The Ulimate Maximalist

I've contemplated deleting this blog, because, let's face it, I don't write anything substantial. I am the white noise of the internet and nobody needs that. But then I read about some exciting news that gave me all these feelings I just had to write about!

"Christian Lacroix will design a couture collection for the house of Schiaparelli." They're trying to revive the Schiaparelli house and this collaboration with Lacroix is one of their attempts at it. Although, for now, it's just one collection, I'm still extremely excited for Lacroix to be designing again, and that it's couture is just the icing on the cake! They have yet to name a creative director for the house, but my fingers are crossed that they give it to Lacroix. Who better to revive a house than an already adored designer? 

See, my adoration for Lacroix is like nothing else in this world. He was that one designer that really got me into fashion, and y'all know how much I love fashion. As a preteen, I would watch Fashion TV in our kitchen and whenever I liked a collection, I would write down the name that flashes at the end of every one. Always it would be Lacroix that filled my notepads. All that flash and pizzazz, how could I not admire his creations? 




I call Lacroix a maximalist. because he is that. That's why I fell in love with his designs. Although, at that age, I also liked Cavalli and D&G, Lacroix is different. Sure, anyone can do extravagant, but Lacroix makes opulent. He can put in lace, gold, sheer, neon in one look and you'd still marvel at its elegance. I want to be able to look at a garment and marvel at something new each time, and that's what a Lacroix piece does. 

One thing about Lacroix pieces is that they made great editorials: that can't be denied. They're such characters on their own, and they tell such a story that even if you just photograph it on a white background, it would still catch your interest! 

Most admirable about the designer is he stuck to his vision. He had to eventually close down his house, but admirable, nonetheless. In 2009, his house filed for bankruptcy. We always end up losing the true artists in fashion, usually due to their creations not selling. And it's a sad reality that not everyone can afford and appreciate a 30 layer lace hand embroidered gown. But this is a song I've been singing since I could sing. What's new? Money rules the world, not art! So even if they do name Lacroix creative director for Schiaparelli, I'm afraid there won't be the same extravagance that we so loved back then. Especially now, when everyone's mad for Celine and Raf Simons. I'm always hoping maximalism comes back, though! And if anyone can make it happen, it's Lacroix!

NB

Recently, I've noticed that the menswear photos on the internet are proliferated by men in New Balance sneakers. I was, like you probably are now, surprised to see that this was becoming a trend and that *gasp* it actually looked.... good? Also like you, I conjure images of my father when I think of New Balance sneakers. He used to own a pair and we used to make fun of him for it. Now, I suppose, he gets the last laugh, because I have to beg him to buy me my own.

I've been telling my male friends to buy themselves New Balances just so I could be stylish vicariously through them. But everyone of them doubted my trend forecasting abilities, so I decided that I would prove them all wrong and buy myself a pair. Also I decided to make this blog entry to also convince you, readers (all ZERO of you) to maybe hop in on the bandwagon!



So originally, it was the men who wore New Balance often....

But the ladies have really made this style into their own....

They DO look cool, don't they? And just imagine not having to sit every ten minutes from blister pains! I just got more excited about buying a pair! 

Mixes

How do you guys feel about pop songs? Are you one of those holier-than-thou assholes who think that not listening to mainstream music makes you a better person? An yet you always find yourself jacking off to a picture of the Biebs anyway? Or crying with a pint of ice cream to Taylor Swift? Well, you're in luck! Because I've got the thing just for you! I've created a playlist that is full of your love-to-hate hate-to-love top 40 tracks remixed to appease your I-only-listen-to-underground-music assfuckery. *Note: this won't cure your being a cunt

Justin Bieber Boyfriend (InTransit Remix)
One Direction Kiss You (Vicktor Taiwo)
Blackstreet No Diggity (Boeboes 1k Likes Remix)
Kanye West Clique (Singularity Remix)
Beyonce Check On It (XXYYXX Remix)
Marina and the Diamonds Lies (Zeds Dead Remix)
TLC Unpretty (Follow Me Remix)
The Wanted Glad You Came (Clark Kent Remix)
Katy Perry The One That Got Away (Tommie Sunshine & Disco Fries Club Mix)
Usher ft Diplo Climax (Raf Riley Remix)
Fun. ft. Janelle Monae We Are Young (Feature Cuts Remix)
Madonna Girl Gone Wild (Avicii Remix)
Marina and the Diamonds Primadonna (Burns Remix)
Bruno Mars Locked Out of Heaven (R3hab Remix)

Remixes from chelsgogola on 8tracks Radio.

