#OscarsSoWhite

Are you a George Clooney, or a John Singleton?

Are you a Jada Pinkett-Smith, or a Janet Hubert?

This debate about the Oscars is getting more and more out of control, with a number of celeb A-listers publicly announcing their views on the #OscarsSoWhite discussion.

Whilst I understand the importance of diversity with regards to representation of different races and ethnic groups at public award ceremonies, especially as prestigious and renowned as the Oscars, I must say that I am with John Singleton on this one.

John Singleton (first African American to win Best Director in 1991) claims being nominated for an Oscar has more to do with eligibility than race, and coming from a man of ethnic minority, this is an articulate, concise and reasonable belief. Yes, we need to ensure that equality is exercised, but we must be aware that the actors nominated are done so because of their achievements and not because of their race or ethnic background. When the necessity for representation blindsides genuine talent, it becomes an issue of political correctness encroaching on the film industry.

In contrast, Jada Pinkett-Smith has taken it upon herself to speak for an entire community by boycotting the Academy Awards. I have the utmost respect for Jada; apart from playing the ULTIMATE sass machine Fish Mooney in Gotham, being a total fashion icon and taking on someone else’s child for 20 years, she also always speaks her mind. However in this instance, perhaps she has not considered that the people surrounding her (wildly successful) family are ‘yes-men’. As her and her husband’s rather selective production company (Overbrook Entertainment) demonstrates, the notion of exclusion whispered about in Hollywood is paraded by Jada and Will. I think she has slightly lost her grip on what it feels like to be excluded, as with millions of dollars in the bank, a world famous husband and children who are paving the youth generation’s way through gender identity via fashion campaigns and social exposure, her world makes the most A-list celebrity’s lifestyle look like a mundane humdrum of insurance brokerage.  

Janet Hubert (played ‘Aunt Vivian’ in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air alongside Jada's husband, Will Smith) attempted to make this point via her YouTube response video, but instead of calmly stating her reasons for disagreeing with Jada’s boycott, her speech became a bitter rant exploring a murky past of upset and temper tantrums with Will Smith, rather than focusing on the issue at hand. She was wrong to dismiss the argument as ‘not that deep’ because these are deep-rooted manifestations of centuries of inequality and angst surfacing through this issue. However that still does not change the fact that this debate must be examined in light of present day findings and context.

When George Clooney stated the industry is ‘moving in the wrong direction’, I can see what he means, as in fairness there were more black actors nominated 10 years ago, rather than the all-white Oscar nominations for both this year and last. It is not right to have an all-white nomination list in 2016, especially when you consider Idris Elba’s performance in Beasts of No Nation and Samuel L. Jackson's role in The Hateful Eight. But equally is it right to nominate members of minority groups simply because of their background and heritage, even if somebody else deserves the award more?

We must not take away the achievements and all the hard work from white actors because of a political debate regarding race; it is their talent and effort that is being rewarded. As actor David Oyelowo said, “the Oscars are so important is because it is the zenith, it is the epitome, it is the height of celebration of artistic endeavour within the film making community. We grow up aspiring, dreaming, longing to be accepted into that august establishment because it is the height of excellence”. The Oscars change careers and pave the way to stardom and eternal recognition in the film industry. Is it justifiable to deny this privilege to someone who has worked tirelessly for it, regardless of race?

Such issues are a minefield for any public body, let alone an Academy with nearly a century of cinematic achievements behind it, and can be exacerbated by our expectations, especially when the media dip their little toe into the water to create a few ripples.

Both sides have a valid point. Perhaps this frenzied debate will reintroduce the validity of both talent and race into the spotlight. 

Number One Bestseller... God knows why!

Anyone who knows me is aware of the book overload I am subjected to at Christmas. One book I received was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins; after hearing all the raving reviews, and being a bestseller, I wanted to try it.

Well. There's several hours of my life I'll never get back again.

Where to begin?!

