Recently in Beauty Category

Hi all, long time reader, first post.

I have been considering getting a breast reduction since I was about 13, when I went from an A to a B in about two months.  Now I am 17, nearly 18, and after a year of believing that I might be able to get the surgery when I was 20 to be sure I wasn't going to grow any more, I have suddenly grown another cup size from an E to an F.  I'm not a light framed girl, luckily, with broad shoulders and height to back it up unlike the other women in my family, but it still causes me all sorts of problems.  I raise horses, and as anyone who has been around them knows, a lot of running after them is involved.  When I ride with any speed, I bounce so bad that it's painful.  Sitting at a desk is difficult because I have to hunch forward often so they sit in the desk to keep my back from hurting.  I see a chiropractor twice a week to work on the lack of curve in my neck, I have not slept on my back since I was 14, and my posture has gotten increasingly worse over the last 6 months.  I want four things out of life right now.  World peace, to end poverty, equality for all, and to be a C.

Since I hit the lovely thing that is puberty, I have dealt with the stares and the comments from both strangers and friends alike.  I can't ride horses in front of anyone, walk fast, or sometimes be out in public at all.  Living in a small Georgia town, telling most people to go screw themselves doesn't do much good.

Now, it's been pretty well known for many years now that I am a feminist.  Today, I met a girl who I have not seen in 4 years or so and who knew me when I made the two month size jump in 7th grade.  At the time, she went from friend to instant enemy simply because I had an added few pounds to the front of my body.  I had on a t-shirt that said "Women belong in the house... and the Senate." when we spoke.  The major first thing I noticed was that she had had serious augmentation done to everything she had, from breasts to lips to ass implants (totally don't get those).  She kept telling me how much work she had done, so I mentioned that I wanted to get a reduction.  She quickly said "You just want one because you're feminist.  You don't want to look like a girl."

I realize that I probably should have expected something like this, but never before have I had someone tie my want of a healthy body to my social positions.  It frankly floored me.  I'm used to people accusing me of being a lesbian, man hater, infant murderer, etc, but this was somehow different.  I can't recall my response to her, but knowing me it was deeply sarcastic.  I spoke about this to my semi-supportive mom, who actually agreed with her.

Am I the only one who's head is about to explode over this?  Even as I have talked to other people I know about it, men and women, and I have been incredibly surprised how little support there is out there for the procedure.

Any thoughts on why exactly this is?  Any books on the subject?

Ever wanted to know how models actually look?

This website is a huge reality slap about the unfair standards of women's beauty. Not to mention this guy's slogan is " Nature gives us beauty - Artists enhance it". What a creeper; I think he's actually proud of his so-call 'art.'

I'm a gigantic fan of the Dresden Dolls, and when its lead singer, Amanda Palmer, released her solo album in September, I was floored. It's beyond fantastic, and the videos she's made from it so far, including her ironically dedicated-to-Sarah-Palin video for "Oasis" , have been  beyond fantastic.

Today, she put up her new video for "Leeds United". Her and her team spent long hours working on the Leeds video, as she describes on her blog , only to have her label ask to remove some shots of the video that her bare belly, because, they said, she looks fat.

Seriously?? Amanda Palmer, fat?? She is a totally normal and healthy weight. This is just more evidence of how b.s. the music industry is in its treatment of women and how society expects any woman who wants to be successful to also be a size zero. Not to mention that fact that Amanda Palmer is one of the few women artists signed by Roadrunner Records, and I'm willing to bet none of the men on the label have ever been criticized for their bellies.

Thankfully though, she refused. The video stayed as is, and some of her sweet fans started putting pictures of their bellies on her fan forum . Awesome deal.

Ok, I have a confession to make, one that seems very inconsequential, but for some reason has gotten me some very strong responses from people - feminist and non-feminist alike. Allow me to state some background before I begin...

During high school and college, I got a few select piercings - I have 5 my left ear, 6 in my right, and had my nose, navel, and upper lip (Monroe) pierced. When I began law school, I removed the nose and Monroe piercings out of a sense of "professionalism," I suppose. I kept the ears and navel in. Now, I often wear long jewelry in the navel piercing, so on some days, it's pretty clear that I DO have my belly button pierced. And sometimes, this leads to some very interesting interactions.

At approximately 4:55 of this clip Bob Lutz makes a reference to women I found extremely insulting.

I applaud Steven Colbert for throwing out all of the negative and demeaning stereotypes to which Bob Lutz was referring. Through Steven Colbert's satire my eyes opened to a few things that I found shocking. 

Mr. Lutz's remarks insinuate that women who are environmentally conscious are less attractive.  That these women are not the type of woman that a man would typically want to attract.  That by purchasing his electric car you will be attaracting a less beautiful subgroup of women. I find that women are becoming more and more attracted to men who are economically, financially, and environmentally responsible.  But instead of focusing on that, an approach that paints women in a resposible and concientious light,  Mr. Lutz decides to propagate a negative image of  women who do not subscribe to typical standards of beauty. 

