Stuff….
I totally forgot that I had those two posts scheduled for today. I haven’t exactly felt like dealing with blog stuff, so it’s just as well.
Last week…ugh. Lindy West had the best take on it.
This week just has to be better. It just has to.
I got out of town for the weekend, which helped a bit. Steve and I went out to the Berkshires and got some nature-time and small-town-window-shopping time and tasty-food-eating-time, all of which are good things.
I’m tired. I’m just really tired.
I wish this existed: recycled costumes for regular people
So, I recently came across the Tumblr Recycled Movie Costumes, and it got me thinking. What if there was an everyday equivalent for us non-movie-stars?
I know there are Netflix-like clothing rental sites such as Gwynnie Bee, about which I’ve heard good things. But they’re for normal clothing, and they’re internet-based.
I would love to see a brick-and-mortar clothing rental business that had gorgeous, costume-y clothes in a wide variety of sizes. Flapper dresses, woodland fairy costumes, Victorian outfits, steampunk get-ups, Renaissance gowns…
People could rent them for special occasions, or just to play dress-up. You could have the fun of wearing gorgeous costumes from various eras without shelling out the expense to buy one, or investing in something that might no longer fit if your body changes. And you could always spend an evening trying on costumes with friends.
I don’t know if this could actually work as a business model–it would require keeping on hand a large number of costumes in different sizes, which might be prohibitively expensive. But it’s something I’d love to see in a sustainable future of fashion.
OOTD: Hedgehog and leopard
I’m so in love with this t-shirt that Steve got me for Valentine’s Day. It’s a sad hedgie that wants to give out hugs, but no one will hug it because it’s spiky!
Shirt: TeeTurtle, skirt: Torrid, studded wristband: PacSun, pink bangles: Rainbow (or maybe Wet Seal?), leggings: American Apparel, bow: Crown & Glory, earrings: a vendor who came to my college, pearl necklace: So Good, sneakers: Sugar Shoes via eBay, pink cameo ring: Target, heart ring: a toy store in Connecticut when I was 15
Some happy news on a shitty day
I’m still cooped up inside as the manhunt continues. Blehh.
But at least I have plenty of ingredients in the apartment, so I just made a Funfetti cake, and I’ve got a macaroni and cheese pie with a bacon lattice top currently in the oven (inspired by this recipe, but using my favorite Moosewood mac n’ cheese recipe and turkey bacon). Mmmm, bacon.
Also, today Domino Dollhouse released part 1 of their Nuclear Seasons collection! I love their description:
For our Nuclear Seasons collection, we were inspired by the 90’s. Our inspirations came from the the bright colors and shine of Lisa Frank, mixed with the styling of grunge to create a bold line of streetwear. Mixing velvets, spandex, and mesh, this collection is easy to wear without sacrificing comfort.
❤ Lisa Frank forever. Seriously, Lisa Frank is my childhood.
And grunge is my early teens (ok, grunge and ska, at the same time…what can I say, the mid-late-’90s were a strange time).
I’m especially drooling over the rainbow leggings:
Friday links 4/19/13
Lavender lemon deliciousness
I have a bunch of Boston-related links, which I’ll be putting in a separate post soon. But for now, here’s your regular dose of all things fat, fatshionable, and fascinating. I hope you’re all holding up ok after this week, which has been…well, the Onion says it best.
Fa(t)shion
-I love this ode to Hot Topic.
-On the bullshit that is straight sized women modeling nearly all plus size clothing.
-Check out the Teen Spirit Library, where you can find scans of entire magazines and catalogs from the ’90s!
–12 natural black wedding hairstyles for the offbeat and on-point.
-German fatshionistas, check out this clothing swap!
-Lesley’s spring fatshion guide is both hilarious and full of awesome dresses.
Fat Activism
-Ragen writes about both the good and bad medical experiences her girlfriend had when she injured her knee.
-An important piece on the way “love your body” rhetoric shifts the focus to individuals rather than political change.
-A powerful piece about body positivity for women who live at the intersection of oppressions: Mi abuelita: skin color, pecas, and body size.
-Everyone keeps talking about My Mad Fat Diary–I really should start watching it.
-All I have to say about Dove’s latest foray into faux body positivity is UGGH. Luckily, there are a bunch of people who are more eloquent on the matter than I am.
-I love this piece from Tiffany of the More Cabaret on activism, healthism, and fat athletes.
-Fat brides, check out this call for participants in a research project.
Fat dance interlude
Very few things make me happier than watching fabulous dancers.
WTF, world?
That’s about all I have to say about what’s going on today.
I am staying safe inside at home, and hoping this will be over soon.
I have a Friday Links post prescheduled for later today, so that will still be going up, while I stay here and get cozy with the internet, movies, and leftover pizza.
Sending hugs to all of my fellow Boston-area people, and I hope you are all staying safe!
OOTD: Butterflies in my hair, flowers, and treehouse adventures
A few weeks ago, I went to visit family in Philadelphia. While we were there, we spent an afternoon at Longwood Gardens.
Most of the outdoor flowers hadn’t bloomed yet, but it was still lovely, and we saw lots of beautiful flowers and plants inside the Conservatory, which is like a giant greenhouse.
Making friends with a hanging plant in the Conservatory.
Even though it was still chilly, I had to go for a springy vibe with butterfly hairclips and general rainbowy-ness.
Top: We Love Fine, skirt: thrifted, necklace: pendant from Michael’s on a chain, socks: Domino Dollhouse, sneakers: Brooks, pink bangle: Deb, rainbow bangle: So Good, TARDIS earrings: gift from Steve, green butterfly clips: H&M, pink and purple butterfly clips: not sure, cardigan: Old Navy, silver purse: Sears, tote bag: Border’s
There were three very friendly kitties roaming the grounds! I spent a disproportionate amount of time petting them.
It’s ok to be scared.
Over the last few days, this piece on the Boston Marathon bombings has been making the rounds on social media.
While I agree with some of the sentiments that Schneier expresses, I can’t get behind his basic idea: that we have some sort of collective responsibility not to feel afraid.
As the details about the bombings in Boston unfold, it’d be easy to be scared. It’d be easy to feel powerless and demand that our elected leaders do something — anything — to keep us safe.
It’d be easy, but it’d be wrong. We need to be angry and empathize with the victims without being scared. Our fears would play right into the perpetrators’ hands — and magnify the power of their victory for whichever goals whatever group behind this, still to be uncovered, has. We don’t have to be scared, and we’re not powerless.
NO. Just no. We don’t “need” to be or feel anything. Everyone reacts differently to trauma, and there’s no right or wrong way.
It’s ok to be scared. It’s ok to be angry, or sad, or numb. It’s ok to be all of those at the same time, or at different times.
It’s ok to feel however you feel.
What matters is how you act. The problem, FDR to the contrary, isn’t fear itself–it’s acting unthinkingly from that fear. It’s using fear as a justification to harm others.
I think that’s what Scheier’s trying to get at: that we shouldn’t let our politicians take away our freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism, and that we should defy the terrorists by continuing to live our lives. That much I can agree with.
But it’s not what he’s saying.
What he’s saying rubs me the wrong way, so badly.
So what I’m saying is this: feel however you feel. Acknowledge and respect those feelings, even if you don’t like them. Even if you wish you felt differently.
Feel how you feel, and then act from whatever strength you can muster–no matter how small.
Tutus And Tiny Hats 