Is she really worth more though?

Source: Richard Gillin, Flickr.

Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Adlington was left in tears a few days ago after a heated discussion about body image with fellow I'm a Celebrity! contestant (and Great Britain's Miss Universe) Amy Willerton. 

After watching the swimmer being comforted by Eastenders' Leila Morse, who told her that she was 'worth more' than Amy due to being an athlete and the other girl 'only' being a model, and also seeing Lucy Pargeter tell Amy she was 'self-perpetuating the industry', a myriad of different questions sprang into my mind. 

Why does somebody winning a gold medal mean that they are 'worth more' than somebody who has been crowned Miss Universe? Why is it unacceptable to target a person for looking 'ugly', but acceptable to target them if they are 'pretty'? Surely, if a person has got to the very top of their chosen field (E.g, Winning a gold medal, being given the highest title you can be given in a beauty contest), then they are worth just as much as each other? 

Actually, come to think of it, why on earth are we judging people solely based on what they've achieved, rather than their actual personality? I'm pretty sure that Amy hates being seen as just a 'piece of meat' as Lucy put it, just in the same way that Rebecca hates being seen as just an 'athlete'. When you judge a person, you look at who they are themselves, what their morals are, how they are on a one-to-one basis, whether or not they are a decent person. Not on whether they're pretty, whether they've got a gold medal or if they're a miracle worker. 


It was awful to see Becky get upset about her looks, especially considering that what she does hasn't required her to be people's warped perception of 'beautiful', but I could not tolerate Lucy taking the swimmer's side and accusing Amy of all of these vain things purely based on the fact she's a model, and then at the same time saying it's wrong to judge someone based on their looks (and don't even get me started on the fact that she was once on the judging panel for Miss Universe GB). The hypocrisy of the whole situation was overwhelming.

Oh, and I especially loved the fact that everyone (quite rightly) felt so sorry for Becky but, from the way the show was edited, nobody even bothered to ask if Amy was okay after coming under fire because she's dared to make a name for herself out of being attractive.

The bottom line is that some people are naturally very beautiful and so strive to win beauty contests, some people are naturally athletic and so strive to become Olympians, some people like to care for others and so strive to become nurses or doctors, and some people are good at drama and so strive to become actors. All of these people are worth something, and none of them deserve to be targeted for pursuing what they love, whether you think it's worth something or not.

Yes, the media needs to be doing more to promote self-confidence and rid itself of the idea that a woman is only worth something if she's pretty, but that does not mean a complete reversal into the idea that a woman is only worth something if she's achieved something not based on her looks. 

I suppose it's a good thing that a prime time TV show has chosen to raise these kinds of questions, rather than edit them out, but I guess I'm just of the opinion that if women were allowed to do whatever they love without being penalised by others, then these questions wouldn't even need to be asked in the first place. I know, bloody crazy, right?

OOTD | 21.11.13

Today was just a normal Thursday for me. I got up in the morning and went to college, left at dinner and went to MacDonald's with my best friend. My choice of outfit was a sort of smart-casual pale blue jumper with a white collar, tucked into a skater skirt, with my (huge) leather bag and coat. I wore my hair straight with bits pinned up (takes around 5 minutes and is nicer than have it all down), and black and gold jewelry to match. I also wore my favourite shoes ever, which are my smart black ones with a small wooden heel.


 I really love this outfit, I think the pale blue is a perfect wintery colour, being able to layer it over the top of a shirt and vest makes it suitable for the colder 
weather too, and the black skater skirt gives it a nice girly twist.

Leather jacket - H&M. Leather bag - H&M.

(Such good quality)

Blouse (collar) -H&M. Jumper - Primark.

Shoes - River Island.

Skater skirt - Topshop.

Necklace - Topshop.

                                                                    Earrings - Topshop.

Bookish Survey | Cast a HP spell

I've decided to create a new feature on this blog called Miscellaneous Mondays, where instead of doing my usual fashion/beauty posts I can just post about whatever I want. This could be in form of me posting a song I'm loving at the moment, or commenting on something that's been given a lot of attention in the media, just whatever I want. This blog is meant to be slightly personal too, and so I hope that by doing this you'll get an insight into what I'm like!

Today I've decided to do the Harry Potter Bookish Survey, which I saw and was instantly sure I wanted to do it (as I love to read and good ol' Hazza is practically my childhood).

This was created by Jasmine (Flip That Page), so everything here except for my own answers are hers. And I have had to miss a few out from the original post, as (unfortunately) I haven't read any books that fit those categories.

Reparo

Fixes damaged objects

A book that needs some serious fixing: The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger. Not a bad concept, not even a bad book, it's just that what Salinger was trying to do is a little unclear throughout most of it.

LumosCreates a narrow beam of light

A book that deserves more attention: Indigo's Star by Hilary McKay. The most underrated, brilliant children's book ever written (The whole Casson family books are amazing, but this one is my favourite by far.)

Nox
Counters the effects of Lumos

An overhyped book: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald. I'm just bored of it now, and Lurhmann's completely botched-up job of the film doesn't help in cementing this novel as a favourite.

