Happy Labor Day!

'Murica.

Style - Thriftshops

     So first of all I just want to recognize that Macklemore has it right...

 

      ... And second of all, I want to tell you how incredibly amazing thrift stores are and why exactly you should shop at them all the time forever and ever.

Reason 1 - Going thrifting is almost like an adventure. You walk in not knowing what you will find, where you will look, and most of the time, what you are looking for. So when you do find a treasure, you feel a sense of accomplishment that can't be found at Abercrombie, and if you didn't find that one perfect piece, at least you were able to get a good laugh at all the ridiculous clothes from past decades. 

Reason 2 - Some thrift shops are FULL of old, adorable, vintagey stuff. The pink roller blades with wooden wheels, the little hand bags your grand mother would have had in high-school, and the denim jacket with all the patches. So awesome.

Reason 3 - A lot of thrift shops donate some of their profits to various charities, and by re-wearing new clothes you're keeping all that old stuff out of a landfill, and also not supporting the companies making brand new clothes in factories fueled by orphan tears in China. YAY! 

Reason 4 - If you thrift, your wardrobe will be completely original, and you will never have to worry about your friend wearing the exact same outfit again (Simone and I have encountered this difficulty in the past). Also, an incredibly unique closet will lead to a completely unique style, and who doesn't want to feel that they are a leader of a new fashion movement? Huh? 

Reason 5 - I recently bought 5 shirts at a thrift store for $25, black, high-top converse for $10, and a little sundress for $8. My point? You will save a heck of lot of money and have lots of dough left over for that Birkin right? Um no. Because after all your amazing finds at used-clothes places, you will realize that who made your clothes is the last thing that matters. 

Reason 6 - If you have the right friends, they will be impressed/jealous/followers of your very affordable, awesome, and truly one-of-a-kind style. Trust me.

~ Adair

You Know You Want It

"If you think a woman in a tan vinyl bra and underwear, grabbing her crotch and grinding up on a dance partner is raunchy, trashy, and offensive but you don’t think her dance partner is raunchy, trashy, or offensive as he sings a song about 'blurred' lines of consent and propagating rape culture, then you may want to reevaluate your acceptance of double standards and your belief in stereotypes about how men vs. women 'should' and are 'allowed' to behave." 
-Dr. Jill McDevitt

This quote is something that has actually been really, really concerning to me.  I am very tired of talking about Miley Cyrus.  I can't make up my mind on what exactly I think about all the madness that went down on that stage, but the one thing I know for sure is that Robin Thicke hasn't really been called out on anything.  And that is infuriating.  The fact that he has been completely neglected reflects society's tendency to vilify a woman for displaying sexuality while ignoring, or worse, condoning a man's bad sexual behavior.  Yes, I know that Miley was much more in your face with all the inappropriateness - he wasn't really involved in any of the foam finger mania - but is nobody going to address all of the things that he was saying on that stage? 

"People say, 'Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?' I’m like, 'Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I’ve never gotten to do that before. I’ve always respected women.' So we just wanted to turn it over on its head and make people go, 'Women and their bodies are beautiful. Men are always gonna want to follow them around.'”   

-Robin Thicke (in an interview) 

Blurred Lines is a disturbing song that basically validates - even encourages - rapists.  To quote Lisa Huyne (fellow blogger, Feminist in L.A.), "Basically, the majority of the song (creepily named 'Blurred Lines') has the R&B singer murmuring 'I know you want it' over and over into a girl's ear.  Call me a cynic, but that phrase does not exactly encompass the notion of consent in sexual activity. Seriously, this song is disgusting." On top of that, the song refers to "domesticating" women, along with mentioning "smacking your ass and pulling your hair" and "giving you something big enough to tear your ass in two," along with a chorus that continually repeats "I hate those blurred lines."  Having this kind of message playing on the radio all of the time is harmful.  As Eric Clapp said on his site, "viewing images of objectified women gives men greater tolerance for sexual harassment and greater rape myth acceptance and helps them view women as less competent and less human.  Certainly singing about blurred lines will at the very least reinforce a culture that already trivializes the importance of consent."

