Happiness is

• A mug of green tea
• Hugging my friends
• Snapchatting my family 
• Texts from my parents
• Snuggling up in my new Twin Peaks sweater
• Completing 10k on the treadmill
• Feeling proud when I look in the mirror
• Realising that I’m worth more than my appearance
• Dancing with my best friends in seedy clubs
• Having nights I’ll never forget with people I barely remember
• Having nights I barely remember with people I’ll never forget
• New sheets on my bed
• Bright Eyes on a Sunday morning
• Ribena Light.

My aim for 2013 is to have a year I’m proud of, to make the most of my time with my friends in our last semester at university together, and most importantly, to be the best version of myself I can be. I have so much to look forward to this month alone, and the above list is just a small version of what is currently making me happy. What makes you happy this February?

 

 

Slut Shaming – To me coming from you friend is a four letter word

My internet bible wikipedia defines slut shaming along the lines of making a woman feel inferior due to her sexual desires/sexual history by calling her derogatory names such as ‘slut’ ‘whore’ based on the idea that there is something inherently wrong with being promiscuous.

By that definition I can’t think of a single person, myself included, who hasn’t ‘slut shamed’ in the past. From commenting on the length of a woman’s dress with the implication that this somehow makes them ‘easy’ or showing distain towards a friend who’s had more than one sexual partner or heaven forbid appears to enjoy sex it seems like common practice in our society to determine the apparent worth of a woman on the assumptions we make about them based on our own beliefs or views on what makes a ‘good woman’.

Probably the most alarming element of slut shaming is the inherent double standard it is based upon. Men who frequently engage in casual sex with multiple partners are often regarded by their peers as superior, gaining respect for their ability to ‘conquer’ women by dominating them sexually. This is in sharp contrast with the image the word slut conjures up when applied to women. Although ‘slut’ can be applied to both genders the word was originally coined solely for use towards women, and the implications of the word are far more damning when applied to them. The word slut when used in reference to  men tends to imply a lack of concern towards sexual partners and a high turnover rate, it doesn’t speak to their character. When used about women ‘slut’ carries presumptions about her beliefs, her morals and therefore her ‘worthiness’; slut is used as a shorthand to make presumptions about her character in order to dimiss her inherent worth, and thus her opinions and actions.

Saying all this why do women so frequently refer to each other as sluts? Not only are women the victims of slut shaming, we must also take the blame for perpetrating the words use in society. Internalized sexism oppresses an already minority group in politics, and allows others to demean and degrade women and their rights. While it may seem like a throw away comment to call yourself, your friend or that girl you saw dancing provocatively in a club a ‘slut’ doing so will only push back women, and while it exasperates me to no end that many of my peers see no need for feminism in ‘modern society’ the prevalence of slut shaming, body shaming and clothes policing, in my view, highlights the continued need for the education of young women about the struggles of their peers across the world to achieve the rights we currently have today, rights that we are at risk of losing if we continue to oppress ourselves.

note – as always all opinions are my own. If you violently disagree with me neither of us are wrong, we are just looking at the issue from different view points, please be respectful.

Adventures across the Oceans.

I’ve intended on doing a shiny exciting post about studying abroad for a wee while now and here it is!
I recently returned from a semester studying law at UBC in Vancouver, Canada, and honestly it was the best experience of my life. I’ve always been the kind of person that throws themselves into usually life changing experiences with very little thought or preparation for what I’m actually doing, working on the premise that it will all work out in the end and if anything goes horribly wrong it will make for a terrific story in a few years when I’m older and absolutely no wiser. However moving to another country, and for some people, studying at a new university is a big change so I thought I’d put together a wee list of tips for people considering studying abroad or moving to a new country. This might be a tad Canada/me specific but I’ve tried to be as general as possible so this can be helpful for more than just me!

1. Location, Location, Location
Obviously choosing where you want to move to/study is the first big step. I always knew I wanted to study in Canada, but if you’re not sure I would definitely reccomend spending a good amount of time browsing the universities own website, which usually has a specific section for international students that will be able to give you a beginners guide to the city its located in.
If you have specific interests that you want to indulge in your new country consider how accessible this will be. For me, skiing and running are some of my favourite outdoor pursuits, so living in a city like Vancouver; only 2 hours from Whistler and half an hour from local mountains with great views of the city, and beaches I could run on every morning really sold the city to me.

2. Home is where the heart is.
Before you move make sure you have accommodation sorted for at least the first week of your stay. This might sound obvious but I know a significant number of people who had somewhere to stay for the first night or two and then nothing. If you’re studying in a new country I would recommend staying in university accommodation, this way you’ll meet significantly more people, especially young people from your adoptive country. I would emphasise this point if you’re at a campus university. Transit can be expensive, time consuming and keep you away from the university in the evenings when spontaneous meet ups/pub trips/beach parties arise, you don’t want to deprive yourself of these opportunities to meet people even if staying off campus would give you a ‘better apartment’.

3. Be a social animal
I’m often accused of being anti-social but when you move abroad and all of your friends are on the other side of the world/across the sea/in a different time zone it is VERY important to break out of your social restraints and make an effort to meet new people. You already have an instant advantage; you’ve just moved across the world, that’s not something most people do everyday so you already have lots to talk to people about! If you’re at a new university it’s likely there are plenty of other people in exactly your boat who want to make friends as much as you do. If your university organises mixers then go to them, even if they make you play indoor organised games which you are far too old for you can mock them with your new friends and the embarrassing antics of your group leaders will give you all something to talk about later.
If you’re not at university or you simply want to meet people outside of university then join a cheap exercise class, there are often deals on groupon and similar sites for bikram yoga, spin classes and lots of cities have free running clubs where you can meet like minded people.

