Kim Kardashian : Vogue Kontroversy

Seriously who cares? Kim Kardashian got another magazine cover, and all we should do is offer her a big congratulations. Most people who have a love for fashion would kill for the cover, designers do dastardly things just to get their garments on the cover. Its one of the most coveted covers to get.

People's argument is that she isn't fashion enough to be on the cover. Was Michelle Obama fashion enough to be on the cover of Vogue? Was Lebron James fashion enough to be on the cover of Vogue? Was Nigella Lawson fashion enough to be on the cover of Vogue? Yet nothing was said about them. Vogue celebrates pop culture and there isn't any couple in the world that beats this powerhouse. They are everywhere. You can't avoid their products, TV shows and music.

Kim and Kanye both have highly successful fashion lines so to say they have no connection to the fashion world is an uneducated opinion. They inspire thousands of people, they are often trend setters and there is a large part of the population that looks up to them. People will forever remind Kim of how she got famous - yes, the sex tape, but can we try and also remember that she didn't perform in a porno, she filmed an intimate video with her partner and it got leaked because of his fame. It wasn't a world she asked to be a part of, yet she was pushed in to it. Since then she has taken full advantage of the fame, she has TV shows, movie roles, blogs, magazine covers and millions of fans - really she is a pop culture genius. She came around at the right time, just as the world was becoming more and more obsessed with fame. We fell for Paris and Nicole on 'The Simple Life' and we wanted more, step forward the Kardashian sisters.

She shouldn't be ashamed and humiliated for what she does, she should be celebrated for the fact that she has done something only a few people have done - she has become famous for being famous. She herself said on a Barbara Walters interview that she doesn't have any marketable talent (she is in on the joke just as much as us). I personally think she is selling herself short. I think her talent is a new type of talent, she has been able to get in to people's lives and make an earning from it.

Do you know what the definition of 'Vogue' is? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as 'Popular; fashionable'. Erm, isn't that this couple? Want to talk about popular? Between them they have over 30 million Twitter followers, Kanye's last album was number 1 the world over and Keeping Up With the Kardashians on E! is the most watched show the network have ever had. No doubt this issue will outsell the previous year's copies.

“Part of the pleasure of editing Vogue, one that lies in a long tradition of this magazine, is being able to feature those who define the culture at any given moment, who stir things up, whose presence in the world shapes the way it looks and influences the way we see it,” writes Anna Wintour, in her editor's letter of the latest Vogue. Anna Wintour knows exactly what she is doing, she was the first editor to put an actress on the cover of Vogue, she isn't stupid. She knows what the world wants. She is responding to an ever changing society. We have no authority who Anna (or any Vogue editor around the world) puts on her cover. In this modern society we value the cult of celebrity, so get over it, it is what it is. A small note - one thing that hasn't been talked about is the fact Kim and Kanye are the first interracial couple to be on any cover of Vogue from any place in the world, but once again Kim's celebrity is all we can talk about.

Bring it down to its bones, a reality TV star got the cover of a fashion magazine. Seems stupid it is getting any controversy doesn't it? I think the photos are beautiful. Kim is wearing some beautiful designer wedding dresses and I don't know if its just me but I think all we really see in these pictures is a loving family. Congratulations Kim.

Craig's Movie Club - A Trilogy

Roll up, roll up and gather round and take a look at this; I've only gone and watched some more films! And of course I want to impart my knowledge on any folk that may read this. Once again there were some hits and misses, some that thrilled and some that left me comatose. So lets get underway as I have some insight into 5 films that I bet you are dying to know. Once again - spoiler alert.

