The Internet is Bad For My Body Image

Wow, I have not written in ages! I have been meaning to write this for a while, so I may as well write it today!

An issue that is always being brought to my attention, in the media, on Facebook and in real life, and something that I have addressed previously, is that of body image. There are a lot of images circling the Web regarding body size, commenting on what is attractive. Usually, there is a photo of a super skinny woman, next to a photo of a curvy woman (often Marilyn Monroe), with some comment about how the thin woman is unattractive and the curvy woman is attractive, this image is the one I am thinking of:

Firstly, they have not only chosen an unflattering photo of Marilyn to use, the one which makes her look bigger than she is, but they have also chosen the most extreme example they could find to basically say 'curves are better than bones' or whatever. Now, of course I agree that yes, super skinny is bad, if you have inflicted it upon yourself or have an eating disorder (although instead of judging these mentally ill people, we should be helping them love themselves, not loathe themselves even more which is often why they have an eating disorder in the first place: trust me, I know). 

Secondly, your weight should NOT in any way determine how attractive you are. I loathe all the Facebook groups that say looking a certain way is better than looking some other way, particularly as people are then all confused as to why so many people have body issues or low self-esteem. We place so much emphasis on looks, bringing your weight into it makes it worse. What makes you attractive is not your appearance, but your personality (cliche I know). What is wrong with thin women? Why are they so unattractive all of a sudden? I am not a large woman, I have curves but in the grand scheme of things, I am thin, and people often call me skinny even though I don't believe I am. I don't look good chubbier than I am, so I don't want to gain weight in order to measure my worth, especially as years ago I developed an eating disorder after being called 'fat' for my entire childhood (I was never above a healthy weight for my height). My body is naturally 'chunky', regardless of how little I weigh. 

Similarly, these two images often appear on my Facebook timeline, or Tumblr dashboard:

Again the intention of these is clear, it is to dictate to people what they should find attractive. I see Kiera Knightly and Kirsten Dunst on the 'unattractive' image list. They are both naturally very slim and always have been, they cannot help it, so we should not make them both out to be unattractive because of this. I don't doubt that the models on the bottom are attractive, but they are all still very slim women, not that much bigger than the 'skinny' women, so it seems like the point is a bit invalid. Equally, the second image is usually accompanied by figures telling us what clothing size these women are and that men will prefer the bigger woman, thus insinuating that women must be bigger to get male attention. All three of those women are attractive, yet people comment on the thinner ones saying how they are 'too thin'. No one in that photo looks too thin to me, they all look healthy weights of different sizes. Why do we feel the constant need to compare these body shapes and comment on them all the time? It's belittling and mean. The people who make these comments would hate it if their photo was on the internet being judged in the same way, so it should not be ok for them to effectively bully and stereotype people of different body shapes. 

Am I a Juxtaposition?

This is probably going to be the most pointless blog post in existence, but here we go. 

So I found a comment on a blog post that I posted about the importance of charity (which I deleted rather than responding and getting into an argument) in which an anonymous commenter (classy) made snide remarks about how I go on about charitable giving and such like whilst endorsing the fashion industry and spending money on clothes and such. Firstly, yes, I do this. Secondly, it's not like these two things do not go hand in hand; people hold auctions of clothing and the like, for charity, where rich people spend ridiculous amounts of money for a good cause. This may not be the best example, as many may have other motives, but it makes my point. I do not spend extortionate amounts of money on clothing, shoes, jewellery and make-up. In fact, the most money I have spent on clothing in the past year was last month because I got money for my birthday to spend as I wished. Being a student, I cannot afford THAT many clothes, but I will occasionally treat myself to a purchase that I really, really want, half of the time returning it though paranoia, but the other half keeping it and getting enough wear out of it to make it worth it. There's nothing wrong with this.

