Did anyone else watch the Miss Universe pageant last night? Thanks to the wonders of twitter I found out it was on, and since nothing else was going on I decided to veg out and watch a little ridiculousness on the ol' tube. I try not to think too much when I see stuff like that on TV, otherwise I get totally depressed about our society. It was so odd watching all those girls, they all looked remarkably similar. It's such a shame that our culture constantly is telling us as girls and women that to be beautiful we must be a certain way. Be tall! Be skinny! Have ample breasts! Have long straight hair with loose, shiny curls!
Sometimes I feel like the discussion of the issue of body image in our culture is just so tired and never seems to get anywhere, but as long as I feel upset and dissatisfied I know that I'm not buying into the crap they keep trying to feed me about my body. Not that the Miss Universe ladies aren't beautiful and I'm sure most of them are lovely people, but wouldn't it be amazing to see a pageant of just regular non-pageant girls? And I really have no clue how they judge stuff like the bathing suit competition. Seriously, they all have the same body, they all look great in a bikini...what are they scrutinizing? I don't get it. I know a lot more goes on behind the scenes and there are more criteria for judging that we don't see. Still. It's so odd to me. My brain doesn't get it.
dress/forever 21 :: scarf/hand me down :: sister wedge/courtesy of modcloth
Look at how bad my roots are getting! I kinda want to fade them into my red but I'm waiting till we move back home this week to do it. I'm worried I'll ruin the bathroom at this house with my dye. Somehow every time I use dye it ends up getting on something. I can't decide what I want my hair to do for fashion week. Should I blend the dark down into the red, or lighten the dark up a bit to be less stark? I'm eventually thinking of doing an ombre look, but right now the black portion isn't long enough and is just kind of silly. Eh, I'm not sure. I need to dye some of it red again though because the back is really light, almost blonde in places.
Know how when you're in love with someone and you just want to take pictures of them all the time because they're just so amazing and photogenic and blah blah blah gushy stuff....?
... clearly I'm in love.
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43 musings:
Great post! I definitely agree with you about the ridiculousness of beauty pageants. They are so scrutinizing and bad for a woman's self esteem. I love your outfit, and the photos here! XOXO, Natalya
"veg out and watch some ridiculousness on the ol' tube." hahaha oh man, you always make my morning.
i love what you did before with your hair, you put like a darker brown red color at the roots to blend the black into the light. i liked that.
@alejandrea
yeah, I think that's what I'm going to do again, kind of blend it a bit more so there's not that stark line between the black and red.
I think you should let your roots grow longer and do the ombre look. The faded red you have right now is perfect!!
The dress with the scarf looks great! Daisy Dayz Home
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I wrote a paper about beauty pageants back in high school...that whole world is very, very bizarre. This may sound cynical, but I doubt it's ever going to change. I don't see there ever being a pageant for "normal" girls that ever gains any kind of popularity; unfortunately, most people want to see beautiful people looking perfect. Though, on the bright side, it seems that the regular pageants are declining in popularity, so maybe the public is getting tired of them :)
Cool scarf, like how you've put it with the light dress.
www.purelovefashionn.blogspot.com xx
This outfit is so adorable!
I think the Brave is so beautiful. I'm currently daydreaming about a 4 month road/backpacking trip through national parks in the lower 48 when my bf finishes his Teach For America commitment. Needless to say I've really enjoyed hearing about your planning process! Great blog!
I agree with the beauty pagent things, they are extremly superficial and all about perfection. personally I would dye it a light brown, or I'd do a coffe rinse to make the color darker blend better and make it richer.
Oh, I know. I usually try to avoid watching stuff like that just because I find myself extremely irritated upon doing so. It would be cool to see a pageant with "normal" looking girls for a change. I see girls all the time who are absolutely beautiful but don't fit the criteria of a model or a pageant girl just because they don't look like a Barbie.
And speaking of beautiful, you look lovely in these pictures. I love the white dress. I would have tons of white dresses were it not for the fact that they always end up stained. :/
:o)Sarah
The photos of the brave look great! Good thinking on catching it in the afternoon sun. It is very inspiring!
The subtle detailing of the dress is so beautiful.
Love your dress!:)
amazing outfit and I really love your your pictures!
xxx darling!
That dress us super sweet. Pageants make me want to barf (and not to get skinny, just to barf). They are horrid. Little children in pageants is even WORSE. Our society is indeed depressing at times. But I like to think there are lots of creative, inspired and strong young girls and women out there that are critical enough to see the insanity of our culture and celebrate themselves and each other regardless!!
