This song has possibly just converted me into a Beyonce fan. Recently, I heard people talking about a ‘stiletto camp’ that was being run by a beauty pageant, which I found out later was Miss Universe New Zealand. I’m shocked that these competitions still exist. It’s great that there is a little more emphasis on the minds and intellectual thoughts of the entrants than there was before, but there is nothing empowering in beauty pageantry.
Fashion, beautiful clothes, heels, and make-up are all so much fun, and I love them, but not when they start to define us. Of course, intellectualism and physical beauty are not mutually exclusive, but we have to wonder, as women are reaching higher levels of education than ever before, why are we still continuing to rely on and resort to physical beauty? We want respect and equality, but when we support and praise conventional ideals of beauty, what message are we actually sending?
The awful tragedy in Isla Vista last week reveals just how detrimental the idea of ‘perfection’ is when it infiltrates our psyche. It’s astounding that any self-respecting woman would put herself up to be judged and objectified in such a manner, or pay any attention to a competition that has made ‘Keep Calm and Wear a Tiara’ its slogan. A couple of years ago there was also talk of an American company looking to bring child pageantry to NZ. Why any parent would even consider entering their child is beyond me.
And we wonder why insecurity, over-sexualisation, misogyny, eating disorders, and depression continue to plague society. As a nation that became the first to give women the vote, why are we still entering and supporting such ridiculous competitions?
I’m not saying that we should disregard ‘fashion’ altogether, but I think it’s important to be critical of what we are feeding our minds.
An hilarious video on Corriere della Sera featuring a driver from Cardito, a province of Naples, who cannot park. Blocking traffic on both sides, a small crowd gathers; other cars, bikers, a church procession.
Here is a beautiful video, Full Moon Silhouettes by Mark Gee, that I first stumbled upon on la Repubblica, and have since found a link to the original post here on Vimeo.
'Full Moon Silhouettes is a real time video of the moon rising over the Mount Victoria Lookout in Wellington, New Zealand. People had gathered up there this night to get the best view possible of the moon rising. I captured the video from 2.1km away on the other side of the city. It's something that I've been wanting to photograph for a long time now, and a lot of planning and failed attempts had taken place. Finally, during moon rise on the 28th January 2013, everything fell into place and I got my footage.
The video is as it came off the memory card and there has been no manipulation whatsoever.'
Secrets of Switzerland on Euromaxx, Deutsche Welle
'One current study which polled people in 221 cities around the globe has placed three Swiss cities in the list of the top ten places to live in worldwide: Zurich, Geneva, and Bern.'
'The 20th of December 2012 is the 200th anniversary of the publishing of the first volume of the Brothers Grimm's "Children's and Household Tales". Their famous collection of folk and fairy tales has been translated into 160 languages and is on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register for the preservation of cultural documents. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm aren't known only for their 86 fairy tale classics such as "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Snow White", but also as linguists. As students in Marburg, they were enthusiastic scholars of German philology, researching dialects and grammar.'
I looked into exchanging to the University of Marburg!! But along with all the other European universities, it didn't make much sense to be studying for an English major there. So extremely excited to be at the University of California, Santa Barbara soon!
Talk: The Italian Drama - Tragedy for Europe on Quadriga on Deutsche Welle
An interesting video making comment on Berlusconi’s return to politics and the current political dramas in Italy.
'Does the resignation of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti mean the end of the country's reform program? There have already been signs of a return to old ways. Former premier Silvio Berlusconi has announced he will stand for his old job in next year's elections. His chances of emerging victorious are slim, but many fear a fourth term in office could spell disaster for both Italy and the Euro.
Guests:
Laura Lucchini - a freelance journalist for the Argentinean newspaper "La Nación", the "El País" in Spain, and the Italian publications "Linkiesta" and "L´Unità".
Theodore Kouvakas - studied art history in Florence and architecture in Venice, and trained to become a journalist. Kouvakas covered foreign policy and financial markets for Imerissia SA, a financial and business newspaper.
Ursula Weidenfeld - has a PhD in history from the University of Bonn and studied journalism at the Holtzbrinck School in Düsseldorf. She became Berlin correspondent and a deputy editor at the magazine "Wirtschaftswoche".'
On December the 12th I went to see The Hobbit at the cinema. And what a stunning film it is. Can't believe Middle Earth is really in New Zealand. Very proud and grateful to be living in such a beautiful country. In this video, Andy Serkis, an actor and director perhaps most well-known for his voice of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, shares and reflects with Lonely Planet on his experiences of travelling and filming in New Zealand.