AccioSummons a book from a significant distance

A book you’re anticipating: How To Be A Woman, Caitlin Moran. Not because it hasn't been released, but because I haven't got round to reading it yet, however I am really looking forward to the moment in my life when I can read this book as I've heard so many good reviews.

Expecto Patronum

Conjures an incarnation of positive feelings

A book that made you cry, or at least want to: The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini. Two words: soul destroying. 

MorsmordreConjures the dark mark

A book you wish to mark as one of your favourites: A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess. Oh my God, there is literally nothing about this book I do not love. The language is incredibly, Alex the narrator is perfect, and I will just never ever forget this book.

Petrificus TotalusPetrifies victim

A book you wish to keep forever: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky. A book so precious I will cherish it forever. 

ProtegoShield charm

An intimidating book you keep putting off: Les Miserables, Victor Hugo. It's so bloody big.

Lacarnum Inflamarae

Shoots fireballs

A book you wish to burn out of your mind completely: Breaking Dawn, Stephanie Meyer. Honestly the worst ending to a series of books ever. The plot is basically: oh shit Vampires are coming, let's have a massive build up to the moment where there's about to be a fight, but oh no, wait, I can create a force-field with my mind so why doesn't everyone just go home?

Wingardium LeviosaLevitates objects

A book you wish to reread: Franny and Zooey, JD Salinger. My favourite Salinger book, and once my favourite book of all time, I can't wait to get to the point where I can re-read it.

Avada KedavraCauses instant death

Worst book EVER: Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte. In my opinion, she needed to take some advice from good ol' Charlotte and lighten up a little, because despite it's high position in the classics cannon, it was far too dismal for me to even get past the first 10 chapters (or maybe that was just an elaborate attempt at pathetic fallacy, who knows?)

stupefy

Puts victim in unconscious state

A book with a chapter you couldn’t seem to get over: The Fault In Our Stars, John Green. Chapter 20, where Augustus decides he wants to hold his own funeral, and calls Isaac and Hazel to eulogise him in The Literal Heart of Jesus.

Crucio

Inflicts unbearable pain

A book that was a pain to read: Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby. Football Fever it's not something I get, but I picked it up anyway because of my long time obsession with Hornby's work. I figured, typical of his style, that he would use his love of football in a symbolic manner to mean something else but, alas, he was simply just talking about his love of football.

EpiskeyHeals relatively minor injuries

A feel-good book that you enjoyed: Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen. Everything she does is just fantastically sharp and brilliantly sarcastic; she has this way of appealing to all bright young girls, and I don't think her writing will ever become irrelevant to society.

ExpelliarmusTemporarily disarms an opponent

A book with a swoon-worthy character: Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen (AGAIN). Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon are swoon-worthy characters, please don't make me choose between them.

ImpedimentaImpedes target’s progress

A book that kept you up all night reading: Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. There had to be a HP book in here somewhere, and although this isn't my favourite, it's definitely the one I couldn't put down.

SilencioImmediate silencing

A book that left you speechless after you read it: The History Boys, Alan Bennett. I know this is kinda cheating because it's technically a play, but my argument is that it's still a book, it's just performed rather than read. But the end scene to this book, especially the repeated 'Pass it on' from Hector, is such an overwhelming ending that I still struggle to deal with it.

LegilimensAllows you to delve into someone’s mind

A book with well-developed characters: Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates. Just the way the author wrote all the characters allowed you to know so much about them, without them even knowing it about themselves.

Peskipiksi Pesternomi

Useless spell

A boring book that had absolutely no effect on you: Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier. I don't know, maybe it just wasn't my thing, and I know it's meant to be like the modern-ish version of Jane Eyre in terms of 'the other women', but I find it an insult that a character like 'The Heroine' in this could be compared to such a resilient, strong woman like Jane Eyre.

ReductoBreaks through solid objects

A book that convinced you to reconsider another genre: Picture Perfect, Jodi Picoult. I'm not usually a fan of this sort of fiction, but I read it on holiday a couple of years ago and loved it.

RictusempraTickling spell

A book that made you laugh: ALL of the Georgia Nicolson Diaries, Louise Rennison. I cried with genuinely laughter at so many things in these books when I was 13, and I re-read them recently only to find out that I still do now.

Bombarda Maxima

Causes an explosion that breaks through obstacles

A book that made you explode with the feels: Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte. 'Reader, I married him' had me literally weeping into the pages of the book. So simple, and completely not the point of the novel, yet I just broke down and my heart swelled to three times it's normal size.

Finite IncantatemNullifies other spells

A book you thought you’d dislike but ended up loving: The Hunger Games. I entered this trilogy with an incredibly closed mind, as I'm not really up on the whole dystopian fiction thing as a genre, but I ended up reading the first book in around two days (and was up until around 2am reading it both days).

Skinny shaming: it's a thing

Source: Jon Bell, Flickr.