LOVE this dress, it's so perfect with that belt. I agree with what you said about our culture and the whole beauty pageant thing. But hey, those kinds of pressures are always going to be there, but I think people are starting to learn that they don't have to buy into it (one reason I love blogging!).
I must love my puppy a bunch then, I take wayy too many photos of her ha!
haha I love the photos you took of the Brave though! continue taking lots of photos of it.
I hear you on the pageants. I have nardly any bust at all and like it that way but I think our society is telling girls that they need to look a certain way in order to be beautiful when it isn't true. people can look gorgeous whether big or small, short or tall, etc. . .I mean here I am fixing some of my zit scars up in photos and feeling a little lousy about them when really I should be happy with them because I still look fine even with them. :: sigh ::
This dress is so incredible by the way.
LOVE LOVE LOVE the Brave.
here in australia we dont really have beuty pagents as such, i mean if they exist they're not really talked about. But i agree they seem so horrid and damn demining, i mean what ever happend to the saying "its whats inside that counts" or did that go the miniute we turned 15??
adore the outfit as usual C:
I don't understand anybody's confusion with pageants. "Normal" girls do not want to participate and therefore that point is moot. That's what these girls like and want to do, for whatever reason. And there is an audience so it will continue. Let them have their fun; they're not bothering you.
I don't mean to sound overly confrontational but I find a lot of people have twisted ideas about "real" women, or what is "normal." There are enough tall, thin and traditionally beautiful women out there to create viable markets. Don't diss them for being the ideal and applaud yourself as somehow superior because you are different. If the whole idea is to accept everyone as is, accept them as they are, too.
This is not directed at you specifically, of course, but everyone out there and again I'm not trying to sound harsh but it's an issue that truly irritates me.
The winnie looks gorgeous and so do you, darlin'! Have you come up with a name for her/him yet? You can't take it out on it's maiden voyage without a name, it's bad luck!!
glad to see you so happy and in love!
xoxo,
Betty Noir
@alya
I guess what I mean is I wish there was a wider range of girls in pageants. I realize that girls like me don't really have any interest in being in pageants, and the type of girl who does want to be involved in pageants will be in them. Thus making the population of pageant girls rather homogenous. I'm not saying pageant girls aren't normal or nice or beautiful, I just wish it was more diverse as far as body type or interests, etc. etc go. I honestly don't give a shit what they do and there is a market for that kind of thing, obviously, so it will continue.
By all means there are tall, thin women out there and by all means they are "normal"
I'm not saying it's abnormal to be thin and tall and beautiful, but it's also "normal" to be short, skinny and beautiful, tall and plus sized and beautiful, short and plus sized and beautiful, etc. I'm not "dissing them" nor applauding myself for being "superior" just because I'm not 5'9" and 105 lbs. I've known multiple Miss Alaska's and they were all lovely, smart girls. I even considered going for it once for the Scholarship money. I totally agree with you about accepting people as they are. Skinny models can be just as beautiful as average height "regular" people and vice versa. I'm not saying that one is exempt from being beautiful. We just need to learn to see people of all shapes and sizes as beautiful because they are human beings. I think I would still enter a Miss Alaska contest just for kicks, to see how far a girl like me could go, but alas, I'm leaving the state and there isn't a Miss Vagabond competition.
I guess when it comes down to it, though, I'd rather be judged on my actions and have my looks not be part of the equation at all.
pageants are strange. i was in them when i was real little (age 1-4)...but i swear that my mom was nothing like the mothers on "toddlers and tiaras". it just seems absurd to call one person more beautiful than another based on some sort of standard opinion.
also, you have really awesome hair! i think fading the dark into the red would be nice. oh, and i so love vintage trailers.
Okay, the problem with pageants is that they perpetuate the pressure that you have to be super, super skinny. I think if you are skinny it is harder to understand why pageants make us curvier girls feel SO BAD about ourselves? I mean, it is easy to say 'shake it off,' but it is harder to atually do. That pressure to be skinny is everywhere. Clothes are made for skinnier girls, models are skinny, actresses are skinny, etc.
Sure some women are naturally skinny, and that is great for them. It isn't those women that have the problem, but the emphasis put on the idea that they (or even the unnaturally, anorexic skinny girls) are the only attractive standard. That is what hurts.
