That Place.

You know that place where nothing makes sense, but yet everything is so clear? The place where you can't quite place reality, but you know exactly whats real and what isn't. The state of pure confusion and acceptance. The place where you are free. 100% free. Nothing is keeping you from doing what you want, but you don't know what you want.
The same place you go to when you panic over the little things. The place where you go when there is too much pain to handle. That state of mind that consumes you no matter what you're doing. The place of beauty and trust. And grief and fear.
Do you know that place?
I do.

Not So Foolish Anymore

At a young age we are given Barbie dolls. Dolls that have 'perfect' bodies that we expect of ourselves to have as we grow up. This is immediate pressure on young girls. But, in reality if Barbie was a person, her head would be the same circumference as her waist. This would cause her to have chronic diarrhea and would die of malnutrition. Since Barbies neck is twice as long as the average humans, it would be impossible for her to hold up her own head. Her arms are 50% longer than her arms, the average woman's are 20%. And because her legs are so thin, she would have to walk on all 4's to get around.

REAL WOMEN
Average woman’s height is 5’4″
Their weight is approx. 140 lbs.
They wear a size 14 dress
Their bust is between 36″ and 37″ (B cup)
Their waist is between 30″ and 34″
Their hips average between 40″ and 42″
Their shoe size is estimated to be between 8.5 and 9.5

BARBIE
Barbie’s height would be 7’2″
Her weight would be 101 lbs.
She would wear a size 4 dress
Her bust would be 39″ (FF cup)
Her waist would be 19″ (same as her head)
Her hips would be 33″
Her shoe size would be a 5

Now, to me, this does not sound attractive at all. Nor physically possible.

But, Barbies aren't the only reason that girls choose to work towards a 'better' body. I can't say for sure what it is, other than that everyone wants to feel perfect. We see in magazines and movies what we think is perfect, and don't realize that our bodies are lovely and ideal.

Fashion models are a major influence on girls, but look at their faces. It is heart breaking to see how unhappy they all look and how sunken in their cheeks are, how the life is drained out of their eyes and how much pressure is put on them everyday.

I think that we should make a pact, an agreement of a sort, to go to someone we know and trust and tell them of our struggles and they can help you through these hardships. And, then we will decide to love our bodies. What a crazy idea is that? I know. But, really, truly, we should love our bodies more than anyone else's because our body is the one that will stay with us forever, cherish it, take care of it. You don't get another. Why would you destroy this one? I personally think that everyone needs to look in the mirror everyday and point out something that they think is lovely and repeat it to themselves when they don't feel so lovely anymore.

Because you are lovely. And you are loved. All of you. Everyone.

What Society Told Me

It's taught to everyone, no matter where you come from or how much you refuse to admit it, but everyone is shown a way to be 'beautiful' that they are expected to live by and to follow. The ones who break it are the reasons that societies change. For the better. And for the worse. But, in the end, it doesn't matter what you look like, what you wear or who you spend your time with. None of these things will change the fact that you are a person underneath your mask and you can make a difference. If you let yourself. You are you.

I've always loved this image. It reminds me that no matter how much everyone thinks they know about the world, we really don't know. So, why would we spend our time targeting a group of people and hating them, shunning them, when we could accept them into our lives with open arms and an understanding. I recommend that everyone watch the speech that Lady Gaga gave in Portland just the other day about the Don't ask, Don't tell policy. You can find it here.

John Lennon. We are all familiar with this man. He did our world a great deed. He's a legend that has stayed with us for years and years. This quote is perfect for this post because it is saying that we should not give society the power to make us into whom it wants us to be. We should not give into what other people want us to be. We need to be accepting of ourselves and the people around us.
Imagine all the people living life in peace.

JJ from a British show called Skins has a mental issue called Asperger Syndrome. This causes him to struggle with social interactions. He was never told that he had this problem, he found out by seeing papers spread out that his mother had been reading about the disorder and about his diagnosis. JJ wants to be 'normal' just as anyone else does. He wants to be accepted and loved, but he feels that with his condition he can't be this way. Everyone can feel normal, loved and accepted, but it's up to you to accept them and to love them. To make that difference in someones life.

Everyone is good enough. Everyone.

What are we waiting for? We all have voices. Why not make them heard? The world is waiting on you to make a difference. No voice will go unheard if you make it heard. Start talking. Star loving. Start doing. Start being.

We Take For Granted

Sometimes we take the things and the people we love the most for granted. Sometimes we take the late night dances and parties as an expectation. The music, the friends, the food, the joy. All of it is an expectation. And absolutely nothing more.

In The Grand Scheme of Things, I Do Matter.

We were all once so tiny and knew absolutely nothing about anything. We had no brains, no eyes, no nothing. And now here we are. Some of us taller, some nicer, some smarter. How and when did this change happen? We became an individual with our own character traits. Our own brains to create our own vision of the world. We can interpret anything however we'd like and make things happen. We can end other peoples live and we can end our own. We can create new lives. It's crazy how much power can come out of someone, who was once something, who was once nothing.

Where Earth, the sun, the stars, the planet, everything is now, was once pure space. Now look at what we've become. Just look.

Torn.

I've been fighting a lot of battles lately, just as we all have been, and last night was such an amazing eye opener for me. Me and two of my closest friends sat outside in her yard and talked about everything. And I mean everything. How we felt about ourselves, our lives, each other, where we are, where we want to be...everything. I'll never forget their words. The words on their lips when they said how important everyday was. And how much they love me. And how important it is to stay true to yourself, all the time. No matter what happens. I've never felt so closely bonded to people that I had only known for a few years. We swore on a sisterhood over some chocolate cake. We wiped away the others tears and squeezed their hand when their voice cracked. We swore on a friendship of truth and care and late night meetings when someone was in need. To always have those people we knew would love us even if they knew the ugly. Because I still only see beauty in both of them.
I'm terrible with looking someone in the eye and being able to tell them everything that I feel. That kind of vulnerability is something that I do all I can to stay far away from. I don't let myself cry in front of people if there's anything I can do to stop myself. So, my friends talked for me because they can look at me and see exactly how I feel and what I'm thinking. No matter how hard I try to hide it. Those are the kind of friends that everyone needs to have. Genuine care and understanding is the only way to ever feel totally comfortable with yourself and everyone around you.
I suggest that everyone takes time out of their lives to create a sisterhood or a brotherhood or whatever it is that you feel like you might need in your life. It's extremely rewarding.

And On The 7th Day, She Rested.

My favorite t-shirt. I've found 13 tigers on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are more. They are hidden within the bigger tigers faces. Non-stop entertainment all day.

Sentimental Heart

It's been a crazy week, so sorry for lack of bloggage. Homework, babysitting, concerts and everything else seemed to show up all at once. I got to go see She & Him on Monday and it was amazing! I was 10 feet from Zooey Deschanel, and let me tell you, she's even prettier in person. I didn't know that was even possible. She is stunning to not only look at, but hear play several instruments and sing too!

If you aren't familiar with She & Him then I suggest you listen to:
Sentimental Heart, You Really Gotta Hold On Me, Black Hole, Sweet Darlin', Thieves, & In The Sun.
I linked them all to youtube, and the video for In The Sun is absolutely precious. Enjoy.