ahh Megan Fox, gotta love her or hate her.

Our culture of political correctness: Racism in advertising

Ad called Racist because it compares Naomi Campbell to a chocolate bar

This ad is racist because it supposedly implies that dark skin is bad and white skin is good.

 Above are two recently released advertisements for Dove Body Wash and for Cadbury's new chocolate bar. Both have received a significant amount of negative attention because they have been called racist. In the first ad, the chocolate bar sits atop a pile of diamonds underneath a caption, "Move over Naomi, there's a new diva in town." while right underneath, the ad says, "The world's most pampered bar." Those who believe the ad is racist argue that it is drawing a comparison between Naomi Campbell, an African American supermodel, and a chocolate bar. Chocolate has also been used as a slang term for the dark skin color of African Americans. She is now exploring her legal options as she intends to hold Cadbury accountable for what she believes is offensive to her as a "black woman." What she really should be offended by is the fact that Cadbury is not calling her "Chocolate;" they're calling her a diva.

In the second ad, which came out a little while ago, three women stand side by side in just towels. One woman is latina, one is caucasian, and one is african american. Behind them are two images; a before, featuring scaly, dry, undesireable skin, and an after picture, featuring healthy, smooth, silky skin. Keep in mind that the two skin samples are white. Critics contend that this ad is racist because the placement of the women implies that while black skin is under the before picture and is therefore "bad or undesireable," the white woman has nice, smooth, desireable skin.

In my opinion, neither of these ads are racist. At all. the first ad compares Naomi Campbell to a diva, but because she is african american, it is assumed that any attempt to compare her to something should have something to do with her race, the implication being that race is the only important thing about naomi campbell, not the fact that she is notoriously hard to work with and was recently involved in a blood diamond scandal. In my opinion, the people who are calling these ads racist are finding racism where it does not exist, which I am sorry to say, is racist. As for the second ad, the placement of the before and after photos, and the order of the women from black to white have nothing to do with one another. the before label applies to only the swatch of scaly skin, while the after label only applies to the photo of smooth skin. I believe that Dove's actual intentions were to be racially inclusive because they tried to cover all three major ethnic categories.

Again, I am sensing that the people who think this ad is racist are misinterpreting the ads and are finding racism where it does not exist because of our hyper politically-correct culture. We pounce on anything that might possibly be construed as racist and condemn it. But this very sensitivity to race implies that we have made no further strides in eliminating the importance of race. If racism were not an issue, than the fact that the black woman was even in the ad would not have mattered. If racism were not an issue, than drawing comparison between Naomi Campbell and a chocolate bar would not have made sense. But it does, and I think Naomi Campbell should be more offended that people simply assumed that the only reason Cadbury mentioned Naomi is because she is black, and not for any of her other qualities as a human being. I hope that one day we can call black and white women divas and equally offend everybody :)

My Favorite Online Clothing Shops

I love Fashion. Everything about it, I love couture, designer labels, knock offs, thrift store finds, DIYs, and the rest. I find that there is a certain art form to dressings oneself. It might even be the most signifigant form of art, because the way a person dresses speaks volumes about who they are as a person; rich, poor, hippie, yuppie, hipster, goth, grunge. Fashion and how someone dresses is the ultimate statement of social class, and can also directly influence the way people treat you on a daily basis. There are certainly some forms of fashion that aren't quite my cup of tea, but on a whole, Fashion is the ultimate for of human expression. Here are my favorite online clothing stores, and keep in mind none of these are high fashion because honey, I don't have that kind of money.
1. Free People Clothing 

 

Ultimate Hippie/ Boho chic, Free people is kind of expensive but the pieces are absolutely gorgeous. If you like the flowy, macrame, crochet, headband type of style, then check out www.freepeople.com

2. Anthropologie

The clothing at Anthropologie is similar to Free People, but a little more feminine and modern I think. If you like 70's vintage with bright colors, bright floral prints and tweed, then this is the place for you. www.anthropologie.com
3. Urban Outfitters
Love this site for its staples. Basic tees tanks and camis make the start of a sexy outfit, and I just try and ignore all the hipster bait, like those ugly oxfords, and over-sized frames with no lenses. Everything is cheaply priced, and despite the fact that they have a habit of taking ideas from private designers and copying them, they are a solid option for quality clothing. www.urbanoutfitters.com

 

4.  American Apparel

American Apparel has caught a lot of flac recently, while deservedly so, for the sexual harassment suits brought against the owner and their troubles with bankruptcy. But I admire what they tried to do, which is to provide well made wardrobe staples like oxford button-ups, leggings, well fitting tees, t-shirts, cardis, bags, etc, all made in america. I admire the effort to try and keep the brand in the US, and some of their clothing is really nice. Check them out at www.americanapparel.com