Horrifying message of the song aside, their performance is bound to live in infamy.  But, it seems, only for Cyrus.  Nearly every article I've seen has only mentioned her, and comments even on sites such as the Huffington Post are all about Cyrus, calling her "slutty," saying she "messed his song up," and that it was "embarrassing."  While I agree that the performance was very hard to watch, he was being just as inappropriate as she was, even if it was less direct.  Thicke's mother, however, seems to not understand this, even saying on the Today Show: "I was not expecting her to be putting her butt that close to my son...now I can never unsee it."  Yes, I hope that you can eventually recover from the 20 year old grinding against your fully clothed son as he sings about date rape.  

"We started acting like we were two old men on a porch hollering at girls like, 'Hey, where are you going, girl? Come over here!' ... It was great."   

-Thicke (on writing the song lyrics)

At the performance Thicke got to play the part of the dirty old man with 20 year old Miley Cyrus.  While some of her poor judgement can be blamed on the fact that she's young and was a child star, the same definitely cannot be said for Thicke, who is 36 and married with a child. Thicke plays the part well, always surrounding himself with young nearly or completely naked models, while he himself stays fully clothed.

Since the VMAs, Thicke has noted disappointment in including Cyrus (according to one of his managers) because "he thought it would be fun to include Miley, but didn't realize how much she would overshadow him. This was his big night and his big performance...he wouldn't have done it knowing what it ended up like." 

Poor Robin Thicke. If it were up to me, your striped suit would be a real prison suit. 

You know you want it.




More links to read:
http://blog.pigtailpals.com/?p=4433
Some studies:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/11/objectification-suppresses-womens-desire-to-engage-in-social-activism-study-finds/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103108001005
http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/16/11/1103.short
A parody version where the genders are swapped:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tKfwCjgiodg#t=80
And other random things:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/what-miley-cyrus-was-trying-to-do-at-the-vmas-vs-what-miley
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2013/08/27/deep-thoughts-about-miley-cyruss-vma-performance/
http://whatrhymeswithhug.me/

Three Random Books, Reviewed Very Quickly

Today's post is a new feature, called Three Random Books, Reviewed Very Quickly (or TRB,RVQ for those in the know). Rather than a top ten list (because what's the fun in that?), I bring to you the three favorite books on my bedside table right now. I might write in-depth reviews of these books later, but for now I'll keep it quick. You don't have time to read reviews, anyway - you should be reading these books!

1. I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak
     It's set in modern Australia (where Zusak lives), and the main character, Ed Kennedy, is a complete loser ... until he is chosen by an unknown stranger to complete a number of tasks. It's almost like a treasure hunt, but it instead of looking for little presents, he must risk his own life to help other people. The tasks range from setting up Christmas lights for a family to murdering a man; but if Ed tries to refuse an assignment, he will be killed. Although Ed does try to find out who is behind it all, the focus of the book is more on how he helps people; it raises some interesting questions. If he is being forced and threatened to help these people, is he still doing a good thing?
     The same amazing writing style present in The Book Thief is found here, and though this book is darker, it's also funnier.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green and David Levithan 
     This is the story of two teenage boys with the same name who could not be more different. They meet in an unexpected corner of Chicago and, though they spend most of the book apart, living their own lives, they affect each other in surprising ways.
     It's written by two authors, which I usually hate because I typically like one author and hate the other, and skip the hated chapters, and then spend the rest of the book in utter confusion. I have to admit, at first I hated David Levithan's character (mostly because he used all lowercase letters and I REALLY LIKE CAPS LOCK). After a few chapters, though, I started to appreciate how the characters work off each other and how the story matters equally to both of them.

3. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
     Holden Caufield is practically a cliche by now, the stereotypical angry and angsty teenager. He wanders around New York finding fault in everyone (but who could blame him, all the phonies are depressing as hell). I think that's why I liked this book so much - Holden was hypocritical and melodramatic, and completely real.
     (Also! According to the authors of Salinger's biography, more of Salinger's works are going to be published posthumously between 2015 and 2020. He kept writing until his death in 2010. Reportedly, these books and short stories will revisit old characters, like Holden Caufield and Franny and Zooey).

~Maya

MTV Music Awards 2013

Last night, the MTV Music Awards were held and here is my recap.   Enjoy!

WINNERS:

BEST POP VIDEO

Selena Gomez "Come and Get It".  (Let's not talk about how SHE BEAT FUN., JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE AND BRUNO MARS.)

BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, feat. Ray Dalton, ”Can’t Hold Us”. 

BEST DIRECTION

Justin Timberlake "Suit and Tie"

BEST FEMALE VIDEO

Taylor Swift "I Knew You Were Trouble".  (Ok, fine. I'll give this one to her.)

