New Year, More Me

So I know the title of the blog post seems pretty self-absorbed and vain, and yeah, although pretty abrupt and quite self-centered, that's what I am to be a bit more of in 2018. 2017 was a year that taught me a lot of lessons, all good, and I feel was a year of growth. Now 2018 has begun I am making a conscious effort to do what makes ME happy. So many of us go about our daily lives and routines, forgetting one key ingredient to life, being happy. So starting now I am going to put myself out there. And here's how...

1. Get out and about doing activities that I enjoy.

Go to all those art exhibitions I said I was going to see but never did, see those films that I think look pretty damn cool, and try that doughnut shop that I've been drooling over on Instagram for months.

2. Make more time to see friends (those that bring joy to my life).

3. Make career choices and steps that contribute to my lifelong goal. Put in the extra hours if needs be, and voice my opinions and ideas when needed.

4. Exercise. I've always been pretty good with this one, but I want to change up my exercise routine this year. I've been stuck in a rut for a while doing the same stuff over and over, so maybe I'll try out a new class or start exercising with a friend, this will boost my moral and get me seeing some progress. 

5. Diet. when people hear the word diet they so often think about cutting their calorie intake and taking out all your favourite fatty and sugary foods. Well, I'm not talking about diet in that regard, I'm talking about changing my diet to a healthy and sustainable one. Since the winter months started to creep in I often find myself reaching for ready meals, quick and easy right? Well, my skin and energy levels have definitely been paying for it. I'm going to try my hardest to cook all my meals from scratch, and make sure that I've got a hell of a lot more fruit and veg in my daily diet, because I've noticed a mental change since putting this into action since Jan 1st (yes after devouring a tube of smarties to help cure my hangover from NYE). I'm even going veggie for the majority of my meals- also a great way to save some extra dollar (another goal of mine for 2018!).

So there you have it. New Year... more me!
 

The F-Word

So here it is, I have finally plucked up the courage to write a blog post on the F-word, yeah you guessed it, feminism. Over the past few months I have become increasingly agitated by this topic and conversations surrounding it, so here it goes, here's to my feminist rant...

I'm not one for labelling, I highly dislike confining an individual to a specific genre, style, group or lifestyle. Contrary to this I would in fact consider myself a Feminist. There I said it, that dreaded word that many of my friends curl their nose up at, I am a feminist, and to be quite honest I am proud of this. As a current third year English student, when it came to deciding a dissertation topic I knew that I wanted to explore Feminist Theory, Literature and it's influence on modern-day popular culture. In the past year or so the word feminist has frequently popped up in the media, and although many people may believe that feminism is now an outdated and obsolete movement- yes we women do now have the vote, but our struggle does not end here- feminism is still very much alive. You only have to look at J Law's, Meryl Streep's and various other celebs recent speeches to see that females are still subjected to inferiority between genders, the pay gap, lifestyle opportunities and gender performance issues. So why is it that when I say to some of my closest friends 'What do you think about feminism?' or 'are you a feminist?' do they tend to roll their eyes and say that they in fact are not? Saying that I myself am a feminist does not make me man-hating, or mean that I believe females are the superior sex. No. This word, and what I have come to learn that the word means, is that I believe females and males are equal.

One of my closest friends seems to sum up the general consensus on the word quite nicely, 'I am not a feminist but...' she then went on to say that she believe's in equal pay, the equality of men and women and that females should be able to use contraception. This is where I got very confused and slightly angry, I then turned to her and asked 'So why do you not consider yourself a feminist?' To this she replied 'Well i'm not one of those extreme women who'd go out burn my bra and believe that men shouldn't hold a door open for you.' Unfortunately, I hadn't the energy to argue, you see so may women and men hear the word feminist and think of Radical feminism. Radical feminism was a form of feminism that originated within the second-wave in the 1960's, a perspective that holds the belief that MEN OPPRESS WOMEN. Well i'm sorry to offend anyone but I believe this is a highly outdated way of thinking, and that this issue shouldn't be a US vs THEM argument, men can be feminists too, I like to think my father one, my boyfriend one and many of my male friends to be feminists, although many boys seem to squint at the topic and are scared to share their opinion, in fear of being beaten down by a man-hating psycho bitch. 

And so, I could rant about this topic for hours, days or even years, but I would like to leave you with this; if you find yourself answering the question 'Are you a feminist?' in the same way my close friend did, 'I am not a feminist but..' Are the reasons that you are about to state not those that in fact make you a feminist? Do you not believe that men and females are both equal, and should be treated that way? I'm fed up with this negative stigma that looms over the word, you are a feminist, believe me you are.

K.

Savage Beauty

So although the long-time awaited exhibition of Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty is now over two months old, due to high demand I have only recently been able to get my hands on a ticket. Last weekend I rushed myself down to the V&A to see exactly what the fuss was all about...

What stood out?

Each room held it's own atmospheric tone. Every room clashed with the previous and the next, sending a shiver down your spine as you were overwhelmed by the pure artistic emotion. This overpowering impact was created by both McQueen's designs and the décor of each section. 

What did I Learn?

As a lover of the late and great man himself, I thought I knew about most of his lines and the the inspiration behind them. But I did not. I learnt about designs that were even created before I was born, where McQueen trained- Gieves & Hawkes- and that this was a continuous underlying influence throughout his work.

What made it unique from any other fashion exhibition?

The use of multi-media throughout the rooms. There were screens showing the looks on the catwalk, 3D images of his work, and videos to accompanied them. In addition to this, the sound effects and décor of each room complimented the theme produced. 

Would you go again? 

I think this is an exhibition that I could visit again and again, and always find something new. McQueen's work is extraordinary and unique. 


K.