At the same time, I endorse and partake in charitable giving. I spend money in charity shops on books (I ADORE the Oxfam Bookshops), or give money to causes like Children in Need, Red Nose Day, Kidney Research and Cancer Research (among others). I would give blood if I was allowed to! (I had Malaria and cannot give blood for 3 years). Again, being a student I cannot afford to donate as much as I would like, but if I were rich, of course I would. Many rich people will spend vast amounts of money on clothing, homes, private Islands/Jets and holidays, they will also be willing to commit some of their money to charity, a lot more than anyone else could even dream of, because they can afford to and believe in the cause. Just because they live a luxury lifestyle does not mean that giving to charity is contradictory, the both go hand in hand. They would not live a deliberately frugal lifestyle in order to give all their earnings to charity, unless they really believed and wanted to, just like I do not want to spend every spare penny I earn on charitable giving and buying clothes in charity shops (I would if I found things I liked or fit, by the way, but I do not, because there is never anything that is my style or I would wear, rendering the transaction pointless.)

I am not in any way trying to make out like I am a saint or anything like that. Nobody is perfect and very few people are wholeheartedly committed to charity alone. Yes, I care a great deal about my appearance, fashion and someday hope to work IN fashion. But I also care about charity, I saved up £2000 to go to Africa and do volunteer work there, for goodness' sake! And obviously, I am thus acknowledging this awkward comment and possibly adding credence to their argument, but I just felt it needed to be said, as I will be blogging a lot more about fashion related things as I am currently trying to gain work experience in fashion. 

So yes, a pointless blog post for the sake of a blog post, which will probably be deleted soon.

Disney's Brave: Feminist Role Model or Stroppy Teenager?

WARNING. SPOILERS!!!

I am never one to pass up a Disney film, especially one about a fiery red-haired Scottish Princess with Billy Connelly as her dad. AWESOME. If you want to win me over, take me somewhere where I can watch a Disney film and put up with my endless emotional sobbing at the happy, sad and exciting moments. Yes, I am an emotional wreck, but if you do put up with that, I will love you forever. 

The film follows the story of Scottish teen Princess, Merida, who has spent her whole life being educated on what a Princess should be like but is, in fact, the anti-Princess. Her mother dictated what she wore, what she did, what she learnt and so on, all with the goal of becoming the perfect woman and ideal future Queen (queue feminist rant about how women aren't just for show and that we need a voice. Probably from Merida, as a matter of fact!) As one would expect from the promotion, Merida is a rebellious child, who enjoys riding through the Glen and practicing with her bow and arrow at any possible moment: much to her mother's dismay, of course. Following an awkward but hilarious presentation of suitors (totally and utterly unappealing to Merida), the protagonist has a huge argument with her mother over what she should do with her life. I know this argument. It's a typical occurrence between a teenage girl and her mother. Mum wants one thing, daughter wants another. There is a huge, irrational fight about how mum won't let you do things your way, but mum thinks you are being selfish and immature. Of course, it ends with something like "I wish you weren't my mum", "I hate you" or "I wish you were dead" (come on, we have all said it at least once, don't deny it!). Then later, once cooled off, both moan on at themselves about how it should have gone and form a rational argument that they will never present. This is typical and it happens pretty much to this exact specification in Brave, only in this, the daughter rides off into the forest, finds a witch and makes a spell to change her mum (and her fate), only to have disastrous and amusing consequences. Imagine if we could all do that! The world would be insane! 

Ok, so at the moment, she just appears to be a typical teenage girl fighting out against her mother's authority. In a way, I suppose, this is a form of feminism in itself. You know, fighting out against authority/patriarchy/mum, wanting to go your own way, make your own mistakes, be your own woman and not be told what to do or who to marry. Of course, in Merida's case, effectively having an arranged marriage as opposed to one based upon love,she has a foot to stand on in her opposition. 

