What I'm Reading...

‘Fat Talk’ Compels but Carries a Cost

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard it or read it but this is yet another example of negativity follows negativity. This article discusses women/girls and ‘fat talk.’ I’m brought back to Mean Girls:

Karen: God. My hips are huge!

Gretchen: Oh please. I hate my calves.

Regina: At least you guys can wear halters. I've got man shoulders.

Cady: [voiceover] I used to think there was just fat and skinny. But apparently there's lots of things that can be wrong on your body.

Gretchen: My hairline is so weird.

Regina: My pores are huge.

Karen: My nail beds suck.

[pause. All look at Cady]

Cady: I have really bad breath in the morning.

Karen: Ew!

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In those pesky fittings rooms it is so easy to fall into the ways that this article by focusing on the ways in which your body doesn’t fit the pants versus the pants “not getting you.” It was just disheartening to me that this happens. I know it happens; I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t victim to it or contributed to it. The studies go on to argue that women, when faced with images of skinny and fat women, expected the skinny women to have a more positive body image but that wasn’t true. Why, oh why, continuously put ourselves through the torture of focusing on what’s “wrong” with our bodies?

So what are we supposed to do? Do we all hate how we look? What we CAN do it to actively put a stop to negative self talk. Stop talking crap about yourself to yourself, people!!! The voice in your head must be positive. The next time you’re in the fitting room and things just aren’t going to swell, join me in reciting the new mantra: “This doesn’t get me.”

I just had to include one of my favorite bloggers, Gala Darling's, Self-Love Manifesto:

20 Tips to Get Through Your Twenties

Read the article for the explanations. They are pretty genius.

1. The Internet is not going to save you.

2. Get outside.

3. If you want to sit, sit.

4. Stop sharing everything.

5. Don’t pay lip service to “following your dreams.” If you want something, work at it.

6. Stop trying to improve your “efficiency” and just work.

7. Work.

8. Don’t kill anybody.

9. Call your moms and pops.

10. Quit all the irony.

11. Stop writing/sharing about all the people you *expletive*.

12. Travel if you can afford it. Otherwise get the hell back to work.

13. Listen to punk music.

14. Listen to any music.

15. Don’t become an addict.

16. Stop overthinking.

17. Love hard.

18. Stop crediting Marilyn Monroe with 50,000 quotes she didn’t say.

19. Not everything is a battle.

20. Empathize.

Ohhhh and I'm participating in the Blogger Book Club being put on by some lovely ladies whose blogs I've been looooooving! Each month I will review/discuss a new book. Up first, The Help, which is perfect because I've been meaning to read this one for, um, a while... I can't wait to get started!! :)

Fashion Friday: May 24, 2013... Summer Shorts Sunday

So, maybe, I missed posting on Friday but, I'd never forget to post completely, y'all. 

Each year when summer rolls on I find myself in a predicament. I do not like shorts. They are either way to booty-popping-rap-video short or adventure-time-with-nature-explorer long. Denim shorts, affectionately referred to as jorts, seem to always look terrible on me, too. My least favorite pictures of myself all happen to be taken when I made the unfortunate fashion decision to wear shorts.

Maybe it is just me that feels this way about shorts (I’m pretty positive I’m the minority on this one). I even pick them up in the stores, pair them with amazing tops and shoes feeling very secure about my choices heading into the dressing rooms and slip those suckers on and nope, not happening. Again, you see my predicament??

When I see people looking all cute in their shorts I’m plagued with envy. Why, oh why, on me do they look ridiculous!! There is always that friend, which is why they are friends who is consistently reassuring me that: No, Haley, those shorts look great on you. Girl, don’t lie to me. It is just not my look. Just not me, nope. But, each season provides all of us with a plethora of fashionable choices.

The not-so-distance cousin of the short, The Capri pant, is not a problem for me. I love them. Colored, denim, khaki. I rock them all the time. I even cheat and cuff up my jeans to make Capris. Capri’s are my summer time short. But want to know my favorite summer look?? Dresses.

Summer is dress season!! They are so convenient. After spending 7-8 months layering the long johns, sweater, scarf, wool coat, hat with long johns, leggings, stretched out jeans (to fit over the long johns and leggings), wool socks and winter boots, the ability to throw on one, count it, ONE article of clothing and have an outfit is a godsend.

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That’s why for this summer, I will be wearing, and purchasing, dresses on dresses on dresses. Maybe I’ll give the shorts ago one more time... maybe.

Fashion Friday: May 17th, 2013

It seems like a very long time since I've completed a Fashion Friday post and yet, only seven days have passed.

This is a Fashion Friday dedicated to some of my absolute favorite YouTube covers (currently), and The Great Gatsby, which I find to be completely appropriate because I've been bumpin' to the soundtrack, and I was completely in awe of Baz Luhrman's film. Obviously, I went in with a mindset that I always have with book to movie films. The book will always be better because I am allowed to create, mold and interpret the work in a way that is perfect to me, and any interpretation will never compare to the awesomeness in my head. (This post from Wonderly, I think, helps explain this too: Kassie King's "I have a lot of feelings about The Great Gatsby") Baz Luhrman created a movie that was lavish, outlandish and all sorts of awesome. It was his interpretation and it was awesome. I think it encompassed the Jazz Age is an idealistic way. Plus, I loved how the text of the novel was visual incorporated! Super cool!  And come one, Leo was a perfect Gatsby. He was perfect in all his grandeur and spectacle. His introduction? Oh my! I was giddy in the theater, and am 95% sure I squealed,

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels of all time. I enjoyed the movie, and I think, if I'm not mistaken I may be in the minority. Do I care, old sport? Nope, not at all.