The plot itself, to be fair, was original in terms of presentation: seeing a life through the eyes of a commuter showed the notion of involvement through objectivity, as if watching a scene on TV rather than reality, which provided an element of dimension; this was the only patience I had with the god-awful plot/writing style. The use of distance was used well in terms of proxemics versus the emotional involvement of characters but ultimately it was dull and dragged on. And on. And on a bit more.

The characters had no depth, they were all hideously shallow. Without ruining the ending, those characters included in the 'twist' at the end were miserably predictable and it came from nowhere. To make twists believable, there must be a crescendo, some sort of subtle development throughout the text to make it plausible. Here, apparently Hawkins got bored of writing her endless drivel and decided to end it by picking out a character from a hat to pin the murder on.

The use of short sentences was dismal: never having a sentence with more than 10 words just makes it sound like you can't write properly. The vocabulary, although it shows promise in certain places, was of a primary school standard, and when an interesting word did present itself,  it was usually thrown in to appear intelligent, rather than actually contributing effectively to the text. More often than not, one gets the sense that the author has merely used the 'synonyms' option in Microsoft Word.

Severely unimpressive book. I definitely don't understand the hype surrounding this book, but if you disagree then leave a comment! 

"New year, new me"

So 2016 is finally here. ✹

          

How many of us have already said ‘New year, new me’?

And yet how many have already reverted back to their old ways – those who said they want to get in shape have signed up to the gym but not yet attended. Those who said they will be more patient on their morning commute to work shoved a fellow passenger for walking too slowly on the 1st January etc etc.

Well, I do not judge you. I think the whole ‘new me bla blah’ is so overrated and conceptually ridiculous. For two reasons:

1.       Why must we wait for a date change to dictate our new beginnings

2.       Why must we be socially pressured into feeling we have to change at all

Firstly, if you are an ogre in life, you probably already know it. (Hint: if you scream at people on a regular basis/if you didn’t get many Christmas cards/your own mother rushes to get off the phone to you, you are most likely a life-ogre. Picture Ebenezer Scrooge without the Christmas references and here you have a life-ogre). If you enjoy this life choice, and wish to be left well alone, then fair game.

If, in fact, you have a marvellous group of friends and are generally happy in life (minus the January blues) then why do you feel that you have to change? Granted, all of us have minor vices in life that perhaps we ought to keep an eye on, or those irritations that are the bane of our housemates’ lives, but these are our quirks, what makes us loveable and endearing (or so we’d like to think!).

However, if these actions are having a negative impact on your life, or on those around you, it is frightfully lazy to be aware of such annoying habits or unhealthy lifestyles and choose to wait until one single date at the end of the year to be proactive and do something about it. If you want to change then do so at your own hand – make your own choices and stick to them! Don’t be a sheep and endlessly follow the social herd because it is the easy route. Sometimes change can be difficult, especially when faced with new, unfamiliar territory but take this as a valuable lesson in self-belief and motivation, and push forward.

Nobody ever learnt anything new from staying in their comfort zone!

Secondly, I find that a lot of New Year resolutions come from the pressure put on us by the constraints of modern culture. If you are joining the gym to re/gain a healthy physique, or you are in training, or think you could benefit from more exercise in your lifestyle, then fantastic, kudos and bravissimo.

IF you are doing it to get the abs of Kylie Jenner/Hailey Baldwin/Alessandra Ambrosio (the list could go on and on…) thennnnnn perhaps this is the wrong reason, and perhaps it is comfortability in your own skin that needs to be exercised.

Celebrate yourself! ❤

We all have body hang-ups but when you realise how beautiful you are without the generic constrictions, then the resulting happiness that comes is truly liberating.  

If you are having a bit of a down day, try Gerad Kite's new book, Everything You Need You Have: How to be at Home in Your Self.
"Kite gifts his patients with something they often weren't aware they had lost: that ineffable sense of 'me-ness' that a child is born with but that many of us mislay along the way." - Daily Telegraph

Brushing off the cobwebs...

