So, I am about to drop some unpopular opinion on you right now ... This 27-year-old just can't with Halloween anymore ... and here's why ... in convenient list form (which I know you've come to appreciate).
1) October tends to be cold. Costumes tend to be tiny ... Like this one.
*** Side note: This girl will definitely get ebola ***
2) I don't have the time ... or the energy ... to go to a butt-load of parties. Actually, let's be honest, I'm not invited to a butt-load of parties anymore.
3) I want people to give me candy for free all the time. Come to think of it, I want people to give me lots of things for free when I ask for it. How about booze, clothes ... How about someone just hands me a full time job when I ask for it! Yeah, give me all that ... and candy!
4) Standing in line, in the cold, to get into a crowded bar with sweaty people doesn't sound half as great as sitting pantless on your couch watching "Hocus Pocus."
5) I've already dressed up as Cinderella and Hannah Montana and a witch and a gypsy and a clown ... There is nothing else I want to be ... So why waste my time and my money?
*** Imagine there is an embarrassing picture of me as
Hannah Montana here that I won't show to anyone ever ***
It's too spooky, too spooky. It's much too spooky for me. I can't look. It's too spooky for me. (Too Spooky For Me, Halloween Song)
If you've been on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram lately, I'm sure you've noticed the increasing number of #IceBucketChallenge videos taking over your feeds ... Maybe you've even posted one ... But are you even aware of what the videos are even about?
These videos are meant to bring awareness and raise money for various ALS foundations.
Yes, that's right. You either accept the challenge within 24 hours and dump a bucket of ice water over your head or donate to an ALS foundation of your choice.
Now I am all for a bit of fun and games, but how many people do you think are really donating towards ALS foundations? All this shenanigans seems a little self-congratulatory to me, just another way to get some likes on Facebook. I mean, why not donate either way, whether you choose to accept the challenge or not? It all seems like another giant case of SLACKTIVISM.
I think as a generation, we (yes, I am no saint), have gotten pretty lazy when it comes to supporting social issues and causes that are supposedly important to us. We are happy to "like" a charity Facebook page, or retweet a celebrity when they are vocal about some timely issue, but we are so much less likely to actually go out and protest or fund raise for the very same causes.
While there is a place for slacktivism, actual activism is also important for our generation. We want to change the world, but we cannot do it while continuously sitting in front of our computers and clicking and uploading - we need action, as well.
It's time for you to get up and act and DO when it comes to the causes you care about ... So go ahead and do something, anything. Remember little things add up, and can help to make change.
If not us, then who? If not me and you? Right now, well, it's time for us to do something. If not now, then when? Will we see an end to all this pain? Oh, it's not enough to do nothing. It's time for us to do something. (Do Something, Matthew West)
Do me a favor and listen up ... Because I have a little something to say.
Stop reading advice columns from 20-somethings!
... And, yes, this is coming straight from a 20-something about to try and advise you.
I know some of you are reading this, scratching your heads, and asking why ... and some of you are just thinking this is the rant of a cynical, jaded 20-something who feels the need to tell you what to do with your life just like every other 20-something out there (full disclosure: there may be a little truth to that) ... But the real reason I am writing this is because of one simple reason - those advice columns you love so much - 10 Trips You NEED To Take In Your Twenties, 36 Lessons I Wish I Knew At 25, 47.5 Reasons Your 20-Something Boyfriend Is Not Right For You ... All those advice columns, they're bull.
... And here's why.
For one thing, I know that I have probably read hundreds of those "Dear 20-Something" columns and each time I click, I get conflicting advice. One person tells me to take the bull by the horns, another tells me to just sit and wait for life to start because the best things happen to those who wait. WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO? --- My opinion - YOU DO YOU! Don't let some random person writing a column in Kalamazoo, Michigan influence your decisions.
If you think right now - in your 20's, in this moment - is a good time for you to pack your bags and fly to Brazil and explore the rain-forest, do it! If you think living at home with your parents and applying to 900 graduate programs is right for you, then do that. It's your life, make it about you.
