The Round Up: The Sun's Page 3: Revolting or Revolutionary?

To round up this week, I wanted to take a look over this week news. Due to my lack of political knowledge and diplomacy, I decided to write about the supposed demise of The Sun's famous page 3 model. From last Friday, the 44 year legacy of the topless model was apparently removed with mixed reviews. Liberal Democrat women's and equalities minister Jo Swinson and The No To Page 3 campaign group were among those to express their delight at the apparent change. Some claimed it to be a victory for feminism. 
However, no more than a week after this alleged removal of the page 3 model, The Sun published 'Nicole from Bournemouth’ modelling little more than a necklace and a cheeky wink. Titled 'Clarifications and Corrections’, the Sun stated ‘We would like to apologise on behalf of the print and

broadcast journalists who have spent the last two days talking and writing about us.’ It seems as though this page 3 tradition is yet to be extinguished but is the page 3 girl really revolting or (dare I say) revolutionary? 

Personally, I do not like the idea of 'the feminist'. The bra burning, man hating stigma has embedded itself too deeply into what society declares is 'the feminist' and now has made women look past equality toward slightly more superiority, something which we should be avoiding. I'm not saying all feminists fit into that category, in many ways I am a feminist, but feminism can take simple statements too literally. The notion of the pin up girl has been in our society for decades, World War 1 soldiers keeping their favourite pin up in the back pocket of their uniform for some degree of comfort. I find it hard to belief that we can completely remove the page 3 girl, some traditions, no matter how more modern our society is, simply cannot be avoided. 

These models know what they are doing, this is the career they have chosen and good on them! What's wrong with showing a bit of skin? Absolutely nothing. The female breasts are not sexual organs so why do we treat them like they are? These girls are showing off the female body and showing us that we should be confident in how we look. The problems only begins when people are provocative about this particular type of modelling. There is a fine line between flashing a bit of boob and full blow pornography, something I find the general public struggle to distinguish. Should we be shaming these young ladies for posing without a top on? Of course not, they are beautiful young women being proud with their bodies and we should respect that.

I think the majority of people who oppose the page 3 model believe that it's objectifying women to men, something us ladies struggle with. It's not the modelling itself that is the problem, it's the attitudes men have been exposed to. Men can appreciate the female body on the page 3 of The Sun and still respect women, however others can't. Removing the famous pin up will not solve men's  attitude towards women in our society, that is something we have to expose them too, the idea that men can find women attractive and yet still respect them as human beings. That is were this belief that the pin up girl is degrading to women, it's all about men's reactions. Maybe we should spend less time hiding them from it and more time educating them about appreciating and respecting women.

So is the page 3 pin up revolting or revolutionary? I would go with the latter, we as women shouldn't be shaming the exposer of our biology but embracing it. We are all human in the end and eventually society will catchup with that equality in mind.

How Fifty Shades portrays an abusive relationship and tries to pass it off as BDSM: The Serious Stuff

Fifty Shades of Grey book cover

Fifty Shades of Grey, the book that has corrupted the poor sweet middle aged women of our innocent country. This raunchy novella is being made into a movie and is premiering in the UK on valentines day. Disgraceful. Think of the children.

I kid, I kid, there is nothing wrong with sex or enjoying healthy sexual things. The problem with Fifty Shades is that it romanticises an abusive relationship.

This book is notorious for containing frequent and descriptive sexual scenes. These are said to be BDSM. For those of you who don’t know, BDSM is about bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism and masochism. It is safe, sane and completely consensual, which the relationship in Fifty Shades is not.

In the book, a relationship develops between Anastasia (Ana) Steele and Christian Grey. This relationship is supposed to portray a BDSM relationship, but it does not. Instead, this relationship revolves around domestic and sexual abuse.

From the get-go, we can tell that there is little to no emotion in their ‘relationship’. Steele is a virgin with no sexual experience and Grey approaches her with an ultimatum; to sign a contract or leave. This is an emotionless and cold, which is exactly the opposite of what BDSM is supposed to be. After agreeing, Grey manipulates Steele’s virginity to push her boundaries, making it seem like his violent and abusive acts are okay. He also gets annoyed with her being upset after sex, which ignores aftercare, an essential part of BDSM.

There are many examples of sexual abuse in the book. Grey uses alcohol to sway Steele’s judgement and consent. He also ignores her when she uses a safe word, which an extreme act against laws of BDSM and is also ignoring her retraction of consent. Both of these examples are, by law, rape. He also admits at one point that he feels ‘the need to hurt her’.

Unfortunately, there is clear domestic abuse. Steele hides things from Grey out of fear of his anger. He becomes jealous and easily aggressive. There is even a part where Steele fears for her safely. Experts have matched her behaviour to behaviours of abused women, in accordance with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s descriptions of partner violence.

Perhaps the worst thing about Fifty Shades, is the way that this relationship is romanticised and fetishized by the writer. This is incredibly dangerous, as it shows that the way Grey acts in the novel is okay, when it’s actually extremely abusive. 1 in 5 women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, so making it seem ‘sexy’ and ‘fun’ is so wrong.

Fifty Shades Entertainment Magazine Promo

BDSM is all about safety and aftercare, the relationship in this book is not. People defend this book because Steele enjoys the sex, continues the relationship and they eventually get married. However Anastasia Steele is not a real person, she does not have her own emotions or make her own judgements or choices. She is manipulated by the author to ignore Grey’s abuse and love him, so that they can have a happy ending. In real life, this is unlikely to happen.

Sex is not the problem here, sex is fine and healthy and should not be demonised in any sense. The problem is that people are going to read the book or see the movie and think those sort of relationships are okay, or healthy, even though they really not.

Please do not go and see Fifty Shades of Grey. Instead spread the word and discourage people from it. Just do not fund the author or the movie producers in any way. Raise awareness and do not let it influence people who don’t know better.

My 2015 Brit Award Predictions: Celebrity Culture

With the Brit Awards returning on Wednesday 25th February and the nominations for each category recently being released, I have decided that this week I will be doing my predictions of who I think will be securing an award. For the full list of nominations click here.


MASTERCARD BRITISH ALBUM: ED SHEERAN- 'X'
The world waited so long for the insanely talented Ed Sheeran to release new music and when 'X' was released I think we all may have weed a little bit. I can honestly say I love every song on this album and for this reason I think it will be Ed heading home with the award. 

BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST: ED SHEERAN
This is so tough for me to give one answer because I am generally torn between Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran however I am going to say Ed purely for the fact that 'X' was such a successful album last year. Although anything could happen and I would be happy if either of them won. 

BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST: PALOMA FAITHI would love to see the award go to the lovely Ella Henderson because she has worked so incredibly hard in 2014. However I think the wonderful Paloma will snatch the award due to her chart topping catchy hits last year.


BRITISH GROUP: ONE DIRECTIONWithout a doubt I think that this award deserves to go to the boys. (I'm not being biased promise...). Their fourth album was an instant success and although they are against some other amazing groups I think it will be the boys who will take it home and be 'up all night' celebrating on the night. 



INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST: SIA
wow this is such a strong category! I really want Taylor Swift to win because she is incredible and prefect in every single way however Sia is just as talented and throughout 2014 she has brought a lot of attention to herself. Her music is absolutely sensational and her music videos are so artistic and so I think we could Sia take home the award. 


INTERNATIONAL GROUP: 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER5sos 'don't stop'! They have swarmed just about every country in the last year and have managed to build them selves quite the fan base globally. It think it would mean so much for the lads to win this award and be properly recognized for their music.


BRITISH SINGLE: MARK RONSON FT BRUNO MARS-UPTOWN FUNKThis was a tough one to choose because there are so many fantastic songs nominated but I think that Uptown Funk will win due to its large impact on the charts at the end of the year and to this day it is still top of the UK charts after 6 weeks! However I think big contenders could be Ed Sheeran- Thinking Out Loud and Clean Bandit Ft Jess Glyne- Rather Be'. 

INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST: PHARRELL WILLIAMSPharrell has released lots of funky music in 2014 which has got us all dancing. I think its certain he would be very 'happy' if he won this award and he may even 'get lucky'. 

BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT: SAM SMITH 
Sam Smith is 'not the only one' when it comes to breakthrough artists in 2014 but I think he will be bagging the award on the night. Sam is up for 5 nominations which is the most of any of the other nominees which indicates his success and he thoroughly deserves to win this award to add to his collection. Voting for this award can be done here.

BRITISH VIDEO: ONE DIRECTION- 'YOU AND I'Now I know this video realistically isn't the best video out of the other nominees but fortunately this award is voted for on Twitter and with the boys massive and very dedicated fan base it is quite clear who this award is most likely to go to. Voting is still open and can be done here.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks post and do excuse my bad puns, I have to use them somewhere right? ahaha. Look forward to a full post on The Brits in a few weeks time!