So I am back from South Africa!! 

Holy guacamole it was genuinely life-changing. And I am not just saying that because that is what everybody says when they come back from 'travelling' anywhere. But it really did change my life.

*Cliché alert*

I know that when people return from trips abroad with friends they come out with all these phrases that I am about to say, and before I came home, I thought that they were all generic, no originality and surely couldn't accurately represent the trip. Now I realise that the reason that such phrases exist, is not because those speaking them are uninventive with their vocabulary, but more because sometimes even the most dedicated wordsmith can find no words to describe the beauty of the scenes laid before them.

The sights I have seen are beyond beautiful/stunning/miraculous/majestic. This trip did change my life, and gave me (what I now see was much needed) perspective. Not just on my life, but on people and their aspirations and the importance of having an open mind - and so much more besides. I will do a proper post on South Africa though, for now, all I will say is (I warned you) it was:

• life-changing
• inspirational
• an adventure
• an emotional journey
• pure laughter
• confidence-boosting
• skill building
• incredible
• made friends for life
• sensational views
• reverberations
• investment in myself

I will stop there, as the last one was a BIT much even for me. I will finish by leaving you with Ibn Battuta's words (the Medieval traveller and scholar) who beautifully captured the essence of my trip by saying “Travelling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

Liebster Award

Thanks to Ellice, 17 year old radio presenter [http://smallbutl0ud.blogspot.co.uk] I've been nominated for the Liebster Award - it was a total shock as I haven't been blogging for long, and I definitely don't post as much as I would like to due to a ridiculously busy lifestyle, so thank you!  

The rules of accepting the award are:

1) Write a post about the fact you're nominated and then thank the person who nominated you, as well as linking their blog.
2) Answer the 11 questions that you've been given to answer by the person who nominated you.
3) Nominate 5-11 bloggers who have less than 1000 followers.
4) Let the bloggers know you have nominated you and leave them a link to your post, so they can see how it works

I was asked the below...

1) What inspired you to start blogging?

I started blogging when I was at university, and considering I want a career within editorial (whether that be publishing, magazine content etc.) I thought it was prudent to regularly write about my passions and experiences. This was not only to keep my writing style fresh and practiced, but also to explore the bloggers network, and make some friends and connections along the way.
2) How long have you been blogging?

My first blog post was in September 2014 when I had my hair cut off at London Fashion Week - since then I have posted about twice a month, but I really want to increase the amount of posts I publish.
3) What is your favourite post that you've written?

I liked my Christmas OOTD post, and Bouton Bracelets review, as I enjoy creating fashion posts with the outfits laid out - that was something I learned when I interned at Fabulous magazine at The Sun. The Fashion Editor, Tracey Lea Sayer, would lay all the outfits for photoshoots on the floor of the office, accessories and all, and although it was a nightmare to walk through, it really showed the finished outfit.
4) Any advice to people wanting to network?.

Be personable and genuine - people know when you are being fake, and do not appreciate it. When you are honest and open, with opinions, likes, dislikes and taste, people will take you more seriously and will open the door to larger networks for you. 
5) Favourite musicians?

I love upbeat artists that make me want to belt out their songs. I adore Katy Perry for her audacity and strength, especially her song 'Roar' for the message it conveys and Jason Derulo always delivers a great R&B/Pop crossover. I also like musicals - Les Mis,

 Hairspray, Jersey Boys and Phantom of the Opera are some of my favourites.

6) What do you aspire to be/do?

I honestly don't know a specific job role, and I think by aiming for one specific role you can end up closing doors to opportunities that may change your life. I like writing and am very opinionated but equally I like to edit work. I'm good at marketing products so PR may be a good route but ultimately, something that encapsulates all these skills would be ideal.
7) Have you gone to Uni/in Uni/going to Uni?

Yes - I went to Brighton University and have a degree in English Literature, although I am awaiting my results (I'll tell all when I know myself!)
8) How do you deal with criticism?