300: Rise of an Empire
I loved '300' I really did. It was violent, bloody and featured 300 buff, half naked gentlemen (sounds like a great night in). When I heard there was to be a sequel I was a tad excited. Except this isn't a sequel, or it kind of is - stay with me. It runs along side the original whilst also telling us what happened before and after. One thing you can not take away from the creators of the these films is just how god damn beautiful they are. Every shot has something to make your eyes widen in appreciation. Every square centimetre of the screen has been thought out and it is awe inspiring.
One of the many things I like in my films is a kick ass female. This film has two so you can understand my love for the film. My love for Lena Headey goes past Game of Thrones and The Purge - I think she is gorgeous and has an air of perfection about her. She doesn't disappoint in this film reprising her role of Queen Gorgo Then step forward Eva Green, an actress that doesn't really appear in a lot of stuff I watch, as Artemisia. A woman with vengeance on her mind and the skills to pull it off. I can't celebrate this film more, I thought it was great, beautifully shot, the special effects weren't in overkill and the actors were all stunning and talented.

12 Years a Slave 
I wasn't too sure about seeing this film for a few reasons. I knew it was an important film to see, it told a story that needed to be told and it gave an audience to a topic often held in a state of taboo. Back in the day times were awful and sometimes we don't always want to be reminded what our ancestors did, it can be shameful and uncomfortable. However I went and watched the film. It was beautifully made, the acting was top notch and I came away with an education. Some scenes were incredibly hard to watch, and thats a good thing. Two scenes that stick out to me is Chiwetel Ejiofor's character been hung and Lupita Nyong'o's character been whipped. Some could argue that these scenes were too long, we got the point now lets move on, but I applaud the director - he gave truth to a situation that is often cast off as something that 'just happened then'. I can't speak for everyone but whilst I was watching it I was incredibly uncomfortable and I was asking in my head for it to be over - I am glad they were that long though, it was necessary.
You can't talk about this film and not mention Lupita Nyong'o. She plays a young woman slave called Patsy. She is abused, used and understandably a very unhappy character. Lupita played her phenomenally. Sometimes in my head I blur fantasy and reality, she did this aswell. It was so well done that I felt like I was watching something real. The scene where she is found sneaking soap was so real and so cutting. Lupita deserved every award she received.

The Grand Budapest Hotel
It is rare these days to find a director with a recognisable style, a director that sticks to an aesthetic and brings the stories in to his world. Wes Anderson is leading the pack when it comes to this. The bright and often plain sets, mixed with very flamboyant costumes and his attention to detail make for a style all of his own. This film does take some thought; its a story within a story within a story. However, don't let this put you off. It is a great story and it had me laughing all the way through.
Ralph Fiennes really carries this film, he should be celebrated for it. He was fantastic as M. Gustave, a hotel concierge who goes above and beyond his duties who finds himself at the centre of a murder. This film is chock full of recognisable actors from Tilda Swinton to Edward Norton. Its also made a star of the young actor Tony Revolori as Zero, he was fantastic in this film with his dry acting style. Wes Anderson's films are always great, but this is probably one of my favourites.

Dallas Buyers Club
I wasn't aware of this story before I saw the film, so it was great that it was finally bought to the masses. It tells the story of a young gentleman who finds out he has AIDs. The medication he needs is not available to him so he sets up a business to buy the drugs from around the world, and he deals them to other sufferers of this terrible illness. This film got a lot of attention from many award shows - and each was deserved. The story is both sad and inspiring.
The performances in this film were second to none. For me Jared Leto was the star, he played a transgender woman called Rayon. He lost a lot of weight for the role which highlighted the stress and struggle this illness can take on the body. His final scene had me in tears, I didn't see the frontman of '30 Seconds to Mars', I saw a woman struggling with an illness that eventually was the end of her. We can't ignore the amazing work of Matthew McConaughey as the lead character, a very well deserved award for Best Actor at the Oscars. He is, like Leto, completely unrecognisable in this role. I don't normally rate much of his work, he has a very distinct style which works for what he normally does, but he blew me away in this role - I tip my feathered hat to you sir.

