What is Beauty?

When you would normally think of beauty everyone thinks of "beautiful". Teachers in class rooms favor the beautiful children and neglect the less beautiful, but who are we to say what beautiful really is. You may look at magazines for the answer but honestly, what good does that really do you. As seen off to the right women do not always look like that. Therefore when a woman opens up a magazine looking to feel better about their own self they walk away from it feeling torn down and almost worthless. Well I know that there are times that I do, especially when I open up a fitness magazine and all I see is abs that I wish to have but know I never can. So what is beauty? Look in the mirror and smile, there you will see your true beauty.

Color Me Confident

         

                          

Badgley Mischka Fall 2012                                                        Lorena Sarbu  Fall 2012

        

                     Emerson Fall 2012

     Orange, yellow and brown were the colors of Fall but now bold purple and red are dominating the new season, taking over Winter.  All over the runways and fashion magazines women are rocking deeply pigmented lip colors. Sure these sharp shades can be a bit startling at first glance. However, dark purple and red hues match the changing seasons. As the sky darkens earlier your nightlife extends, which means you will want to stay out longer dancing the night away. So why not take on the night with these fabulously fiendish lip colors. Although you may be a good girl there is no better way to show off your bad side by diving into the dark side. Then again if you are not much of a night owl but still want to dip a toe into the dark side, you can totally still wear rich reds lips during the day.

The key is looking for a lip color that will compliment your complexion. Even though the looks being portrayed on the runway are the stark contrast of a fair skinned beauty with black lips, do not feel the need to repeat at home. Those runway shows are just that SHOWS, they are amped up with theatrics and glitz. In your everyday life it is great if you want to take the theme of a look and transform it into your own show stopper. I mean what girl doesn’t want to imagine herself as a glamorous runway model as she walks down the platform to catch a ride on the not so glamorous subway? If the spotlight isn’t calling your name, yet the boredom of your mundane life is getting a bit overwhelming, a new lip color can break up the monotony of pale pink and nude lipstick shades. Sure switching up your lip color can seem like a trivial way to add excitement to your life but lipstick is an inexpensive way to brighten your day. A pop of color especially during those dreary winter months almost seems essential.  

    

     With that said we need to keep in mind that makeup is not meant to cover up your flaws or change who you are, if anything makeup is meant to enhance your beauty and show off personal style. That is why I love wearing M.A.C's Cyber lipstick, a nearly black plum lip color, when I go out on the town. I feel like the twisted color gives me an edge. During the day while in class or running errands I throw on Pixi's Rosy Red tinted lip balm to add a little perk to my step. The notation seems to be that if you want to wear makeup that you want to hide yourself, but I think the truth is quite the contrary. Makeup is the paint and you are the canvas. The best way to convey your art is by displaying it on a clean and sturdy canvas. Therefore being confident and standing tall is the best way to convey yourself to others, whether that means with a hint of lip color or not. So when you are pacing in the cosmetic aisle trying to decide if brazen purple or venomous red lips are for you, don’t think or recreating the runway model’s look or the hot celeb in the magazine, think of how you will feel flaunting your fearless and fun new pout.

    

                     Pixi Rosy Red                                                                                                      M.A.C Cyber                              

Paint My Face

An ever flawless look is what many girls go for. The ability to look like perfection all with a little bit of help from a small bottle of foundation. But how far are some girls taking it? "Beauty is only skin deep " is a very popular saying but how many take this to heart? Does it really matter what kind of make up you have on or if you have any makeup on at all? The need to feel so much older in young women is ever increasing. How would you feel if you were too "go naked"? Which many girls were encouraged to embrace their natural beauty and go without makeup from the neck up. It even got the support of young men within high schools. It can be a freeing feeling once the natural look has been embraced.

Being a girl I personally believe that makeup should be used in moderation and also as a small enhancer. There's no need to add so much makeup that at the end of the night even you don't recognize the girl in the mirror. That's not to say that I don't enjoy getting dolled up for an evening out with the girls on the town but I would never want to allow myself to feel as if I couldn't be comfortable in my own skin without it. Makeup should be something you enjoy to do, if you want to do it, never something that feels like a chore. Beauty is what you make it, being able to enhance and illuminate your nature features should be the main goal. Not the caking on and piling on of makeup just to give yourself a certain look. It makes me sad to see that we have extended this beauty industry to such very young age. In which it should have nothing to do with, little girls who should be playing with barbie dolls coloring and cutting are exposed to such an industry.

Toddlers & Tiaras is a very popular show on the network TLC. Many viewers watch as these little girls have their moms pile on tons of makeup to get the girls ready for a pageant day. Some of these girls aren't even old enough to understand what a makeup brush is, yet we see their mothers and fathers piling it on them. It doesn't even stop at the makeup, many of the mothers on this show have taken their daughters to go get spray tans, acrylic nails and even placed hair extensions in their child's hair. This is something that we defiantly need to look into. It can create a lot of different affects on the young girls. It can create bigger insecurities than we know. Since many are starting at such a small age when they should be doing something else aside from a pageant lifestyle of makeup, hair, and nails.