I think it can be sobering. Criticism is sometimes difficult to hear but it can be refreshing to hear alternative opinions, especially if you take it seriously and use it to develop and better yourself. Abraham Lincoln said “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time" and I think it is important to remember this, especially within the media industry.

9) Have you ever wanted to give up blogging due to criticism?

Never - nothing you enjoy should be given up because of somebody's negative opinion. Use criticism to make yourself stronger and work harder for what you want to do.
10) If you have writers block, what do you do?

I like to take a walk and remove myself from what I'm writing, go to the shops perhaps and pick up a snack (mostly chocolate or ice cream). When I'm blogging, I don't get writers block because I type as I think, it is a much more chatty tone. When I did my dissertation however, I had to take about a million walks to free up my mind.

11) How long does it usually take to write a blogpost? 

My blog posts aren't too long to write, usually between 10-15 minutes, and then however much time it takes to photograph items to feature in my blog.

I nominate:
Nat - https://natsnattering.wordpress.com/
Lillie - http://www.lillie-b.com/
Maria - http://mariagrimes.blogspot.co.uk/?expref=next-blog
Zsofi - http://zsofiwrites.com/
Tracy - http://bitterteaandmystery.blogspot.co.uk/

Africa Countdown

For the past 92 days, I have had a countdown on my phone for when I leave to go to South Africa. I will be going for a month, to assist with Conservation Reserve Research with the Big 5, and specifically leopards, lions, elephants and rhinos, to track their eating/mating habits, develop learning within local communities and provide first aid care to the animals that need it.

So, it has definitely crept up on me, as I checked my countdown app and apparently I only have 9 days to sort everything out, so I ran out to get everything I needed (although I am still short on a sleeping bag, rain jacket, rucksack and binoculars -kind of the essentials!).

My favourite purchase has to be my new suitcase - it is bright purple with white polka dots, so adorable and perfectly sized, although my mum still thought it would be necessary to get luggage tags... Seriously mother.

I thought I would share my packing with you, in the hope that if I forgot anything, someone could be wonderfully observational and tell me so I don't end up on the South African plains having to make a temporary hairbrush out of a lion's mane.

I will add at this point, that The Salvation Army charity shop has been an absolute godsend - their assortment of combat trousers and safari shorts have kitted me out with clothes I never thought I would buy or need. But when faced with a month-long trip to a country I have never experienced, especially as South Africa's winter nights are legendary for loss of limb to frostbite (I may be exaggerating a little) then I panicked and began thinking that my Alexander McQueen chiffon blouses and high-waisted Forever 21 shorts may be out of place. Are patterned tights acceptable for helping wounded elephants be strapped to a helicopter for recovery? Is a bandeau bikini top sufficient when diving with Great White Sharks? I didn't think so either.

So here I come South Africa, with a swimming cozzy accustomed to OAPs, navy combat trousers that have a toggle at the bottom that tightens and hiking boots that have sufficient ankle support for a rhinoceros to wear them and not give way.

Hey - you've got to try everything at least once!

#ManicureMonday

Having seen Grazia's new collaboration with NailsInc, I headed to Twitter to read up about it. Whilst plowing through their beauty tips for summer hair and summer wardrobe must-haves, I stumbled across their NailsInc tweet offering a free goody bag if you sent in a picture of your #MondayManicure.

Being a nail varnish fiend (with over 75 nail varnishes, most of which are some shade or other of red or pink) I decided to participate in the hope that I won some NailsInc goodies.

I used Topshop own's 'Daydream' shade 101 as a pastel pink undercoat that is purely gorgeous, with a Leighton Denny reddish-pink tip. On my pinky finger, to add a bit of summer fun I did polka dots as well as a tip, using a wooden toothpick for precision.


Overall, I am very satisfied with the result; I have had compliments from all ages about how playful and adorable my manicure is, so here's hoping that Grazia and NailsInc agree, and send me a wonderful little goody bag to add to my collection!