exposure and opportunities

So I don't know why my title picture things are being weird on the home page but please ignore them. 

Okay, so I wanted this to be a video!!! But I want to edit it how I like and my phone has no space (damn iPhones) my laptop is dying and I have lost my camera charger so this is all written! 

Anyway, I've been noticing something that has frustrated me. Right now, you can't really get anywhere, if you don't have social media. You can't get anywhere if you don't have lots of followers. Usually, you get lots of followers, by essentially looking good and being photogenic. So basically, if you are an illustrator, for example, your success kind of depends on how photogenic YOU are, and how many likes you get on a selfie. How is that fair?! Unless your a model, where you are literally selling your appearance and that's what you do, why should what you look like matter?

Look, I get it. People want to follow people that they think are hot. Thirst following? I think that's what it's called. Anyway, I just feel that we rely on that way too much now, and only certain types of people are gonna get up there.

Does this make any sense?

I feel that for us young, creative people, we have to "look good," and not let our art shine for us. It's like a popularity contest, and once you've won that, only then will people start looking at what you're really about.

changing identity

So changing the identity has been on my mind ever since Annie came out. People were getting upset that Annie wasn't played by a red head, but instead by a black girl, and now people are upset that the classic Ghostbusters are a group of women now instead of a group of men.

For me, the reason why I'm fine with changing the identities of the characters in these stories, is because (to my own knowledge anyway) their race and gender aren't really part of the story.

I think that if you create a character, and you make them a disabled Chinese male for a reason, as in that's a core part of the story, then it shouldn't be changed. If you're making a remake of a story with this Chinese man in it, then you should cast a Chinese man to play that role. Or, if you are writing a story or telling a story that is about a dark skinned African women, whose story is about how she succeeded and navigated through life with her dark skin, the women who is cast should also have dark skin and hair like hers.

However, if her "blackness" isn't an essential part of the story, then I don't see any reason as to why it can't be changed.

Example. If all the characters in John Tucker Must Die, or Mean Girls, were suddenly a mixture of Malaysians and Chicanos, for me, that wouldn't be an issue. The stories in those films don't rely on the "whiteness" of the characters. The characters "whiteness" aren't part of the story, don't add to the story or do anything for the story, so changing up the race, gender, sexuality or whatever, of those characters doesn't make much of a difference. All you'd have to do is change up the title or the storyline a little.

I also understand that a lot of the time though, characters who are POC, disabled, queer, of a lower class, etc, that oppressed part of them is usually a major factor to the story because that's how the world sees them and navigating with that is what makes their story distinct.

I've been seeing that a lot of people are upset that you can't change a black character to a white character and stuff like that. Well, I think in some cases you can, but it's not great for diversity and representation. Take Storm in X-Men, is her being black necessary? Maybe? It helps the little anecdote she tells about saving her village by bringing rain, but she could've been a little white English girl who helped with the growing season in the Hamlet she lived in. Taking away her blackness would mean lack of representation which is awful, but then you could also make her Indian ... but I do think it's important to ask the question as to why you want to change the characters from black to white, or Indian to white, or gay to straight. Is it because the person who auditioned who was the best happened to be a conventionally beautiful white girl, or is it because you're racist. I think for Ghostbusters, they probably thought how cool it would be to make a remake, but with girls. And that's it.

I feel that another reason why people get upset when a POC/Non Binary/Queer, etc gets changed into a hetero, cis gendered, white person, is because a lot of the time, these characters are changed because making them more white, straight etc, is seen as "better," then them just being a black, non femme, trans woman.

So basically, I just think that when the marginalised part of a characters identity isn't important to the story then I feel that there's nothing wrong with changing it (even though representation is important, and a lot of the times it is a major part of the story, but sometimes it isn't! Not every oppressed person is living a politically fired life!). If it is important, then don't change it and find someone to cast, who looks, or is like them.

overthrow the government

So I'm basically kind of tired of seeing black bodies and black people getting killed for the simple reason that is because they're black. But I'm also really tired of only seeing protests, hashtags and tumblr posts too. Now I'm not bashing social media activism, because without it I wouldn't be as conscious as I am today. However, I feel that that is all that we do.

We just kind of sit back and write this long post on systemic racism, then go to bed. There is obviously nothing wrong with that, but it's so obvious that that isn't really working alone. We are still preaching on twitter, and black people are still getting killed. Us young people are making all of these magazines and cool platforms for other people like us, but police brutality hasn't stopped. And I'm not saying that all of this social stuff doesn't matter because it does, but doing it alone isn't enough.

Look, Mussolini didn't get into power purely through his newspaper, he became the prime minister, he had a squad of people who would fight to get what he wanted.

African Americans didn't get the right to vote through marches and speeches alone. The people in power, the people who create the laws and are part of the system, co-operated with MLK and essentially changed things.

We are waiting, but they're not going to stop, because why would they?

I feel that the only real way for change, is if the people in power start working with us. Police officers start criticising their own, judges start doing their jobs properly, congress suddenly becomes enlightened. Or, we overthrow the bloody government, because at least that means we can start all over again. Or, we get into power ourselves and change things from there. They can't do anything, if we're, in charge. If I were the judge of the Brock case, he wouldn't have been let off so easily. If we are the heads, the CEOs, the bosses, the chiefs, whatever. If we are in charge, then we can change things from then on. 

(Beyonce must have been in complete creative control, or her team is completely on board with her vision because the amount of various black girls in Lemonade ... I can't see someone who isn't in charge doing that.)

