Some things I saw today which pissed me off.

A giant Diet Coke ad in the mall with this gross puppet thing with weird Bratz-style proportions proclaiming that "a woman should be two things: fabulous and fabulous." 

I want to throw up every time I see it. Not really a great strategy for selling diet coke. 

A headline about how Angelina Jolie's (Angelina is the anti-Christ. And not in a good way) daughter Shiloh is somehow being forced by evil Angelina to be a boy. By dressing up in supposedly masculine clothes. Read: she's like 5 and she's not dressing like a skank yet like all the other 5-year-olds therefore must be a lesbian in waiting. 'Cause it's horrific to imagine that a girl might not want to dress like Barbie all the time. That's what's screwed up, not fact that ads like the diet coke one above which brainwashes women into thinking they have to be skinny and brainless to count (and when I say skinny I mean a corpse. A brainless corpse. They basically want women to be zombies). 

This thing on 'I am offended because' about big boobs not 'counting' if you're fat. I really can't say it any better than she has so check it out. 

A spread in New Weekly (shut up, I read it 'cause it's there) about Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton kissing and shooting up. The thing that pissed me off was that the picture of the two of them kissing was presented ina way which implied that two adult women kissing each other was more sordid and shocking than heroin. Also it's Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, I think we've established that they do drugs. 

The fact that I nearly just wrote 'Li-Lo' instead of Lindsay Lohan.

When customers lean over the counter and into my personal space in order to check that they have squeezed as much value out of their last ten-cent-piece as they possibly can. While wearing D&G sunglasses and hauling a Louis Vuitton handbag. Fuck off. If you want to see the screen ask me and I'll swivel it round. Don't lean into my face with your cloud of white diamonds. 

The fact that the bookstore has had some christmas stuff out since early september. Can't we have a good even months of respite from christmas please? It starts earlier every year and every time I see it I get a nervous tick and the urge to hack people to death with broken copies of Mariah Carey's christmas album.

People who get pissed at me for things which I clearly have no control over. Like our product catalogue server going down. Yes I did it on purpose to annoy you. Take your Tag Heuer watch and scruffy fingernails and fuck off. 

But on the bright side, there's Tank juice. Omnomnomnomnom.

This is truly one of the best things I've read in ages

It's from my friend Coley's blog Tangerina (which is awesome) and it's something she contributed to her partner's (or Manfriend as she calls him :D) photography assignment.

It's pretty much a manifesto and a really good one. When she writes her bestselling-international-phenomenon-type book (no pressure Coley), this should be the foreword.

So please go along and read it here, I shall give you a wee preview:

The other day my boss said I was “an interesting set of contradictions”. I had brought over 100 immaculately decorated cupcakes with me in order to raise money for homeless animals (honestly), and as I arrived in the office he jokingly asked if I was wearing a pinny. In response I took off my jacket, proudly revealing the vintage gingham apron I had worn to get into the spirit of a bakesale.

I suppose my boss identified this as a ‘contradiction’ because of a previous conversation where I voiced my disappointment that a recent management reshuffle had resulted in a lack of women in and above middle management, or maybe it was because I told him about my involvement in a group trying to remove abortion from the Crimes Act, or that I used to be the straight Queer Rep at my university, or that I don’t dress to hide my DDs, or that I take long lunch breaks to go to church once a week. Either way, it’s apparent that I confuse people. This wasn’t the first time it’s been mentioned, but it was the most nicely put.  

I like kittens, baking, and spending the occasional $200 on eyelash extensions. I dig God, am utterly aware that I am cisgendered and I strive to reject heteronormativity and cisnormativity within my heterosexual monogamous relationship. I never bought the belief that women who want freedom from oppression hate cupcakes. I am also fucking sick of not being comfortable getting off the bus and walking 500 metres home in the dark because I am supposedly ‘the weaker’ sex and therefore fair game...

It's inspirational really (much like Coley) so please go and read it and like it and reblog it.