I will continue this theme in my next post, until then here are some pictures from my time in Vancouver, living the Canadian dream!

Home is wherever I’m with you

I’ve been a bit absent here the last few weeks thanks to limited internet in Toronto and New York but needless to say I had an amazing time in the last leg of my travels, even if lots of ridiculous things went down in Toronto while I was there and New York was hotter than nine shades of hell (or at least it felt so for an wilting English petal such as myself)
Here are some outfit pictures since I’ve been home;

I absolutely love the company ‘Black Milk Clothing‘. I’ve been an admirer since 2009 and a buyer for just over a year and considering their amazing products, great quality and wonderful customer service girls it’s not surprising that the brand has grown exponentially in the last year.
Here’s a picture from yesterday evening (please excuse the quality and mess in the background) of me going for drinks and a light dinner for my best friends homecoming celebrations.
Here I’m repping my ‘aurora skye’s’ named after a dedicated black milk fan who has so many pieces she was able to ask for a special design, it was so beautiful the company released it to lucky ladies like me so now my legs can look fabulous too. The quality is great, the leggings are all hand made in Australia and even though some people complain they are pricey I would rather pay good money for good quality original designs than a knock off cotton pair from topshop or miss selfridge.
I also wore my birthday dress for welcome home drinks with my family – this beauty was rather expensive but I absolutely adore the simplicity and fit of the design and it goes great with my army boots and leather jacket for hitting the streets or suede pumps and a blazer as I wore here.

My blazer is from Urban Outfitters, bag is from Reiss and boots are from Dune.
My sister is wearing Black Milk ‘new slick’ leggings and an oversized necessary clothing mint shirt.

Skip town slow down, push it to the East Coast.

Tonight is my last in San Francisco and it certainly feels too soon to be saying goodbye; the city was so much more than I had expected. Highlights include being serenaded outside the rather amazing City Lights Bookstore by ‘the dawn dwellers’ a fantastic wee band from British Columbia (where my heart remains) and watching fireworks over the Golden Gate Bridge on the night of it’s 75th Anniversary.

Even though I managed to sunburn my hands to such a serious extent that they now resemble peeling leather bags while cycling over the Golden Gate bridge, through Sausalito and to the Mill Woods to see the redwood trees with my overly eager forestry student friend, it was a magical experience, and I made my dad very proud by braving my fears of cycling and going for it full force.

And a final highlight; winning the ‘game of life’ against my friend Phoebe at Columbus 901, a great coffee shop on Columbus (who would have guessed it’s location?!)

So tonight I’m leaving the West coast behind and heading for pastures new in Canada. California, you have surpassed my expectations, I know I’ll be back.

Couldn’t get Michael Kors if you were f*cking Michael Kors

I got a new watch today! I’ve been eyeing up the Michael Kors watches for a while now after discounting a similar style Fossil because my dad favours Fossils. (I know we’re similar but I don’t need to extend it too far)

I opted for the MK 5314  because the face is the perfect size for my wrist. I was originally after the mens version because I have a penchant for large faces but it was literally hanging over the sides of my tiny wrist, but this ladies version is almost identical and I just love the fact that it’s rose gold.  My bracelets in this picture are forever 21 and american eagle.

Reminiscing over the Valley of Ashes

My favourite book is ‘The Great Gatsby’, no question, no doubt. So the cards were perhaps stacked against the odds of my liking the new adaptation of the novel, helmed by Baz Luhrmann, and after watching the trailer the less said about my views the better.

But watching what I can only describe as Luhrmann vomiting in glorious 3d all over my laptop in the trailer for the film, set to be released in time for Christmas 2012 my passion for the novel was reawakened.
I was so feverhently against the remake that it made me wonder; what was it that I loved so much about Fitzgeralds novel?
Was it the almost poetic writing style, the roaring 20′s setting or the satire on the period that has so many parallels with modern society that particuarly resonated with me?
For me, any novel I have read which I consider as holding a special place in my heart should not be touched, because it will never compare with the version I remember, and here, I think I have got to the root of my problem with adaptations, be they for television or the cinema, or the theatre. When I read Gatsby I see my interpretation of the novel, I bring in to it my own visions, my own pre held views, my own life experience, and this becomes part of my reading experience, so my personal opinion of the novel will be different from that of my best friend, who also considers Gatsby to be one of her favourite novels. We both read the same text, but we take different things from it. When you watch an adaptation you are watching someone elses interpretation of the novel, you are seeing their impression of the characters, their view of the important themes, the message they took from the novel, or, perhaps, the message they want you to take away.

I think my problem therefore is that I do not trust Luhrmann with the novel. Moulin Rouge made my eyes water before the end of the opening scenes with the fast cuts, lurid colours and blaring music; sensory overload at its worst, and from the trailer it appears that this is exactly what will meet audiences in theatres on 25th December. I can at least thank Luhrmann for saving me the obligatory 10 quid that a cinema trip now costs because I will not be ruining my perception of, in my opinion, the best novel written in the 20th century.