I'm not trying to judge, because I am honestly criticising myself, because what am I doing? However I do feel that I can speak on this.

I also feel that this problem also comes, because we're too afraid, and quite rightly so to be honest. I don't feel like putting my life in danger. I'm comfortable, and that's the problem. We're not angry enough, we're not uncomfortable enough. To be honest, in the town where I live, I'm not afraid of getting hurt by the police. I have a macbook, a wall to wall wardrobe, I can afford holidays, I'm not in poverty because of my race, I'm pretty well off. I feel that because a lot of this doesn't affect us directly (even though it could), we're not ready to do anything. In the 1930s, every black person was affected. Everyone had it hard, some harder than others, but everyone had is HARD. Now, we don't, and we'd rather not do anything until something big happens.

I also think that we are too caught up in making changes online, and not in "real life." Being artists, and changing things through our paintings and songs, and not trying to get into government.

Now I'm personally an artist, and I am going to do my part through art, but the reason why I'm saying this, is because I feel that being an "artist" is kind of a trend at the moment. I may be wrong, but this is how I am seeing everything. People who aren't really passionate about art, are being "artists" because they feel that it's cool, but they'd much rather be writing a book on the biological cousins of iguanas, or training to become a police officer or an attorney. I don't know.

I just feel that we are doing the same thing over and over again, and nothing is working, yet we keep on doing it anyway. We're focused too much on one thing and not on other aspects, and we're just generally not ready.

P.S: I'm not bashing anyone, I just feel that we could all do better.

P.P.S: I am criticisng myself as much as others, and I also feel like I'm just talking because I don't think I've come up with a solution, other than "become the boss" (I don't even know if I even made that point until now).

P.P.P.S: I am open to correction and criticism

P.P.P.P.S: I apologise for making no sense

P.P.P.P.P.S: I got the moth and set it free.

FAST FASHION sucks!

Okay, so I love, love, love, love, LOVE fashion. The industry intrigues me and I find it so interesting, I love shopping and styling and looking at how people come up with lots of different outfits and ways to be creative with their clothes. Clothes are a way that I express myself, I like listening to people talk about fashion, I love it how people can pick reference icons like Jane Birkin when they see a particular type of white blouse, e.g.: that blouse is very 60s Birkin in etc etc etc. I love it. I love making clothes, I love listening to people talk about sewing, cutting shapes, different jobs in the fashion industry, modelling, reading fashion magazines, editorials ... I love fashion. But fast fashion really sucks.

I've been watching a lot of videos on fast fashion, and I was first introduced to this term, when watching Sammi Quinn's video (I'll link it below) about it. She's also very into fashion and her aesthetic is gorgeous and so is she, but that's besides the point. Basically she kind of outlines what fast fashion is, and why it's so terrible. 

Basically, shops like H&M, Topshop, Zara, Forever 21, Primark and lots of other high street shops restock and create trends almost weekly. This means that they're disposing these clothes really fast, and dumping them in large landfill sites, where they take absolutely ages to decompose and really harm the environment. These big brands not only ruin the environment because they're greedy pigs, but they also have disgusting working policies for the people who make these clothes. A lot of these brands outsource their work and places like Bangladesh and Cambodia make all of our cute and cheap clothes. They breath in toxic fumes, have disgusting working conditions, an awful wage and a lot of them die from giving us clothes that cost under five pounds. Oh, that's another thing. Because our clothes are so cheap, it forces these people to work for even less. These brands also force factory managers to CUT CORNERS, and this leads to buildings collapsing, buildings being set on fire, violence, and parents (especially women) having to send their children off and sometimes only being able to see them once or twice a year.

This is all because someone wants money, and I don't want to pay a lot of money for a T shirt.

Okay, that's kind of understandable, because who wants to do that? But at the same time, my cheap T shirt isn't really worth the lives of thousands of others.

This leads me onto another point. It's kind of my fault. I mean, the only real reason why these brands are pushing for cheap labour and stuff, is because I keep consuming their clothes. If I keep consuming, they get more money and see that it works, and therefore they keep on doing what they're doing. 

So, I think one way to help is to try really hard not to shop there. I never really shopped a lot anyway, since I hardly ever have enough money left over to make is seem that I'm not spending all of my money on clothes, but whenever I did shop, I went to those brands that are involved in fast fashion. 

I now try not to shop in places like that for clothes like T shirts, jackets, jumpers, dresses and shorts and stuff. Instead, I thrift! Thrifting is great. It's basically recycling, it's cheap without feeling guilty and it's so fun. So I suggest that you thrift more.

Something else that is really cool and helpful, is to shop less. I know it's hard, especially if you love buying new clothes and just stuff in general, but not shopping less it better for your account, and you're not buying into consumerism. Yay! 

Also, try and make your own clothes if you can!! It's so hard, I know my god I know. But it's fun when it finally works, and once you've cracked it, YOU'VE CRACKED IT.

So yeah. I love fashion and clothes but I hate fast fashion, and hopefully you'll hate it with me. Hurray :)

WATCH: The True Cost (this is on netflix)

Maranda Kameron talks about fast fashion 
Sammi Quinn (a favourite of mine)
dietblond!! aka heather talks about consumerism (another fave)
Kayley Hyde is educating us
fight against fast fashion!!!!

I'm still on the hunt to find ethical brands to shop from, since a lot of these articles say one thing and then say another thing about them, so if you guys have any suggestions, please leave them down below!