Skinny needs to stop playing the victim.
If we give normal and curvy a chance to appreciated along with skinny, then girls and women everywhere would come out feeling much better about themselves.
On a bright note, it is good to see that most people don't really agree with the idea of the traditional beauty pageant. Thank you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4zlensysqM
the above video is about the miss universe pageant made by MTV. It is pretty funny and insightful. one little girl says "being miss universe is more of a girl thing, and being president is more of a boy thing." which really made me sad :(
Hi
I feel like every time you make a point, somebody feels offended and you try to explain yourself even more. I think it is all good to stress your point a little, so people get what you mean. I really dont feel too good about these *notes. One can tell you dont mean it bad and if people dont, they should think about it some more. So my advice: stop explaining yourself. Some people will disagree with you all your life. But if you relativize your point all the time, the point is gone in the end and nothing is said. You have a good opinion on it. Stand up for it! All the best, J.
loving ur laceyyyy dreessss,, veryy sweett :))
xoxo
Haha...that's one of my reasons to never watch Miss Universe or beauty contests.
I love the dress!
I also completely agree about the peagants. I'm so puzzled by them. All the girls look exactly the same to me, just with different clothes.
lovely dress! totally agree with you on the pageants!
xoxo
www.missmollyfashions.blogspot.com
beautiful pictures! :)
Beauty pageants are...interesting. My mom put me in one as a baby and when I didn't win she was so annoyed that she never put me in one again! That's one thing in my life I'm VERY happy about.
If you want to really be bumfuzzled about this type of thing, watch that ridiculous show on TLC, Toddlers & Tiaras. I watched it once and my jaw was to the floor...
haha miss vagabond?
I knew a pageant girl and I think there's a reason why only a certain type of girl is attracted to that environment
Haha your comment on the bathing suit thing is so true! I wonder how they judge it all.
I hope the beauty ideal will change again someday into a healthier and more natural image of a woman. The recent ideal just doesn't feel healthy to me. And everytime I catch myself wishing to be a skinny size 0 I have to remember myself that it's not all about looking like a model.
Anyway, you look really pretty, I love the scarv with the dress. Oh and I think you should try an ombre hair look, i believe it would look cool with your hair :)
I have never watched a real pageant like that... unless Miss Congeniality counts, which is one of the best movies ever. Anyway, I love this outfit! I love little white eyelet dresses like that. Adding the scarf is really cool too. Personally I am a huge fan of your red hair. I think it looks really great and you should keep it!
I thought of this only because of your comment about body imagine, and then about your coming trip.... you should check out operation beautiful. Its a little something that has turned into a sorta bigger something going on, and might be kinda fun to do on your trip... and it supports the idea that everyone is beautiful.. just the way they are... anyhow, its operationbeautiful.com I think, maybe an org.
Good luck with the hair color choice, I can never decide, and then just end up leaving it alone because of it... its a shame. I always talk myself out of it.
actually, I was the persn who did not like the red hair, but now that it is a bunch of different colors, and it matches your scarf (!), it has kind of grown on me. Just wear the scarf every day!
I don't get it either...keep up the great work, love reading this blog !
I foresee a very happy and fulfilling journey ahead for the two of you lovebirds! :)
I really liked this post - I think pageantry is both fun to watch / make fun of a bit, but also totally does give the idea that there is only one type of beauty. At the same time though, I guess I fall prey to that "one type" impression because living up to that image is a big part, if not the whole reason that I don't do outfit posts on my blog, or haven't done so thus far
Just found you on Chictopia and linked you up to my new blog baby, playfulapril.com.
You're a joy to read! Thanks!
Beauty pageants are stupid and an insult to our intelligence. I don't care if many of the contestants are actually pre-law or pre-med Ivy league geniuses; stripping down to nothing but stilettos and a bikini denigrates any shred of intelligence (and integrity!) they may have possessed. But I don't blame you for wanting to veg out and engage in a bit of vapidity; I used to love "The Hills" for that very reason. But clearly you can't watch something like that without being deeply bothered by our society and its functions, and the unfortunate things we've come to accept. Anyway, I agree with your stance, and find the swimsuit portion of these competitions to be the most pointless. -_-
That said... I love these photos. The lighting is great, your outfit is sweet and effortless summer-chic, and the Brave looks beautiful as ever!
I really like the pattern of that dress. The scarf looks great with it
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