Almost Famous and Movie Epiphany's

I have discovered so many films which I have totally changed my perspectives on everything, especially culture. I don't understand how these films and this music is not the mainstream. I know that's what makes it as good as it is, if you are a mainstream band today your music and performance style would be changed. Back in the ( rose tinted perspective) time of the Beatles, the music was real, you could tell the band or artist wanted to write and wanted to sing and wanted to put these instruments together. And I didn't think films like that existed or at least not many. I mean a film is when some-one captures the best of something to sell to a large audience because films are expensive and they need to be mainstream to make their money. I only realised that recently , that life in films was not real. I have always had such a huge obsession with films like Iron man and the hobbit etc and when I realised how totally fictional they were. I mean NOTHING is real about them , the way people act or feel, or dress. So many movies are just made for the sake of making them, to make money, and I had this really romantic view of how directors view the movies they are making. After this I just stopped watching movies. But then I saw movies like Quadrophenia - which was written by The Who, and Submarine, and The Perks Of Being a Wallflower which are all "indie" movies and you could just tell that so much effort had been put into making them.
Like with all the Sofia Coppola movies ( non of which I have seen yet) from the adverts and music choices you can just tell they care about the movie they are making, not having the biggest box office. I see this in films like The first two Rocky movies and the Sherlock TV series ( I had to mention it at some point) . Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are incredibly successful actors, and yet they come back to do a third series of this BBC television show?

So maybe I should start talking about Almost Famous?! Were do I start! This film is just perfection. I am partly confused to why I love it. But then again they live in this fantasy land which very few get to enter and even if they do, very few understand what it's really about. The cast are so convincing, you truly believe that they are the characters, that all of this is happening to them. None of it seems fake, for example how hard Stillwater doesn't want to become part of the mainstream music crowd, but then again being on the cover of Rolling Stones magazine is so life changing. But they have to come across cool, but not fake, they don't actually like how bands come across when they are written about truthfully. Then obviously there is Penny Lane and William. Who doesn't watch this film and want to be Penny ( or *spoilers* Lady ).

Everything about her is so carefree and I just want to own her wardrobe - although it's more likely to be a suitcase. But how much she cares for William unabashedly just creates a totally new level to the character. Although I see more of myself in William , I dream of being Penny. I highly recommend the film, but I understand how it can be controversial and not everyone can appreciate or enjoy it. But here is some eye candy from this sun flared, Polaroid picture film.

Mermaids

I watched this film for the first time ever yesterday and you can already tell from this talent studded cast ( Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci and Cher!) that this film is worth watching. Charlotte wants to be a nun, her sister a swimmer and her mother (Mrs Flax)  fears staying in one place , uprooting the family after every failed relationship. Charlotte's obvious longing for her father and having a Jewish mother who seems to be the exact opposite of what Charlotte wants for her own life  leads to some very conflicting ideas in her ideal pure Christian thoughts. Some of which she just cant handle and she starts making her mothers mistakes. I think Charlottes character , though extreme, embodies some of the emotions of nearly every teenage girl. Whether it the need to be pure or to just run away from all  your problems. It focuses a lot on the relationship between mother and daughter and how much that can affect your life. My favourite scene has to be when they create ocean room, I just love the fact that Bob Hoskins characters ( Lou Landsky)  passion is painting but he's awful. But none of that matters because of the effort they put in to making this one room for Kate who seems to be the only thing anyone can agree on , this and the last seen just sums up how I feel about this film.

Friday Inspire Me: Will Smith

 Despite it being International Womens Day, today I have not seen anything more inspiring or motivating than this today. Will Smith portrays very important messages. So many of these speeches I had listened to on 8 tracks and not realised it was him. Pair this with Bear Grylls autobiography and you are set for life. I have said enough, just watch the video and start living.
                
                   

Society has made you need to read this.