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All About Whats NOT Hot

Every time that the weather changes there seems to be women running around saying "I need to fix my body image for 'insert the season'". As fall is now hitting and it is no longer summer you would think that women are less concerned about what they look like. Being able to wear more clothes and worry less about those skimpy bathing suits that everyone feels obligated to wear to fit in. Well when you look at some of the new fall TV shows such as 666 Park Avenue, Hart of Dixie, and Once Upon a Time, all of the women are wearing the cutest skinny jeans, skintight shirts with a loose see through blouse over it all while still showing every curve a woman has. In the show 666 Park Avenue, they are also seen wearing tight dresses and overly fitted business attire portraying the ‘sexy business woman’.  

Hart of Dixie is around the same image stature and Once Upon a Time is off in its own universe, no pun intended. Although the Once Upon a Time clothing may be like a fairy tale, it still holds the same criteria and everything is tightly fit and seems to show off a woman’s body a lot.   

Women feel the need to care more about their body image this season than before because of the types of clothing worn. Yet every new season there seems to be a reason as to why women are insecure due to the media. As this is all an opinion and not real hard-calculated facts, many people would fight it and say, ‘no that’s not right at all, women can just go and throw an over sized shirt on and who wears skinny jeans anymore, that’s so last season.’ Although this is not true for most women who believe in skinny jeans and tights still.

Being in a sorority I get to see a lot more than the average person. For some reason what sorority girls wear tend to be what that seasons new trend is. What I am seeing most of my sisters wearing is equivalent to what the media portrays, and the school gym is packed full of sorority girls trying to be in shape to be able to squeeze into clothing seemingly too small for them.

So go ahead and try to tell me that this season is not all about what you look like and women should not focus so much on their body image. Due to the media, women are in desperate need of more self-confidence, and a better self body image. Honestly, wither you are a stick thin model an average women, or a plus size, that is much easier said than done. So, what’s NOT hot this season is how women look at themselves in the mirror and wonder, "why don't I look like that beautiful women I see on TV". Stop telling yourself that because in one way or another you do, every woman is beautiful. 

Constantly Shrinking

Its unbelievable to think that the even the age barrier is shrinking for the worries of weight gain. Now more than ever we need more positive outlooks for body images. Seeing teenagers as young as 15 are worried about "staying thin" rather than living a healthy lifestyle. There are even 12 year old girls that are focusing on thin, which if not taken on a healthy route could be very harmful to such a young age, where development is still amongst them. It should open the eyes of Americans alike that this is a constant battle that many themselves fight. To much time is spent on shoulds. I should start a diet, I shouldn't eat desserts, but what we need to be saying is I should feel good. With a positive outlook everyone could live a more positive lifestyle starting with the way that they look at themselves in the mirror.

Halloween... tricking for treats?



Not Hot!

The movie Mean Girls said it best with the line,"Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."(Mean Girls 2004) Although the movie was a comedy I know that many girls from my high school took that sentence as a virtue to live the rest of their lives by. I think it’s interesting that Halloween has become more synonymous with showing off your goodies instead of receiving them in an empty pillow case. I’m sure the idea of sexy costumes was around before movies like Mean Girls made them the norm; however teenage girls and women are turning cute Little Bo Peep into “Little Ho Peep.” Are skimpy costumes  the only way we can stand out on All sHallows Eve? It seems that the smaller or tighter your costume is the more attention you will get. So this leads to the notion that attention is the goal not candy corn.

     

             Even when you have a love interest that you want to couples costumes  match with, somehow the female’s costume is devastatingly seductive and the male’s costume is goofy or macho (at least guys get a choice, hah). Nevertheless this must mean that since every girl at the Halloween party is dressed provocatively, the only way to keep your guy’s attention is to dress as scantily clad as the rest. What happened to being unique and wearing a costume that is fun, yet flirty? How many sultry bumble bee costumes should there be at one party. Let’s take back the elaborate costumes like sassy Sarah Palin, scratch that it’s so 2009 and such a cliche.  So ladies don’t down play your beauty by showing everyone your Jelly beans on Halloween, make a mark by being innovative and alluring. Remember subtly can be stunning and keeps guys guessing!

Links Alike

Links Alike

1. As body image issues grow in society, be aware of media’s influence

By Samantha Romo http://cw.ua.edu/2012/03/07/negative-effects-of-advertising/

Newspaper updates. Speaks about body images in the media and how it is relative to young women and their self esteem. This does not seem unbiased, as the women is speaking from personal experience.  

They seem to update this site every few weeks on this topic, yet other topics about everyday. Even have a comment section. The comments seem to talk about how people think that its dumb that girls go on diets and believe everything that media tells them yet they do it themselves. Seems as though a double standard.   

There is a twitter and facebook you may connect to.

