When I read the shocking news (on Facebook) that the Queen of Disco Donna Summer had died, my thoughts first went to the best scene in The Full Monty which featured “Hot Stuff” as the soundtrack. If you haven’t seen the movie, do yourself the favour!
I also assumed, like so many celebrities who die too young, that she may have suffered from an overdose. Donna’s death, however, came at the hand of lung cancer, likely developed after she inhaled toxic dust particles in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center.
Donna Summer’s parents were devout Christians and she became a born-again Christian herself after releasing one of my favourite songs, She Works Hard for the Money. Donna wrote the anthem after an encounter with an elderly bathroom attendant at a Grammy Awards party.
Donna’s first public performace was at Church at the age of 8 after the pastor invited her to sing in front of the congregation. Summer surprised everyone, including herself, with the strength of her voice and she said she heard God say to her, “You’re going to be famous and this is power and you are never to misuse this power.”
When she died, Summer was living with her long-time husband whom she married back in the 80s and they had two daughters together.
For fashion eye candy, nothing beats the annual Met Ball. Fashionista: See What Everyone Wore to the 2012 Met Gala
Not everyone is thrilled with Vogue‘s Health Iniative. Shop Talk: So Vogue is Going to Promote “Healthier” Body Image. Hm.
Oprah’s still got it! Oprah.com: 16 Lessons We Learned from Oprah’s Lifeclass
Shameless self-promotion: my post in Yummy Mummy. Yummy Mummy Club: It takes a Village to Raise a Child
Calorie counting starts way too young. In The Powder Room: Skeletons in Our Closets
Age has become a disease, to be cured and eradicated. Stylist.co.uk: Why Are We Scared of Growing Old?
Let go and it will come to you. Daily Good: 15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy
Not surprise here: self-esteem comes more easily to those surrounded by supportive loved ones. Daily Mail Online: Women with supportive families are not pressurised by ‘thin and beautiful’ ideal
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Discovery Girls antidote to harmful magazine images
14-year-old Julia Bluhm has reached 65,000 signatures and counting on her petition to get Seventeen magazine to stop its misleading use of Photoshop. A meeting with the mag’s editor-in-chief resulted in little more than a pat on the head and no change in policy. Many argue that since Seventeen is marketed to a teenage audience it has an added responsibility to provide realistic images, rather than ones that have been proven to drive girls to depression and eating disorders.
Parents must also take responsibility for the kind of media their children consume. I am grateful for a magazine called Discovery Girls which uses cover models that look much like my daughter and her friends, complete with braces, glasses and less than perfect hair. Rather than photoshop images, the magazine is more likely to publish an article revealing the truth about photoshopping, like the one my daughter ate up and talked about endlessly – clearly information she was yearning to receive.
My daughter’s only 12 so it’s easy for me to regulate her reading. And when I first imposed the ban on every magazine except Discovery Girls and American Girl (the messages are universal), I found a stack of Tiger Beat under her bed, hidden the way a teen boy might hide porn. Now she devours the contents of Discovery Girls with its exceptional advice on friends, boys, school, and style. The magazine cares about girls and carries a message beyond celebrity-spotting and unrealistic ideals. I’m not sure what will happen when she’s 17 but I hope she’s beginning to understand the images around her are not real and be armed with the knowledge that digitally altered photos are not an instruction manual on how we’re supposed to look.
Surprisingly sage advice from…Jon Hamm? The Mad Men star hosts a Youtube version of an advice column, and does a stand-up job.
I’ve received a couple of misguided emails from PR girls pitching story ideas about eyebrow transplants. The latest email asks Are you aware that, last month, models in Paris strutted Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2012 runway debuting the new bushy eyebrow trend and as a result there has been a ginormous increase in eyebrow transplant requests??? Included was the above image of model Miranda Kerr at Chanel FW12 sporting jewel-encrusted eyebrows.
I confess to having no idea what it’s like to suffer with sparse eyebrows and have always had to pluck/wax/thread mine into submission. However, I do remember when bushy eyebrows were considered unfashionable and before that when they were fashionable again. It’s just kind of shocking that we’ll alter our bodies this way to follow a trend. Changing what we wear is one thing, but undergoing surgery because of a Chanel showcase is quite another! What about an eyebrow pencil?
What do you think?
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A snob is anybody who takes a small part of you and uses that come to a complete vision of who you are. Youtube: Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success.
