Monday links, 12/9/13

Sorry for the lateness–it was a busy and fun weekend! I hope you all had a fun weekend as well. 🙂

Here’s a gorgeous time-lapse video of an arctic archipelago in Norway:

Fa(t)shion
-A roundup of red plus size party dresses.
-I love Chubby Cartwheels’ new velvet crop top.
-So, apparently the Limited is bringing back Eloquii….yay? I’m kind of sick of clothing companies yanking us around by creating, closing, and then re-opening their plus sizes lines willy-nilly. They wouldn’t do that with their straight size lines.
–Top ten plus size wedding dress designers.
-Lesley Kinzel gives her fat shopping tips.

Fat Acceptance
–Maria King, this isn’t a “weight issue,” it’s a movement.
-“Why don’t you like my studies?”
-This Magazine interviews fat activist Jill Andrew.
–Is fat and fit really a myth?
–Workplace wellness still doesn’t work.
-“If you’re happy and you know it…”
-Congratulations to Ragen, who finished a marathon!

Climate and Sustainability
-The bulk of this piece is nothing new, but I really like the idea of the “economy for the common good” movement, which I’d never heard of before.
-The latest depressing climate news: a new study has concluded that 2 degrees of warming, the current internally agreed upon climate target, would actually be a disaster. (Interestingly enough, although most outlets I read reported it as DISASTER CATASTOPHE OMG, Environment 360 chose the title New paper offers sweeping plan to decarbonize the global economy. So I guess there’s both scary stuff and solutions…)
–10 steps toward an incredible edible town.
-I like this idea of special affordable housing for nonprofit workers.
-After receiving a bunch of “no”s, the student fossil fuel divestment movement is entering a new phase.

Jobs and the Economy
–How a “normal” working week of 21 hours could address a range of urgent, interlinked problems.
–Food stamps, credit cards, and public vs. private poverty.
-I like the initiative at St. Mary’s college in Maryland to cap the salary of the highest-paid executives at ten times that of the lowest-paid employees.
–Charity is not a substitute for justice.
-Robert Reich answers questions about this week’s fast food strikes.
-“I was a warehouse wage slave.”
–The solution to unemployment isn’t better trained workers; or, systemic problems have systemic solutions.
–The exploited laborers of the liberal media.
–We know who stole the economy–National People’s Action moves to take it back.
–Professional identity: a luxury few can afford.

Everything Else
-If I ever get rich and visit England, I want to stay in this hot pink guest house with unicorn sculptures.
-Awesome pictures of black flappers and Jazz Age women.
–Your ability to can even: a defense of internet linguistics.
–The US killed my brother with a drone. I want to know why.
–That’s not ok: Rashida and feminism vs. whores.
–Mandela and the black diaspora.
–Why violent crime is so rare in Iceland.
–Social media campaigns are helping teach the American media how to talk about race.
–Why does anyone still think it’s ok to listen to R. Kelly?
-I love the hashtag #bisexualfacts.
–Of #fastedtailedgirls and freedom.
–Coming out as biracial.
–#FeminismIsForTeenMomsToo.
–Gender transition as immigration.
-Daniel Jose Older writes about how he found his voice as a feminist of color.

Robots and drones can’t replace us: even more ways to make a living in a green economy

I keep reading articles arguing that we don’t really need human workers anymore, now that machines can produce (and sometimes transport) stuff. It’s often used to call for a basic minimum income, which I support.

But it makes no sense to me. The making of stuff is currently the cornerstone of our economy, but it doesn’t have to be–and it really shouldn’t be, because it’s quite literally unsustainable.

And there’s so, so much work that needs doing–very little of which can be automated.

I’ve already written about twenty ways people could make a meaningful living in a sustainable economy, and I just keep thinking of more. Here are another ten:

1.) Staffing food trucks, especially ones that serve underserved neighborhoods–such as Fresh Food Generation, an exciting new project here in Boston. Food trucks are a great way to provide delicious, healthy food at low prices, since they have less overhead than restaurants, and they can travel to serve different populations.

2.) Picking up food scraps by bike and then turning them into compost, like another new local business, City Compost. If this model became widespread, it could make a huge dent in the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by food waste.

3.) Working at haunted houses like the one in this video, and other creative projects that both bring joy to their communities and provide jobs for local young people.

4.) Making processed food products–yes, in the literal sense of the word, which is not inherently a bad thing–such as jam, cheese, butter, bread, baked goods, maple syrup, sauces, dips, canned fruits and vegetables, and candy.

5.) Journalism.

These days, journalism has become a “glamour industry,” one that’s closed to all but the most privileged–but we need the opposite. We need people with diverse backgrounds to report, uncover, analyze, speak truth to power, hold leaders accountable, help us make sense of our world.

6.) Massage therapists, meditation teachers, personal trainers, and fitness instructors who teach everything from aerial acrobatics to Zumba, ballet to burlesque, yoga to water aerobics: to make joyous movement, stress reduction, and physical well-being accessible to as many people as possible.

7.) People who fix things, such as this pop-up repair shop in New York.

8.) Photographers, videographers, event planners, florists, makeup artists, and other local small businesspeople who provide services for celebrations and life events (which I talked about a bit in this post).

