Posts Tagged ‘clothes’
Glamour – Jan 2008 part 2
Flattering Clothes for Different Body Types – pg. 56 +57
I know I said this wouldn’t be a blog about fashion, but I like to see acknowledgment of women who are other than 5’10” size 2’s. This month is Petites, and the different categories are boy-shaped, curvy, and pear-shaped. For the slim petites amongst us, they recommend things that look like tailored a-line dresses, with wider straps, and belts at the waist to give more shape definition. For curvier women, we’re looking at knee-length skirts and tailored v-neck collared shirts. For pear-shaped women (me!) we’ve got hip-length jackets in our future wardrobe and bootleg pants. Bonus tips strewn about the pages include matching pants/tights to shoes to elongate legs, skirts and dresses that show off calves, and jackets that stop at the hips or higher for a good proportion balance.
Diet and Exercise, who would have thought? – pgs 59-77
I was going to write about the latest diet thing, but I don’t care so much. It’s the same thing that we all know, to make small changes, figure out how much food you need to eat, eat healthier (food choice-wise and habit-wise), exercise and get other people to help you out so you’re more inclined to keep to it. Same old. Sometimes I think the only reason they come up with new diets is because we want to take the easy way out instead of doing what we should. In fact, I think the desire to take shortcuts is probably what drives most of our lives, and why shortcuts sell so well. Of course, they then pair all this stuff with incendiary photos and headlines that make me feel like I’m being pressured to diet down to a size 2. Take these choice numbers:
Is this supposed to be our phallic inspiration to diet?
Of course, because uteri are a trap
Five Cohabitation Tips – pg 82
I lived with one of my now exes for about a year and a half, so I’ve done this kind of thing before. It’s crazy. I was 19 when this happened, and it was my first time on my own, and we had been dating for, oh, I dunno, a week. Not my brightest moment, but hey, it’s 2 1/2 years later, and I’m still doing the grown-up thing. Here are the 5 “laws,” and then I’ll give you a few of my own.
1. If you don’t know his middle name, you’re definitely not ready
Insert sob story of whirlwind affair that ended for the 1001 tiny ways they annoyed the crap out of each other. True enough for the most part, but if it’s love, then sometimes you can make it work. Just try not to get sucked into the mom-child dichotomy; having a kid for a boyfriend can make you more dissatisfied than working 2 crappy jobs and taking the bus everywhere, believe it or not.
2. At least *try* to maintain a little mystery
Insert gooey cutsey story of the author’s friends who are that gooey cutsey couple that makes him gag. I didn’t understand this “law.”
3. It’s still OK to be independent
It is very important to maintain your own friendships and lives even while living together, but it is hard, especially if there’s not enough resources to go around, like cars or computers. Try as hard as you can though, or someone will end up feeling pretty grumpy that there’s never anything they want to do.
4. Don’t shack up to save the relationship
Like the “have a baby to save the marriage” mistake, accelerating the relationship will only end up accelerating the end of it. Think about it, if one of you thinks the other one is this annoying NOW, try spending about twice as much time with them. Life isn’t supposed to be pain. Try not to make that pain your own fault.
5. Try exchanging keys first
This is a semi-helpful baby step on the way to cohabitation, to exchange apartment keys and move in a little bit to each others’ space, but keep in mind some of us have roommates, who might not want that level of security breach in their living space. Of course, the time-honored tradition of keeping spare underwear, and then a change of clothes, and then toiletries, and then half of one’s belongings at the others’ place is not to be undervalued. Just be sure to have bags there for easy laundry removal, or to get it all out of there fast in case of break up. Going back for leftovers sucks.
So these were cute “laws” for *thinking* about moving in together, but what about actual cohabitation? Here’s a few of my thoughts.
1. Get everyone on the lease.
This will save you a lot of grief if someone storms out and doesn’t pay the rent – you have actual legal grounds to get them to pay! Also, then you both get renter’s credit and history, which will make getting the next place a lot easier, especially if you haven’t been out on your own for very long.
2. Be prepared to make a LOT of concessions, but not too many.
People are very different when you are living with them, compared to merely dating them. Sure, you’re over there all the time, but it’s a lot harder to deal with arguments when you can’t just go back to your place – there may not even be a room with a door for you to shut. Also, moving into someone else’s established apartment is always a bit of a territory battle, but moving into a new place always has things you didn’t expect, so it’s a bit of a crap shoot either way. Just again, don’t let yourself end up being the one doing everything. Boys can SO clean, and they can do a good job of it too, and yes, there is time before that TV show or dungeon raid or whatever to at least get some dishes done.