Her
This film did not get the attention it deserved, it was lost amongst a lot of films this year that had more of a social impact. Ironically in future decades I feel this film could have been a warning for what we are about to become. The bones of this movie is that it follows a man, who just came out of a serious relationship, and falls in love with the operating system of his home computer and phone. The operating system is basically Siri with a personality, and dangerously in this film -  a personality designed to each and every customer personally.
This film is almost foreshadowing what could easily happen and I am sure it may almost has in an extremely small quantity of people. As we become more reliant on technology we will no doubt start to develop feelings for them, give them a personality and it becomes a great alternative to human interaction. In this film we see the start, middle and end to the relationship between Theodore and his operating system Samantha. Its a a great story with a great cast, and I highly recommend it, just don't go in with a pre-conception of this man being a lonely loser. He isn't, he is our future.

The Liebster Award

So I received some amazing news on my Twitter feed last week; my life long beautiful friend Rebecca nominated me for a Liebster Award. Nope, I wasn't sure what that was either. I did some research and found out the word 'leibster' has German origins – the word has several definitions: dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, welcome, sweetheart and boyfriend. It follows similar principles as a chain letter, in the sense that it should be passed forward to a certain number of people and this award exists only on the internet, and is given to bloggers by other bloggers. I also found out there is no cash prize or trophy, still its an honour just to be nominated.

With this award comes responsibilities. There are rules. The person who nominated you will set you a challenge, nothing dramatic, but there are some questions they would like answered. The beyond lovely Rebecca asked me to list 5 of the things on my bucket list and why I want to achieve them, so lets go.

1. I want to see the world

I am in constant awe just how big this earth is, there is so much to see and so much to do. I am missing out on so much and it sickens me. I want to see things that so few people have, I want stories to tell and I want to fall in love with mother nature.

2. Learn another language

This one seems impossible, my memory sucks and I think memorisation skills would be important for such a task. I just feel that in this day in age it is ignorant to expect everyone else to understand english. Us english speaking people are quite obnoxious when it comes to our own language and we expect to be understood even if we have to say it louder and slower.

3. Be in a Hollywood movie

I don't mean to be the star, I know my limitations. I would love to be an extra in a horror film, maybe even be killed in some dramatic fashion. (Wes Craven? Scream 5? Call me?).

4. Be published

It is a dream for something I wrote to be published somewhere. I want my legacy to live on well after I have gone. I think there is no better way than the written word. I would love to one day write a book of some sorts, write for a magazine/blog/website or even just have my blog noticed by someone high up in the literature world.

5. Last but not least ...

As cliche as it sounds that is all I really want. I don't know how to get it and I don't know what will make it happen. I don't know if money would make me happy (I know it wouldn't make me miserable). I don't know if been in a relationship would make me happy, but I'm willing to give it a go. I don't know if having a career would make me happy, but I am going to try and get one. At the end of the day I want a life full of adventure and experiences. I just want to be happy. 

So there we go I did it. Thank you Rebecca (to be found at itsrebecca), gave me a lot to think about.

This is the part where I would nominate others, unfortunately I am not really in the blogging community so I don't have anyone to nominate :(. If anyone wants to be my friend then let yourself be known (feeling like a sad desperate loner right now). Peace out.

100 Moments of Glee

So here's what you missed on Glee

Glee is about to turn 100. Their 100th episode will air this week in America. I have been a fan since the beginning. As soon as I heard Rachel Berry sang 'On My Own' from Les Miserables I knew it was something special. It didn't disappoint. Never before has there been a show like this. It was musical TV programme. Music was either used to show emotion or to highlight a story. They covered everything from musicals to pop hits to rock ballads; and later on they even had original songs.

Glee is a juggernaut of a TV show. They have showcased storylines that may have once seemed taboo, they have had guest stars that will rival any American sitcom and they have broken records set by The Beatles and Elvis Presley by having over 100 songs hit the American Billboard Charts. The show has made international stars of its cast, Lea Michele now has a recording career of her very own plus plans to release a book, Chris Colfer wrote 2 books and starred in his very own self written movie and Naya Rivera has her very own recording career, magazine covers and advertisement deals. 

