Under-The-Shirt Politics...

I have always looked on Victoria’s Secret ads with a totally puzzled and fairly disgusted eye. Their catalogues are famous the world over as more likely to be found covered with not-mysterious stains under a teenage boy’s bed than with pages hopefully turned down on the average woman’s kitchen table. ‘Victoria Secret model’ is synonymous with ‘Most Beautiful Women in the World’ airbrushed to a whole new level of terrifying perfection. ‘Angel’ is a laughable and insulting term for these bra-and-panties clad gym-and-salad gorging semi-humans. In a sense, however, it didn’t matter. It is an American institution; it is the American way. It was across the pond and avoidable.

But now, like all things, the inevitable American influence has washed up on our shores in the form of La Senza’s Cup-Sized Choir. Seriously, who are they trying to sell to? Boyfriends and husbands? Not only appealing to the lowest-common-denominator of the male gender, but also a slap-in-the-face Christmas gift. ‘Honey, I saw boobs on TV and thought buying the product for you would make you more desirable…’. Well Merry Fucking Christmas to you too! Why don’t I book you in for a penis enlargement?

Why is women’s underwear advertised this way? In our lifetimes, probably 90% of our underwear ownership is about comfort, support and fit. About US! 10% is about looking hot for some luck guy. If we put the power of purchase in the hands of men, what is left? We’ll all be walking around with scraps of fabric up our asses and nipple tassels under our work shirts…

There is a whole other post to be written about the fact that there is only one store in the UK that sells bras made in real sizes. Any woman who has been measured by a professional knows that hardly anyone is actually a 34B. For now, though, I ask you, WHY WHY WHY is our underwear being sold to us via men? Why is the sexy 10% of our underwear needs the only part being pitched to us?

In closing, I should make it abundantly clear that I absolutely love wearing hot underwear, the objects themselves are not anti-feminist, but I don’t see how these ads can be taken any other way…

Oh Boy, Obama!

This is absolutely my new favourite site... mrs-o.org follows the fashion of the gorgeous First Lady...

Michelle Obama's style is modern in the best way. She wears current seasons from the best up-and-comers in the fashion world, but she is also elegant, timeless, a lady. In a culture dominated by the Jordan's and the Paris's and the Lindsay's of the world, it's wonderful to see a woman become a real and wonderful role model. It is true that she is famous for being someone's wife, but anyone can see that a First Lady wields enormous power as an individual as well as a couple.

Is she cooler than Abbey Bartlet? Too close to call...

Racism, Patriotism and Terrorism: How Country Music Fuels Political Rage

I love America. I do. Some of my favourite things have come out of the US, including two of my best friends, Taylor Swift, and junk food.

However, I watched this YouTube video, questionable for its extreme patriotism and distant relationship to fact, and the comments beneath are some of the most disturbing things I've ever read.

If I wanted to make my point more forcibly, I'd print here some of the horrifying (and horribly spelt) insults that are hurled through e-space at people pointing out that not all people in the Middle East are terrorists. However, most are too grotesque to inflict on you, dear reader.

I would (and do) say that I'm patriotic to dear old Blighty, however, I am also patriotic to the human race. Politically sensational headlines in papers such as The Sun feed the idea that anyone living in the area of land slightly to the right of the bottom of Turkey (where we still happily take our summer holidays) is more likely to kill an American at first sighting than he/she is to hug their child, or cook a family meal, or simply go to work in the morning.

These are just people. There are some out there whose affiliation to religion or extremist groups takes priority over the well-being of their fellow man, however, to say that anyone with dark skin is a terrorist, or that all terrorists were tea-towels on their heads ("F*** the rag heads U.S.M.C for the win. HOORAH!!!!") is simply and completely absurd.

Love your country, but also love your fellow man! I'm not a hippy (far, far from it!) but in my mind there's nothing more important than peace, otherwise we all kill each other, and there's nothing left! There are things worth fighting for, but this mindless, scarily ill-educated, patriotic rage seems like the drivel of those with no soul ("I just returned from Afgan, and I'm proud to say that I personally greased 19 of these towel wearing dirty dogs. My only regreat is that I didn't waste more of them!").

I am a terrible speller, but one gets to a point of wondering whether poor spelling and horrifyingly violent threats aren't linked somehow. I'm not saying education is the cure, but we must all admit that, though our troops do an enormous amount, it is the men in suit, talking in a room who actually stop wars. Whether the horrific loss of life is entirely necessary is not for me to say, but it is the Presidents and Prime Ministers and NATO and other highly intelligent men and women who actually sign the peace treatise.

This is a little uninformed rant, and I'm sure much of what I've said is complete rubbish. However, I felt so compelled to champion humanity in the face of the e-screams of 'AMERICA FUCK YEAH' and 'GOD BLESS AMERICA'.

The clip can be viewed here... Comments are beneath.