life as i know it...

Back from a business trip, with about 342 emails to sort through. Fun fun!!

Posted in: on September 29, 2006 0 comments    

Busy week at work. No time for anything but a comic!

Posted in: comics, kids on September 19, 2006 2 comments    

Okay, I know fashion & beauty have been the subject of my last few posts, but I promise things will get back to normal soon. ;)


I can't believe that people find models this thin attractive. Yuck. Is it any wonder that so many girls and women have eating disorders, when this is the ideal of beauty, according to the world of fashion?!

Recently, Madrid refused to let models with a body mass index of less than 18 participate in the city's fashion shows, saying it wants to project "an image of beauty and health" (FYI, the World Health Organization recommends a BMI of between 18.5 and 25).

Apparently this is the first time extremely thin models have been excluded from fashion shows.

I think it's wonderful to see the fashion industry beginning to cut down on the amount of unhealthy body images they promote (not that the models in the Madrid show were full-figured by any means, but hey, it's a start). About 30% of models were turned away from the Madrid show - a scary thought considering how many women try to achieve the weight of models.

But wait, there's more...

Now the fashion capital of Milan has its feathers ruffled by the fear that the same type of restrictions might be placed on its fashion shows. Modeling agencies in other parts of the world are also outraged by Madrid's fashion show weight restrictions.

Cathy Gould, of New York's Elite modeling agency, said the fashion industry was being used as a scapegoat for illnesses like anorexia and bulimia.
"I think its outrageous, I understand they want to set this tone of healthy beautiful women, but what about discrimination against the model and what about the freedom of the designer." (Reuters)

Discrimination and the freedom of the designer?! Come on. Too short/too heavy models have been largely kept off the runways for years. No one is saying that models have to be huge, just a healthy weight. A restriction that makes sense given that these models' photos are seen in magazines and TV around the world.

I hope more cities and fashion shows will implement healthy weight standards.
Kudos, Madrid!

Technorati tags: fashion, models, skinny models, Madrid, Milan, anorexia, bulimia, body image, Madrid models

Posted in: body image, fashion and beauty, health on September 15, 2006 0 comments    

Updated

Oh my God, a toddler should not be made up to look like this:




Note: the previous photos have been removed by the original source, so here's a lovely video. The images may continue to change, but I stand by my opinion, no matter how many personal insults continue to come my way. I can't see anyone changing anyone else's mind on this one.


Lindsay from Surburban Turmoil was a spectator at a recent child beauty pageant in Texas, and she witnessed the trials and tribulations of the little beauty queens.

Check out her funny, sad, and enlightening stories:

Barbie Girls

The Problem with Pageants

I just can't comprehend the rationale of people who put their little ones in beauty pageants. It's one thing if a teenager or adult makes a choice to be in one (although I'm still not a big fan), but forcing your 2-year old to wear wigs, false teeth, and parade around on stage when they don't want to be up there?! That's so much pressure for a child.

I want my children to be able to stay kids for as long as possible.

I love this exchange between Lindsay and her 3-year old daughter, after watching the pageant:

“Did you have fun today?” I asked her as I strapped her in for the ride home.

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Hey, you don’t want to be in a pageant like those crazy babies, do you?”

“No!” she shouted. “I wanna crush bad guys! An’…big spiders!”

Thank God.

Update: Okay, comment moderation has been turned on, and foul comments have been deleted and will not be approved. I don't have time to deal with personal attacks (all coming, interestingly enough, from people who have only been registered on Blogger for a day). If someone has a persuasive argument, I'll post it. Otherwise, don't waste your time and mine.


Update: Also in the category of 'Ways To Sexualize Your Child Way Too Young'... I bring you:


Technorati tags: beauty pageant, body image, children's clothing

Posted in: body image, fashion and beauty on 10 comments    

Another fashion complaint. Not because I'm such a paragon of style myself, but because I've been surfing Go Fug Yourself, and celebrities really do wear horrendous clothing sometimes.