Second, I don't know when every 20-something in America (and around the globe) decided to go into the fields of relationship and sex therapy ... but it seems to have been in the last few years ... Because so so somany of the advice columns I read tell me what I am doing wrong in my love life (or lack thereof), what I can do better (or worse ... you know, if I want to lose a guy without actually initiating a breakup), what I am doing right, what men like, what women like, what your parents will like in a significant other ... SERIOUSLY? SERIOUSLY!
You're 20-something years old. You are at an age where you are able to make mistakes in life and love and bounce back from them! Don't let others tell you how or who to date. Don't let random people typing advice columns into your bedroom. Make your own love stories, hook-up stories, break-up stories! --- If anything, they'll be good conversation pieces later in life ... Or the makings of a great Hollywood movie. Who knows? If you want to try online dating, try it. If you want to bring a random person home every Saturday night until you're 35, do it (be safe, people). Just don't let others tell you that the choices you are making are somehow wrong. Those choices are only wrong when you feel like you need to begin to make new decisions about relationships, and love, and sex.
Lastly, so many of these columns seem to say something along the lines of, "OH, now I'm 50-years-old and if I only did this or if I only knew this when I was 25 and a half, my life would be so much different." I'm not going to lie, some of the advice in those columns have good takeaways ... But life is life, people. No one knows where your life will go, or the twists and turns it will take. You may get on the subway tomorrow, slip and fall on your face because you decided to wear 6-inch heels, and meet the person of your dreams when he/she helps you up off your face. (Who knew Payless would have a place in your love story?) ... Or you may wake up tomorrow and get a call from your doctor saying you have 3 months to live.
The point is ... live for today. There are only two days a week when you can't make something happen - yesterday and tomorrow - so live with no regrets ... and I'm not saying it's an easy to do. It's hard! So, so hard. You may lose friends, you may piss off relatives, you may spend some money you don't have right now ... But at least try, so that way you're not sitting around at 50 telling 20-year-olds that if you only did this or that your life would be so different ... Because it's not something they need to hear.
Love,
Nazzle Dazzle
I've loved, I've laughed, and cried. I've had my fill, my share of losing, and now as tears subside, I find it all so amusing, to think I did all that and may I say, not in a shy way, oh no, oh no, not me - I did it my way. (My Way, Frank Sinatra)
Local Fox station WNYW took a good, hard, humorous look at itself - and the local news industry, as a whole - last night during their 10 p.m. broadcast when reporter Joel Waldman covered the story we've been waiting forever to see: What's annoying about local news?
I could personally write a list a mile long about the things that annoy me about local news, but that would be just like having a 3 minute stand-up for a 30 second story, so I'm just going to get to the point and post Joel's video ... and let you take a look for yourself.
(Ugh ... for some reason the embed code is not working with me ... See the video here until I figure this out).
So, there you have it, folks. The secret is out. The people who work in local news actually know that some of the things they do are gratuitous and annoying ... and simply for ratings ... But, when it comes down to it, who doesn't like to see puppies cuddling with babies and reporters in the rain (Oh Jimmy).
Time's gonna make you a man someday and you won't want to go out and play with your friends, you'll just sit at home and watch the news at ten and the pubs will be closed and you won't have been with your friends ... (News At Ten, The Vapors)
I don't know why I am surprised each and every time I am let down by the stupidity and racism that exists in this country.
Coca-Cola kept one of their Super Bowl commercials under wraps this year and after airing - almost instantaneously - bigoted, hateful comments began spewing into the social media sphere. The commercial in question begins with serene images of this beautiful country with America The Beautiful being sung in English in the background. Throughout the video, the song is then translated and sang by a group of young girls in a plethora of languages including - but not limited to - Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, and Tagalog.
In case you missed it, here is the official extended 90 second video from Coca-Cola.
Personally, I was moved to tears by this commercial (... and by the entire It's Beautiful playlist on YouTube). That is how beautiful I considered this commercial, and the message behind it. But, not everyone shares my opinion, as illustrated by just a few of the following oh-so-evolved and intelligent comments posted to Twitter after the commercial aired.