Bakewell Tarts!- Baking

 

DELICIOUS BAKEWELL TARTS

 

I have to admit, before I made these for a catering exam, I never liked bakewell tarts but these are amazing and I now have an addiction. This recipe is complicated, but I've tried my best to make this as easy as possible for you! Enjoyyy!

 

 

For the pastry:

(You can buy ready made pastry, just skip these few steps)

 

• 100g Butter
• 200g flour
• 50g sugar
• Milk

Firstly, add the butter and flour together. The butter must be cold so that the pastry stays crispy when cooked. Rub together with your fingers so that the butter breaks up and combines with the flour to make what looks like breadcrumbs. Then stir the sugar in.

Now add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time to the breadcrumbs and combine it together until it forms a dough ball. Mine took about 3-5 tablespoons. If you add too much milk, just add some more flour until it becomes a smooth ball.

 Then put it in the fridge whilst you make the inside of the bakewell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the bakewell:

You will need:

• 175g Butter
• 175 Sugar
• 175 Ground Almonds
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons of almond extract or essence
• Flaked almonds

 

 

 

 

Firstly, you will need to add the butter and sugar together and mix it until it looks light and fluffy. Then add the egg and almond essence or extract (extract is more expensive than essence, but in this recipe I find that there isn't a difference in taste)

 



Then you can add the ground almonds. You can find this in the baking isle of a supermarket. Mix it all together and set aside for later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you can get the pastry out of the fridge and dust the work surface you are using with flour; this will stop the pastry from sticking to it. It will also help if you dust flour on the rolling pin as well.

 

 

 

 Now roll out the pastry until it is thin. You will need to find a cutter or round object that is a couple of centimetres wider than the tin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you can cut the pastry out and put it into the tin. Use your fingers to delicately push the pastry into the edges. Don't worry if the pastry tears, just patch it up with some extra pastry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now add some jam to the bottom of the pastry and spread it all around. You can use any flavour you wish, it still tastes amazing either way;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then spoon the bakewell mix, 1 tablespoon to each pastry case, and spread it all around to the edges. Then sprinkle flaked almonds on top to give it a crunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 Cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes. As you can see I slightly burnt mine because I forgot they were in the oven! I advise you not to do that;) Once they are out, brush them with jam and leave to cool. 



 

Mix 5 tablespoons of icing sugar with 2 teaspoons of water until it reaches the consistency of melted chocolate. Then splatter it all over the cooled bakewells. You don't have to make these look perfect, its better if they look messy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and find it easy to follow if you decide to make them! Please leave suggestions of what you would like me to make next! Thank you!

School Work: Life, Advice and Rants

Secondary school. The Americans call it high school, most students call it hell. Let's put the social side of making friends, finding a relationship and peer judgement to one side and concentrate on the actual work side of it all. Yes it is not just a social experiment trying to make our lives that little but more difficult and our self esteem that bit lower, there are actual exams we have to take and lessons we have to attend.

I have no idea how any other school systems work but I know in our school it's the first two years doing absolutely nothing, two extra years of slightly more work, another year of 'oh shit, I have to do GCSE's' and then 2 more of mind numbing, never ending work loads. And adults say we have it easy. You know what, as a teenager you couldn't think life could possibly get worse. I have Do's and Do Not's that could help you get all that work done!

DO NOT Procrastinate 

I'm going to be honest with you, I'm a self confessed procrastinator. I never find the motivation to do the work necessary to achieve the grades I and others have targeted for me. Ignoring something, as I have learnt the hard way, doesn't mean it will go away. All it does is let the envitable work load linger until your at a point of no return. Just get the work done and then do whatever the hell you want with whatever time you've got left. Don't learn this the hard way.

DO Ask for help

Teachers do have a purpose and though some may not make you feel this way, they do want to help you! Their job is to get you the grade so they can have a lovely bonus to celebrate with and some just the joy of seeing your face on results day knowing you have achieve all you possibly can. Trust me, if they weren't passionate about the job they wouldn't do it. Who would really chose to have 30 screaming pre-pubescent teenagers wafting body odour all over the classroom if they didn't care about the subject and the certain individuals that share the same passion. If your stuck or want to know more please just ask, there's no point moping over work you can't do if you can find the help literally standing in front of you. 

DO NOT Play Dumb to Impress

Okay peer views can mean more to people than others but countless of young, bright students try to not show how intelligent they are because it isn't 'cool'. Do you know what's not cool, sitting at home crying because you didn't pass a exam in the subject you love just so you fit in better. No one is really that worried that you actually know something. The human mind is a brilliant gift and if you worry that you may not be accepted by certain people, then find people that it will impress. 