                         

Recently I came across these points and tips from Juicy Juice which though mainly focused at women, are applicable to everyone. I do not support the fact that we focus more on teaching women and men how to protect themselves from rapists and others of the sort than we do on teaching people how to respect others properly. And that it is acceptable for men to view women as weak objects to be used whenever they wan't. Yes I am aware that men also suffer sexual abuse but there is a 69 thousand to 9 thousand ratio of women to men estimated rape victims. That is 60,000 more women. On a yearly average. In the UK alone. These numbers cannot be ignored. So without further ado here are some tips on how to survive, in a world that teaches women it's the way they dress and the things they do which causes them to get raped.

I do not take any credit for the text below, I thought it was an important message that needed to be shared.

‎”THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” (PLS TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. it may save a life.) 

  
It seems that alot of attackers use some tactic to get away with violence. Not many people know how to take care of themselves when faced with such a
situation. Everyone should read this especially each n every girl in this world. THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFO TO PASS ALONG…

FYI - Through a rapist’s eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:



1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

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POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:


1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk:
can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter. Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.

 
2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would 
not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and
armpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using
much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel
little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

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FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….

I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be some, where you will go “hmm I must remember that” After reading forward it to someone you care about, never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.


1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or
purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.
 

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be
hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .
b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
 

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

Friday Inspire Me: Crystal Renn?

source, source

I'm not really sure what to write here. I've just finished reading Hungry a fabulous eye opening book by successful plus size model Crystal Renn. It talks about the realities behind the modelling industry and our "obese" nation. She inspired me with her success in campaigning and pioneering the introduction of alternative body types into the fashion world and mainstream media. And her transformation from anorexia to being comfortable and confident in her fluctuating size 12-16 skin, a big feat. She gave me hope for the future of the young and older impressionable generation. That which we are all part of. I finished the book feeling happy; happy to still be hungry after lunch, and eating something more. Because I hadn't eaten enough for me, a growing teenager. Happy that most peoples shape, size and weight is generally determined by their genetics and that I am therefore naturally on the slimmer side commonly at a size 6-8 ( UK size)  whilst as Renn is naturally a "plus sized model" at an average of a dress size 16 (UK size). Not that dress sizes matter of course.
When I came home, I couldn''t wait to google Crystal and goggle at her success and impact. I was excited to see how rigid and strong she had been with her revolutionary actions. After all she really did have the power to make a difference. But I was shocked and disappointed. Since the release of the book in 2009 she had lost weight. Apparently fluctuating between a 6 and a 10. And she had divorced her husband - though my disappointment with this is purely due to romantic reasons, they seemed to truly be in love. Or so the book made it seem anyway.

My anger was is justified. It seemed like she had given up on the dream of diversity in modelling and has conformed in order to gain more editorials and advertisements (which she certainly has becoming the face for Jimmy Choo , Chanel, and posing for Sports Illustrated). On the other hand the book was strongly supporting the regular use of all shapes and sizes in the media, and living in a body that is healthy for you. And if this is of course healthy for Crystal, and she certainly looks just as healthy and happy as she did a plus size model then good for her! But what about the rest of the world. Were is there leading lady. I think this is what we cannot come to terms with ourselves. No-one has replaced her. There is no diversity, yes the models are healthier. But they are still all the same size and the majority the same colour. So their is still just one ideal.

Renn had a big burden to hold. She is an icon to many people, however I think her weight loss will affect a lot of her followers. If some-one with her self confidence and beauty feels the need to lose weight then what about us? The people who don't have a modelling contract. Who aren't "special".
This is were I think Renn's biggest message has been by passed. Getting through her eating disorder gave her confidence. I love this quote from Renn which taken in the wrong way could be controversial

" Women should be able to look to me and think: She's beautiful. But also: I can look like that"

                                                                                                  - Crystal Renn 

                                                                                 

I read this quote and believe she is hoping people who see her to  notice how confident and comfortable with herself she is and aspire to make themselves just as happy. And that is your challenge this weekend. Find some-one you look up to. Or some-one you don't. But has took a chance, made something of their lives, created something, delivers major speeches, acts, directs, sings, makes life changing decisions or is just constantly happy and loving  and realise that their success is down to their confidence.
And finally here is Crystal herself responding to the variety of distress in the public: