Tuesday 10 September 2013

#110





For a long time now, society has regarded homeless people as the makers of their own destiny. And dirty, criminalised, nasty ones at that. However, recently, I've detected a change in attitude towards the homeless and it's been so exciting and relieving to see that I just had to do my bit and spread the word. I've seen more videos, articles and campaigns challenging the stigma surrounding the homeless in the last few months than I have in the rest of my life, all of them further diminishing my ignorance on the topic and furthering my compassion and drive to help make a change.


The truth is, as much as we all like to think that homeless people are mad-raving drug users and violent alcoholics, the majority are just ordinary people who came under impossible circumstances and unlike you or me, were not lucky enough to have a supporting or understanding group of friends and family members to help them through it. The most common circumstances that put people on the streets are sexual, physical and emotional abuse at home, a lack of acceptance for someones religion or sexual orientation and the loss of an income due to anything ranging from illness to the failings in the economy. Anyone of us could come under these sufferings through no real fault of our own, and yet we are confident we would have someone there to help us out of our situation.

Whilst recently watching a YouTube video of a homeless man receiving a "make over" from a generous, good-hearted stranger, I heard him describe getting some new clothes, a proper meal, a haircut and two nights in a motel as a "dream". He also spoke of how collecting $8 in over five hours meant the world to him, because he can afford food with $8. This isn't a dirty criminal on the hunt for drugs, in fact this man appeared to me more down to earth, grateful and good natured than many of the well-off people I know. If you don't want to hand over money, where's the harm in buying someone a sandwich? I don't think drug dealers accept sandwiches as payment.


Furthermore, homeless people's life expectancy is almost half of the national average. They often have no prospects or hope for the future. Anyone can become a drug addict, irrespective of wealth or upbringing. People with addictions need help and support to overcome their addictions. It is not your job to end a homeless persons addiction, but it is not a reason to refuse to do anything at all. Unlike celebrities and wealthy addicts, the homeless or those brought up in poverty do not have the means to get professional help or go to rehab.

The recent #fitchthehomeless campaign also put homelessness on the front-line, with some even accusing it of being damaging to the homeless as the message behind the campaign was "so ambercrombie & Fitch only want attractive, 'cool' people wearing their clothes? Well we're going to give them to the opposite of 'cool' and 'attractive'" which, were personified in the form of the homeless. Whilst I completely understand this criticism, it is hard to honestly say "being homeless is cool and attractive"-if anything that would be a much more damaging attitude-and in my opinion, anything that helps the homeless is a good thing and although it must be analysed and monitored in order to protect society, shouldn't be belittled by controversialists.


If you want to know more about homelessness, or watch the videos I've mentioned in this post, please check out the links below, they really are amazing I promise you! Thank you for reading :-)
X

http://youtu.be/O95DBxnXiSo -#fitchthehomeless

http://youtu.be/rsIOoXG_gmo -homeless make over

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23117382 - A street cat named Bob 

http://youtu.be/AJQ3Bgh8PE4 - Ronald Davis

http://youtu.be/U0548OuSI8k - BBC interviews an African aid worker who ended up homeless in the UK

Sunday 21 July 2013

#109

Outfit Post

This is a slightly sad post due to the fact that last night (when I wore this outfit to my friends BBQ and party-type-shindig) I lost these earrings, which I've only worn once before! Bad times. I'm actually so in love with them that I think I'll have to buy another pair, but at £6 from Asos, there are worse amounts of money to lose. And of course, stuff is just stuff. 



The top works for me because it's so versatile. To get something that I should be able to wear in every season, with almost everything else in my wardrobe, that I really like is pretty fab, even more so when it's just £12. I also love the way it's fitted and cropped, but not too revealing. Basically, this means I won't have to shy away from wearing it if my grandparents are visiting! 




These shorts are the only pair I own that genuinely fit me now, and definitely the coolest. I discovered them at a vintage fair in Bournemouth for £15-quite impressive for someone with a tendency to walk away from any clothes rack that requires close analysis and a certain element of luck in order to find something that both fits and looks good.

I love the simplicity required in outfit planning in this weather, and the ease and comfort of this outfit in particular, combined with a wonderful night with some of my best friends, makes for a happy me. 
 I hope you're all enjoying summer and loving some summer fashion.
x

earrings: Asos, Top: Asos, Levi's: Vintage, shoes: Superga


Friday 12 July 2013

#108

Hi guys,
 Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I've been out enjoying the sunshine and taking some time off from... well, pretty much everything. Here's a little blog collection of a variety of all things summer and happiness.
xxx

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Curvy is the new black. | via Tumblr

Vogue | via Facebook

Lana *-* | via Tumblr

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Will you love me, even with my dark side?~ | via Tumblr

Fashion is my Kryptonite.