It would be hard to talk about Glee and not mention the darker side. July 13th of 2013 was the worst day in Glee's history. We lost an amazing actor/performer/musician with the unfair and untimely death of Cory Monteith. His work on the show will never be forgotten and his story shall be shared for decades to come. 

However we are here to celebrate the tremendous achievement of 100 episodes. And to do so I thought I would do what I do best - create a list. For me the heart of the show is the songs. So as a gift from me to you I have created a list of my favourite performances.

10. How Will I Know

9. Unpretty/I Feel Pretty

8. Songbird

7. If I Die Young

6. Rumour Has It/Someone Like You

5. Edge Of Glory/All Coming Back/Paradise by the Dashboard Lights

4. Make You Feel My Love

3. Smooth Criminal

2. Roots Before Branches

1. Don't Stop Believing

That was hard and I am sure I will wake up in a cold sweat agonising over my decisions,  for a show that has had over 600 songs it was a challenge but right now I feel happy with my choices.

Coming Of Age

One of the best genre of films in my opinion has to be the 'Coming Of Age' genre. These movies are generally centred around teenagers and young adults. They don't have the best time of it and struggle with a lot of different things, but through out it all they become better people and become more adjusted to the way people expect them to be. Funny thing for me is that I don't think I have lived a very note worthy life yet I find myself identifying with a lot that happens. I may have not done a lot of things these characters have done, but there is something there that makes me feel a bit awkward and makes me realise somethings that I didn't want to. I'll write some examples of this (really trying to open up like I promised in my '100' post haha).

Perks of Being a Wallflower - Charlie falls in love with his best friend.
Yep, been there, done that and got the goddamn heartache to prove it. Don't worry about me though, I accepted it. Charlie was shown a friendship he never felt he would experience again after the untimely death of his best friend, he fell for Sam and all the kindness she showed him. This book means a lot to me as it gave me something that I never felt a book could. The film is amazing. In my experience I fell for a friend aswell, I responded to their personality in a big way and it didn't hurt a damn bit that they are unbelievably attractive. We are great friends now and I wish nothing but the best for them. I know they read this so I won't share too much and ruin what we have.

It's Kind of a Funny Story - Craig's life gets too much
We all have those periods in our lives when life just feels like its too much. The only difference between me and Craig is that I never contemplated suicide. It wasn't an option for me. Craig is highly depressive and life is proving to be a struggle with all the pressures of being a teenager. I know from experience that teenage life sucks the big one. You are too old to make mistakes and too young to be accepted. You have to make major life decisions. It can sometimes feel too much to handle and the truth is is that it is. When I was 16 I had no idea what I wanted to do, now I am 25 and I still don't know what I want to do.

Kings of Summer - The boys want to escape their lives
Along the similar lines of Craig in 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' except they decided to make a change before it becomes to much. I recently made a decision to quit something, it was a hard decision but deep down I do think I am happier now. I had a moment of realisation that I was now free of something that I no longer wanted. Like the boys, people look at me and think I am stupid for what I did, but just like them I don't care either. This is my life to screw up not theirs. And no offence to anyone I know but I don't see anyone in a place to judge what I do.

Pretty In Pink - Duckie has to be happy for Andie even though he is in love with her
This has to be one of the hardest things to do. When you are in love with someone who doesn't love you back, yet you are their friend. He has to accept he can't be with her and he has to watch her with someone else. Yep, in my sad little life I have experienced it. You think that you are the best person for them and you don't understand why they can't see it. So instead you take a back seat and you remain their friend because that is the right thing to do. You are happy for them when they are with someone else, because at the end of the day you want them to be happy even if it isn't with you.