Fashion of the People

The 'democratization of fashion' is a term dropped freely these days. Let me illustrate. Every once in a while (and yes, it happens this often now), the fashion people of the internet would be divided. There's the side of the believers and the side of the non-believers. I like to call it fashion civil war. I'm talking about every time designers collaborate with fast fashion retailers. The most recent one, the H&M MMM collab, was probably the one which really surprised everyone. Martin Margiela made clothing that would puzzle the average person. Put it simply, his label* would be one of the least likely, if not the least, to collaborate with a fast fashion retailer. As expected, it generated polarized reactions. I was on the side of excitement when I heard about it. Although I had no intentions of buying the collection, I was still curious to see how they would interpret the label's aesthetics to cater to the H&M costumer. It wasn't until I had a chat with a friend who had a different opinion that I realized maybe what I am so excited for could be the very thing that destroys what I love-- fashion.

Talking about a love for fashion is really embarrassing for me; even more so when I have to reiterate that nope I don't just love fashion, I love high fashion. It seems so snobbish and pretentious. But I'm a university student living in a third world country. I can't afford to be snobbish. So of course, I enjoy very much when fashion tries to get down to my level. $50 Lanvin skirt? Don't mind if I do! $90 Karl Lagerfeld? I'll only have to skip 8 meals instead of the 80 that I would have had to if I were to buy real Lagerfeld! I would get to wear Comme des Garcons and not lose all my friends in the process because of how insane they would think I look? See, it really seems like designers + fast fashion = the best of both worlds! But can we really have both things and not have them taint each other? Well according to T.S. Eliot, "what happens when a new work of art is created is something that happens simultaneously to all the works of art that preceded it." (Damn, look at me applying my Literature training~)

Going back to the H&M MMM collaboration, which I think is perfect in illustrating my point, I believe a history check is in order! Try to google Martin Margiela and look for a photo of him. Yup, it's that hard. It's because there are only few in existence. He is, even to his fans, elusive. He has managed to keep away from the spotlight and grant little interviews. He doesn't even do the usual bow after presenting a collection. Mr. Margiela respected his designs enough to let them stand on their own without any advertising. His was a name that only the real lovers of fashion recognized (At least before Kanye West). So you could see how odd it was that his label would compromise this principle? And for what? More money? Does a fast fashion collaboration even make bank? Or is the label trying to get its name out there to expand to a new market? If so, then that would mean compromise. I have to shed a tear for the loss of true artistry. It was a sad time when Mr. Margiela stopped designing, but one gets a feeling of offense now that they're disrespecting what Mr. Margiela so firmly believed in. And maybe we could let it slide if it were someone like Lazaro and Jack or the Mulleavy sisters (who ridiculously enough have an ongoing collaboration with Starbucks), but Mr. Margiela has contributed so much to the art of fashion that it's blasphemous, almost, and disrespectful to use his name and produce something he would not agree to.

I cannot go on being euphemistic, because there really is an inherent elitism in fashion that is impossible to tiptoe around. Fashion is not for the majority. If it was, then it wouldn't really be fashion. My professor was explaining how business and art don't really mix, because the majority will never really understand art. But it's unfair and inaccurate to assume that high fashion is pure and untainted. High fashion has to break its back to cater to what the people want too. I could recount the heartbreak of seeing designers, true artists and visionaries, lose their jobs, because their work was too inaccessible and difficult and expensive to produce. In fact, so many of my favorite designers have lost their jobs over this. At the end of the day, money still makes the world go 'round. Fashion is not like sculptures or paintings; it is art that is utilizable and necessary. Therefore, everyone is involved in the discourse of fashion, and people participate in this discourse by buying.

On the other side of the spectrum is fast fashion. It may seem that I have shown disdain towards it, but I honestly don't. I don't love it either. I don't enjoy knowing that so many people know where I bought my clothes and that they own it too. But then again, I cannot afford Dior or Balenciaga. I don't think I'd even spend that much on dressing myself considering how much I hate doing it. I do however admire fast fashion for  giving people that alternative to expensive designer brands. Sure, it's sad that people don't understand the designs, that these are copied designs that they're buying, who actually conceptualized the trends, but for people who don't really give fuck all about fashion, it's great! Not everyone should care about fashion. It won't cure cancer or anything. And copying isn't a mortal sin. Every designer copies, even the high fashion designers! That's the thing about fashion is that you cannot copyright your designs. So, good on fast fashion for being there for the masses. But I would never think of fast fashion clothing as chic. If it's mass produced, then it's not really "fashion", in my opinion.