Maybe, then, she is a feminist role model. If we look at the underlying message of the film, aside from the whole, appreciate-your-mother-because-if-she-turns-into-a-bear-it-will-be-awkward situation, it is about an opinionated young woman trying to change the rules and gain the right to do and marry as she pleases. I suppose that's similar to what feminists have been doing all along: fighting the patriarchy. Merida is fighting for her equal rights, as a woman, and freedom of choice. In this way, Merida is the alternative role model, who should encourage young girls to break through the stereotype of the 'Princess culture'. Merida is not a flailing, pretty in pink Princess, waiting to be whisked away by her prince charming. No, as I have already mentioned, she is an independent young woman who doesn't need a man to save her from her mistakes; she can do that all by herself, thank you very much! She won't let anyone tell her what to do. Whilst it's not advisable that we tell young girls to go to the extreme and fight the system so much that we end up with a bunch of radical 7 year old girls refusing to do anything girly and fighting against the patriarchy in obscure ways (although it would be funny), the film is, in fact, teaching young and impressionable girls everywhere not to settle for money etc. over love. It teaches them that it's ok to have an opinion, to be your own person and break the mould. It teaches them that it may be a struggle at times to get others to realise your potential and dreams, but it will happen eventually and things will be better for it. 

Merida is the Disney Princess we have been waiting for. Someone for the new age who embraces feminism and the modern woman. Whilst she expresses some of the teenage angst so common among us girls, its only purpose is to further the storyline and bigger message. On a whole, this film is enjoyable for all ages. It doesn't have the adult 'in jokes' of other Pixar creations, but it is nonetheless one of my top Disney/Disney-Pixar films of all time. If I was 7, I would want to be Merida, I would want to dress up like her and act like her because she is the Princess I can/could associate with and the kind of Princess I would like to be. Good on Pixar for this, you have done womankind proud. 


P.S. The animated short beforehand is so cute, you will explode at how adorable the premise is! 

I am a Feminist!

I say, shouting from on top of a chair, because Caitlin Moran told me to. 

Evidently, I am not the stereotypical feminist that everyone will think of if one says the dreaded word ‘Feminism’. I don't burn my bras. I haven't decided that my blatant heterosexuality is holding me back in the world thus have gone to the 'other side' (or is it the 'same side'?) to pursue the pleasures of the flesh that only a woman can satisfy. I don't NOT wear make-up or dress nice. I don't lecture others on the patriarchy (too often) and so on. No, I am not any of these things and if you look at me, you probably wouldn't think that I am a feminist. 

One argument, which I agree with, and which Caitlin Moran discusses in her book How to Be a Woman (which has become my new bible) is that, whilst only 52% of our population would admit to being a feminist, probably more than that are feminists without realising it. If you, as a woman, have a job, then you are a feminist. If you want to be equal to men, you are a feminist. If you want to have the right to choose who you date, marry, divorce and so on, you are a feminist. If you want the right to look how you like, not to impress others, but because it's how YOU want to look, then you are a feminist. If you want the choice as to if and when you have children, and use contraceptives like the Pill, you are a feminist. I could go on for hours. Whilst I should really add 'probably' before 'feminist' each time, because it may not necessarily entail that one is a feminist, it would take away the significance of what I meant. Also, I am probably right, more of us than would like to admit are feminists, simply by being able to do what we want, when we want (within reason) and have control over our bodies, yet because this isn't what we tend to associate with feminism, we don't think that it fits.

This is what a feminist looks like

Feminism seems to have become one of those taboo subjects that is only discussed by radicals or academics, a subject that isn't willingly included in day-to-day conversations because it's a touchy subject and people will assume you're some crazy radical communist man-hater who likes to throw herself under horses just to make a point (or something to that effect). It's as though people just think, "You made your point in the 60s and got what you wanted, so shut up, please, women." But we shouldn't shut up, please, because we are still fighting an ongoing battle. For instance, sexism is still very much a part of our society and it goes unnoticed because it's usually not that extreme (unless you're David 'Calm down, dear' Cameron) or deliberately trying to insult a woman, it's still just the 'norm' in a way. In her chapter 'I Encounter some Sexism!', Moran makes the point that a lot of it comes from the men in charge, who were from the pre-feminist era so are used to sexist attitudes and those who are post-feminist, well, they are just subtle about it, but it doesn’t mean it’s not there, for example;