3. Write things down
How much rent everyone pays, utilities, food, chores and rotation, due dates, schedules, birthdays and anniversaries, emergency information, lease agreement, everything. This will keep everyone clear on what’s going on and when, and for how much. I let that ex slide on paying me back for groceries and utilities – when I kicked him out finally, he owed me $1500. If his parents hadn’t bailed him out for that, I’d probably still be waiting for it.
When You’re The Boss – pg. 92
Sure, we all get promoted (hopefully). But dealing with new employees or even your former coworkers in a managerial sense can be really stressful and hard to do. These are some things from Leonard Lauder, Chairman of Estee Lauder Companies, inc.
-Brush up on manners (arrive on time, no bolting for the door at quittin’ time)
-Maintain professional attitude (no screaming at anyone)
-Be a boss, not a buddy (very important, “your employees crave structure, leadership and feedback from you, not friendship.”)
-Listen (take notes during meetings, don’t fiddle with BlackBerry, other stuff)
-Be positive when giving criticism (e.g. “It think you’re terrific, and I know you’re trying hard, but I’d like to point out a few things to help you improve.”)
From me:
-Try to stay on top of things that affect your employees directly – reviews, raises, changes that affect them. They aren’t making as much as you are, and to at least some of them, every penny counts and they don’t want to see their careers slide away because you don’t care enough about them. It sucks really bad to be in that spot, and not feeling valued is a big reason why people quit jobs.
-At least look like you’re working. They’ll take their cues from you, and if you slack, they don’t feel motivated to work harder, unless they want to take your job. Even if you’re planning to quit, leave the place in good order, not a total mess. That just gets you bad mouthed after you leave.
Teeny tiny interview with Diablo Cody, writer of Juno – pg 114
Q. You write great female roles. Do you feel like a spokesperson for actresses?
A. I feel like I’m one of them. There are women who’ve played girlfriends for years, and it’s unjust.
Q. Yeah, they either play the girlfriend or the bitch. Which is more annoying?
A. The girlfriend! It says women are secondary. At least the bitch gets to be an attorney or in the CIA.
Q. Unlike other teen girls in film, Juno’s smart.
A. I’ve met so many girls who are articulate. It’s infuriating when they’re portrayed as airheads.
Q. Who got it right?
A. My So-Called Life, and Clueless’s Cher is savvy. I’m doing what I can to unravel the dumb-girl stereotype.
The last issue of Nylon had an awesome interview with Ellen Page, the girl who plays Juno in the movie. I’ll try and get something about that up soon.
OK, and I just found her blog and it’s pretty cool. Also, looking at her Wikipedia page, I’ve just discovered that she wrote for Jane magazine (Miss you!!), so now I’ll have to go through all my old back issues to find stuff that she wrote.
Big article on Carrie Underwood – pg 137
She seems genuinely nice and sweet, reminds me of the character Reese Witherspoon played in Sweet Home Alabama. Here’s another picture of Miss Cute As A Button
What You’re NOT Missing:
wear shit-tons of jewelry
crazy makeup stuff
fashion faux pas across the nation
more makeup crap
buy classic clothes that look good on you to look good for a long time (duh)
buy expensive-looking furniture, etc
and
DUCK HATS
List of 10 Things Every Woman Needs to Get Rid of Right Now (yay, instead of buying more of!) – pg 198
1. Fear of flaunting, in bed, at the office, on the dance floor. Be proud of what you’ve got!
2. Any sincere desire to sleep with a celebrity
3. A job that drains your time, energy and joie de vivre in exchange for – what, exactly?
4. Your “skinny” clothes that only fit after the stomach flu
5. Cigarettes
6. Rage – it may be (very occasionally) justified, but it’s rarely worth being known as “the crazy lady in 2B.”
7. Any guy who doesn’t keep his word
8. That friend who always makes you feel worse about yourself instead of better
9. The agony you relive when you think of that really embarrassing thing you did…a year ago
10. Your sex tape!
So all in all, not the worst girly mag evar. I’ve seen better interviews, I’ve seen more sexist stuff. On to last month’s issues of Glamour, Marie Claire and Nylon before the new ones come out!
Lose The Gloss 