(Hmmm, Erik, check yo'self. The song in question is not God Bless America.#PatrioticSongButNotTheSame.)
c/o https://twitter.com/erikvela09
(Oh, sorry @uscliffordmc ... The song isn't our national anthem either. #StarSpangledBanner.)
c/o http://twitter.com/YesYoureRacist
(Ahhh, there it is. I knew I'd see it eventually, when all else fails blame Obama for the marketing tactics of Coke. #MakesSense)
c/o https://twitter.com/nothin_NEW
(Ryun, don't downgrade the importance of using apostrophes when writing contractions. #ElementarySchool?)
c/o https://twitter.com/rconn216
(Buddy, I wasn't aware Taliban members were such huge supporters of Coke. #FuckStupidity).
c/o https://twitter.com/buddycanty31
(Nick, Pepsi's CEO is an Indian-American, Indra Nooyi. She is considered one of most powerful people in the world. #AreYouNowConsideredOneOfTheDumbest)
c/o https://twitter.com/morikis
... And the tweets go on and on and on ...
Now I totally get it. While I do not agree with a single point made in any of these tweets, you're entitled to your own opinion. I will listen to your opinion. I will engage in conversation with you about your thoughts and opinions. Just know that if you agree with any of this garbage and you don't see the positivity and beauty that was in that commercial ... You are not someone that I want to associate myself with ... You are not someone I would want to raise my future, hypothetical children around ... I mean, honestly, in MY opinion, you are not someone who I really want in my country because you are bringing us down one stupid comment at a time ... But we really can't go shipping you all off to your own little homes on Bigot Island, now can we? That would be totally un-American.
I take pride in surrounding myself with people from all walks of life and all cultures. I come from a multi-ethnic, bi-racial, dual-religious family. I have friends of all different ethnicities and races. One of best friends is Cuban, another is Irish, another is Indian ... and that, to me, is an America I want to live in - one where relationships are cultivated and bridges are built between those that may be "different" in some way.
The It's Beautiful playlist features some behind the scenes video from the making of the commercial, and honestly, these girls who sing America The Beautiful - these children - they give me hope for a better future. They are part of the reason I don't give up on humanity every time I see a tweet like the ones above ... Because when I hear things like this from the mouths of babes ...
America is one union but with a mix of cultures and it doesn't matter who you are, we should always be friendly to each other no matter what difference we have. --- Naya
... Not everything fits the same way but I think that's what makes it so special. --- Carolyn
We have the right to be ourselves, we can speak whatever we want, we can pray whatever we want to pray and I just think that's pretty amazing and that we're lucky to have it. --- Naomi
It's so beautiful that we are all the same, we just have different backgrounds, and that's okay. We're all Americans and we can come together to make change. --- Sushmitha
... That is what gives me hope for the future of this country.
So, if you are one of those people who choose to be ignorant of all the beautiful languages and cultures that make up this country, that's fine - you do you. Just do the world a favor, don't spread your vile thoughts to our country's future leaders who really give me hope that they can all get along despite their differences.
And maybe someday, we'll figure all this out, try to put an end to all this doubt, try to find a way to make things better now and maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud. We'll be better off somehow, someday. (Someday, Rob Thomas)
Side Note: The It's Beautiful Coke commercial, in addition to featuring all those beautiful languages, was also the first Super Bowl commercial to feature a gay family. See their story and others here.
Side Note II: I feel like I'd be doing an injustice to society if I didn't make this clear for some people ... So, for the record, this is America the Beautiful, this is God Bless America, and this is The Star Spangled Banner(which is the national anthem of the United States).
Hey Jose Cuervo, I just saw this advertisement ...
And I just have one question, are you seriously basing the sale of your product on the whole premise of no regrets? I mean it's a great concept and everything ... But I am pretty sure tequila has been the reason for a plethora of regrets on many people's laundry lists of "SHIT I SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE." I mean, I am no expert or anything but hasn't everyone had a Pee-Wee Herman-ish tequila moment in their life?
I mean I'm not saying that people should be blaming it on the (a-a-a-a-al-)alcohol on the daily or anything ... That would be alcoholism ... But I am saying that I have seen tequila do some strange things to some very normal people ... So, Jose, here's to living life with a few regrets. Ain't nothing to be ashamed of.