★ハッピー 向日葵 | via Tumblr

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Accessorize / Peace sign/major arm parties all around!

alohne -

DELICIOUS 100 Calorie Snack Ideas - Likes

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Pinterest

Tumblr (76) | via Tumblr

Girls | Tumblr

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DelliReeus | via Tumblr

(11) Tumblr

Giant Ice Cream

Disclaimer: photos are not my own. Source: weheartit

Friday 21 June 2013

#107



Modern Pop Culture: Is it really okay?




Pop culture is (naturally) something that changes over time, sometimes quite drastically, as we have seen in recent decades, but does there come a point when someone says "hang on, that's not okay. That's going to damage society." And of course, who is the person to say that? Does anyone really have the power to regulate an industry based on individualism, performance and sex appeal?

There are many inspirations for this post, but the person who ignited the spark that made me think 'I want to write about this' is Disney princess gone raunchy pop icon, Miley Cyrus. After watching her latest music video, I was shocked and I don't think I was alone judging by the reaction on social networking sites, namely twitter. Many, many girls of my generation grew up watching this girl as Hannah Montana, a goofy, cute young teenage pop star torn between her small, family orientated life and the wonders of being rich and famous. Rich and famous however, did not tend to consist of fishnet clothing or pelvic thrust based dance moves. At least, back then it didn't. 


The images above do not look (to me at least) like images that should be available on music channels and YouTube 24/7 for all eyes to see. I was about seven when I started watching music channels and dreaming of becoming a pop star, the thought of a seven year old seeing this video appals me. When I was young there was some variation, the industry wasn't innocent at all but it was not as sexual and controversial as it is today, and what concerns me is that girls growing up now will only ever see this as pop culture. They will grow up learning that successful, powerful and beautiful women wear few clothes, dress provocatively and pose in ways that satisfy men sexually. And that is not what women, or success, is about. Yet, we are bombarded with images and videos that convince us otherwise. Even the older generations of young females suffer at the power of the media and pop industry. Take the recent thigh-gap trend for example. I never even thought about "thigh-gaps" before this trend, now I will notice more often if a model doesn't have one than if she does.

Even pop stars celebrated for their curves have thigh gaps; Beyonce for example. 
She is constantly commended for her services to female empowerment yet she's been shaking her ass in minimal clothing and using sex to sell her music for over a decade whilst singing "Bow down bitches" and "You say that you want me, so press record, I'll let you film me". She is also idolised as someone who defies trends set by the fashion industry, once claiming in an interview that she likes that she "looks like normal women" as oppose to stick thin models. Now, yes, Beyonce has a booty, and a great one at that, but is her body your average woman's body? Absolutely not. A flat stomach and beautiful curves? A body toned by endless hours of dancing? The expensive beauty regimes she benefits from? These are all fairly unattainable for your average woman. After all, if Beyonce was so "normal", she would be unlikely to have succeeded in the way she has. We now live in a culture where 'curvy' girls are thought of as women with skinny waists and voluptuous boobs and bums.  Just as stick thin models convince some that that is how they need to look, curvy women (e.g. Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Kate Upton, Iggy Azalea) are just as influential in making women believe they need to look like that, and their bodies are equally as hard to achieve, if not harder. 

Of course, these women are not to blame directly, congratulations to them for having such great bodies and sex appeal. And so many of them have done so many wonderful things in raising awareness and money for causes benefiting females and gender equality (the recent Chime For Change concert for example). No one should be disliked for the way they look, and let us not forget the fact that pop stars are shaped to horrendous extents by record labels and powerful behind-the-scenes figures within the industry. None-the-less they do have a choice as to how to present themselves, how to dress, dance, what to sing about etc. Given the position these women are in, and the benefits they receive from being in these positions, I do not believe it unfair to place them with some level of responsibility with regard to their influence over society.

Of course, the other side of the argument (and one that I also agree with) is that women should be able to dress how they want, dance how they want and sing about what they want without it discrediting them. After all, if we say women should cover up more and draw less attention to their female bodies are we not just suggesting that to be taken seriously, women must act more masculine? Or that there is only one way in which a female can be considered attractive? Female empowerment is all about choice, and so taking away a females right to shake her ass and telling her she cannot be respected if she does, is just another form of oppression is it not? Why on earth, should the women who got up on stage at the Chime for Change concert have their work in gender equality discredited because they're openly being sexy? Let us not forget that in some areas of the world, wearing few clothes and dancing freely is a basic part of their culture and one that is respected and enjoyed by people all around the world; the Rio carnival for example. Furthermore, everyone enjoys a good, lively dance to a pop song and the chance to 'do their thing'. It just so happens that in Britain, most people need a few drinks to become relaxed enough to embrace this instinct.