MAKE UP

So, I've been thinking about this a lot. This idea was kind of sparked when I was in the car with my mum and we were sitting in a car park. A group of boys walked by, and she said, "I didn't know men could wear shiny shoes." 

All I could ask to myself was, "why does a style of shoe, have to be associated with a certain gender?"

I already have a post which touches on this and I'll link it here: CLOTHES AREN'T AS SUPERFICIAL AS YOU THINK, but today I want to focus more on make up.

So I have a theory, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I do feel that it does in some ways prove why make up (on boys) has such a stigma attached to it.

Most of the time, make up is associated with women, femininity. In our society femininity is just shamed. You can't deny it. When people do things "like a girl," that is an insult, girls who are more drawn to more feminine things are immediately judged to be less intelligent. Femininity, even in women is not seen as an attractive quality, and it is seen as something even worse when it is seen in men.

How is this contrasted with masculinity? Well take clothes for example. Clothes that are usually worn by men (jeans, for example, trainers) can also be worn by women without a sort of stigma attached to it. However when men where clothes that are usually worn by women (dresses), there is a sudden uproar about it (think Jaden Smith). Why? Dresses are associated with femininity, and femininity, in our society is shamed.

So it's kind of easy to see, how and why make up has such a stigma attached to it when it's seen on men.

Why does it have to be that way though? Make up is literally just another product. It's an art form. It's something people use to express themselves, make them feel better about themselves, enhance their look.

We have put a gender barrier around make up, and that is so unhealthy.

I understand that it's marketed more towards women, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I personally think that what is bad, is how because we live in a society which shames femininity, it kind of puts a barrier round anything that is associated with it. This is how I see it:

'So women and only women can where dresses, because "females are feminine," so even though femininity is seen as a bad thing, females, women are allowed to embrace it because that's what they're "supposed to be anyway." However we have to stop anyone who isn't a woman to not embrace femininity, because femininity is bad, and it needs to be "contained."'

So basically we need to stop shaming femininity and women! If we stop doing that, and stop making it seem like such a bad thing, then it allows are people who aren't seen as people who would traditionally embrace feminine things (like make up), to embrace it and enjoy it. It lets people open doors they would have been too scared to open.


Share your thoughts with me! What do you guys think about make up, femininity, etc? I'd love to know!

Racism and the questions surrounding it

Hello everyone! This post was inspired by reading the comments on the Buzzfeed videos on racism. I think that a lot of what Buzzfeed tries to say is quite good, however there is a lot of confusion surrounding it and I was hoping to clear some of it up. If you guys have any more thoughts, or if I got something wrong, please put it down in the comments below! I want to stay educated. 

NOT ALL WHITE PEOPLE ARE RACIST

I know. I know, I know, I know that not all white people are "racist" (as in KKK, lynching racist). However, you guys have a privilege. That doesn't make you a bad person, but you need to understand, that you have a privilege in just being white and therefore, because you are not a POC, you are inclined to do racist things. Not consciously, but you will.

It's a bit like me saying that not all straight people are homophobic. I am straight, and I know that I am not Westboro Church homophobic, but because I am straight, I am inclined to do, or say internalised homophobic things. So in that sense, yes I am homophobic and I can accept that.

So what I'm trying to say, is that when POC direct things at "white people," it's because it is all white people really. It's difficult to embrace the fact that you are inherently a little bit racist just because your white, in the same why you are inherently a little bit homophobic because you're straight. That doesn't make you a bad person though, and that doesn't mean that we all hate you and that we are attacking you. We are pointing something out, and the quicker you accept that, the quicker we can work, to create a system, where that isn't the case.

ALL LIVES MATTER

Okay, so all lives matter. Of course all lives matter, but the thing is, some groups of people, are finding it harder to live than others. When people say "black lives matter" they are essentially saying, that at the moment black people are struggling at the moment. Right now they need more support than another group of people. That doesn't mean that the other groups of people are insignificant, it's just that the group that needs more help, needs to be focused on at the point in time.

Here is an analogy that I have taken from my own life.

I have two siblings, so there are three of us in total. Myself and my brother kind of fit well into the school system. Obviously we struggle a bit, here and there but we can cope. I'm quite well rounded, I am okay with more academic subjects, but I'm also good at creative things. So is my brother. My sister on the other hand finds this stuff difficult. She doesn't fit, therefore she needs more attention. She's struggling and she needs to be the focus out of the three of us. It kind of hurts a little, when one sibling gets more attention than the other, but then you realise, that at that point in time, you don't need as much help as them. Myself and my brother work to support my sister, so she doesn't find school so difficult anymore, and once she's got a rhythm, the attention will be equal again. My brother and I aren't loved less, or seen as insignificant, it's just that at that point in time, my sister needs more help.

Imagine my sister represents black people, I represent white people and my brother represents Native Americans. 

Can you see it now? Please say you can.

ACCEPTING WHITE PRIVILIGE

White privilege is a thing.

I think it's a really hard thing to accept too. The idea, that because you were born right, you are born into a privilege. 

The thing is, if you don't accept this, then you hurt other POC, because you refusing to accept it, means that there are things that you will refuse to change which hurt POC, just because you don't see it.

For me, white privilege is:

• the fact that white people don't have to worry about not finding their colour in a drugstore. 

• They don't have to worry about a person not knowing how to do their own hair in a salon. 

• White privilege is when your race is represented diversely in the media

• White privilege is when one member of your race is maniac, there isn't a massive assumption that your whole race is like that (thinking of post 9/11)

• White privilege is when an internal terrorist group isn't seen as a terrorist group (thinking of the KKK)

• White privilege is not having to worry about your skin colour or your hair contributing on how people perceive you.