She can handle any champagne brunch, a bridal shower with Bacardi punch, jello shooters full of Smirnoff --- But tequila makes her clothes fall off. (Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off, Joe Nicols)
If you are child of the 90's, you undoubtedly have an allegiance to one of the following uniformed teams - the Red Jaguars, the Blue Barracudas, the Green Monkeys, the Orange Iguanas, the Purple Parrots, or the Silver Snakes ... and it is without question that you have sat around wondering why contestants on Legends of the Hidden Temple simply could not get that silver monkey together when it was three damn pieces ...
And, yesterday, marked the 20th anniversary of the premiere of that legendary show!
How's that for a Look how old you've gotten!
So, with that, here are 5 reasons why Legends was so damn legendary!
Legendary Reasons
1) Kirk's Jean Shirt --- I am almost positive the man still wears it until this day ... or sleeps in it.
2) Temple Guards --- Any child who viewed an episode of Legends certainly had a nightmare or two at some point in their life about a temple guard jumping out of their closet and wrapping their crazy arms around them and possibly stopping them from winning a brand new, shiny dirt bike!
3) Olmec's Bad Ass Voice --- This one needs no explaining. When that giant talking rock began speaking, people shut their mouths ... and listened to the damn legends ... because Olmec commanded the damn room.
(This guy - Dee Bradley Baker - is the voice of Olmec, by the way).
Photo c/o http://www.imdb.com
4) The Silver Monkey --- No one really ever understood why none of the kids could get that silver monkey together when it was only three pieces ... but apparently it was bigger and heavier than anyone ever thought. Who knew?
Photo c/o www.tshirtgroove.com
5) Pendants Of Life --- We all knew that earning those pendants was the only way to progress through that game, and I'm sure there was some behind the scenes shenanigans between some of those kids where they tried to trade their pendants away for a few dollars ... or to get to second base with someone on the Orange Iguanas ... because, let's be honest, that team always had the hottest team members.
No matter how I try I just can't make her cry 'cause she'll never break, never break, never break, never break this heart of stone oh no, no, no this heart of stone. (Heart Of Stone, The Rolling Stones)
Last week, Saudi Arabian masses were introduced to their first ever anti-abuse advertisement ... And it's one of the best advertisements I have ever seen. It features a woman wearing a niqab, and from underneath you can see that she has been given a black eye.
This ad, which is sponsored by the King Khalid Foundation, helps to shed light on the problem of violence against women in a country where women's rights aren't necessarily a priority. The 2012 Global Gender Gap Report, which ranks countries based on gender disparities, ranked Saudi Arabia 131 out of 135 countries, overall. (Iceland placed first. Yemen placed last. And, if you are wondering, the United States ranked 22, overall).
Many people have called this the beginning of an anti-domestic-violence campaign, but I beg to differ. The King Khalid Foundation, and the agency behind this ad, went so much further with this advertisement. Although the original ad is in Arabic, having it read "Fighting Women's Abuse Together," crosses all lines, to all relationships - father/daughter, husband/wife, brother/sister ... uncles, bosses, any member of the male sex with (or without authority, really) in Saudi.
This could be the start of something big in Saudi Arabia. I would assume that a lot of crimes against women go unreported in the country because women are uninformed about where to go to for help. And, as for the people who commit the acts of abuse, they probably think that they are home free because they believe their crimes will never be reported. Well, hopefully this will be the start of a change.
It took a long, long time to get here. It took a brave, brave girl to try. It took one too many excuses, one too many lies. Don't be surprised, don't be surprised if I talk a little louder, if I speak up when you're wrong, if I walk a little taller, I've been under you too long. If you noticed that I'm different, don't take it personally. Don't be mad, it's just the brand new kind of me. That ain't bad, I found a brand new kind of free. (Brand New Me, Alicia Keys)
Carly McKinney, the 23-year-old math teacher at Overland High School in Colorado, must be the dumbest teacher on the face of the planet ... with a lot of supportive students. Any teacher (any person who works directly with children in any aspect) knows that there are certain aspects of your life that are just not meant for the social media sphere because sooner or later (and most likely sooner), those children will get to seein' them. So what inclined this woman to post this online is beyond me ...
c/o Twitter ... @KatiePatrick2
I get that what she does outside the classroom is her business and all that ... But either way, I mean throw some privacy settings on your accounts. Or better yet, have some better judgement. I thought that once most people even entered the job market, they quickly took down anything slightly scandalous from their social media sites, especially considering the fact that more and more employers are using social media to look for/weed out potential employees. Even throwing that aside, this woman needs to understand that as a teacher, as a YOUNG teacher, that she makes a very big impression among the teens she is interacting with day to day. That can easily be seen in the amount of students flocking to their social media sites to support her.