Also, at the bottom of the post there are details of how you can get a copy of Jason's magazine - do it. Imagine how cool it would be to have on your coffee table.

Caitlin :)

I had a nice moment.

I was on the bus and it was sailing through the streets of Auckland. I had 'American Honey' by Lady Antebellum on the iPod (shut up - I like country music - deal with it). The sun was shining off to the west - with that golden light which you get at sunset. Also it was nearly 7pm and the sun was still out which was nice. I had just been to Lounge at the University and listened to some spectacular poetry. I knew there was a glass of save waiting for me at home, where I could brag about my successful presentation for one of my courses (which was awesome).

I had a nice moment where I was happy to be alive and in the city. One of those rare moments of absolute contentment. Despite the two essays and forty thousand other things I have to do.

It was really a wonderful moment.

Muslim Barbies: Weird or Cool?

Here they are:

I'm conflicted: I half think 'sure! Little Muslim girls probably like dolls and it must be nice to have one which isn't dressed like a pole-dancer and maybe resembles them and their family.' Then I think 'Gross! Mattel is exporting commercialised conceptions of beauty (which are sick and wrong to begin with) all around the globe. Now that we've brainwashed the western world's girls that they have to look like barbie in order to matter, we can start on the rest of the world. Also - I'm pretty sure most Muslims aren't white. These dolls look like your average pasty european fresh from the tanning bed.

I think I'm settling on weird actually.

I have a new blog.

It consists of me posting pictures of clothes I like from fashion shows and sometimes I talk about them. Also nice shoes/pictures etc.

It's really quite neat.

Here're a couple of pieces I like:

It's pretty much like that only cooler. 

It's called when the curtain calls. 

I stole that from a New Pornographers lyric. 

This thing I did in class - Political Parties as beverages.

We were doing this thing in class, matching political parties to cars. But that's boring, so I tried to come up with a few drinks which sum up New Zealand Political parties.


National: A martini - expensive and hard to swallow. 


Labour: Tui - it's beer, it's working class, it's not that great, but we can't afford a better one just at the moment. 


Greens: spirulina. Made from organic ingredients of course. 


Act: very sweet sherry in a dusty decanter - old fashioned and no one likes it. 


Maori Party: the olive in National's martini, but they're hoping to make it to the snack platter. 


NZ First isn't on the menu. 


United Future doesn't drink.


Progressives'll have what Labour's having. 


Thoughts?

MINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINE

Mine. But will someone please give the model a sandwich. And maybe a hug.

Marchesa Fall 2010 (NYC)

I Am A Bad Blogger

It's true. I confess. I've started like five blogs in the last year or so and I'm useless at keeping them up. But, I refuse to give this one up, mostly 'cause I like the name. Also it's nice to have an outlet for stupid customer stories. 


I've been writing lots of policy related stuff at the moment and getting all Sam Seaborn-ish and dramatic, and I don't want to waste it, so I'm posting it here:

I want to see women in New Zealand achieve a greater level of control over their health and a recognition that health is not simply a physical and mental concept, but a societal one. I want to see the work which women do - paid and unpaid - to be valued equally to that of men. I want to see that women are able to make the most of the education system at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and beyond. I want to see that justice is available to all women in this country - not just in the court room and the House of Representatives, but in the community as well. And I want to see that women and their families do not have to struggle to get by, but can live their lives comfortably and meaningfully no matter what their economic situation. By empowering women in these ways, we can ensure a better future not just for women but for New Zealanders.

I've also been doing an assignment which involves lots of youtube videos of 50s-era advertisements, so I'll share my favourite one with you here.

AMAZING new blog of an old friend of mine...

We'd Rather Be is a great mix of fashion, photography and beautiful prose. I Love Blogs.

A couple of things I've found that I love...

From My Food Looks Funny

From Roflrazzi

From God Hates Protestors

From the Huff Post

From The Sartorialist

From Modcloth (WANT)

Also Modcloth (also WANT)