A little while ago, I made a post about fashion blogs and put that The Devil Wears Prada quote where Meryl Streep basically says that it's the high fashion people who dictate everything in fashion, including the ugly ass two dollar blue jumper that Anne Hathaway was wearing in the scene. I believe it's true! So does this mean I don't think that there is democratization in fashion? It may seem that way, but not entirely. Everyone's always talking about fashion bloggers who are given front row seats and after party invites. Bryan Boy, for example, is a boy from my high school who is now one of the most famous fashion bloggers today. He went from third world to first row fast! How democratic of the industry to let him in, huh? It's these normal everyday folk who suddenly get a say in fashion that tell that maybe fashion isn't so elitist anymore. The fact that I can dedicate a blog to the fashion industry means I've been granted access to a lot of information and it's all thanks to the internet. Some designers, notably Tom Ford, decide to close off their shows to the media, but what happens? He usually gets torn to pieces for being "an elitist douche." (Let's be real, he is) A lot of people are more open than not. Just count how many shows Tavi gets invited to! But fashion has a long way to go before we can actually say it's democratic or even accepting. With the industry's fat shaming and racism, high price tags and sweat shops, it remains very problematic and restrictive.

Everything is relational. The more democratic some parts of fashion are, the more elitist the other parts seem. And aren't those the ones we love the most: The purists, the nonconformists, the sticklers, the ones who stand their ground, the ones who don't sell out, the ones who stay true to their visions? The Miuccias and Yohjis and Anns and Reis and Ricks. It's great to want to make a lot of money and have your brand be known by everyone! But it's also great to have a small solid group of admirers who share your vision. It was a sad day when Margiela left his label and an even sadder day when they decided to go against his convictions. These purists are the minority in fashion and it's disheartening to see them leave.

So today's fashion is completely different than it was. There's the crazy fast trickling down of trends from De la Renta to Zara and then Forever 21 the next day! There's also the untarnished high brow stuff that tips the scale to art rather than money making. All these come together to become the state of fashion today. You know, thesis + antithesis = synthesis? (Damn, who would have thought learning Critical Theory would apply so much to fashion?) That kinda shit. And although I seem to favor the side of the select, I don't wish it on every aspect of fashion. I, for one, am glad to be witnessing and being part of fashion right now, where I can see live shows with just a click of a button. Where would I be and what would I be doing right now if fashion wasn't so unrestricted? Probably unable to write this blog post!

*Martin Margiela no longer designs for his namesake label but the house continues to make clothing in the same vein (up for debate but y'all get what I mean)

For the Men Who Still Don't Get It

What if
all women were bigger and stronger than you
And thought they were smarter
What if
women were the ones who started wars
What if
too many of your friends had been raped by women wielding giant dildos
and no K-Y Jelly
What if
the state trooper
who pulled you over on the New Jersey Turnpike
was a woman
and carried a gun
What if
the ability to menstruate
was the prerequisite for most high-paying jobs
What if
your attractiveness to women depended
on the size of your penis
What if
every time women saw you
they'd hoot and make jerking motions with their hands
What if
women were always making jokes
about how ugly penises are
and how bad sperm tastes
What if
you had to explain what's wrong with your car
to big sweaty women with greasy hands
who stared at your crotch
In a garage where you are surrounded
by posters of naked men with hard-ons
What if
men's magazines featured cover photos
of 14-year-old boys
with socks
tucked into the front of their jeans
and articles like:
"How to tell if your wife is unfaithful"
or
"What your doctor won't tell you about your prostate"
or
"The truth about impotence"
What if
the doctor who examined your prostate
was a woman
and called you "Honey"
What if
You had to inhale your boss's stale cigar breath
as she insisted that sleeping with her
was part of the job
What if
You couldn't get away because
the company dress code required
you wear shoes
designed to keep you from running
And what if
after all that
women still wanted you
to love them.

Carol Diehl

I Dabble in Menswear

Menswear is foreign territory to me. In the years that I have been interested in fashion, I never cared for menswear. It just seems so limiting compared to womenswear. On the one hand, you could say that that is what makes it so interesting. When people are given little leeway, it forces them to create something new out of what they are given. There's really more challenge in menswear to be able to produce something fresh. I enjoy a lot of theatrics and drama in fashion, so I was never really drawn to menswear. However, through the maturation of my tastes, I have learned to enjoy more constructed and minimalist designs and so I thought I would finally check out the side of menswear (where I figured they relied heavily on tailoring and fit to improve a garment). (Who am I shitting? The reason I got into menswear was for the male models) (I am a fashion scholar, I do what I want!) I'm still a n00b at understanding and appreciating menswear and I can never form comprehensive critiques about the collections other than "I like it" and "Wow this blows"

But anyway, I still humor myself by looking at all the menswear collections! Some of my favorite designers do menswear too so I always like to see what they come up with. But then there are always those who only remind me how little I understand of this niche that is menswear. This season there were these:

Damn it I shouldn't have told all those chicks to watch me model!!