So, seriously lady ... put on some clothes, put down the joint, and grow the f- up ... Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad. I'm hot for teacher. (Hot for Teacher, Van Halen)
GQ magazine recently released its list of the "100 Hottest Women of the 21st Century" ... despite there still being "987 more years in this particular millennium," according to the article.
While the list contained some common hot names such as Beyonce, Shakira, Eva Mendes, Halle Berry, and Megan Fox ... There were some surprises on it such as Seth Meyer's celebrity survey choice of Hillary Clinton, about whom he said, "I think somebody who is getting sexier every year is Hillary Clinton. Every year she seems better at whatever she's doing. By the end of the millennium, she's gonna have it locked down."
However, that was not the real surprise ... Amongst its list, GQ found it appropriate to include the following categories:
- Hot Chinese Chick: Zhang Ziyi
- Hot Italian Chick: Monica Belluci
- Hot Indian Chick: Freida Pinto
- Hot Pregnant Sri Lankan Chick: M.I.A
I am at a loss to understand why these women were singled for their nationalities and/or ethnicities on this list of so-called hot women, in the first place. Why weren't Beyonce and Halle Berry listed as "Hot Black Chicks" ... and why wasn't Shakira the "Hot Colombian Chick" or Eva Mendez labeled as the "Hot Latina Chick?" ...
OHHHHH, because those some of those might have been considered offensive. I get it. The media gets to sexualize certain women ... But if they think they'll be in hot water for other choices they make, they steer clear of those stupid choices.
For the record, the hyper-sexualization of any race, nationality, or ethnicity is wrong. If GQ wanted to list the 100 hottest women of this (incomplete) millennium, it should have just listed 100 women straight through - not pulled some out based on their "look."
And we read in the gospel of Vogue that we're all supposed to dress and move and be visions of perfection, such a misconception, 'cause the real connection is deeper than the eye can see. What's inside of you? What's inside of me? The hands that made the moon and stars, the mountains and the seas, made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously. Let the whole world see your true beauty. (True Beauty, Mandisa)
PS. Can you say airbrush?! I mean I know it's winter and everything but ...Beyonce is not that white ... ever. They whitewashed her like woah.
Yesterday Oreo posted the following picture in support of Gay Pride on their Facebook page ...
photo c/o buzzfeed.com
.... And people went crazy! ... Threatening to boycott Oreo (albeit not Nabisco or Kraft Foods ... people really need to do their research if they want to boycott something), bashing gays, and losing their shit over a multi-colored cookie "made with creme colors that do not exist," according to that photo.
One of my favorite comments included something along the lines of "I'll stick to black and white. Fuck gay Oreos." Well, sir - I was unaware a cookie had a sexual orientation but it's cool if you think so ... That was most definitely one of the nice comments.
Seriously, how can anyone boycott a freakin' cookie? You know these people are gonna wake up one night and get a cravin' for one of milk's favorite cookies and forget their vendetta against that chocolately, cream-y goodness and go buy a pack. People just need a reason to act a fool and cause a commotion over what they consider their cause (and, hey, they have every right to do so) ...
But leave the cookies out of it.
Even Lindsay Lohan eats Oreos ... and she doesn't eat anything.
It's everywhere you look, if you look hard enough. It's really not too hard to see. Yeah, once you put your arms around it, you can never get too much. Love is a sweet, sweet thing. (Love Is A Sweet Thing, Faith Hill)
Hey All. It's been awhile ... But it's getting down to the wire for me and my thesis is due in ... a week. AHHHHHHH. So I've been crazy busy!!! Research, research, and research. That's all I've been doing ... But I'm taking a few minutes out of my time to comment on this.