"Very often, a woman can have left a party, caught the bus home, washed her face, got into bed, read 20 minutes of The Female Eunuch and put the light out before she puts the light back on again, sits bolt upright and shouts, 'Hang on—I’VE JUST HAD SOME SEXISM AT ME. THAT WAS SOME SEXISM!'" (From How to Be a Woman)

Also, the average pay for women is still at least 30% lower than that of a man in the same position, but why? Women are most expensive to ‘maintain’; our clothes cost more, creating our appearance costs more, we are required to buy things like tampons and other feminine products, and we tend to be the ones paying most for children. All of this costs more than any ‘normal’ man’s, so as we earn less and spend more, we are left with even less money than is suitable for us.

Another problem for women is the way we dress, particularly as many clothes have become sexualised. This paves the way for sexism and is often used as a justification for rape. Just because a woman wears certain clothes, it does not mean she is interested in attracting men and having sex. She wears those clothes because she feels comfortable in them, or simply because there really isn’t anything different available. I try to dress nicely most of the time, I wear short skirts/shorts, tight clothes, high heels and make-up. But it doesn’t mean that I am inviting a man to come up and grind his bits all over my bum and try to get off with me when I am out with my friends, or rape me and say that I was ‘asking for it’. It doesn’t mean I am in any way ‘easy’ and I don’t like it. This is one of the main reasons why I hate going clubbing and if I want to drink, I will do so at home, or in a pub, where dancing is optional. I dress how I do because I think it looks nice, looks nice on me and makes me feel a bit more confident. I don’t dress this way to attract men, deal with it!

This is also what feminists look like

What I like about Caitlin Moran, is the way in which she addresses all aspects of femininity, focusing upon our sexuality; totally blunt, to the point and accurate. She isn't afraid to say what, effectively, we are all thinking. Most of her topics are supposedly controversial and come at a time where feminism has taken the back seat, yet everything she says should appeal to the modern woman (or man, for that matter) and encourage them to start being more honest with themselves about these aspects of humanity that should not be put aside and tabooed, – masturbation, abortion and so on – because we all experience these things in our lives, so why fight them. She wants us to address these issues in a 21^st century stance, and we should. We need to decide how the failed sex education system in our country effects women, the implications for the perceptions of sex as a result of pornography, the moral issues surrounding abortion and how to deal with sexism. What does all this mean to the modern woman, and why doesn’t she want to talk about it?


I never really got taught about sex as a child. Sex education involved stories about STI's and how to say no. When you suddenly start realising that you're becoming a woman, it is scary. You don't know what your body is doing, what you are doing or what you want to do. You fall into obsessive love easily, you have imaginary relationships, you get your heart broken, you think about sex, you have sex, you drink, you smoke, you take drugs and so on (obviously I haven't done all of these things). But it's not taught, you have to discover it yourself, and it's not ok to talk about it with people, so how can you understand what is happening? The teenage years are erratic and hard for anyone and it's not helped by society decided to tell you it's not ok to talk about it. We need to teach young girls and boys about this stuff before they become messed up in the head and do something stupid, be it dangerously stupid or just silly stupid. They need to know it's ok to explore and develop sexuality, to take control of their bodies and emotions. That's what our previous feminists fought for, and that's what we need to adhere to. It's not extreme or anything, it's just what needs to be done.

As Simone Du Beauvoir once said, it’s easier for women to just conform and accept the patriarchy than fight for liberation, and whilst I am not suggesting that women start another revolution against it in the same way the suffragettes or new-wave 1960s feminists did, I do think that it should be socially acceptable for people to talk about this kind of stuff. For women AND men to come out and say, “Yes, I AM a feminist!” and not be looked upon like some crazy extremist. We are always talking about the fact that women in third world countries have few rights and are trying to help them. But we need to help ourselves and address our issues before we start thinking about other societies!