This needs no caption

Oh my god!!! Perfect outfit for our Lego Land x Astronaut cosplay!!

I'm Medusa's defective twin brother

I don't even fucking know what's happening man I'm just so scared

Prince and Lebron had a gayby

Biker snail

Uh the extravagance of my mustard cashmere juxtaposed with the garbage behind me is ART

Feel bad for this guy

In what planet would any of this work?

Remember Plank from Ed Edd and Eddy? He met Rick Owens

Why do even have to separate menswear from womenswear if they won't follow the norms???

This is the male equivalent of the alt girl look: gown + chuck taylors

Prince and Edward Scissorhands have a gayby

#fashin!!!!!

But in all seriousness (maybe not in ALL seriousness, it is fashion after all!) I do find some menswear collections to be thoroughly enjoyable! Not all of them befuddle me. This season, I enjoyed the quirky prints and textures inspired by John Waters from James Long. The stained glass print pieces from Alexander McQueen were  amusing, although sometimes I feel as if my bitterness towards Sarah Burton clouds my judgement. Maybe she's actually a good designer or maybe she sprung from the devil's asshole to destroy all that Lee worked his precious life for. Richard James showed a collection of posh suits and deep colored sweaters. It kind of has that aesthetic of a rich party Italian older guy who refuses to bang you in his Mercedes because he doesn't want to get stains on it. Lee Roach presented an almost monochrome collection (a few pieces were in very very dark blue). I always say this: I think boys look excellent in black. The few tiny buckles that permeate the pieces have become the centerpiece of the collection. That and the padded jackets are stellar. Contender for my favorite collection this season. Prada was good, but did not have an obvious theme unlike previous seasons where you would be able to identify the clothes as Prada when you see them worn. The knits and prints at Missoni are always great. Now that's a brand with an identity! Julien David showed a very cool collection with a streetwear flair. Givenchy was like 7th grade when everyone tied their jackets around their waists, but a billion times chicer with less zits and metal mouths. I apologize for this giant paragraph of nonsense, but it'y my attempt at critiquing menswear. Deserving of a mention is Hedi's return to menswear. I wasn't into high fashion when Hedi had his heyday so I can only take people's word for it when they say he was a genius in menswear. But after his blah debut for SLP (previously YSL) and his cookoo behavior, I find it hard to believe. I was still hoping to be proven wrong, but after the presentation of his first menswear collection for SLP, I stand by my opinion of him. I see his vision, because everything in the collection was so extremely cool: from the indie musician models to the music. I am very much attracted to the whole rocker aesthetic that permeates everything Hedi creates, so it puzzles me why I can't get behind his designs (although I found that I do like his work at Dior Homme) and his god damn photography style. But enough about disappointments! You're making the pirate sad!

Sad pirate :(

Ahh okay, enough jokes! I'm actually starting to love menswear more now that I see it's not just suits in different colors. The more ridiculous, the better, as I like to say. Obviously I've a long way to go before I can understand menswear. Remember when I was 13 and I used to think Roberto Cavalli was excellent? LOL. It takes time for people's tastes to mature and I just haven't gotten there yet with menswear! But it's so fun learning about something new! Maybe by 2014 this blog will be dedicated to three piece suits and Nick Wooster. We'll see!

Getting By

A few days ago a close friend of mine posted a tweet that actually made me stop and think. Who would have thought that in the midst of all the "Wow this professor is so boring!!!" and "@hotguy99 let's hang out later ;)" there would be something poignant? The tweet said "Are you contented with just getting by?" It was obviously meant to encourage people, to shake them up and say "do more!" I remember all those times I told myself again and again that all I had to do was get by. I remember when that was the hardest thing in the world to do, when it was a struggle to just be.

But I am better now! Back then, I would look back and try to pinpoint when I started feeling that way, how it all started. I remember in junior year of high school when I would cry in bed but I could never remember why, only that I felt stupid for crying so much. So much of it was feeling stupid and selfish, that my feelings were completely unwarranted. I look back a lot, actually, and I still try to piece it all together. It's all just a blur and it makes no sense at all.