It's remarks like this that are so pervasive in media. Remarks like this that tell the public that it's okay to look down on women who don't look like someone you'd find in Cosmo.  Mr. Lutz's are evidence that his sexist attitudes; attitudes that play into unrealistic, unattanable and often dangerous standards of beauty; are widely  accepted.  I find that appaling.

I wish more people would see remarks such as these for the misogyny that it is.

 This is absolutely charming. All over my my gyno's office, there are ads for Botox, Juvederm, special mineral make up, facial skin treatments... While getting my well-woman exam, I can see over my knee an expressionless man advertising Botox. 

Shouldn't the gynecologist's office be the one place you can get away from all this BS? I'm going to make sure I'm healthy, not to get a good dose of self-hate! How long have people not been allowed to age gracefully? I'm 20 and I'm scared of what'll happen as this trend continues. Health should take precedence over beauty standards! 

Since May, I had been thinking about getting my bottom lip pierced. On my face. Not my bottom, bottom lip. Anyway, I finally got it done about two weeks ago by this awesome piercer and I really love it a lot and so do my family and friends…you know, the people whose opinions actually matter.

I live in Vermont, a fairly liberal place; especially in Burlington where I reside. I would even go as far as to say it has a distinct hippie vibe. So, I was not really expecting anyone to comment negatively on this new look because well;   let’s face it, wait five minutes and you will see something much weirder come along. (Case in point, I walked past a dude today eating liverwurst out of the wrapper in one hand and he had a half gallon of apple cider in the other hand.) Sadly though, I have gotten exactly three disparaging comments in two short weeks. Interestingly enough however, only from older men.

One from my SO’s uncle, which was to effect of, ‘why did you ruin your beautiful face?’ Excuse me? You are like 55 years old and married. I am 19. And while I appreciate the attempt at flattery, I like my face (and so does your nephew btdubs) so I would consider that NOT ruined. Perhaps ruined because now I don’t fit an ideal beauty standard of yours? Sorry bucko.

One from a store clerk (WTF right? Not even worth the stupid details) and one final comment from my boss (even bigger WTF.) My boss actually referred to it as “a mutilation.” Uh no. It was actually pretty fucking liberating to do something unexpected like this. (PS I am very indecisive so this was a big move for me just in case it sounds tame to others) And considering I checked the employee handbook for any indication that this might cause repercussions for me, I really do not think it concerns you, Mr. Boss Man! Granted, it’s a work-study job and I probably should just let it go but… why the hell do people gotta get up in my shit like this?? Would the reaction be the same if I got breast implants? Would I be “ruining” my figure (that I happen to like!)? No. It absolutely would not.

What do you guys think? Anyone else had experiences like this? Is The Man keeping you down with his fascist beauty standards?

I have a confession to make: I fucking love American Apparel.

There's been a lot of outrage in the feminist community over American Apparel. The ads are offensive and Dov Charney may just be the creepiest person alive. The models all look like they're on coke.

So here's my defense.

There's no way to defend Dov Charney. He's creepy and disrespectful of everyone around him. I've always kind of suspected he might have some mental disorder that makes him think that this kind of behavior is okay, but maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to let him off the hook. He's a creeper. No argument here.

Wow. I'm starting this defense off really well, aren't I?

Let's start with the ads. They're sexy. They're over the top, and they invariably  show way more nudity than is strictly necessary. I could argue that some of the shots are really artistic and gorgeous, but that would spark all sorts of controversy and lots of arguing. But the one thing no one can argue is that it's incredibly awesome that the ads aren't airbrushed. If you see an AA ad while flipping through Cosmo, chances are it's the only un-photoshopped image in the entire magazine. The flaws are out in the open, not hidden away. AA models may be uniformly gorgeous and skinny, but they're real people, and you have to give the company props for that.

In the end, I think that it's worth giving money to a creepster like Dov if it helps me avoid supporting sweatshops, which are awful. Dov may harass women, but let's not forget that women are disproportionately affected by sweatshop labor. And while I can't excuse his grossness (unless it really is a mental disorder, in which case someone needs to get him the proper medicine, and fast) I can justify my decision to shop at American Apparel.

(Also, some of the clothing is really, really cute.)

When does it end? 

The very first line of this article: "The anticipation over Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech Tuesday night was as high as her pantsuit was orange."

thank you yahoo for your insight. *eye roll*

From Yahoo news:

"The first beauty pageant for nuns debuts next month with the advent of "Miss Sister Italy," aimed at erasing a stereotype of nuns as being old and sad, a newspaper reported Sunday.

(Advertisement)
"Nuns are above all women and beauty is a gift from God," priest Antonio Rungi of the southern Italian diocese of Modragone told the daily Corriere della Sera.

"This contest will be a way to show there isn't just the beauty we see on television but also a more discrete charm," he added.

Nuns wishing to participate in the contest should send their picture to Rungi, who will publish it on his blog. Internet surfers can then vote for their favorite nun online.

"You really think all nuns are old, stunted and sad? This isn't the case any more, thanks to the arrival in our country of young and vital nuns," notably from Africa and Latin America, Father Rungi added." ------------

Thoughts?