I never thought 80s clothes would come back in style. Almost every other decade has recyclable trends, some that look fantastic. The 80s... not so much.

Posted in: fashion and beauty on September 13, 2006 2 comments    

It bothers me when people wear their pants so low that you can almost see their crotch, and you can see where their legs attach to their torso (like Usher in this picture). I see the teenyboppers at the mall wearing their pants really low and it creeps me out.

But it's even worse when people wear their pants so low that their pelvic bone sticks out for the world to see!

Eeew eeew eeew eeew EEEW.

Mischa, what were you thinking?! Pull up your shorts!!

(via Go Fug Yourself)

Posted in: body image, fashion and beauty on 0 comments    

GAH!!

I know not all PETA members are crazy or hateful, but I really wonder about some of the people at the head of the organization.

PETA's latest headline grab is attacking the character of the 'Crocodile Hunter', Steve Irwin, who died just over a week ago.

It's just sick to attack the man's grieving family and friends by branding the man as a "cheap reality TV star" who "made his career out of antagonising frightened wild animals".

Even more disturbing though, are the spoof videos and game versions of Irwin's death that are apparently making the rounds on the Internet. Disgusting that someone would spend their time making something like that.

Technorati tags: Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter, PETA

Posted in: on 1 comments    

As some of you may have noticed, my blog posts have become few and far between lately. I can blame some of that on the summer blogging lull, and some on the fact that one never seems to keep up such a high posting frenzy as when their blog is new, but most of it is because I've been preoccupied.

I have a secret.

Actually, I should say that I had a secret, as the news is out now, and I'm comfortable sharing it with the world, including my friends in the blogosphere.

So here goes... Hubby and I are expecting a baby!

Yup, definitely big lifechanging news! We're extremely happy, excited, and terrified, all at the same time, as I imagine most first-time parents are. Baby and I have received a clean bill of health from the doctor so far, and Hubby and I are looking forward to an ultrasound so we can 'meet' the little one (and no, we're not going to find out the baby's gender).

The baby is due on March 1st, which makes me in my 4th month. I've been spending a lot of my time reading baby books and magazines, and trying to figure out how much gear this baby actually needs. So there ya go, that explains my blogging absence.

Woman with child = inconsistent blogger.

But a happy one. :)

Posted in: baby on September 11, 2006 8 comments    

Posted in: war on 2 comments    

Okay, okay, I know, it's another in a long line of wanna-be-a-rockstar TV shows, but Star Tomorrow has one thing that the others don't - an independent artist whose music I've been listening to for years!

Aruna has a clear, beautiful voice, and falls into the Michelle Branch / Vanessa Carlton vein of music. You can check out her official site for some sound clips.

If you have some time to kill, check out the Star Tomorrow website to watch a clip of her performance, and vote (if you get the country singer, Aruna's competitor, click the 'group 1' button under the video to watch Aruna). Check out the other musicians while you're there!

Posted in: music on 0 comments    

Disney World has started using fingerprint scanners at their park entrances to ensure that the person using a ticket is the person who bought it. Naturally, privacy experts are concerned, as they argue that "Disney's use of the technology 'fails a proportionality test' by requiring too much personal information for access to rollercoasters."

When I went to Disney World in 2004, they didn't have to scan any body parts to let me into the park; only my ticket. If I were to go back now, I'd be very wary about letting park attendants scan my fingerprints. Although Disney says that the biometric data is purged 30 days after the park ticket expires, the potential for misuse of the information if someone were to hack into their system is a definite concern.

It's also disturbing that "There are no signs posted at the entrances detailing what information is being collected and how it is being used". I like to know what is done with my personal information, and I think park visitors should be told up-front, rather than having to find and ask an employee (who may or may not be well-informed or able to provide details).

For those of you wary of this new technology, keep this tip in mind if you're heading to the House of Mouse: although it's not advertised, visitors who object to the new technology can provide photo ID instead.

Posted in: Disney, law, technology on September 07, 2006 3 comments