Today I'd like to talk about something a little bit different to my usual posts. It's still beauty related, just slightly more different, and won't be going in the 'beauty' tag on this blog. It's something that's really been playing on my mind recently, and after searching around on Google for a while I've actually found that I'm not alone in my way of thinking.

Everyone's heard of fat shaming; it's been a thing for as long as I can remember. You can't tell a fat person that they're fat: it's unkind. You can't use the word 'fat' as an adjective when describing somebody, despite the fact that they might be: it's rude. You can't tell a fat person to stop eating: it's ignorant of the matter at hand.

So why is it acceptable for people to do it the other way around?

I am one of those people that can eat like a pig and never put on any weight. I go to the gym maybe twice a week and try to have my five a day, but can never resist chocolate when it's offered to me. And still I've remained at a 'skinny' UK size eight-to-ten figure since I was around 13 years old. 

For the longest time I have had people come up to me and go, 'God, I hate you. You're so skinny' and I've had to laugh it off despite being totally embarrassed. It's one of those comments that makes everyone around you turn and look; scrutinising you as if you're there to be judged solely upon your weight.

It took me a long time to realise that these skinny shaming comments are just as bad as the fat shaming ones. On a basic level, there is a vulgar value consensus in today's society that 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' and therefore how can anyone get offended by being branded 'skinny'? But on a deeper level, there has been such a backlash against certain blogs and websites promoting all sorts of unhealthy advice in order to lose weight, that people are now starting to see all 'skinny' people as followers of this advice and, in turn, using this against them.

A prime example of this has happened to me too often to count: a supposed 'fat' girl telling me to 'get some meat on my bones' or 'get some food down me', and people have just looked on as if it's perfectly acceptable for a girl to basically judge me for how much weight I carry around with me. Yet if I were to walk up to a girl who was deemed to be overweight and tell her to 'stop eating so much rubbish' or to 'get to the gym and work some of that fat off' there'd be looks of utter shock and cries of outrage from just about everybody within earshot.

Yes, 'Thinspirational' websites promoting losing weight in unhealthy ways need to be stamped out. Yes, people need to start feeling comfortable in their own skin. And yes, things like anorexia are becoming alarmingly apparent in teenagers. But that doesn't make being overweight healthy. It's just as unhealthy as it always was, and it always will be. Neither fat nor thin should be promoted by anybody; an individual's relationship with food is complicated enough without an increasing number of other influencing factors. 

The way I think of body image is a spectrum, with underweight people who have genuine eating disorders at one end and overweight people with genuine eating disorders at the other. To be on either side of the spectrum is no good. As human beings who have the potential to create amazing lives for ourselves we should always aim to be somewhere in the middle; maybe not completely but for the most part healthy. 

A person aiming to hit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum should be encouraged to do it in the healthiest way possible, never should a person be told to lose or gain weight via over/under-eating, not eating at all, vomiting or stupid diet crazes that are advertised in just about every celebrity magazine published.

As human beings we should strive to help people start or remain living healthily, and never use their weight (or lack of it) as a reason to shame them.

Other articles on this subject:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/aug/05/skinny-shaming-fat-size-appearance

http://hellogiggles.com/lets-end-the-skinny-shaming-shall-we

http://girlsglobe.org/2013/08/09/on-skinny-shaming-not-all-real-women-have-curves/

October favourites!

One:

 At the beginning of October I invested in the Revlon 24hr Colorstay foundation, and am so glad that I did. It works great for my oily skin, yet doesn't make my face feel dry and the coverage is brilliant. For my birthday this month I was given the present of the Au Naturel pallette by my friend, and it's just got the nicest tones for when I'm out and about. I've been getting so much use out of my face brush from Real Techniques as well, and is definitely something I'll be using all year round - not just October.

Two:

 I bought these earrings from Topshop on a whim towards the end of September, and they've almost never left my ears since. I think black and gold accessories work well to really pull an outfit together, and suit just about everything.

Three:

I bought these shoes for £20 in the River Island sale during the summer, and spent two months waiting and waiting for the colder weather so I could finally wear them. They go with just about everything, and can really give an otherwise run-of-the-mill outfit a vintage twist.







Four:

As the weather gets colder my hands and lips tend to dry up a little, so this nourishing hand cream from Nivea and the lip butters from Body Shop are perfect to carry round with me in my bag on a daily basis. As I'm back at college now, I tend to spend the time I need to do my hair in bed, so the texturising spray from VO5 is a great product to use in order scrunch up my hair and give it that 'just rolled out of bed' look (which wouldn't be a lie). The Body Shop Voyage Collection of fragrances have also been my favourite scents this month; and they last a while too!

Five:

My last favourite of the month isn't beauty/fashion related, but is in fact The Fault In Our Stars written by the wonderful John Green. Having heard about it all over the internet, I decided to pick up a copy myself. I'm afraid I'm not able to say that I'm entirely happy that I did, as it the ending did result in crying myself to sleep and spending the next day or so with a hollow feeling in my stomach, but despite all that it's just a wonderful experience. The sharpness of the wit, and just everything about it makes it one of the most real experiences I have ever had with fiction.