BEST COLLABORATION

Pink, feat. Nate Ruess, “Just Give Me A Reason”.

BEST ROCK VIDEO

30 Seconds to Mars, “Up in the Air”.

BEST ART DIRECTION

Janelle Monae feat. Erykah Badu, “Q.U.E.E.N”.

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Bruno Mars, “Treasure” (He choreographed it, by the way.) 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Capital Cities, “Safe and Sound”.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton, “Can’t Hold Us”.

BEST EDITING

Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors”.

BEST VIDEO WITH A SOCIAL MESSAGE

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, feat. Mary Lambert, “Same Love”. (Yay! But, yeah, we all saw it coming.) 

BEST SONG OF THE SUMMER

One Direction, "Best Song Ever" (did anyone else think Liam was wearing a kilt from the back?)

ARTIST TO WATCH

Austin Mahone "What About Love" (Justin Bieber II).  (Also...why is he talking like he's hood. He's really, really not.)

BEST MALE VIDEO

BRUNO MARS! "Locked Out of Heaven" (Yes, I actually cheered when he won.)

BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT!!! Oh, and the winner: Justin Timberlake "Mirrors".

PERFORMERS:

Lady Gaga: "Applause"- First thoughts: wow, she can actually sing.  But then she got the crazy eyes on and then it all went to hell.  Five costume changes, each as psychotic as the last. The performance was a little bit like watching an episode of Adventure Time.  Or maybe a piece of really weird, psychedelic modern art that came to life. I kind of love her at the same that she scares me.

Miley Cyrus, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, Robin Thicke: "We Can't Stop", "Blurred Lines", "Give It 2 U" - Lady Gaga all of the sudden seems tame. Dancing with giant teddy bears wearing thongs, and very near nudity is all I have to say about this.  Miley Cyrus has lost her mind. GOD, I HATE ROBIN THICKE SO. MUCH. In fact, blog post coming soon.  To quote Will Smith and his family...

Kanye West: "Blood on the Leaves" - I just don't have time for this.

Justin Timberlake:  "All of His Hits Smashed Together" – A hint of showtunes, Michael Jackson style stuff, weird choreography, very poor vocals the three seconds he was actually singing, but all glorified with the oh-so-very J.T. dancing.  But then N'Sync performed...I don't have anything to say to that.  I think they showed Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez 400 times and each time they were dancing and screaming and basically fangirling their faces off.  

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: "Same Love" - Awesome contrast to everything else that is performed. I absolutely love that this is accepted and played on the radio.  I do have to say that I feel like this song is much more spoken word with background music than rap, but I love Macklemore and the messages he spreads.  

Drake: "Hold On, We're Going Home", "Started From the Bottom" - A bullet to the head, please.  Cheesy, stupid, bad singing, bad rapping (for the two seconds it wasn't backing track).  And that oh-so-earnest face that I wanted so badly to SLAP.  I lost quite a few brain cells as this went on.

Bruno Mars "Gorilla" - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.  So ridiculously good and very Prince-esque. Plus, his whole band was playing with him and it was beautiful.  He did seemed a little bit stiff, though he got less so throughout the performance, but he posted recently on his Facebook that he was sick. As for this song being his next single...um, with those lyrics, I don't really see much radio play.

Katy Perry "Roar" - If a song from Annie was played during a boxing match in hell, this would be the result.  

Study Tips

Today's post is brought to you by Persephone, a special features correspondent.

As summer is coming to a close and the crazy school year kicks off, I've seen countless tips for a stress-free school year. My writing companion, Maya, had a unique approach to the study habits. Here are some of my tips for the crazy school year that will hopefully make your school year a little less #cray!

1: Tips for memorizing. If you can remember things easier by seeing them over, and over, AND OVER again, then make flashcards! Use some bright, flashy colors, and your nicest handwriting, and write down what you need to memorize. If you can hear a song twice and know the words, you should try recording yourself reading aloud what you need to memorize and play it back to yourself. Foolish? Maybe. But when you know the square roots up to 568204, you'll thank me. If you like to write, and what your memorizing is short (or you have alot of extra time on your hands, in which case I hate you), try to write down your memorizing assignment over and over, thus converting it to muscle memory. This is my least favorite way of trying to memorizing, as I get tired, but if it would work for you, try it!

2: Tips for reading assignments. Here comes the most awful, fattest, most boring book, and your teacher assigns it for a reading assignment. WHAT TO DO?!?! Wait! Don't reach for those Spark Notes just yet. First, see how long the book is. Then see how many days you have to read it. Then simply divide the number of pages by the number of days to read it. TA-DA! That's how many pages you have to read each day. Then do it! Maybe, the book is actually really good once you get past the first chapter or maybe not, but regardless, you read that book in the time allotted! What if you skip a couple days?? Don't break out in a cold sweat. Simply read amount for both days in one sitting. When you get the average number of pages to read a day, take account of weekends, and maybe a couple days in case you don't get a chance to read. I understand! We teens have a life that doesn't involve reading a boring book every single day!!!

3. Writing assignments. So your teacher has asked you to write whopping load of essays this year. No worries! Just be armed with a sharp pencil with a good eraser, a lot of music, and a LOT of paper. First, make an outline. Yep, an outline. It will get the creative juices flowing, get the ideas on paper so you don't forget any ideas, and it will give your pieces of writing more structure. After an outline, write! Following your outline, and the prompt or assignment, write the paper. When you're done edit it, and re-write it. Be sure to check punctuation, spelling, grammar, and that you follow and complete the necessary assignment. Then you're ready to turn it in!

4: "Um, I totally forgot about that assignment." When this happens you may instantly start to panic and try to cram in this last-minute attempt at completing the assignment. First, take some deep breaths, and calm down. You do not do good work when you're in a state of crazy panic. After you're calm, begin the assignment. Here's the trick-- work quickly, but well. Don't rush through pell mell and hand in D work when you can slow down a bit and make B work. Be time oriented. Calm down for five minutes, make a plan of attack in two minutes, and execute the plan. As long as you do the work well, no one need know you totally did the assignment in the last hour.

5: Here's a random bonus tip... MUSIC! MUSIC! MUSIC! Music can help with school work enormously. Drown out other background noise in an easy to ignore music and get in the "Zone". Music can help get the creative juices flowing. It can help calm you down when you can't think what to write next. It's relaxing, and a great homework companion in general. Besides, who doesn't love music!?

Hopefully, these tips can help make your school year a little less hectic. Of course, you can do it! It's all a matter of taking the time to do it, and doing it well!

Good luck!

~Persephone

Bruno Mars at the Frank Erwin Center

Last week, I had the incredible experience of seeing Bruno Mars perform at the Frank Erwin Center.   I had started becoming interested in him after Unorthodox Jukebox came out and when he posted on his Facebook page that he was coming to Austin, I decided I had to go.  

Before the concert, I'd thought it was going to be pretty good.  I knew that he sometimes did dance moves with his adorable band, and that he sometimes did fun stuff with the crowd.  I hoped they would do a little of that, but assumed it would probably be one or two songs only. But I could never have expected the crazy show that I saw.  

All in the one concert, he sang, danced, whether by himself or as James Brown, up on a podium, solo Prince-style, or with his backup band, Jackson 5 style.  He played guitar and drum solos and alongside all of that, his backup band performed plenty too - whether attempting to charm ladies in the crowd or to play random jazz and classical solos.  Little stage pyrotechnics were used, apart from a few fiery, glittery explosions for the finale.  While still recalling styles and elements of performers from the past, Mars retained his own style with reggae, even Hawaiian elements, and the pure fact that he was recalling old styles to his current music.  



Throughout the show, he played all of the songs off of Unorthodox Jukebox and five off of Doo-Wops and Hooligans, along with two more songs that he was featured in.  The whole concert was one long, cohesive piece - from the first song, Moonshine, to the last, Just the Way You Are, the songs either had a short interlude in which they flowed from one to the next, or a sort of skit - at one point, he called out a girl in the front row and he and his band took turns competing to charm her. The concert ended with two encores, Locked Out of Heaven and Gorilla (which he will be performing on the MTV awards this Sunday!), for a booming ending leaving everyone cheering, screaming and wishing the concert would never end.  

Summing up the performance perfectly, a quote from Rolling Stone Magazine:  "Anyone from the age of 5 to 95 can walk out of a Bruno Mars concert feeling like the show was designed just for them.  Mars walks the old-school walk (occasionally in James Brown's funky shoes) and talks the sexy talk (sometimes in Prince-like come-ons), but he also nails the hits, leads a super-energetic nine-piece soul band, and rips a mean drum solo.".