Not the video in general ... But the fact that this past week the video was banned from YouTube for violating its nudity policy. Ummmm ... As far as I can tell, Kate Upton is not naked in this video - damn near close to it, but not naked. The woman is a bikini model what do they expect her to be wearing in most of her videos? She is barely recognizable in clothing.
There are hundreds of videos on YouTube of women in bikinis dancing that have not been banned - so why her? She's too sexy? Too curvy (don't even get me started on how she's being called the new face of modeling because she's "voluptuous"). It's ridiculous.
On Wednesday, YouTube brought the video back with an age restriction ... but apparently that was a mistake too ... because by the end of the day that was gone too. Can we cool it with the double standards here? Yes, the woman has boobs. Yes, they are jiggling around. Yes, she is famous. How does that make her naked - because last time I checked if you are violating a nudity policy ... I'd assume you'd have to be naked.
I don't think your ready for this jelly. I don't think your ready for this jelly. I don't think for this. Is my body too bootylicious for ya, baby? (Bootylicious, Destiny's Child)
I have always been a fan of the M&Ms commercials so I was crazy excited to hear that a super sassy new M&M lady will be hitting the tube come Super Bowl Sunday equipped with super chic plastic rims and sky high white stilettos. This M&M has style to die for.
In addition to her style, this M&M is also a lady with ambition. Just look at her official business card right here. She's the CCO, Chief Chocolate Officer, at M&M. Her business cards are more professional than mine!
Seriously cannot wait for Sunday ... I bet Ms. Brown is gonna blow her colleagues out the water with her commercials, and that will take a lot, because, I mean, there have been some great ones by Red, Yellow, Green, Orange, and Blue already.
Here are some of my faves.
So, baby come to me, show me who you are. Sweet to me like sugar to my heart. I'm cravin' for you. I'm missin' you like candy. (Candy, Mandy Moore)
When I went to Rutgers back in the day (yes, I consider myself old enough to say that even though I only graduated 2 years ago) and I wanted to take a bullshit class, I signed up for Rocks for Jocks or Dinosaurs (yes, that existed and it was the hardest class I took in 4 years - don't laugh) ... Now these spoiled kids can take a class called Politicizing Beyonce.
WTF does that mean?
Apparently Lady B is pushing the boundaries of race, gender, and sex. I can give you a list of people in Hollywood who do that ... who DID that. I want to take a class on MJ. That would be freakin' interesting.
But, I mean, who cares, right? If Rutgers wants to pay this doctoral student to teach a bunch of undergrads about how Beyonce tells us that girls run the world while being single ladies, while never once worrying if she were a boy, then so be it, because she does it all while being loud and proud and hella bootylicious ...
For the record, if I were gonna name this class, I'd call it ... How Beyonce Backs That Thang Up ... And Changes The World. Just a thought for next semester.
Her voice is echoed in my mind. I count the days 'til she is mine. Can't tell my friends 'cuz they will laugh. I love a member of the staff and I fight my way to the front of the class to get the best view of her ass. I drop a pencil on the floor. She bends down and shows me more. That's what I go to school for even though it is a real bore. You can call me crazy. I know that she craves me. That's what I go to school for. (That's What I Go To School For, Busted)
I've been blogging for quite some time now and if you've been following, you know that I am pretty passionate about media representation issues and how they affect women, so this story hit me like a brick when the Roomie sent it to me.
Be prepared because it's another story of parents and their lack of sense when it comes to raising their children to have some idea of a healthy body image.
Sarah Burge is a mother of very nontraditional gift-giving.
You may remember her as the so-called "human-Barbie" woman who, last year, gave her daughter a birthday voucher for a boob job when she turns the ripe age of eighteen.
Well, friends, she's done it again. I hope you're no longer comparing holiday gifts because you may be in for a disappointment.
This year for Christmas Burge gave her seven year old daughter, Poppy, a liposuction voucher worth about $11,000.
Burge (far right) with Poppy (the young one, obviously) ... Photo c/o http://www.thesarahburge.com/
Seriously!? What is wrong with this woman? I can understand if she wants to undergo cosmetic surgery herself, but to teach her daughter at such a young age that she basically needs to change herself in order to fit some type of ideal? ... Now that's just wrong.
And as much as she tries to defend herself, there's no hope, especially considering her daughter has been quoted as saying things such as, "I think it's great because you can change yourself if you're not happy."