Do you kind of see it now? How for many of these things, you don't have to think about it at all, because all of this is catered to you already? But it is an issue. It isn't right, that a whole category of hair, isn't taught in beauty school (3/4). It isn't right that the whole muslim community get judged so harshly, for a terrorist attack, yet we don't even categorise the KKK as a "terrorist group." I mean, I've never heard it been called that before by any history teacher or book anyway. 

So please accept that there is white privilege. It does exist. You're not evil for having it because you can't control what you're born as and with. Just acknowledge that it's there.

WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY THERE ISN'T ENOUGH DIVERSITY IN THE MEDIA

So when I say that there isn't enough diversity of POC in the media, this is what I mean.

• You don't see a black girl in mainstream media, who is interested in rock and science fiction, and is shy.

• You don't see a black guy, in mainstream media, who is interested in rock and science fiction, and is shy.

• You don't see Chinese guys who are absolute hippies.

• You don't see basic Indian or Arab girls.

• How many Korean lesbians do you see?

All of these people exist, yet you don't see it in the media. You do see though, the white:

• The gay guy

• Drug dealer

• Politicin

• Lesbian

• Basic girl

• Smart girl

• Fat girl (we can talk about the lack of representation of fat people in another post but ...)

• Rockstar

• Folk singer (Ray Charles liked folk and country, so um)

• Shy girl

• Loud girl

• Alternative guy

• Homeless

And so many more. How many times do you see these people as POC? You don't, and this is what I mean. 

I know many people say, that "why don't you create characters with POC like this?" And it's true, we should. However, do you know how difficult it is for POC to break into the entertainment industry, and make it big enough for their work to be shown on a mainstream platform, so that when they include these non stereotypical characters, it reaches enough people so that it can start to change their mindset on POC? Whilst POC are trying to make it, why can't the white writers, producers, directors, etc, try and consciously create POC characters who are the protagonists, who are not stereotypical, who represent the diverse characters in their community? 

(This just links back to white privilege.)

I TRY NOT TO SEE COLOUR/I DON'T SEE COLOUR

So when people say that, I feel that people are trying to say, that they don't see me as a "black person" but as a person. In the sense that, they are not going to treat me differently because I am black, but they will treat me as a person. They don't see, that colour.

I get that, and that's nice.

However, you have to see colour.

I can't be friends with someone, who doesn't acknowledge my colour. Why? Because my colour is such a big part of me, and it totally shapes who I am as a person. A lot of my anxieties come from being a black girl, in a Western society. If you want to be my friend, you need to understand, that my colour, my blackness, plays a large part in my life and if you don't see that, you won't be able to connect with me on a deeper and emotional level. You won't be able to understand the struggle myself and other POC feel, because you chose not to see it.

WHITE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN OPPRESSED BEFORE

Okay, I'm going to be plain and simple here.

White people have definitely been oppressed before, definitely. I'm not going to deny that. But ... it wasn't because they were white.

Therefore, it wasn't racism.

The white American's who oppressed the white Irish were being xenophobic, not racist. Plus, they got to climb up the social ladder, because they were white anyway.

xenophobic

zɛnəˈfəʊbɪk/Submit

adjective

having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.

Right, so the second part of this post, is going to be me talking about another issue which I have seen popping up. People are getting mad about the definition of racism changing (I mean, are you also upset about the definition of marriage being changed or ...). So I wanted to try and show everyone, who the "new" definition and the "old" definition are basically the same thing, it's just that the "new"n definition is more sophisticated, I guess. 

OLD

• Racism is a product of the complex interaction in a given society of a race-based worldview with prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Racism can be present in social actions, practices, or political systems (e.g., apartheid) that support the expression of prejudice or aversion in discriminatory practices. - Wikipedia

• racism |ˈreɪsɪz(ə)m|

noun [ mass noun ]

the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. theories of racism.

• prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior: a programme to combat racism. - Oxford dictionary

• Racism is treating someone unfairly simply because they belong to a different race or culture. It is illegal to treat people differently because of their race and no one has the right to make you feel bad or abuse you.  - Childline

NEW

Institutional racism or systemic racism describes forms of racism which are structured into political and social institutions. It occurs when organisations, institutions or governments discriminate, either deliberately or indirectly, against certain groups of people to limit their rights.

BREAKDOWN

I saw this comment on Youtube which I quite liked:

"Racism/Racist: Racism describes a system of disadvantage based of race. “Certain People” can’t be racist because they don’t benefit from this specific system we call racism. AKA they don’t have racial privilege. Racism pre supposes the ability to control a significant segment of a population economically, politically and social by imposing law, covenant and restrictions on their lives. Yes all people can be bigoted and or prejudice but “certain people” cant be racist due to the fact that they are oppressed and do not have supremacy over “certain groups of people.” Basically any oppressed people can’t be racist. 

Prejudice: Not liking a person or group without a good reason. A preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. Yes everyone is able to be prejudice and not like a certain group or race of people. It’s a terrible thing in general but it’s not the same as racist. People who are not educated in these type of things or just don’t care won’t know the difference between the two. Power/Supremacy + Prejudice = Racist. Oppressed + Prejudice = Prejudice."

So lets breakdown the issue we have: POC can't be racist towards white people.

So the "traditional" definition of racism includes white people. It tells us that white people can also experience racism. 