9.) Scientists researching diseases and chronic illnesses. There’s so much work still to be done!

10.) Creating organic vegetable gardens in the yards of homes, businesses, and schools, like yet another Boston-area business, Growing for Good. This is a great use of existing resources to build local resilient, sustainable food systems.

An open letter to sequins

Dear sequins,

You’re so pretty and shiny! I want to wear you on everything.

But damn, you itch.

You itch through a layer of jersey. You itch when you’re on the front of my shirt and you rub against my arm.

It’s really hard to find pieces featuring you that don’t itch, which is why I only have one: a beloved, ratty, missing-half-its-sequins jacket. (Yes, I’ve been known to leave a trail of black sequins wherever I go when I wear it….sometimes people find them weeks after I’ve visited.)

If you can somehow reinvent yourself in a non-itchy way, I’d love to wear you! I swear.

Sparkly love,

Laura

Wednesday Fa(t)shion Inspirations, 12/4/13

The Curvy and Curly Closet

Cartoon Fatshion

Sunday links, 12/1/13

Fa(t)shion
-This article about a company that makes custom suits for women and transgender people is a great illustration of why clothing matters.
-Affatshionista writes about Dare To Wear, a small San Francisco company that makes all of their plus sized goth/renaissance clothes locally. (You can see me wearing one of their tops, which I got secondhand, here!)
–Snapadoo! Laughing with plus size blogger Cynthia Wilson.
-Patagonia celebrates old clothes that have lasted through the years.
-Danielle rounds up clothing that’s great for parties.
-If you’re in Columbus, Ohio, check out the Discount Fashion Warehouse, which has low prices and a good plus size selection.
–An analysis of the fit of ASOS Curve items, many of which run extremely large. (This is true to my limited experience with the brand–I have a size 22 skirt and dress that fit me well, but could definitely stretch to fit someone much bigger, and I wear a size 16 in their leggings.)
–The trouble with secondhand clothes.
–Fashion Revolution Day 2014 will ask, who made your clothes?

Fat Acceptance
–@DrJaneChi lays out some facts about Plan B weight limitations.
-Jessamyn writes about her experiences getting into yoga as a fat woman, with some great pictures.
–10 better body affirmations for young people.

Climate and Sustainability
-Three important, powerful pieces: Learning how to die in the anthropocene, The climate movement needs to stop “winning,”  and This is my limit, I will suffer no more.

Jobs and the Economy
-A former labor force expert, who spent years helping people find jobs, writes about his experience with becoming unemployed: ” Suddenly, no, you cannot get back into the workforce.  No, we will not tell you why.  Try as hard as you like.  Beat your brains out until it finally becomes clear that you will never have a full-time job with bennies again. Never. Never.  Ever.”
–This week in the sharing economy: the move to professionalism.
–Uber and Lyft get a lot of hype–but ridesharing is a parasitic business model.
–The real sharing economy is booming (and it’s not the one venture capitalists are cashing in on).
-This is so true, and relevant far beyond the field of massage therapy: Talking class in class–on money and massage.
–The real humanities crisis: that it’s almost impossible to make a living in the arts and humanities, and suggestions for how to improve the situation.
–An innovative approach to student loans that doesn’t quite resolve the student loan crisis.
–The workers who bring you Black Friday.

Everything Else
–I love Kate Gabrielle’s pastel wooden menorah.
–For potential givers: a feed-a-single-family primer.
-This oasis of groceries in a low-income neighborhood sounds promising.
–Veggies at the liquor store, and five other ways to bring food to your community.
–5 things to celebrate about Indian Country.
–This Thanksgiving poem by American Indian writer Jonathan Garfield is raw truth. (Note: he uses rape as a metaphor for stealing land, which troubles me; but I am passing it along anyway because I think the the overall poem is a powerful and necessary piece.)
–16 beautiful portraits of humans who happen to be trans (possibly not work-safe).
–Shame from all angles: why doesn’t anyone seem to respect teen parents?
-Spectra writes about her experiences being separated from friends and family as an immigrant.
–Highlights from the gender neutral Swedish Toys “R” Us catalog.
–I don’t need faith to have ethics.
–Valuing our values: feminism, motherhood, and pink-collar work.

(Slightly late) Small Business Saturday gift guide, and a Boston craft fair list

I’m not a fan of Small Business Saturday‘s corporate sponsorship, but I think the basic idea is sound. For those who can afford to do so, supporting small businesses–especially local ones–is a good way to take part in building a sustainable, humane, community-based economy.

With the usual caveats that 1.) individual consumer choices are not a substitute for political engagement and 2.) spending time together is always a wonderful gift and there should be no obligation to buy anything for anyone, here are a few items I like from small businesses and craftspeople around the internet, some of whom are local to Boston.