DO Chose the subjects you enjoy most 

There is nothing worse than sitting in a class that you absolutely hate and have no passion in understanding or increasing your knowledge in that field. You may as well not turn up than be there. Don't feel like you have to chose subjects that may please your parents or because your mates aren't taking it. If your not happy, it reflects in the work you do (or don't) and what the point in that! What you enjoy most is the subjects you should pick and base your optional subjects on that.

So I hope these will help to control the almost certain emotional breakdowns you will experience during the course of our school life and just remember that it will be worth it in the end. Hopefully. 

Miracle Skin Treatments at Home: Beauty

Following on from last weeks post, a good foundation can make your skin look and feel amazing. But in all honesty, dumping layers of creams, oils and gels on your face constantly is damaging and if used excessively and not effectively permanently damaging. I'm guilty. The second I find a 5 star reviewed product, I'm on the hunt for the next. And after a stressful time the last thing I want to do is ruin my skin.

However, looking after your skin naturally goes a long way to improve the overall quality of your face.  Now when I say keeping it basic with things around the house, I'm not talking about the 11 year old's 'toothpaste trick' which is just likely to cause scarring. 

I actually love using the gross but very effective egg white/honey mask. When I need a skin detox that isn't full of chemicals I 'whisk' one of these up and am always pleantly surprised with the results. If you can succesfully seperate an egg white from the yolk (which is the hard bit) and mix it with honey then you can easily use this. Once both ingredients are combined, tie hair back and lather the face mask on your skin. Be careful to avoid the eye area. Once you feel the mask tighten you know it's ready to wash off and this should be after around 15 minutes.

Despite being very unappealing to layer on your face, egg whites have amazing benefits. They tighten pores and also prevent a buildup of dirt which can lead to blackheads and bad acne breakouts. As well as this, they remove excess oil to improve skin tone, leaving your skin with a naturally desirable glow. Honey is also very beneficial for your skin. A natural antibacterial which soothes, moistursies and smoothes unlike any face cream you've tried.

The other product that is natural and equally effective is tea tree oil. This is no newbie but the only spot treatment I stand by for speed. A dab of neat tea tree oil on a massive spot before bed is a true winner. It quickly reduces size, redness and inflamation of the zit and never fails me. I use it every night but am extremely careful. It hurts, a lot, when you get tea tree oil in your eye and I would know. *Inserts awkward pity laughter* 

Are there any homemade/natural treatments you swear by?

Power dressing: Fashion

          Power Dressing

 The way in which you dress, can influence your success in life.

Power dressing refers to the style of clothing, hair and overall image presented by an individual with objective to be perceived as authoritative, individualistic, a higher status and wealth. Both men’s and women’s clothing through out time have used features of clothing that have fallen into these categories.  

The Tudors are the most famous and widely recognised as being the first to 'power dress', especially Queen Elizabeth I. Instead of using influence from superstitions and religion like the Egyptians for example to hold power over others, the Tudors used exaggerated structure and crowded embellishment to give the appearance of wealth. Lace at this point in history was more expensive than pearls as it was not made in England therefore ha to be imported from Italy where it was first made. thus the exaggerated lace ruffs, appliqué onto garments and lace trimmings.

However a contrasting method of power dressing, is to dress purposely for an objective and practicality. I have two examples of this. 

First of all Joan of Arc, which some may or may not be familiar with. To give you an idea of who she was, she basically at the age of 18, led victory over the English army with the French during the Hundred Years of War. As her status was of a fearless leader, she adopted the dress of one and 'cast aside all womanly decency’.

My second example which is more relevant to today's society, were the suffragettes. They used their sex to their advantage as it was a component of power to their cause. The reason they did this was because they were branded with negative stereotypes as their cause was untraditional and scandalous. They dressed in a deliberate strategy in a restrained type of Edwardian dress to show they were rational ladies instead of the negative stereotypes they were given. 

 

But of course the most famous fashion item of the 1980s was the power suit. This was a women’s suit of an exaggerated males silhouette which was the look for the ambitious woman. The jacket had massively padded shoulders and a nipped in waist. Like the clothing of the Tudor period the stiff fabrics and padding were used to exaggerate the figure. 

Vienne Westwood, one of the most successful fashion designer, described her work at the design museum as ‘all my outfits are powerful even if they are pretty or silly or butch. They all give you power because you’re able to play with your identity’. 

So use fashion to your advantage. 'Play with your identity'. The power is all yours.