However, if racism is also systemic, and it is all to do with the idea that a certain race has racial privilege over other races, then the "racism," which white people experience turns into racial discrimination and prejudice, and not racism.

How is the system racist?

• Well black people were not allowed to buy housing in a certain neighbourhood

• Less money is put into black schools than into white schools

• (this isn't to do with race, but it's supports the idea) How gay marriage was only legalised in 2015 in America.

• Why are Hispanic youths targeted?

• If black people have less money being put into their schools, that means that they have a poorer education, due to the quality of teaching. This means it is harder for them to get into professions and universities because their grades aren't the best. 

• How many East Asian politicians do you see (if they're so smart, then why aren't they up there with you?)?

• Why aren't mainstream beauty schools not being taught about black hair?

And many more which involve all of the POC and not just black people.

________________________________________________________________________________

So I hope that this kind of cleared up some things? I don't know, I just really felt that I needed to say something about this, because there are so many misconceptions that people have. I know that I may not be entirely right, and if I'm not please point me out because I want to make this as accurate as possible. If you have any more examples, then tell me, so I can add them to my lists! Okay guys, I hope you enjoyed this!

LINKS

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-halstead/white-bubble-of-colorblindness_b_9293086.html
• https://www.raceforward.org/videos/systemic-racism

abortion and my thoughts on it

So this post isn't really a post to try and persuade anyone to change their minds on abortion. This is is just a post about me talking about the open debate, and a couple of things which kind of irritate me and just my thoughts on it.

So my response to the idea, that you could be aborting the 21st century superman, is that somebody else could be superman instead. Somebody else will figure out a cure for cancer. If Rosa Parks had been aborted, then the people within the civil rights movement, would have just chosen another light skinned activist to emulate what Ida B Wells did before. If Martin Luther King had been aborted, somebody else would have led the movement. If Charles Darwin had been aborted, somebody else would have come up with the theory of Evolution. If all of these people had been aborted, somebody else would have done it! They are not the one and onlys. It may take more time, but that doesn't mean that it won't happen. So that is my response to that.





Q: How would you feel if you were aborted?
A: I wouldn't care.

Okay, so I understand that the sanctity of life is important (tO AN eXTENT), however I feel that we tend to value life so much, that we don't see that different lifes, have different values? In the nicest way possible, I think that a woman is more valuable than a foetus, just because of the fact that she can think and feel and a foetus can't.

A foetus doesn't have the capacity to care about anything and to want or think about anything. It doesn't have any preferences, so why are we putting it above a person who does, have preferences?

*I do believe that everyone should be treated fairly and equally and have a chance at living, but when you are trying to decide who should be put above someone else, maybe choose the party that actually cares, rather than the one who doesn't care and could possibly die due to a natural abortion (a miscarriage)


I am pro choice. I believe that a woman should be able to decide what she wants to do with her body, and I don't think that a nonthinking foetus should be able to take charge of it.

I think that if you see the foetus as an equal to the mother, than you are creating a very destructive situation. You can't compare something that's living and that has feelings and preferences to something that doesn't. Once again, I was to emphasise the fact that I don't think you should be aborting foetus's as practical jokes, but when it comes down to what the woman wants and how the potential child will affect her future, I think the woman should be able to decide.

Being pro choice is also NOT the same as being pro abortion. I just believe that a woman should decide whether she wants to terminate a pregnancy or not. You can be pro choice and still be "against" abortion. You can personally not believe in abortion, because you believe that it would be taking a life. However, you can also believe that you should have the option to choose that, and that other woman who may not think the same way as you do, should have the option to have an abortion if they want one.

So lets have some free legal abortion clinics please and thank you.

my opinion on black history month

“Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history.”

My honest opinion on black history month, is that I think it’s quite sad and kind of pathetic. To me, black history month, is just a way of saying: 

“we are uncomfortable with presenting history in a way which doesn’t always favour us and that doesn’t tell as much of the truth as it can, so we are going to give you a month where we tell a half truth which satisfies most less knowledgable people. Now that we’ve given you a whole month, you can’t call us racist.”

So what about the rest of the year? Why can’t you just present history properly as it is, all year round? Are we only worth a month?

The fact that we’re only given a month, really indicates how much you really value and treat us, because the source of our struggle is found in our history, and you only give us a month? Why isn’t it part of a national curriculum?

Now don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate Black History Month. I think that it’s important that we have a time, where we take time to fully appreciate and recognise African Americans their achievements and struggles (I’m British, by the way). So, I am not in any way bashing, Black History Month, because it isn’t a bad thing.

However, I do feel that Black History Month is there, so that white people, can tell us to stop talking about racism in the way that we have started to do, because they’ve “already given us a month,” when this discussion, and appreciation should really be a whole year thing. It feels like to me, that we remember all of this good stuff, then once we hit March, we can bury and forget about it again until the following year. Why do we constrict our achievements and history to one month? Why is it that we have to separate our histories and suppress some parts and glorify others? 

You have to grow up and face the facts, that white people in history have been pretty crappy and weren’t the inventors and the heroes of everything.

So what do you guys think about Black History Month? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

is nudity normal?

For quite a long time, I've been battling with myself and the idea of nudity, and whether it was something that was intrinsically bad or not. I have decided that it isn't.

When I started to discover my "style" and express myself through what I wore, I began to realise that I was (and still am) drawn to shorter, sheer, flowy kind of things. Obviously not everything I wear will show off my bra or whatever, but I do like that kind of stuff, and it kind of started to eat me up inside that I do like that stuff.