I doubt anyone ever really knew how bad it got, because I joked about it a lot in a self-deprecating manner. I never told anyone. When a friend would confide in me about fights with their boyfriend or betrayal with other friends, I'd think of how they would react if I confided in them that I was almost empty on the inside and something continues to swallow me up. But I never did tell and I avoided what would have been the barrage of pitying smiles and awkward silences. I avoided what would have been my parents telling me to "cheer up and it'll get better." There were no dramatic suicide attempts or anything like that. It sort of makes it that much harder to make sense of it all, because there was nothing concrete, just a lot of feeling shitty and not leaving the bed. I suppose the worst of it all was the first couple years of college. I remember the first week of school, how I wrote down on my notebook that I was happy to be in a new environment and I was almost certain I would feel much better. I didn't. All the people and the activities and the pressure just brought me down. The people, most specially, I think. I won't even try to make any sense of it, because it's pointless.

There was a time I was just waiting. I was waiting for what I thought was the inevitable fact that I would just go nuts or top myself or something. I considered getting help, but I felt stupid. A friend of mine was depressed and she was sent to the hospital for a while. She had to stop school. What do I have to show for my struggles? I didn't need help, it was all in my head, if I wanted to get better I could. Also the feeling of selfishness won over. How could I be so ungrateful of the wonderful life my parents built for me and still ask them to pay some shrink to teach me how to be happy? So I waited. I thought it wouldn't take long. It's been years, I'm bound to go off the rails soon. Then I wouldn't have to ask for help, people would just give it to me. Partly, I also wanted it to reach some conclusion to finally affirm what I had been feeling, that I had not been well and it wasn't just in my mind and I wasn't just being overly dramatic. It never reached that point. I never use the word depression, because I still can't be sure I had it. I never asked for help and was never diagnosed. If I start feeling that way again, I doubt I'll ever get help unless I'm already a self-sustaining adult.

I was sure I wouldn't live through my senior year in college. I wouldn't even be alive to start my thesis. I figured that my situation had gone on for too long, surely it would finally drive me off a building or into moving traffic before I reach Senior year. I never imagined the other option: that it would just go away and I'd get better. I guess that was the least likely possibility then. During my waiting period, I wasn't scared. I thought that when I finally get to the point where I'd want to end it all, then there'd be nothing I could do to stop myself. If I ever reached that point then so be it. And once I finally do it, then there are no regrets, just eternal sleep. Death was nothing to me then. Hearing me talk about it now I think of those emo kids we all make fun of on the internet. But it was how I felt. If I died, then I died. (One of the things that tells me I'm better now is that I'm afraid of dying.)

I couldn't tell you how I got better. How it ended is as much of a blur to me as how it all started. Little things like wanting to meet people and being able to like what I see in the mirror are the tell-tale signs (at least for me) that it's not as bad now. There are still a lot of things that feel wretched to me. And what's hard to understand is that these are the same things that mad me feel wretched before. My appearance, for example, has plagued me my whole teenage life. I still feel as bad about it, but it's a much different, less unhealthy; it's no longer that that would make me feel worthless.

The weird thing about getting better is having to adjust to normalcy. For a long time all I strived for was to get up, not let anyone know of my inner turmoil, not make my parents kill themselves with disappointment, and go to bed. The getting up was what I had the most trouble with, I think, but for the most part, I succeeded and here I am. It really was not easy. I didn't want to expose this metaphor to the public, but here it is. I felt like there was a baby inside me. Not that I was pregnant or anything, but that there was a toddler that I had to indulge and pacify. I had to do things I enjoyed so I would not go into a slump. There was no one to hand hold me through it all. It wasn't like the movies where my gal pals kidnapped me to go out dancing to feel better. No one knew I was fucking dying on the inside, so that same me who didn't want to do anything had to force myself to do something. A lot of the time I didn't even want to do the things I enjoyed, but I had to. Let's say you fucking love bacon (Who am I kidding, of fucking course you love bacon.) Imagine feeling so damn shitty that you start to despise bacon. And then imagine.having to force yourself to eat bacon because you need to feel not shitty. The baby metaphor got lost somewhere, but the point is that I felt like a baby in that I had to have my favorite things or else I would cry. School? Fuck that noise that shit would get me on the edge of a building faster than you could say Critical Theory. So everything just fell by the wayside and all I did was listen to music and study fashion. That was how it was getting by.

I keep saying that there was no clear point where I want from bad to fine and yet there was no gradual adjustment for me. I don't know how to strive for something other than to "get by." What do I do and what am I capable of now? I used to think I wouldn't be me anymore if I was happy. It felt like the sadness was so much a part of me that I'd be gone if it was gone. So it's odd looking back and realizing that it is gone and I am here and I'm still me. Of course I'm still the girl who hit a rough patch but I'm no longer the girl who is in a rough patch. And while I was in that tough time, I wondered what I could be accomplishing if only I was better. But I haven't become a prolific writer or a supermodel or Academy Award winner yet. Nobody can even tell that I'm better now. And I want to work on that. I want people to be able to see how I've improved. I want to prove to myself that I have gotten through the rough patch and I have moved on and I have learned from it and all that wishing to get better so I can be the best me I can be came true.