2. Body Beautiful: How Media Influences Your Body Image Perception

http://emmenation.com/blog/2012/08/07/body-beautiful-how-media-influences-your-body-image-perception/

Personal Blog, she seems to speak a lot about body image and how to overcome the fact that there really are problems with how the media harms peoples minds. She seems to update it at least once a week, she also has a comment board that i was not able to read, but also has a twitter. She also have other blogs on the same sit speaking along the same lines but slightly different topics. 

3. Women’s Body Image: What Influences? http://training.fitness.com/body-image/women-s-body-image-what-influences-23550.html

written by a forum user on the blog site.

This particular post talks about how the media is the main cause in women's body issue problem, and tries to find a solution to it. It seems like it is updated every week, and though it may not be solely based on media issues it is on women's body and fitness and finding solutions. A very helpful thing. Has a comment section were people seem to be completely agreeing on the post. Also has a twitter and facebook page available.

4. The Effect of the Media on Women's Personal Identity http://en.articlesgratuits.com/the-effect-of-the-media-on-womens-personal-idenitity-id437.php

Not a typical blog but more of a forum were people are able to submit well written articles on the women's body issues topic. Does not have another social media site. And as far as I can tell no were to leave comments. Yet the content of the article is really good and inciteful. Does have an about the author, which she has children and personally sees how media affects women, which is why she decides to write about it. This also seems to have a new article posted about every week or so. 

Four Links

Beauty Spectacles- Beauty Blog Beautyspectacles

by Sara Boyette and Megan Hawkins(Individual)
These two ladies are graduates of FIDM with degrees in beauty marketing and merchandising, the are beauty enthusiasts and love to share new beauty ideas and trends that are popular in the beauty industry. They have a mix of beauty news and commentary about beauty products and or trends. Their blog has no agenda except sharing new beauty ideas. They usually have a new blog bi-monthly. Beautyspetacles is also connected to pintrest. They do not have any comments in their comment section. The blog shows beauty as a resource for creativity, and fun. This relates to body image because it shows that beauty can be light-hearted.

 PsychCentral/ Weightless Weightless
by Margarita Tartakovsky(individual)
Margarita Tartakovskyis a associate editor for the main website Pych Central, she studied body image and eating disorders. The blog is daily and has connection to Twitter and Facebook. The blog has an agenda to show readers how to lead a healthy life that is good for helping your body image.

 Big Fat Deal Big Fat Deal
by Monique “mo pie” van den Berg, Jen “jen fu” Larsen and Weetabix (individual)
Big Fat deal focuses on issues with body image  and excepting yourself. They seem to post sporadically. Their agenda seems to shut down ideas of beauty being skinny. They want to empower women. They are connected to Twitter, Facebook. Their comments are usually support.

Rosie Molinary Rosie Molinary Health
Rosie Molinary (Indiviual)
Author and speaker. Writes about body image.
She updated on a daily basis.

amanda tapia

1. http://www.about-face.org/
   Jennifer Berger and many volunteers run this website.
   This website has a lot of content on the negative impact that media has on women. Not only within the weight but also with advertisements and other media topics.
   The producers want the viewer to think very much about the images and topics that are brought into the media. It not only has blog but it also touches on other topics and has different tabs that will lead you to other parts of the blog.
   This blog post at least once a week to bring in new topics to their readers.
   Comments can be posted on the website at the bottom of the articles but are posted on the more private side.

2. http://bookofodds.com/Health-Illness/Diet-Fitness/Articles/A0351-Weighing-in-on-Women-s-Body-Image
   I could not find one person who ran this site it was more a combination of journalists who wrote on it.
   This site talks about health and illness that can go along with dieting and fitness if they are not done correctly or in moderation.
   The purpose of this article is to promote a better awareness of it health of women.
   This site updates monthly by adding new topics.
   There are discussion boards at the end of the articles so others can speak on their comprehension of the article and how they feel it affects them.
  These articles can be shared via facebook with a link on the side of the articles.

3. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss
   This site is ran by many different journalists who add their own articles. This is also a website of an actual magazine that is sold in stores.
   To discuss a healthy way of life and relate it with others and how they have made it better for themselves.
   This website gives a general overview of everything. It touches on my different topics for women not only on health but on weight and how their lifestyles can affect their overall healthieness.
   This is updated very often, sometimes even daily.
   There are chat forms at the bottom of the articles for women to discuss along with the article and even put in their own two-cents about if they think its true or not.
   The website does connect to the social network and can be directly sent to your page if you would like.

4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/26/leisel-jones-australian-olympic-swimmer-herald-sun-weight-body-criticism_n_1707944.html
   Journalists, the site is known as a internet newspaper, news, blog and also a community.
   It has topics that are very closely related and touch on the weight and media factors that are closely involved with the topics.
   They write to better inform others on these topics and how they are affecting everyone alike.
   This site is updated very often if not daily.
   They can also allow their readers to comment on the topics.
   This can also be shared throughout the social network.