed, he became solid wax again – emotionless, distant. It bothered me.
The middle:
Here’s where everything turned in to a circus. I really figured that if I (excuse my language) ate shit everyday and was still there, he’d come to his senses and be tuned in all of the time. It came to a point where I was now no longer pleading with him but I was pleading with myself. “Get rid of him, he’s an a**hole” my friends would say. No part of me wanted to listen even though I knew they were right. Especially then since the rare moments where he was tuned in were gone. He always looked at me with despair; I was simply an annoyance. We fought constantly mostly because we actually weren’t dating so I had “no right to get mad” at anything but I did and I think any girl in my shoes would have. I didn’t mind the arguing part mostly because at least he was now giving me a reaction but it was his random act of carelessness, lying and lack of purpose that got to me. It drained me. I didn’t sleep, I barely ate and I lost all focus in school. What was going on? I felt ridiculous. How was this all happening? Over a guy!? I kept how I felt a good secret though because that’s what my mother taught me. You never leave the house without make-up and nice clothing on, that way a stranger will never know that your insides are chaos because on the outside, you look composed. I became a pro at faking it. Imagine that, I was no longer faking laughs but I was faking an entire persona. I kept a smile on my face and heels on my feet. I don’t even think he knew how I felt although he lacked any ounce of empathy whenever I tried explaining it to him usually by calling me “psycho”.
The end:
I’m going to take a big leap from the story. I refuse to explain how “The end” occurred but we haven’t truly spoken for months now. It’s a power trip. At first, it took every ounce of self dignity to not pick up the phone to call or text him. Every time I saw him, I either wanted to punch him or embrace him. We have since called a truce and the last time I spoke with him, he threw his arms around me and gave me the first genuine hug in months. We laughed like we used to, he looked at me nicely & I kind of felt like I was standing in front of a stranger. It was nice and it is probaly the last memory I will ever have of him… I won’t complain and if he ever reads this, I hope he knows I wrote this with joy.
I’m talking to/seeing someone new now. It’s really new and I doubt he’ll ever be written about like this. This is like a once in a lifetime blog post.
Some of you might be wondering why I’d write about old school when I have found new school? It’s truly simple: Past & present go hand & hand.
Wish me luck,
XX
Photo source: allposters.com