Barbie Doll

This girlchild was born as usual
and presented dolls that did pee-pee
and miniature GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.

She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.

She was advised to play coy,
exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.
Her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.

In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending. 

Marge Piercy

Things I Don't Understand About Misogynists: Slut-Shaming

A few new friends of mine have recently discovered that I am a feminist! Wooh! Of course I've been having to endure the patronizing jokes that I expected would ensue. But sometimes they really do as me to explain aspects of it, like with slut-shaming. Try and make friends with any college student and let's see if they don't actively participate in slut-shaming. My friends, of course, do so regularly, and I try to just keep quiet whenever they do. I've expressed that I don't think judging someone based on their sexual practices is okay. But a few times they've asked me to explain why I believe this and of the times they've asked me 1. They laughed at me and 2. I was drunk at 2am. So I guess I've been wanting to just get it out and finally be able to express myself without the fear of being ridiculed (Hey, you can laugh at me in the comfort of your own homes without me seeing it) so I made this post. Also, once I get started on talking about this subject it's hard to pull back so I felt I just had to give my two cents on this viral video.




First of all, the title of the video "things i don't understand about girls" already bugs me. The title states that this video talks about GIRL issues. Not guy issues. Not guy and girl issues. Just GIRL issues. If sluttiness is about having a lot of sex and both boys and girls have sex, then why is sluttiness only a girl issue? The double standard in slut-shaming has been talked about so many times, but here's the issue. Slut-shaming is a feminist issue, because it targets girls. I've heard far too many an asshole say "guys can be sluts too." Let's not even go there.

When Jenna tries to explain who the "sluts" really are, she cannot form a concrete answer. (1:00) She says that the "slut" is the person we know who we think is a "slut." Okay, take a second  to process that. Here, we can already see that trying to define the concept of a "slut" is impossible, because it's a stupid fucking made-up thing! No one can really define what it is, all they can do is go "you know.... a slut... you know what I'm talking about" and the terrible thing is that we DO know what they're talking about because society has so ingrained it in our heads. This skirt is slutty, drinking with guys is slutty, wearing too much make-up is slutty. It's confusing because these things have nothing to do with the act of sex and yet they're all considered slutty.

(2:00) Then she touches on one night stands and how she doesn't understand them. Jenna, girl, let me tell you that I am with you on that. How she described it was pretty funny because of how accurate it was. It is pretty terrifying getting buttnaked in front of a stranger, but other people think it's fine! Other people love that shit! I hate that shit! But what part of me hating it gives me the right to judge people who love it? None. And in this one night stand segment that the victim blaming starts (2:35). Jenna says that if you have a one night stand then you're in danger of being gang banged. Yup okay fair enough. The statistics don't lie. But then maybe in a different context it would seem like actual concern, but in the context of making a video about "sluts" who she then calls dumb, it is just very judge-y and blame-y (look at me making up words!)

(3:30) She calls out girls who have made really funny claims about how they aren't sluts because butt sex and oral sex aren't actual acts of sex. But yeah, it sounds funny when you hear it, but actually, seems pretty reasonable considering the weird concept we have of virginity. Virginity is never having have had a penis in your vagina and never having had your penis enter one? What about lesbians? Are they all virgins? Do their sex count as real sex? Gays? So it's understandable that these girls are confused about what really counts as sex. In the first place, why do these girls have to insist that they aren't sluts? Why do they have to explain themselves to people just so they won't be judged and looked down on?

Oh and in one point (5:20) she says that she doesn't get excited for a slutty friend who gets pregnant, because they don't know the father. Well, Jenna, that tells us how you feel about single mothers.

(5:30) Yes, of course we should help each other out. If you see someone about to be taken advantage of, help them! But how Jenna has phrased it is that when a girl is drunk and with some guy then asking them if they're okay will get their brain wheels turning and help them realize that they actually shouldn't go home with this guy; that we should "help he sluts of the world make bad slutty decisions." Here's what everyone needs to know: a girl doesn't decide to get raped. That's the rapist's decision to rape a girl. When a girl puts on a short skirt or goes home with a guy or gets really drunk, she doesn't think "Oh yeah I am so going to get raped wooh!" Nothing a girl can ever do can give anyone the right to rape her. Nothing she can ever do will make her deserving of rape. Why does a girl have to act a certain way just so she won't get raped? That's fucked up and dangerous. In this whole segment where she tells us to save the stupid helpless sluts from their stupid helpless selves who make stupid decisions to go home with a guy when they're drunk, she fails to understand a lot of things: 1. That being drunk means you cannot make the best decisions. It happens when you get drunk. It's not because you're stupid, it's because you're drunk. 2. No matter how mentally deficient you are, doesn't mean you deserve or are asking for rape. 3. You don't get raped because of your bad decisions. You get raped because some motherfucker decides to rape you. You could wear a fucking sombrero and five layers of turtlenecks and some asshole could still rape you. You don't blame the person who got raped for her rape. That shit gets you from decent human being to motherfucker who deserves to go through all the circles of hell.