I personally think, that I've been feeling bad about it, because of my own Christian upbringing. I feel that Christian beliefs have been embedded in the system and also been taught to our parents, us, our children ... EVERYONE. All of these beliefs have been what all of these "social rules" have been based on, and the idea that nudity, less clothes = bad, no self respect isn't an exception. A lot of the things that I've experienced have told me that wearing these shorter, sheerer kind of clothes, is bad. I don't hate my family and the people around me, but I do feel that they have really put unnecessary stress on me. 

This conflict with how I felt and what I was being told made me question this whole "issue." Is nudity ACTUALLY, bad? Is there anything morally wrong with it? No. I don't think there is. Wearing less clothes isn't going to kill someone. Wearing less clothes also doesn't mean that I have less self worth and self respect than a girl who wears more clothes than me. That is just a lie that we're told, so that women can't express their sexuality through clothing freely. It's important to really question all the things we're told are "bad" or that we can't do, and really ask ourselves if it's true, or not.

Another thing that I've had an issue with, is the fact that women's bodies are sexualised way, too much. We tend to sexualise women's bodies so much, that girls in schools are not allowed to show their shoulders, or wear short shorts on extremely hot days, because they'll be a "distraction" (meaning you've just sexualised a teenage girl's shoulder and legs. Gross). Why do we do this? Why do we always associate women's bodies with sex? Why can't a woman be wearing a mini skirt and a bralette because she felt good in that outfit and nothing else? Why do we always assume that a woman is wearing smaller clothes for men? Why does she always have to be sexual? And so what, if she does, want to be sexual? She can be if she wants to be, but it most certainly isn't for you (men).

So yeah. I've really been battling with this for quite a while. I've decided that I'm going to wear whatever I want though, because I know why I wear the things I wear and I don't need to explain it to anyone. I may just want to wear a bralette, denim jacket and shorts. It doesn't mean I don't have any self worth, or self respect. I freaking love myself and what I wear, doesn't change that.

What are your thoughts on nudity, smaller clothes, etc guys? Do you think it's acceptable or not? Why? Any experiences? Similar or completely different? I'd love to know!

Films and TV shows with POC

• The Colour Purple (film)

• Scandal (TV Show)

• Precious (film)

• The Help (film)

• How To Get Away With Murder (TV Show)

• Poetic Justice (film)

• Pulp Fiction (film)

• Suits (TV Show)

As I write this post, I've realised how awful the film industry is, in regards to race. I have watched many, films. A very large amount, and for some reason, I am finding it difficult, to find an average film, where there is a POC that is the main, or one of the main characters? I haven't exposed myself to a lot of TV shows, so I can't really say much in that department, but I can when it comes to films. There have been so many films released. Year after year, so many films are made, and I've watched so many of them. Yet, I'm finding it difficult to think of any with POC? And I'm not talking about historical films that highlight our past oppression etc. No, I'm talking about the awful teen films that you watch as a young teen before you start watching more artistic and well thought out films. Where are the POC? Why aren't they getting roles? Why aren't people writing roles for POC? Or why can't POC fill in those lead roles, which don't necessarily need a particular face, or look to film them in. Anyway, I will attempt to continue this "master list."

• Orange is the New Black (TV Show)

• Belle (Film)
• Ugly Betty (TV Show)

• The Pursuit of Happyness (Film)
• Dreamgirls (Film)
• The Secret Life of Bees (Film)
• Django (Film)

Okay, so I can't think of any other films or shows that have POC as main and significant characters. It's really disappointing to be honest. Anyway, if you know any other films, please mention them down below. I'd love to watch some of them! 

riot grrrl meet coven meets 90s teen witch

So I had NO idea what to call this post, so I basically split the tags and put half of them in the title, and left the other half where they're supposed to be.

Anyway, I've recently really gotten into this kind of "teen witch," coven, riot grrrl (quite problematic but the initial idea was freaking awesome), feminist, punk, diy kind of aesthetic? But still keeping it girly? I dunno, but I've been wearing more chokers and rings, and I've suddenly found maxi dresses and midi skirts incredibly appealing.

Here are a collection of images, music, films and other things that have made me welcome this kind of "look" into my already very full, bank of aesthetics.

I'm very into Riot Grrrl, even though it is problematic. The idea behind it though, and it's aesthetic and all of that, is something that I would really like to see happening again today, but even better and more inclusive of WOC, trans women, trans WOC and so on. There are many "movements" coming up that are very focused on art and POC too though, however I don't think they're really movements though. 

What I mean, is that suddenly, I've seen this sudden appearance of online magazines, promoting POC, WOC, and our art, since it is often suppressed. Things like the "arthoecollective." Reclaiming the word "hoe" like many of the girls reclaimed the word "slut" during the 90s when Riot Grrrl was really taking storm and making the punk scene something that girls could be safe and be part of too.

The kind of teen witch obsession came about earlier this year, probably around early spring, when I first watched American Horror Story: Coven. I ADORED all the looks from that series, but I never really pursued it. My love came back again in the summer when I watched The Craft, and I only just recently started to try and create outfits around that whole look, that I'm comfortable with. Everything about it just makes me feel so edgy and cool and I feel really good when I imagine myself wearing those types of clothes. I also think that they're very winteresque looks and something that would reflect the British winter as well.

a collage i made

Incorporating that DIY part of the Riot Grrrl culture, I have come up with these looks thaat I'm super excited to wear, and try and get away with wearing during school, even though the dress code is "smart," which equates to suits. I'll sneak it in somehow. 