Some noteworthy Coming of Age Movies you need to see

Perks of Being a Wallflower

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Kings of Summer

Pretty in Pink

The Way Way Back

Juno

The Spectacular Now

The Breakfast Club

My Girl

Sixteen Candles

The Virgin Suicides

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Clueless

Mean Girls

Say Anything

Superbad

Easy A

The First Time

Almost Famous

Expectations vs. Reality

I have been on this earth now for 25 years, 6 months and 10 days. I feel that this is quite a long time, I mean for me it took an eternity to get here. I pride myself on the fact that I walk around with my eyes wide open at all time. I feel like I see a lot of things that some people don't. This isn't me being big headed, its just the way I feel I am wired. I would love to be able to ignore some things and act like some things don't bother me. I am an observer, I watch and I listen; and I have developed an understanding of reality vs. expectations. Things aren't always what they should be, people strive for the expectation and ignore the reality. In a world full of images being thrust upon us at all time it is hard to accept certain things.

We have movies, TV shows and the internet showing us an idealistic way life should be. We watch a happy movie and we want life to be like that, we watch a sad movie and don't register that that is probably a lot more realistic. We all have pain, we all have to make an effort just to get through life with a smile on our face. Everything is an effort. Everything takes work. This post is purely my opinion, you may not agree with it and you may think that I am being a huge downer about everything.

Love/Relationships
Expectations
You meet the love of your life pretty early on. It blossoms into something beautiful and suddenly everything falls in to place. You get the house, the dog and the children. Every day is filled with kisses on the cheeks and 'Honey, how was your day?'.
Reality
Just meeting someone is a challenge. There is millions upon millions of single people in this world yet it seems to be impossible to make a match. When you do think you find a match the work starts. You have to impress them, whilst still being yourself, whilst trying to decide if you actually like them. It can blossom into something beautiful and life changing, but it won't happen overnight.

Work
Expectations
You go to high school to get into college, you go to college to get into university and then you leave university to enter the working life. You start your new job after all your qualifications are exactly what they want. Everyday fuels your passion, you work up in the company and you retire into a beautiful life by the sea.
Reality
Education doesn't count for a lot. You have finished university in a shit load of debt and you are willing to take any kind of job that has the smallest to do with the field you are more than trained to work in. You go for the big jobs but they want 'experience'. You don't have experience because for the last 15-20 years you have been in education. You will one day have the job you want, but it takes a hell of a lot of work and takes even more character.

Friends
Expectations
You have a great group of friends that meet up all the time to discuss life. You may have a place you will all go to (e.g a coffee shop). Every celebration in your life they will be there, they will become aunties and uncles to your offspring and there is always someone to call to pick you up if you're down.
Reality
You have as many close friends as you do fingers on your right hand. These people are your substitute family. You may not even see them for months at a time, but it doesn't matter. They are there when you need them and you are there for them in any capacity they require you in. You will have groups of friends from all your walks in life (work friends, uni friends, book club friends) but you will always have your core group of friends.

Just imagine you life expectations as a photoshopped version of reality. The truth is under there but you have glamourised it so much it may seem unachievable. Don't set the bar too high. Achieve what you want to achieve and be happy. if you are always striving for the best then you won't notice what you do have.

I really feel after writing this that I should say that I am a generally happy person, but like everyone there is another side to me. I just wanted to write this for me really. For years I have worked towards my expectations and not accepted my reality. This is just me sharing a little bit more.

They call it a 'Crush' for a reason

Crushes can be crushing, I guess thats where the name comes from. They can consume every thought and every action you do. Some crushes can almost feel like love - and those are the ones that suck the big one. Some crushes can be harmless and can just be attraction. I have, for many years, been a victim of the crush. I have quite an active imagination, so when the crush starts - so do the plans. I don't mean the plans to trap them in my grip, I mean the plans where you start to imagine doing stuff together.

I have found that there are many types of crushes:

The Celebrity Crush
These are quite harmless (unless you have stalker qualities). You see a famous person who you find attractive, and then you find out more and more about them and you start to like them more and more. You become a fan of everything they do and you will defend them in anything they do. They can't do anything wrong, and if they do it isn't their fault.