Now onto the music... I love each and every one of these covers almost as much as I love the originals. I think they are brilliant, moving, and flat-out cool. Enjoy them as much as I do.

Julia Sheer -- Of Monsters and Men "Little Talks"

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Tori Kelly -- Justin Timberlake "Suit and Tie"

(PS She is absolutely amazing!)

Becky CJ -- Mashup of One Direction's "Kiss You" and Bastille's "Overjoyed"

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Anthem Lights -- Mash-up Best of 2012 Pop

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Candice Glover (Newly crowned American Idol winner) -- The Cure (Adele, too!!) "Lovesong"

And the final line of the Great Gatsby... "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

Yours xx

Every day in May, Part 2

The Blog Everyday in May, with a Twist continues.... See Day 1-7...

Day 8: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.

Say yes to things, whatever “things” may be.

Yes, I’m taking my own advice, too.

                                                                                

Day 9: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)

I'm blogging outside in my PJ's because it is summer and that's totally appropriate, and fashionable, right??

Day 10: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill.

Oh god, my most embarrassing moment... let me think here.... Hmm, I remember being embarrassed but I don’t actually remember why (or one that I can legally share...) Op, I’ve got one...

Preface: Okay, freshman year of college, both semesters, I was in a ridiculously hard Spanish class. I had this class everyday at 8am.

After our final, which I passed, btw, I was skipping, yes, skipping joyously down the stairs, grinning like an absolute idiot. I reach the end of the first set of stairs, did a really attractive twirl to take on the next set and WHAM....hello most attractive male friend. (Dude was a babe!!)

I broke out into the most unattractive giggle, flushed magenta; I can’t even remember what he did but I just scampered down those stairs so fast, I had to get out of there!! And that, is my most embarrassing story...at least that I can think of...

Day 11: Sell yourself in 10 words or less

Empathetic.

Funny.

Competitive.

Curious.

Tenacious.

Imaginative.

Creative.

Feisty.

Driven.

Loyal.

Day 12: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)

I miss Saturday morning cartoons, not these ridiculous ones they have now but Rollie Pollie Ollie, PB & J Otter, Blues Clues and Bear in the Big Blue House. I miss watching Full House re-runs for the first time. Friends. Period. I miss new episodes of Friends. I miss roller blading around our 3-season porch to Jock Jams and counting my brother’s shots with a stopwatch and calculator like it was the 3-point contest for McDonald’s All-American. I miss playing Knights and Princesses in my backyard with bikes has our horses. I miss recess and all the ridiculous games. I miss my Dad dropping me off, and picking me up, at school every day. I miss when exercise was for fun and it wasn’t called exercise it was called playing. I miss going to the swimming pool everyday during the summer at 12:55pm because it opened at 1:00 and we needed to be there when it opened. I miss the outstanding tan I got during the summer. I miss orange ice cream push-pops. I miss bike rides as my only form of transportation and socializing. I miss the hours we’d spend on ridiculous chat rooms. I miss ICQ. (Uh-oh). I miss MSN Messenger and getting my butt kicked in Tic-Tac-Toe by all my friends. I miss decorating my locker during middle school. I miss my high school teammates, solely for our pre-game dance routines. I miss Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.

I typing all of these things, and times, that I miss I’ve realized that I really just miss being a kid.

Day 13: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.

Dear Hair,

I’d like to dedicate this public apology to you. The things I have put you through over the years have been harsh, to say the least. I’ve curled you, straightened you (both by tool and by iron...yes, I ironed my hair), daily blow drying you to perfection and without heat protectant. I’ve lathered you with product upon product, and doused you with so much hairspray I’ve contributed to ozone depletion. You’ve been colored, bleached, and highlighted and that’s only in the last year. I have ripped through your tangled mess in anger and I apologize. You’ve been twisted and pulled into ponytails for years, while we can blame high school sports for this it is truly my fault.

You’ve been nothing but good to me and what have I done? Made you conform to what I want. I’m sorry. From now on I will treat you with the love, and respect, you deserve. Thank you for always being there and please, do not go anywhere anytime soon.

With love, and heat protectant,

Haley

Day 14: Ten things that make you really happy

1. Finishing a good book.

2. Making the perfect Spotify/iTunes playlist.

3. Turning to a fresh page of my writing journal.

4. The smell right before it rains.

5. The sound of my friends laughing.

6. Freshly washed, and made, bed; the best feeling in the world is snuggling down into those clean sheets.

7. That one day a week when my hair does exactly what I want it to.

8. A new outfit.

9. A hug.

10. The last line of the Harry Potter series: "All is well."

Yours xx