1.) “Gigi” burlesque mug – Dupenny –  £13.50
2.) Unicorn Landia nail polish – Starrily at ShanaLogic – $9.99
3.) Collectible narwhal ornament – Magic Bean Buyer at ShanaLogic – $15.99
4.) See you space corgi sticker – Megan Lara at RedBubble – $4.00
5.) Mauve crystal and feather fascinator – I Am Joolienn on Etsy – $25.00 (Note: Joolie is a Somerville local who makes all sorts of pretty, shiny, feathery things.)
6.) Cat life brooch – The Tiny Hobo on Etsy – $10.00 (Note: The Tiny Hobo also makes a ton of fat-pos stuff, which you can find in her main shop, t-shirt shop, and Custom Plus shop.)
7.) Peacock feather journal set – CoupCoup Designs on Etsy – $12.00
8.) Neon rainbow felt necklace – HandiCraftKate on Etsy – $55.00
9.) Signed machines of love poster – DFTBA Records – $15.00
10.) Chocolate Mexicano sampler – Taza Chocolate – $21.00 (Note: Taza is a local company that makes Mexican-style fair-trade chocolate right here in Somerville. They also give tours, which look like fun.)

Wednesday Fa(t)shion Inspirations, 11/27/13

No Small Affair

The Do It Yourself Lady

My #feministselfie contribution

Last week, the feminist internet kind of blew up (as it does every so often) with responses to a Jezebel piece condemning selfies.

Plenty of other writers have already covered what was wrong with the piece, and how selfies can be a liberating form of visibility–so I’ll just give you my favorite selfie.

I took this my senior year of college while getting ready for a Dresden Dolls concert–which, by the way, was amazing.

 

 

Sunday links, 11/24/13

Fa(t)shion
-The use of 3D scanners to personalize clothing sizes sounds promising.
-I love Ayleen’s steampunk ao dai outfits.
-Check out Amethyst, a fat paper doll!
-Fashion eye candy of all stripes: the Harajuku Fashion Show at the MCM Expo, Meadham Kirchoff for Topshop, Suzanne Bisovsky’s folk art-inspired clothes, and Takudo Maeda’s spring/summer collection.

Fat Acceptance
–On exercise and assumptions.
-Rachel writes about not losing weight for her wedding, including gorgeous pictures.
-Ragen writes about some seriously bad medicine.
–Tickets for the Body Love Conference are now available.
–Health as a moral imperative: chasing gold stars.

Climate and Sustainability
-Cities around the world can learn from Seoul, Korea, whose mayor is a leader in post-growth economic re-development.
-I love creative activism, like these people who visited the Bank of England dressed up as carbon bubbles.
–#WeStandWithYou: young activists fast for the climate.
–Typhoon Haiyan: the global poor bear the deadly brunt of climate change.
–Why the UN climate negotiations give me hope (in spite of everything).
–Harvard students disrupt a Bank of American recruitment session: “We simply want jobs that do not poison the water we drink and the air we breathe. We simply want jobs that do not create droughts that wipe out our food supplies or strengthen the hurricanes that threaten our homes.”
-Pollinate Energy, a start-up solar company, replaces kerosene lamps with solar-powered ones in low-income households in India.

Everything Else
-On Twitter, disabled people shared their experiences with ableism in the hashtag #solidarityisfortheablebodied.
–We rise together: resisting white institutional culture in publishing.
–Quiet reflections: why I chose silence on Trans Day of Remembrance.
–We matter! Transgender Day of Remembrance 2013.
–Why I’m not a TEDx speaker: because TED doesn’t pay their speakers.
–Beyond the so-called first Thanksgiving: 5 children’s books that set the record straight.
-More children’s books that look good: the Polkadot series, whose main character is a non-binary trans kid.
–Cover Girl’s Hunger Games-inspired makeup line is in sickeningly poor taste; luckily, members of the Harry Potter Alliance are criticizing it and reminding the world what Katniss really stood for. They’re also doing lots of other stuff to fight for social justice, and I tip my sorting hat to them.

This video of cats stealing dogs’ beds–and dogs taking them back–makes me so happy.

–Fresh Food Generation, a farm-to-table food truck that will serve Boston’s low-income neighborhoods, sounds awesome. I wish they didn’t mention “obesity” as a problem stemming from lack of access to fresh food (sigh), but otherwise I support them 100%.  If you’re interested in helping them make the food truck a reality, check out their Kickstarter!
–Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and the discomfit of classism (I’m linking to the Google cache, as the blog is unfortunately down).
–Teaching: the hardest job that everyone thinks they can do.
-Prepare to groan: 26 dangerous symptoms of being addicted to puns.
-Swedish artist Suzan Drummen’s kaleidoscopic crystal floor installations are amazing.

New stuff that rocks at Domino Dollhouse

I’ve decided I’m ok with the fact that my blog is sometimes just an advertisement for Domino Dollhouse, because they’re just that awesome.

Every time I think they can’t get more awesome, they surprise me again. The latest item I’m completely in love with is their rainbow metallic zippered skirt. All I have to say about it is: !!!

I also love that they have a My Little Pony headband. It makes me want to start gluing all my pony figurines onto headbands…except I have terrible luck with hot glue, and everything I glue falls apart. Boo.

Here’s a collage I put together of the recent items I love at Domino Dollhouse, including the pony headband and the fabulous skirt. Click the picture for item details:

Domino Dollhouse stuff I love by lrock212 featuring a bow headband