What are your thoughts on Riot Grrrl and this whole witchy style of dressing?

Melody x

THE POLITICS OF MY BLACK HAIR

To start, I think that it is very important to understand what my hair looks like and what the characteristics of my hair are. I am of Nigerian descent, and my hair texture is 4c all around. So in the front, in the back at the sides and on the crown of my head, my hair is 4c. I have very thick curly afro hair, it is very close to the colour black and it is prone to dryness. It is fragile due to how curly it is, which means I need to pay a little bit more attention to it then I would if my hair were of a different texture, such as 3a.

Now that you have an image of my hair I think it is clear to see how different it is compared to the hair of other hair types. Africans, generally speaking all, to a degree have curly hair which range between 3a and 4c, some are looser but generally speaking Africans, black people, people who are mixed but have a black parent, usually have hair that falls underneath that category. Our hair, just like the colour of our skin makes us distinct and is another feature which shows others that we are black or have a degree of “blackness” in us.

Years ago, that feature (our hair) was and still is to some degree is used to discriminate against us. Our hair distinguishes us and differentiates us from other races and because it makes us so distinctly “black” it is used against us, just like the colour of our skin. You can see this discrimination in the past, when in the late 18th century in Louisiana, black and multiracial women were banned from wearing their hair in public. The law was created to suppress women of colour and “put them in their place.” [1] 

Another example of us being told that our hair is for some reason a problem, was in 2013 when Vanessa VanDyke risked expulsion for having her afro [2]. People generally say that it affected other students, because they couldn’t see the board due to her hair. But think about this: What about the black kids in the 60s and 70s who had their afros? Do you think that their afros were  distraction in class? Saying somebody’s hair is distracting is an awful reason to tell a black child to cut or get rid of their afro. An afro is the natural hair of many black people. The Guardian gives many other examples, of how black people are being discriminated against, because of our hair [3].

It is clear to see, that when it comes to black people, our hair isn’t just hair, because society doesn’t allow it to be just hair. Society doesn’t like it, and when you see people risking expulsion and having to leave or get fired from their jobs because of their hair it tells black people something. It tells them that the hair growing out of their head isn’t good enough. It tells them that they, aren’t good enough. An afro is just our hair combed out. It doesn’t have to be perfectly shaped, it just combed black hair. You’re saying, that that is unacceptable? Then you become upset, when we see white people wearing our hairstyles and being celebrated for it, but we wear and take on hairstyles from our own culture and are shamed for it (example: Zendaya and Miley in regards to dreadlocks [4]).

Because of this, in many cases you see black and multiracial girls manipulating their hair, so it can reach the Eurocentric beauty standard for hair which is “neat, tidy hair.” This equates to straight, sleek, wavy hair, which is impossible because black hair isn’t meant to be straight or why, it’s meant to be curly. Incredibly curly. It is impossible for black people to achieve that without damaging our hair (relaxers, improper use of heat), yet we do it, because we are being conditioned to think that that hair is right and ours is somehow wrong.

There is a major problem with that. Black people can’t achieve a Eurocentric beauty standard, because we are not European. We are African. This means that we sty forever unattractive and not beautiful in the eyes of Western society. We remain oppressed.

Therefore, hair isn’t just hair for black people and in many cases, the reason why a white woman and a black woman get a weave, is usually very different; even if they may not want to think so.

It is important to understand, that when it comes to black people hair is a sensitive topic, because it represents so much bout black culture and the black community and is an added factor of what it means to be black. Going on through history, you can see that hair was an incredibly important part of black culture (and still is today). In Africa hair was used to represent and symbolise status among different tribes, within the black culture, hair is used to express ourselves (along with music such as hip hop) because for so long we were stopped from expressing ourselves in other ways. The afro in the 20th century was a political statement. It represented black power and the idea “I am proud to be black,” after years and years of oppression and being taught that being black, is essentially some sort of “curse.”

Now, the natural hair movement is coming and taking many black men and women and helping them rediscover their blackness. It helps them to understand themselves and become confident within themselves. We start to understand why we put weaves and braids in our hair and our attitude towards it changes. The reason behind putting in weaves and braids, isn’t because “I want to hide my hair,” but because I want to protect it, take a break from styling it and help it grow. Your attitude towards having a relaxer changes. It isn’t now because “having straight hair is pretty and my hair is ugly,” but because I like how I look with a relaxer and I understand and love my natural hair but I prefer straight hair to curly hair.

Black hair and black hairstyles have a lot, of history behind them, and it is imbedded into our culture. The political and social issues surrounding our hair our huge and if you don’t understand that, then you don’t understand our anger and our pain, when people take our hair lightly. Or, when people from other cultures who adopt our hairstyles are praised, but society can’t seem to see the normality in black people themselves (where those hairstyles originally come from) wearing them.

[1] http://blackgirllonghair.com/2014/07/shocking-history-why-women-of-color-in-the-1800s-were-banned-from-wearing-their-hair-in-public/

[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/26/vanessa-vandyke-expelled_n_4345326.html 

[3] http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/03/vanessa-vandyke-florida-girl-threatened-expulsion-afro 

[4] http://slimybaby.tumblr.com/post/128038704894/jazzgaze-mainstream-irwin-reaction-of-miley

• http://black--lamb.tumblr.com/post/120942415204/why-do-black-people-straighten-their-hair-if


*feel free to add any of your comments and if I made any mistakes please point them out! I'm always open for corrections and learning

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THE ALTERNATIVE BLACK KID

So this is kind of an impromptu post, and it was inspired by Aida, owner of my new favourite of mine: kidisalright

This post was inspired by her post on "black weirdness" and you can find it here.