Aren't there already enough influences in this media-driven world telling young girls that they aren't good enough without their parents basically implying that they won't be good enough as they get older? Because that is basically what Burge is doing ... even if she doesn't realize it, or won't admit it to herself. By presenting these types of gifts to Poppy, who is extremely impressionable as a 7-year-old, she is ultimately harming her daughter's body image and her ability to form a healthy relationship with food, fashion, mirrors, men, and a slew of other things that stem from having a healthy body image.
The fashion and advertising industries alone can kill a girl's self-esteem and considering Burge is in the limelight, Poppy was going to be bombarded with images of unhealthy models and the media's portrayal of the ideal body at a young age ... So by pushing the so-called benefits of cosmetic surgery on her daughter, Burge simply exasperated a problem that could harm her daughter greatly.
It would be a lot better for Burge to teach Poppy to love herself for who she is - especially as a little girl. If she wanted to promote cosmetic surgery when her daughter was older, then whatever ... I still think it's strange as a mother to tell your daughter to change herself ... But at least Poppy would then have made the decision on her own. As much as Burge says Poppy wants the boob job and liposuction, it seems like she is making these decisions for her daughter, and that's just wrong.
Hey, little girl with your tangled hair, your tattered clothes - you're fifteen and you're about to bloom just like a rose. You’re wishing that you had designer jeans like the ones you see in magazines. Now I know you’d give anything just to fit in but your worth ain't on a price tag, it comes from within. Don’t you know you’re beautiful? Don’t you know you’re beautiful? Don’t you know you’re beautiful? Just the way you are! (Don't You Know You're Beautiful - Kellie Pickler)
Side Note: Check out this site ... Just discovered it and love it!
You don't need superhuman powers like X-Ray vision or gamma-radiation-inundated strength to give yourself a monthly self-breast exam ...
At least that is what a new advertising campaign out of South Africa is trying to tell you! The new campaign by Associação da Luta Contra o Cancer features four ads - each with a different girl super hero, drawn from their chin down to their mid-torso, feeling up her boobies for lumps!
The lucky ladies which are featured in these ads (suggested by their artfully rendered uniforms, of course) are ... Catwoman, She-Hulk, Wonder Woman, and Storm (of X-Men fame for you non-nerdy people, out there).
The ads also all feature a comic-book looking caption that reads: Nobody's Immune To Breast Cancer.
It goes on to say: When we talk about breast cancer, there’s no women or superwomen. Everybody has to do the self-examination monthly. Fight with us against this enemy and, when in doubt, talk with your doctor.
I would suggest clipping your nails before a monthly self-exam.
She-Hulk is Hella-Endowed. Just saying.
Leather and all that super hero clothing is cool ...
But I would suggest any type of metal be removed before a monthly exam.
Storm could totally donate her hair to women with cancer.
I love this ad campaign. It not only has a positive message outwardly ... But it also has another message in the imagery ... These super hero women are all women who prevent crises from occurring on an everyday basis based on the actions they choose to do --- I mean let's face it, no one's forcing them to save the world. By choosing to perform breast self-exams, you are choosing to take a preventative step against cancer. You are choosing to check yourself for lumps and bumps and funniness and to report it to a doctor when you find it. Basically, you are being your own super hero. To yourself. To your friends. To your family. To all your loved ones. So, please do me a favor, ladies ... And gentlemen ... Go ahead - be my hero and go touch your boobies ... Just not at Happy Hour like this song suggests ... It won't end well. Trust me.
There's boobies of all different kinds but do you know the warning signs!? I touch my boobies for any strange lumps. I touch my boobies for any weird bumps. Touching is key to being lumpy free. So, please touch your boobies, touch your boobies, for me![Touch Your Boobies (I Touch Mine!) - Taryn Southern]
Side Note: If you have discovered a lump or have any other signs of breast cancer, visit your doctor right away. You can access information about the disease here. If you would like to donate to breast cancer research, you can do so here. Or, if you have some long tresses you are willing to donate in order to have wigs made for those who have been affected by cancer, check out Pantene Pro-V's Beautiful Lengths Program (I'll post my before and after pictures next month!).