5. American Eagle Outfitters
I absolutely love this store, and I own way too much clothing from it. The Jeans come in any cut you could want, from jegging to flare, and their tops are gorgeous and flowy, and generally are cut to show off the girls. The pants fit loosely compared to say abercrombie or hollister, but I assume it's because the target demographic is slightly older i.e. college kids and 20 somethings. I just can't say enough goods things about the price point and the flattering cut of most of the clothing there. It's awesome. www.ae.com

6. Hollister co. 
 I would consider these next two stores my guilty pleasures and some of my fave places to go to get flattering tops and awesome butt pants! LOL. Hollister even more so than Abercrombie, because I happen to have this obsession with California, and even though I know they are a huge franchise, I like them. Their tees are colorful and bright, their tops make your tits look amazing, and their skinny jeans make your ass look fabulous! They are expensive, but if you ever buy anything at full price there, then you probably got ripped off because it'll be on sale next week. www.hollisterco.com

7. Abercrombie and Fitch
Abercrombie is a staple for any girl who wants to own (like me) a bunch of cute tees, tank tops that are flowy and form flattering, and really cute shorts and come to just the right length. I am a size 12 and the sizes at abercrombie fit me perfectly. I love the rustic but polished style of their accessories like their bags and flip flops, and their shorts are to die for. Soo cute. Like I said, raid the sales rack. www.abercrombie.com

Chloe

Teusday Horoscope

"Your mood may shift from time to time today, but that doesn't mean you won't get a lot of things done. In fact, a long-anticipated conversation will set you straight on some confusing matters, a small but meaningful goal will finally be met and a casual relationship will solidify into something more. Your feelings will be hard to pin down and your energy will be a bit erratic, but you'll end this day feeling content about the steps you've taken."

HAHAHA this is so amusing to me. We will see won't we?


"Real friendship is stronger than fleeting romance. Keep that in mind the next time you feel the urge to ditch out on a pal in favor of a date with someone you barely know." true dat; Broes before Hoes.

There are 14 official weeks left in the summer. I could potentially lose 28 pounds by the end of August...

Rihanna

If I had an ideal body type, or size, it would probably be Rihanna, or Beyonce, or Kim Kardashian (minus the resemblance to a plastic figurine). I am not unaware that I have curves, and I would have them even at my ideal weight, because my body is just made that way. I am thankful for that because I would never be able to be as skinny as Megan Fox or Alexa Chung (just an example).

Rosie Huntington Whiteley--- So effing gorgeous

Life is a bitch sometimes

Today is a sad day. My best friend, the person I have been spending every single waking hour with for the past two months it seems, is leaving. He is going to work at a summer camp for two months which is about two hours away from here :( I don't know what I will do with myself, because he was the one close, genuine friend that I have had throughout the past year or so. Him and I have absolutely zero drama and we like doing all the same things. I am still not completely on good terms with the people I am living with, and I don't much like the idea of having to be around them day and night, because they are very negative and selfish people. I do still have people around that I can hang out with, but for the majority of the time I will now need to find ways to entertain myself and keep my mind off of how lonely I feel. It isn't just that my best friend is leaving, but also the guy I am kind of seeing hasn't talked to me in a while, so I guess I am just kind of feeling abandoned. :( It's a yucky feeling. I have decided the best course of action to try and stave off this impending and ever present sadness is to throw myself into accomplishing some goals I set out to do and have tried to accomplish for a very long time. Top of the list being trying to lose weight. I have wanted for so long to shed the last 35 pounds required to be at a weight considered ideal for me, and there really is no reason to continue sitting around being a fat lazy slob when I could be out exploring the world and exercising. I guess my plan of action is dieting and moderate exercise. Jogs, Long walks and burpees should do the trick I hope. I should just eat salad and rice for the rest of the summer. I don't even care about the taste anymore. Like Kate Moss said once; "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." It's brutal but true. There are several other goals I aim to accomplish over the next two months as well and they mostly involve making and saving more money, so that will probably be easier once I start making more money at work and start spending less of it. Anyways this post has gone on long enough. I will try not to make this blog turn into a thinspo blog but that is just what I am interested in at the moment, so what will be will be.

I would love to define myself by all of the things I like to do and am good at, but no one else defines me like that, so all I am left with is defining myself by what I can do for others and by my looks. I am ugly, fat, and cannot do much for others.... and so what am I left with now? Nothing.

I wish I was as beautiful as her...

We miss you Kurt.

So sexy.