I am Female, I have strong opinions.

There are a lot of things going on in my life right now; I have exams to revise for, summer plans to make, I am consistently ill so am trying to control that, I have aspirations for a life after university that I need to work towards. In terms of revision, I feel the stress is getting a bit much and I find myself procrastinating, a lot. This, I cannot help and it does not help matters that I am tired and therefore struggle to concentrate. What I have found interesting recently is reading. Not just for my course, but for pleasure. Notably, I have been reading news articles, because I am an intellectual daaaahling and must keep up to date with the goings on in the world. A number of things have struck me lately that I wish to address, and as I haven't blogged in a while, I thought I would share one of them with you (whoever YOU are);

Recently, there was a show on called 'Meet the Romans with Mary Beard'. It was a wonderful, informative programme on the real people of ancient Rome. Not the upper class that we focus on, but the poor people; those who lived in the slums; the multiculturalism; the dangers and size of the city and Empire and so on. But that's not what I will focus on. Following the programme's airing, the infamous Samantha Brick (who you may remember wrote an awkward article about how attractive she is and that people hate her because of it, which caused lots of hate to be thrown her way as she is not, really, that attractive at all. She is rather plain, actually) wrote an article deeming Mary Beard, a Cambridge Professor, to be too ugly for TV. Not only is that incredibly hypocritical coming from Samantha Brick, who just seems to be a nasty, dislikeable person, but also incredibly unnecessary and harsh. 

It made me think about our perceptions on beauty (which I previously wrote about in 2010, HERE). Who has the right to tell someone that they can't be on television because they aren't ascetically pleasing enough. For starters, there are many people on television who are far more unattractive than Mary Beard. I can think of loads, who I won't name, because I don't CARE if they are ugly or not. Secondly, it should not be about the looks, it should be about what talent this person has. Mary Beard is clearly very intelligent and the passion she has for her subject is evident in the way she presents herself on camera; she is funny, silly, enthusiastic and makes it understandable and easy to watch, even though you're getting tonnes of information! It should be about personality, not looks (as I echo the popular term, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'). 

Our society seems to be all about looking a certain way and if someone doesn't adhere to that, we shun them. With all the celebrity magazines around, it's hard to get away from this. They are always picking on people who appear to have gained a bit of weight, or have gone outside without make-up (SHOCK HORROR), or wore bad clothes, or lost TOO MUCH weight and so on. It seems like no one can do anything right nowadays. If we aren't too fat, then we are too thin. If we aren't what society deems to be 'beautiful', we are placed in the 'ugly' category. We can be too tall, too short, too smart, too dumb. If someone in the public eye does anything, people will immediately comment on it. 

Some people have been going against our preconceptions of beauty recently, however the majority appear to be men. For example, Benedict Cumberbatch has become an 'unlikely' sex symbol recently (deemed the Sun newspaper's sexiest man). For years, this man has been scrutinised for his appearance, yet following the popularity of Sherlock and his evident high intelligence, women (and men) worldwide have become obsessed with him. They even have a name, The Cumberbitches (YES, I am one of them, and I am not ashamed). The power of the internet can create unlikely sex symbols and Cumberbatch is only one of them (although he's attractive even if loads say he isn't, I don't care). These sex symbols are deemed so because of their intellect, charisma and so on, not their looks (Russell Brand may not be really attractive, but women everywhere fancy him because of his outrageousness). Now, I could go on for ages about this, but I have written too much already. You see my point though, one should not be judged 'too ugly' for television, especially when bringing such knowledge to the world.

In short: Our society is messed up and we need to all take a good, hard look at ourselves. We need to change our ridiculous concepts of beauty, because mostly, they aren't beautiful, but instead unattainable ideals that would seem ridiculous 50 + years ago.

Previously, in the life of me...

GENDER STEREOTYPES - NB this is an old post from an old blog, but thought I would post it here :)

I read an article in the Sunday Times Magazine about the way girls are presented and how they learn that pink is the right colour for girls. It interested me, because it is right that the media very much aims pink to girls and advertisements aimed at girls are usually referencing the fact that they are ‘princesses’. 

It made me think, I really wasn’t the stereotypical girl when I was younger. Mum never dressed me in pink, overly girly clothes because they didn’t suit me. I wasn’t one for playing with dolls. I tried, though. I would buy barbies and stuffed animals and the Animal Hospital play sets, my grandparents even bought me a proper, posh dolls house. I tried to play with them, I honestly did, but I just think I felt it was silly to play with these inanimate objects. The most I did was cut and wash the dolls hair, change their clothes and take their heads off and have a ‘fashion show’ …. I never gave them personalities and such. And I always wondered why the black Barbies had pubic hair but the white ones didn’t….not that I knew what that was, but you know. Of course, I kept buying them though. 

What I liked to do was write stories, paint/draw, read, act and bake. Those aren’t stereotypically girly. In all honesty, they are mostly gender neutral activities that both me and my brother would undertake. I much preferred creative activities, I got bored of the other things. I was very creative as a child, so much so that mum says I didn’t do that well in Year 2 SATS because I focussed on the story as opposed to the grammar or whatever! I also wasn’t one for wearing skirts, I wasn’t girly in that sense, and as soon as I was allowed I would wear trousers to school. Part of it was due to bullying for being fat and such, part of it was because I didn’t like girly things.

Anyway, back to point…it seems odd to me, like the article pointed out, that everything for girls is pink. 60 years ago, pink was a masculine colour that was associated with red! Blue was a girls colour. Not long ago, boys would wear dresses until they were 7. Things have only really changed in the past few decades, and it seems that ‘pink’ is not a natural attraction for girls, but has been forced upon them. The woman who wrote the article said that she always tried to allow her young daughter make decisions and play however she wanted. For her first few years, she played with trains and cars and loved wearing dungarees/overalls. The trigger was a boy in the playground saying “Girls don’t play with trains!” that led to this toddlers lust for all things pink, for Barbie dolls, to be dressed as a princess. People who talk to young girls call them ‘princess’ and always make everything that the girls do about princesses; “Here’s your special princess meal”…”Come and sit in the princess throne” etcetera.

Girls should be allowed to do what they want, play with what they want, dress how they like without feeling pressured to be the same as everyone else. They should be able to feel OK to be different, rather than succumb to gender stereotypes. I mean, as we get older we develop our own personalities and styles and do what we want, but there are some young girls (notably those girls who take part in Beauty Pageants etc) who don’t learn, because they are indoctrinated and forced to believe in an ‘ideal’ for girls and if they don’t act like ‘girls’ then they aren’t treated well. The example of Scout from ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ comes to mind. When I first read the book, for half the time I thought she was a boy because the focus was on her take on the events and because she dressed and acted like a boy. However, she was very much a girl but preferred to be a tomboy. She hated wearing dresses, but was at times forced to because she is a girl and had to act and dress like one. Of course, she didn’t succumb to the stereotype and remained her own person, like her father suggested. Girls like that are hard to come by these days, but they need to know that it is ok to want to play with trains, run around outside, get mucky and so on. It doesn’t make you any less of a girl, in my opinion it makes you stronger and a more rounded person!! 

And the rest, they say, is history....

I am sat here, writing from my desk in my university accommodation - my home for the next year. I am listening to Colbie Caillat and feeling strangely romantic/loving and I am just in the mood to snuggle. Odd, huh?