In the last part, Jenna claims that sluttiness, to her, is really just based on sexual acts and not the appearances. She says that she will "only judge you based on "how many dicks you put in your body on a daily basis." Here's the thing, Jenna. Why would you judge anyone? The sex that someone else has is none of your goddamn business. Don't say people are animals because they have a lot of sex. Another really really problematic thing she says is that (8:38) girls who have a lot of sex do not respect themselves and their bodies. It's that rhetoric that I hear so many people have that just grinds my gears. Respecting your body does not mean hiding it. It could mean loving it so much that you show it off to everyone! The point is that you don't get to say how anyone feels about themselves.

Last point, if you think not having so many dicks inside of you doesn't feel good, then alright. But a lot of people like it. If they don't judge you for being so vanilla in the bedroom then don't judge them. You are not above anyone.

jams

MUSIC POST! No boring intro this time, let's just get down to the good part!

Another rapper I have come to love is Le1f. Wut has been a contented for Vulture's song of the summer and I think it should definitely win! It's super fun and dance-y and the video is as well! I may not understand everything, but that beat is superb. The lyrics are funny too.


 Oberhofer is a band I discovered recently. Away Frm U is such a feel good song. I loved it from the first time I heard it, which rarely happens for me! This is one of those songs I'm convinced everyone will love once they hear it.


 I first heard this song a few weeks back and I thought it was some good 90s rock, but apparently Peace is a new band with only an EP out. Even though this is some lame Tumblr pastel goth shit going on on the music video, I still really love the song and think the band is super cool. The four track EP is excellent as well. Here's hoping the band does really well so we get more songs!


Just like the previous band, Swim Deep also hails from Birmingham. The first song I head of theirs was Honey and it remains my favorite til now. King City is a close second. I like their reference of Jenny Lindberg who is from another one of my favorite bands, Warpaint. I watched an interview with the band, Swim Deep, not Warpaint, and fell in love with the boys (also they are my age which made me want to date them and at the same time kill myself for being so unaccomplished in comparison). I feel the need to comment about the boys' clothing style, because I like it, I like it a lot. The more like garbage you look, the higher the chance I'd want to smang you.


Amazing all girl band, PINS, just released their debut EP which is named after this song. I know there are very few all girl bands who really make it these days and most of the time they get famous for being an all girl band instead of for the music; that's why I was really surprised to find that PINS' very first songs sound stellar!


 
TOY (another google unfriendly band name) reminds me of The Horrors, another one of my faves. Obviously they have the same playing-music-in-the-dark-with-psychedelic-lights music video formula. Don't worry, they aren't some cheap knock-off! They are just as good (although I may have to listen to more than three songs to make that call). Listen to this song and try not to drown in the lead singer's eyes (it's a difficult feat, trust me).

  MØ is so great that I don't even mind that I have to google her and copy paste her name every time I have to type her. People were saying she's the new Grimes, but I can find some differences. MØ has more of a belting out voice and it really plays well into her songs. Also, she does that whole Lana del Rey thing where she gets vintage clips and pastes them together for videos. Anyway, Pilgrim is by far my favorite of her songs. I think it's such a perfect feel good tune.


 Sky Ferreira is known by most of us as a famous girl who goes to parties and dresses well. I never even knew she was a singer until I followed her on twitter and she kept promoting her music. I figured, oh a pretty and famous girl who is trying her hand at music-- it will definitely be mediocre. Now I love Sky. She is such an inspiration, because her style is exactly my style. But making good music takes talent and I wasn't sure she had it. When this song started popping up everywhere, I figured I'd give it a listen and by the end of the day, I had memorized the lyrics. I don't think it's excellent life changing music, but man is it catchy. So 80s and go great.



 Bat for Lashes' new song, Laura, has gotten quite a buzz already, so I guess I don't have to convince anyone that this is great. Besides, everyone already knows the band from their earlier song, Daniel (which if you have never heard, then you need to get on that, like, right the hell now). Apparently, this song has a really tragic meaning and it really resonates if you give it a listen.


