No Sunday links today

Due to family stuff, I had to be away for the weekend, and haven’t had the time to put together my weekly links roundup. I will try to do one tomorrow if I have the time, but if not, I’ll just add this week’s links to next week’s post!

OOTD: purple kimono-style top

This top is one of the many awesome things I got at the most recent clothing swap I attended.

Top: Avenue via clothing swap: pants: Target, boots: present from my mom, earrings: from a gift shop in Israel, necklace: from a shop whose name I don’t remember in Jamaica Plain

Et tu, Girls Write Now?

If you don’t follow Sarah Kendzior on Twitter, you should. Her tweets are always insightful and incisive, and I appreciate that she regularly calls out organizations that claim to empower people–or in some cases, even fight for higher wages and workers’ rights– while not paying their own interns.

Her latest example is, sadly, Girls Write Now, a non-profit that provides writing mentoring to at-risk and underserved girls in New York City. As Kendzior dryly points out: “Organization claiming to champion impoverished teens seeks unpaid employee to work 25 to 35 hrs/week.”

Girls Write Now is only one of many, many organizations that expect interns to do entry-level-type work, full-time or near-full-time, without pay. But it’s especially disappointing because I’ve always liked them (and probably even given them money, although I don’t keep track of my donations well enough to know for sure).  As someone who was once a girl and has always loved to write, I know firsthand how amazing it is to grow into your own voice with the support of mentors, peers, and a community. I want all girls who are interested in writing to have that experience.

It’s incredibly frustrating that an organization doing such important work would expect their interns to work 25 to 35 hours a week unpaid, especially in a city as expensive as New York. It virtually guarantees that most of their interns will be well-off–from backgrounds nothing like those of the girls they’re serving.

OOTD: So ready for spring

Dress: Miller’s (Australia) via eBay, flip-flops: Old Navy, headband and necklace: Claire’s, earrings: Betsey Johnson via eBay, cardigan: from a friend

I bought this dress from the lovely Natalie of Extra Large as Life, and it fits perfectly–I’m convinced we’re body-shape twins. 🙂

Wednesday Fa(t)shion Inspirations, 3/26/14

Danishaz

African Creature

We deserve better.

I keep coming across disheartening reminders that having a successful career rarely translates into financial stability.

s.e. smith, a writer whose work I’ve followed for years on XOJane and elsewhere on the social justice internets, recently posted a list of tips for freelancers. In the introduction, ou* admitted:

Alas, the fact of the matter is that while I have been freelancing for seven years now, I still don’t have what I would call a wildly stable or successful career, and it’s highly likely that will never realistically happen. The same is true of many freelancers, especially in an economy where intellectual labour is valued less and less, which translates into lower fees for your work or dreaded offers of ‘exposure’ in offer for your free work.

The same day, I came across Susie Cagle’s post Eight years of solitude: on freelance labor, journalism, and survival. And it’s just depressing:

More newspapers and magazines want to profile me and the strange work I do than hire me to actually do it. Other writers and illustrators chastise, how can you complain about getting that kind of promotion? The year I got the most TV and radio spots and magazine write-ups, I made about $17,000.

Even though freelance writing doesn’t appeal to me for a number of reasons–I do best with external structure and routine, I need to be around people, and I just enjoy writing more when my rent doesn’t depend on it–it hurts to see how little our economy values people with skills and interests similar to mine. It’s incredibly frustrating to see so many people doing such good work but barely making enough to live on.

OOTD: the dream of the ’90s is alive in Boston

Sometimes I think, if teenage me could see all the clothing options I have now, she would be so happy. I mean, how much fun is this entire outfit?

Jacket and leggings: Domino Dollhouse (at rock-bottom discount, hells yeah), dress: ASOS Curve, sandals: Clarks, purse: LeSportSac via eBay, necklace: Betsey Johnson via eBay, earrings: Claire’s, baby barrettes: probably CVS or Walgreen’s, skull ring: Kelsea Echo, sunglasses: Sweet and Lovely, belt: Re/Dress

A short fatshion rant

Why are nearly all fatkinis halter-style and high-waisted? Neither of these things is comfortable on me (especially the halter, UGH–my neck hurts just thinking about it), but I want to be able to wear a bikini.

I want to rock out with my belly out. I want to wear something other than the one-pieces I’ve always worn because I had no other options. I want to walk onto the beach fat and proud, not ashamed of the stomach that I hated for so long, wearing something just as cute as thin girls get to wear.

Where are the regular-rise, non-halter fatkinis? Anyone? Bueller?

 

Mini-OOTD: Scarlett & Jo floral prom dress

This is not so much an OOTD as a this-dress-didn’t-quite-work-for-me-but-it’s-so-pretty-let-me-show-you-it-anyway of the day.

I’m still on the hunt for a dress to wear to my cousin’s wedding (and still hoping this dress comes back in stock, because it’s the prettiest). I ordered this floral prom dress from Evans to try it out, and unfortunately it doesn’t work for me–which is so sad, because I’m in love with the print. Photorealistic florals are so my jam.

It looks ok from the front, but from the side…well, I’m not going to show you the side-view, because it makes me look pregnant. I don’t mean it shows off my VBO, which I’m not opposed to doing–I mean it literally makes me look like I’m about to have a baby. And that’s just not a look I want to go for.

This dress would look gorgeous on someone else, but on my body, it’s just not meant to be…. *sigh.*

Sunday links, 3/23/14

Even my plates love waffles.

Fa(t)shion
–Youtheary Khmer’s spring collection is amazing!
-Danimezza rounds up ten gorgeous plus size dresses.
-Joanna rounds up lots and lots of pretty florals. *swoon* Sadly, many of them are not available in the US.
-San Diego people, check out the rad fatties yard sale and swap!
–The Big Fat Flea’s tumblr has some awesome fatshion.

Fat Acceptance
-If you’re in Michigan, check out Amanda Levitt’s talk on fat visibility at Oakland University.
–My weight problem isn’t my weight.
-I’ve been frustrated by this too: must every YA action heroine be petite?
-I so wish I could be in Portland for Big Sexy: A Sexy Showcase for the Fat and Fabulous!
–Congress on Obesity: ego over accessibility.
-I love all of the pictures that Accidental Disney Princess posts of herself dancing, and these ones are especially beautiful.

Climate and Sustainability
–Reclaiming abuelita knowledge as a brown ecofeminista.
-Hells yeah: Massachusetts emerges as the hub of the fossil fuel divestment movement.
-A haunting piece of art about politicians’ inaction on climate change.
–No, we’re not just “environmentalists.” It’s much more than that.
-Andy Smith points out how indigenous people are successfully using social media to fight for their rights, costing corporations hundreds of millions of dollars.
-Zadie Smith writes a moving elegy for a country’s seasons.