So, during school (I'm still in school by the way) I've always felt different? What I mean, is that I am a dark skinned black girl, and I like Nirvana. I began to feel odd and started to become aware of how "different" I was, when I was in Year Seven (so age twelve and thirteen). Firstly, people were shocked when they realised that I liked to read, secondly they were shocked when they found out that I liked to write and was "well spoken," and used "big words." 

I have heard of other black people being called an "oreo." I have never experienced that, but I'm sure if the people around me knew about this terminology, they would have called me that. Since, I don't like sport, I am a nerd, I listen to a lot of rock and alternative stuff, and my interests just don't really fit the mould of a stereotypical black girl. I am a weird black girl.

The issue I had was being comfortable with that. For a very, very, VERY, long time I was unable to see anybody in social media or in the mainstream media like me. I see white girls who are into fashion and girly, but I also see white girls who are being shown as very grungy, alternative and punk. I see arty white girls, nerdy white girls, sporty white girls, not sport white girls. These white girls are being given the opportunity to find somebody that they can relate to in some kind of way in the media, but I'm not.

That led me to just thinking that there was something strange and odd about me - and not in a good way. I didn't want people to know that I liked The Pierces or Lana Del Rey.

It took a couple of years, in fact, it was only THIS YEAR, when I finally became comfortable with being "the arty weird black girl." Not fully comfortable, but at least 75% comfortable most days.

It was because of people like:

☆ icecream-eaterrr.tumblr.com

☆ sensitiveblackperson

☆ fridacashflow.tumblr.com

☆ foxyfries

And many others, that I started to see the normality in my quirkiness.

I think that the main issue that I see that starts this sort of insecurity amongst black kids like myself, is the fact that there is a lack of representation for black people. We can't see ourselves making art and bouncing about to metal in our rooms on TV or in films, so people don't expect us too. And yes, many people would say: "Don't believe what you see. It's just TV. Of course there are exceptions." But how many people actively think that, or have that in the back of their minds when they meet a more punk black person. Or, how many people actively show that they understand that, in the way they respond to black people who don't fit that stereotypical mould? Not many.

What I'm trying to say, is that (from what I've seen and my experiences with the media) being black and not fitting into the mould that has been given to us, is still rocket science to some people. We need more representation in the media, of black kids being stuff other than "trap queens" or whatever. See, I don't even know what that is, or what that means. 

Anyway, black people should be allowed to happen to fit into that mould freely and relish in it, but black people should also be able to feel comfortable and feel normal about being interested in cinematography and Mac Demarco too.

HAIR

In this post, I’m pretty much going to teach you about hair. Why my hair looks “different,” and how my hair isn’t actually that different from your blonde waves.

Why is hair curly and why is hair straight?

The shape of the follicle determines the shape of the cortex, and the shape of the fibre is related to how straight or curly the hair is. People with straight hair have round hair fibres. Oval and irregularly shaped fibre are generally more wavy or even curly.

Different Hair Types

Different hair types

Type 1 - straight hair. The sebum (natural oil) easily spreads from the scalp to the ends without curls or kinks to interrupt its path. It the most oily hair texture of all.

Type 2 - wavy hair. The sebum can still spread quite easily in type 2 hair.

Type 3 - curly hair. This hair is known to hair an S shape and the curl pattern may resemble a lower case “s” or an upper case “S”, or sometimes an uppercase “Z”.

Type 4 - this is kinky hair. The sebum finds it hard to get from the scalp to the end of the hair, because of all the kinks and coils and curls in the curl pattern. This makes the hair more prone to breakage and it is the driest hair texture of all. 

Within these hair types, their is a, b and c. 1a, 1b 1c to 4a, 4b, 4c. I have 4c hair. The kinkiest hair of all.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/pages/hairtypes/type4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair (look for the tables)

I have type 4C hair (however it is categorised as 4B on wikipedia). My strands are medium and I have thick hair.

Cipriana and TK Wonder (4c hair)

Why don’t you wear your hair out?

The reason why I don’t wear my hair out, is because I haven’t finished growing it to a length that I’m comfortable with. Once my hair has grown to a length that I’m happy with (shoulder length), I’ll wear it in natural twists, blow it out, etc and continue to grow it.

Do you like your hair?

When I first discovered the world of natural hair, I found it hard to accept my hair. To be truthful, at first, I hated it. I hated how “natural hair” was only Type three and upwards. I never saw any girls with long 4C hair and that really put me down. I wanted to heat train, texturise and do all sorts of things to have curl definition. However, I slowly accepted my hair, through watching videos of beautiful girls with healthy 4C hair. Long and short. I found out about http://urbanbushbabes.com/ and their YouTube channel and I most definitely fell in love. Cipriana and her sister, were such a massive eye opener to me. I do feel that it is important that all hair types are represented in the media, because I never, ever, ever, saw that when I was a kid, which definitely shaped me into thinking the way I did at the start. People like Lupita and Solange have really helped me, and that is why I feel representation of everyone really does matter. But, to answer your question, I used to hate it, but now I love it.

Will you wear your hair out?

Most definitely.

Links and websites that’ll educate you on this subject:

http://www.curlynikki.com/

http://urbanbushbabes.com/

http://blacknaps.org/

https://www.youtube.com/user/UrbanBushBabes

http://www.naturallycurly.com/

http://www.coilyhair.com/