These are just a few songs I wanted to put in. A bunch of things on my playlist right now don't have official music videos yet so I figured it wouldn't be as fun to still put them here. But if you like the songs, talk to me about music, because I literally know no one who doesn't make fun of my music taste, so any acknowledgement would me appreciated. Also most of these are not well-known bands so if you like them, tell ya friends, ya parents, ya professors, ya neighbors, everyone! Help the indie music scene (ew did I just say that?)

ss13

It's some sort of cruel joke from the gods that my finals always have to coincide with fashion month. It's the reason why I look 5 times more harassed than the average college student. I used to write such detailed posts about the collections but now I'll be condensing it to one post. Besides, I'm doing this during my one hour study break. How typical is it that I'm exerting so much more effort into this than my Economics review?

I can't form an objective opinion on this season, because, by the time Milan rolled around, I was just so damn exhausted. Definitely enjoyed all the drama that this season was just full of! I missed Stefano for YSL, though. Hedi was such a flop! Ruffles were all over the shows, but it was only Givenchy that made me a believer in them. There were some excellent collections from new labels. Eudon Choi made great boxy jackets paired with sexy slit skirts. Thomas Tait is a newcomer that I have loved since his first show and he continues to deliver. Dion Lee always brings in his excellent draping, but this season, he combines it with more structured pieces. Markus Lupfer's presentation showed how to make shiny chic-- I would wear every single piece. Dries Van Noten revived plaid in see through fabrics. 3.1 Philip Lim did the same in a few of his pieces. I never thought plaid could be something other than just grungy. 

There were also a lot of disappointments this season. For one, Hedi's debut of YSL or SLP was a huge let down. I do not know of his work in womenswear prior to this season, but I know he is lauded for his menswear in Dior Homme, so I expected a lot-- at the very least a good androgyny themed collection. It ended up being a dark boho cowboy mix that would pass for a Rachel Zoe collection. I did like the pants, though. Raf's RTW debut for Dior was also not as great as I was hoping for. I would give it a 7/10. The models kept tripping on the runway, which made for an exciting show. I also did not like Lanvin. Alber consistently makes great clothes, and he did make good pieces this season, but it seemed messy. I wish he had left the boxy trend alone and stuck to what he does best. Margiela was more commercial this season (probably to ease people into their H&M tie up). It was actually the good kind of commercial: clean and subtle. Proenza Schouler did nothing for me. I found the leather patchwork to be abhorrent, but the digital print dresses were very good and almost saved the show! 

To conclude, I think my favorite things from this season are that there was so much drama and also the fact that there were a lot of surprises when it came to which collections I liked and didn't like. I'm glad to be taking a break from the sleeping late to watch livestreams and rushing home to look at runway photos!

Top 5 Collections (in no order):

1. Dries Van Noten
2. Alexander Wang
3. Haider Ackerman
4. Givenchy
5. No. 21

Top 5 Models:

1. Julia Nobis
2. Antonina Vasylchenko
3. Hedvig Palm
4. Kel Markley
5. Nastya Kusakina

Top 5 Dramas:

1. Simons vs Slimane showdown (with Simons as the clear victor)
2. Horyn vs de la Renta "hotdog" "hamburger" debacle
3. Slimane vs the rest of the fashion world
4. Slapping at Zac Posen
5. YSL to SLP to SL mix ups

Favorite looks:

Happy Feet

It's been a crazy couple of days here, and not because I've been doing a lot of things, but because the country is literally about to be submerged in water. It isn't anymore such a surprise when a storm this damaging hits the country. I actually expect one every year. It is sad that so many people are losing their homes and loved ones, because of poor drainage systems, pollution, global warming, etc. I haven't had classes since Wednesday and won't be having them until Saturday, so I've been getting school work done. Hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll be finished with my requirements and I get to help in packing and giving out the relief goods to the victims!

For the past few weeks, getting dressed has been a real treat for me, because I love layers, and the rainy season is the only time I get to wear them!  But footwear was such a hassle, because my shoes would fall apart when they got wet from the rain. After weeks of searching for rain boots, I couldn't find any decent ones being sold in the Philippines. So I just dreamt of the rain boots I have always wanted but could never afford. Surprisingly, not enough designers make rain boots. I guess millionaires don't have the problem of flood waters. For those of us who can only dream of braving the rains in Prada, I've made a list of my top 5 most coveted rainy day footwear!

1. Prada Fall 2009

2. Acne Pre-Fall 2012

3. Louis Vuitton Fall 2011

 

 or DSQUARED Spring 2012

4. Margiela Tabi

 

5. Cheap Monday Spring 2011

 What are you donning to keep your feet dry this season? xx