What hurts you blesses you. Darkness is your candle. Daily Good: Lessons from those who Lost…And Found
In a disappointing display of irony, organizers of Harvard’s student-run fashion show, have digitally altered models’ bodies. The Harvard Crimson: Don’t Suffer for Fashion
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. Marc and Angel Hack Life: 12 Things You Should Be Able To Say To Yourself
You may have heard how Ashley Madison has offered a bounty of $1 million to anyone who can offer proof of having had sex with Tim Tebow. Washington Post: The Temptation of Tim Tebow
Merchants might want to consider ways to mitigate the stress that their customers experience while trying on clothing in harshly lit, mirrored dressing rooms. ABC News: Why Does Swimsuit Shopping Drive Women Wild?
The group aims to perpetuate positive female body images and attributes. The Flat Hat: LoveYourSelf Encourages Open Dialogue About Body Image and Self-Esteem
It’s so good to see an older woman portrayed in a glamorous way. That’s Not My Age: Older Models: Daphne Selfe (via Already Pretty)
The big news in fashion this morning is that quirky designer Betsey Johnson has filed for bankruptcy. The label stopped production on its apparel line and will be closing 63 brick-and-mortar stores as well as the online shop. Her lower-priced line which is sold at Macy’s will continue which begs the question, are designers forced to go downmarket to survive in today’s economy?
Have you heard? Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are getting married! Fashionista: Our Wedding Dress Suggestions for Angelina Jolie (And Her Right Leg)
CNN: Vulnerability expert Brene Brown confronts shame head on in this TED Talk
Those Graces: How To Style TOM’s Shoes
For six hours each day, Bermuda’s Johnny Barnes stands at a busy traffic intersection telling all who pass that he loves them. KarmaTube: Mr. Happy Man
HelpOthers.org: Kindess Adventures of “Boss Lady”
CurlBOX is a sampling program for women with lovely curly locks. Lipstick and Luxury: Take a peek inside the April Curlbox!
I went searching for a list for moms with sons. This search was mostly fruitless, so I was inspired to write my own. The Good Men Project: 25 Rules for Moms With Sons
Friends With Kids is a movie set in New York about how having children ruins marriages and turns cool Manhattanites into hateful Brooklyn-ites. Parents who dare to bring children to restaurants are called “crazy” and demonized by the childless couples and singles surrounding them. As soon as a couple has a child the family relocates to Brooklyn. I do remember visiting Brooklyn and thinking “so this is where they keep all the children!” I read a post yesterday by a woman who experienced the torment of a vacation in Manhattan with an infant. When she wondered aloud how anyone in Manhattan has children, a well-meaning woman confirmed that when she had children she would be moving to Brooklyn.
It seems Toronto is following Manhattan’s child-hating lead and banning children in certain spots. This may sound cool and wonderful to childless couples and singletons, but it is not a progressive move. The greatness of a society lies in how well it treats the least of its members and if you hate and ostracize children…well you’re not doing that great. I have travelled to many European cities with my children who were treated like royalty by the owners of upscale eating establishments. As a result of feeling so special, they lived up to the expectation of behaving like the little ladies they are. If ignored, shot dirty looks and made to feel as if their presence was an affront to everyone there…guess what? They’d act up!
“IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD,” wrote Hillary Clinton in 1996.
To which Republican Bob Dole responded, “It does not take a village to raise a child. It takes a family to raise a child.”
Whose side are you on?
Debra Gano, self-esteem leader and CEO of Be Your Own You
Who do you think you are writing about the trials and tribulations of being thin? Gappy Tales: Body Image and Body Acceptance
To know yourself, be yourself. Daily Good: How to Attend a Conference As Yourself
‘Fat talk’ can result in decreased body self-esteem and higher levels of depression. Medical News Today: Depression, Poor Body Image Result From Negative Talk About Weight
5 quick lessons in creativity. Copyblogger: 5 Lessons in Creativity from the Return of Ze Frank
Having spent years in the externally-focused ‘glamour’ industry, Gano now seeks to teach girls “it’s what’s inside that counts.” Chron.com: Girls’ Self-Esteem Expert Headlines Girls World Expo 2012
Everyone’s path to happiness is different, but these Ten Keys tend to have a positive impact on people’s overall happiness and well-being. Daily Good: 10 Keys to Happier Living