The Lust Crush
This can sometimes be someone you know or someone you see quite often. Just seeing them makes you smile and distracts you for a moment. They don't develop any further than looking, no one ever has to know, its your own little secret.

The Sex Crush
This is quite an explicit fantasy crush. You love everything about their appearance and you just dream about one day getting the chance to be with them. They have all the attributes that you find sexually attractive. You do run the risk of not being able to find anyone else as attractive because they don't compare. Also if you finally get the chance to be with them you find out that there is nothing in common; still it could be a good time.

The Friend Crush
These can be fun and no one has to get hurt. They are weird relationships that develop from having a lot in common with someone. You want to talk to them and hang out with them all the time. The crush element comes from the fact that they can consume your thoughts - you want to share everything with them, but you probably not sexually attracted to them. An example of this might be called a 'bromance'.

The Love Crush
This is probably the most damaging type to a person. This is a crush that often sounds belittled when someone calls it 'just a crush' to your face. You believe it is so much more than what it is. You think about them all the time, you think about what you can say to them all the time and everything you do do you want to tell them and share. You imagine a future that may never happen. You might become friends with this person as this is all you feel you will ever achieve - so its best to have them in your life in a small capacity, then to not have them at all.

A warning from a survivor of 'The Love Crush' is that as harsh as it sounds - get over it. You are too into to it that it may even put your crush off you as a person. Be happy for what you can get, distract yourself  by looking elsewhere. It will feel like no one else will ever compare, but I am holding on to the fact that one day there will be someone out there that has the equivalent crush on me as I do them.

The most damaging aspect of a crush is to your self esteem. You will start to question everything about yourself. Am I not attractive enough for them? Am I too fat for them? What are they looking for that I don't have? It can bring you down a lot of the time. Crushes can suck and can hurt. It is a weird emotion, you don't know what to do about it. You can create a brave moment and actually tell the person, and if this person is as great as you think they are it won't be that bad. They will still be your friend, but you will be aware of boundaries.

Just remember the bigger you love, the harder you can fall. A crush may seem to be an uncontrollable emotion but it doesn't have to be. Distract. Distract. Distract. I accepted my crush won't flower into anything, as much as it sucked. Yes, I still think about it but acceptance is your best friend in these moments.

The Power Of No

Recently I have discovered the word 'No'. I have been saying it for years, especially when it comes to things such as salad and exercise, but now I realise the power that comes from it. You can say it to things that are expected of you. You can say it to things that people want you to do. It is your life and you get to decide how it goes.

In recent months I have been struggling with certain aspects of my life. I accepted them for what they were and just went along with them. It came to a point where I was miserable, so one day I just said 'no'. The weight that felt lifted from my shoulders was glorious. Yes, I have let people down and haven't met expectations, but who the hell cares? I am going to do what I want to do from now on. I only get one chance to do what I wanted to do and I took it. With most things in life you can go back, if you feel like you made a mistake later down the line it is never too late. So right now I made a decision which will impact certain things but I am so much happier from it.

We are stuck in a society that expects certain things from us. We are expected to go to school, get a job and live happily ever after in an existence that might not be for you. You stick to the status quo and everyone is happy. Well not me, I don't want a life that is already mapped out. I don't want to do what everyone else does. I don't have a 5 year plan, hell I don't even know what I am doing next week - and I love that. I like the unpredictable and unexpected. This is where 'no' has become so important. I have said 'no' to things that should automatically be a 'yes'.

I am not standing here on my little soap box asking you to follow my lead. The way I like to do things may not be what everyone likes. People may find happiness and security in knowing what to do in their lives. Sometimes I wish I could aswell, but I always yearn for something else. My Dad has always said when I start something new 'I give it 3 weeks'. This is so true because thats when I start to get bored and I want to move on. I am a restless person, I just want to live a life filled with spontaneity, adventure, beauty and creativity.

'I don’t wanna do it. It’s really liberating to say no to shit you hate. So you go ahead, you go live your truth. I’ll be here living my truth.' - Lena Dunham, Girls