Fresher's week, thus far, has been an all out success. Well...nearly. I am lucky enough to live with the loveliest people that one could ask for as friends/roommates etc. We all get on like a house on fire, like we have been friends for years and it just makes me so happy and glad that I have got to this stage in my life. I have eaten more food this week than I have done all summer, and whilst the concerns over my weight remain, I know that my roomies accept me as I am, in all my paranoid, unconfident, slightly bi-polar self. It's all I could ask for really. Plus I can go to the gym whenever I want, so I plan to go A LOT and get fit and feel attractive for once in my life.

I have done the whole 'getting drunk in Fresher's' thing. Last night, actually, was the worst night because I got so terribly off my face and made a complete fool of myself (some evidence below). I hope that people do not think less of me for this. I don't intend on drinking much for the rest of term, just every so often and only a little. I want to keep my wits about me!

My course seems really good, and whilst I am sad that I am not undertaking a drama aspect, I can join the drama club and all will be well. Generally, though, university is wonderful :)

Holiday Fashions

Ok, so whilst on holiday in a boiling hot country, it is hard to be completely fashion conscious. It is too hot to dress in certain ways and I would often opt for  loose fitting dress or short-shorts. However, I always tried to take care over my appearance if we were going out, and it only backfired once when I chose a gorgeous floaty, short Jack Wills dress on a windy day in Bodrum. Awkward times....

My general bikini choice was a rather beautiful yet skimpy Accessorize number from last year (below)

It cost me about £25 overall due to it being in the sale at the time, perfect. I always feel that one should make a good effort in terms of swimwear (I also had a gorgeous leopard print costume for the fat days) as it is the clothing that exposes your body to the greatest extent. A badly chosen bathing suit on holiday will, no doubt, lead to awkward moments (such as your bottoms falling down whilst entering/leaving the pool, sagging etc) that need to be avoided at all costs! The good thing about a 'string' (or tie up) bikini was that I was able to tighten the top or bottoms if and when I needed to whilst avoiding sagging. Perfect. The men seemed to enjoy my bikini too ;)

My favourite outfit, for holiday and in general, is my Topshop leopard print playsuit (below) which is loose fitting with a cute tie at the centre to emphasise the waist. I wore this on a number of occasions, especially on nights out as the shorts somewhat protected me from the advances of unwanted Turkish men! Although when you are drunk, it is a BITCH to go to the toilet haha.

Finally, thought I would show you this dress as everyone always compliments me on it and I have no idea why they all love it so much! It is a couple years old but I do enjoy wearing it, even if it is too big. It's New Look as well, which makes it even better!

I think that my summer fashion is generally practical, loose fitting, comfortable yet on-trend (mostly). I really miss Turkey, so, so much!

Whoops, I lost my mind

I realise that I have kind of neglected this blog recently. I have had SO MUCH on my plate, with exams and then various holidays - Malawi, France and then Turkey on Tuesday! I have a number of opinions about those holidays, some good, some bad...but I digress, I have decided that I am going to try and re-invent this blog; delete awkward/unwanted posts, change layout etcetc. I feel it should be properly cared for, and I will have plenty of time as I am about to begin my studies at Kent University studying English and American Literature. I am very much looking forward to it, meeting new people and immersing myself in the beautiful topic. First up: Daphne Du Maurier's 'The Birds' (the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's film of the same name). 

I got my A level results on Thursday. I achieved A*, A, B, B. I am disappointed in both the B's as I worked SO HARD for MONTHS in order to achieve my grades. However, due to the fact that 150,000 of this years applicants didn't get into university, I should count myself lucky that I got into my first choice with absolutely no problems! I was very grumpy on Thursday due to the grades, but I then got over myself and had the most lovely night out with my friends to celebrate the end of an era! I will miss everyone, but me and my friends are already figuring out how long it'll take to visit each other and because many of us are near London it's a good meeting point! AND I CAN GO TO PARIS EASIER THAN COMING HOME :D

So, that's the big change in my life. I am very excited now and look forward to the next chapter in my life.

26th March - Protest Against the Cuts in London Photo's