However, artists like Rihanna appear to do little to benefit society or women. Posting images of herself smoking weed, making spelling mistakes to look 'cool', dressing distastefully and getting back with a man who completely and utterly, beat her up whilst being regarded as one of the most beautiful and successful women alive today is damaging to society on a huge scale. I still can't quite believe my eyes when I see girls tweeting about how much they love Chris Brown or how 'attractive' he is. Things like that flag pop culture up as a crisis to me. Beyonce, and artists like her have a certain level of class about them, they use their sex appeal to empower women and defend their right to be sexy without feeling threatened, but others such as Rihanna and Iggy Azalea show degrading women to sexual figures as cool, attractive and the only way for a woman to achieve success. This is fundamentally wrong. Of course there is an element of personality. Nicki Minaj for example has never been anything less than provocative and sexual to say the least, some enjoy this about her and some loath this. I believe it is somewhat harmless on such a scale as she is so individual, but now, it is becoming culture rather than personality which decides how women must act and dress in order to be regarded as beautiful and successful. 

 I may not like Rihanna, but there's no denying she makes good pop music and I suppose, that's the fundamental problem with pop culture; it's influence cannot be reduced. And I suppose this is why the way pop culture influences society must be monitored and reviewed because despite all other conflicting arguments in this debate, the point still stands that girls are growing up being taught that the most idolised women are those who wear the least and have the least levels of self respect. Women are not all about sex, but modern pop culture certainly makes it seem that way. 

Finally, hats off to those women who succeed in an industry dominated by sex based on pure talent alone; Paloma Faith, Florence Welch and Emeli Sande to name just a few of the most successful of the artists who do not use sex to sell their music.

What do you think?
x
disclaimer: photos are not my own.

Sunday 16 June 2013

#106


 After a particularly manic four days, I'm currently indulging in the rainy Sunday gifted to us-and yes, gifted, because there is no mandate to do sweet nothing more official than wind and rain on a Sunday. In today's case, this indulgence comes in the form of no make up, a ponytail that was once high sitting comfortably on my shoulders and a handmade t-shirt made by one of my best friends, which reads: I love cats and Charlotte. Now there's a mental image that should be actualized and printed in Vogue.

While the above image is somewhat disturbing, hopefully the images below are slightly less so.




Dress: Topshop, shoes: T-reds

This dress is a little piece of heaven, for me at least. Every time I put it on I become a better version of myself. Okay maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but in all sincerity, when wearing something so delightful one can only feel the same. 
The lace detail and smock fit entwine to create a classy yet flattering, simple yet beautiful and humble yet stand-out garment. With neutral yet exceedingly high heels, the outfit became posh enough for the wedding that could put all rom-coms to shame and yet unambitious enough to not draw any attention from the beautiful bridal party. Whilst this dress can be dressed up or down to any extent, this particular combination was born for the sake of my cousin's wedding which I attended a few weekends ago now. The celebrations lasted a full weekend and were nothing less than perfect (honestly expected Hugh Grant to appear at any moment) and I wish Katherine, Andy and baby Ellie a lifetime of happiness!
x

Friday 7 June 2013

#105


Summer, Summer, Summer Time
Outfit posts are awkward. Fact. Only now am I realising that I appear to like posing with my hands on my hips, which was undeniably more cool four years ago than it is today. Still, outfit posts are about the outfits so ignore my lame-ass posing and check out my uber funky River Island shorts instead. I'm not a particularly big fan of River Island. I stumbled across these fringed, fun and fitting beauties during the new year sales where any and every store must undergo a thorough scrutiny in the name of deals, and a deal they were at just £12! Jumping at the chance to widen my fashion horizons as it were and step out of my comfort zone for such a reasonable price, they soon became one of my favourite pieces of eye candy within my wardrobe. As the tee was a basic blue M&S design found in my mum's never-ending draws of M&S designs (don't worry she's used to my rummaging), this outfit would be extremely economically friendly if it weren't for the Superga's on my feet. Party outfits don't come more practical than this; it's comfy, expressive, fun and easy to dance in. I don't think I could have avoided these shorts when dressing for the first summer house party of the year if I'd tried.








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