Animal Farm

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Who can tell me where that comes from? If you guessed "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, you've probably read the title of this post. Congratulations. Anyway, here's my first big political video project! Here I tell you all about Soviet Russia by analyzing one of the greatest novellas of its time. Please respond with feedback, and remember to like, subscribe, follow- anything that'll let me know you want more!  
          "... for the past ten years I have been convinced that the destruction of the Soviet myth was essential if we wanted a revival of the socialist movement. On my return from Spain I thought of exposing the Soviet myth in a story that could be easily understood by almost anyone and which could be easily translated into other languages." -George Orwell

Mommy, I'm on TV!

          I'm not even going to try to apologize for my unheralded and extremely long leave of absence; no excuse is good enough. However, I can try to make it up to all of you with a shiny new surprise! Is this good enough?

          Yep, that's me. Don't look so surprised! My eloquence makes it apparent that I am, indeed, gorgeous. I'm back from my mysterious disappearance with an all-new attitude and an all-new YouTube channel! Will it flourish and grow, or will I fail to keep it afloat? Stay tuned to find out! 

Wonder Cox

          Happy Independence Day! Just to put this out there, I found a picture of Laverne Cox as Wonder Woman. You're all welcome. (Here's the link to the original twitter post by @_DownToEarth.) What better way to celebrate my country's independence than to post a picture of this iconic woman as one of our most iconic superheroes? Go, Laverne! 

Food for Thought: Abandoned Innocents

          On the night of April 14^th, 2014, almost 300 Nigerian schoolgirls from the village of Chibok were kidnapped by Boko Haram, an Islamist terrorist organization. I did not write an article about this event.

          Why am I writing about it now, two months “late”? Well, even though the entire media was in an uproar about it in April, I haven't heard a word about these girls for many weeks- not from news organizations, not from open-source websites, and not from human lips. Are the young scholars still missing? Yes. Are they still being kept as sex-slaves and many being indoctrinated into Islamism against their will? Yes. Does the public still care? Not really.

          After two months of imprisonment, surely these girls have given up hope. If I were among them, I would have. Despite a twitter campaign, empty promises from the government, and many people claiming that "I won't be able to rest until the victims are returned home", the world has forgotten about them already. I suppose that shows exactly how much Western society cares about people who are only an ocean away- and yet, an ocean is enough to separate the lamented from the forgotten, the rescued from the abandoned, and the saved from the damned. 

Image credit to ABC News

Sources: www.cnn.com, videos released by the Boko Haram terrorist group

Rainbows for Russia: Muffins

          Ah, Rainbows for Russia. A much more challenging project than I had made it out to be. Do you know how long it took me to figure out how to make rainbow muffins? All month. All. Month. 

          However, I overcame several difficulties and created this masterpiece of a food. Granted, there is room for improvement, but it tasted good and looked pretty good so I am happy. Good lord, I am happy. I finally did it. *pants* I really need to work on my baking skills. Anyway, the point is that here they are: rainbow themed creations of my own making. I am dedicating these muffins to Russia, for their hosting of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics- not exactly without a hitch, but without major disruptions. As proven by many Olympic Games in years gone by,  this is a pretty great accomplishment. More specifically, these muffins are dedicated to the LGBT community in Russia. People can debate the finer points of the reasons for this as much as they like, but it's generally agreed that it is not easy being a LGBT person in Russia. So for that, I make these muffins in their name. 

          Have any of you guys thought of making a Rainbow for someone or somewhere? If you have, please tell me about it in the comments. Thanks!

-Lily 

Rainbows for Russia

          I know it's been a long time, but I'm here as promised. I've been really busy as an important Science Olympiad even has been coming up and I've needed to take a lot of time to prepare for my events. Sincere apologies. 
          So, as I hinted at in my last post, I painted my nails rainbow. I did it for a reason, though, and you can probably guess that too. I wanted to show my support for the LGBTQ community- but more specifically, the LGBTQ community in Russia. 
          Being repressed kinda sucks. Being repressed in Russia, though I can only imagine, must suck a lot. In addition, Russia's been getting a lot of hate from the rest of the world due to some of the goings on at the Sochi 2014 Olympics- tough anti-gay laws, butchering of stray dogs, bad living conditions for guests, infected water- and true, none of these things are good, but they're not the entire country's fault. Claiming that's so is like to claiming that all Americans are responsible for the nation's economy issues and high obesity rates. True, some particular corporations and political parties carry a lot of the responsibility for these issues, but you can't blame the entire county. The same with Russia. 
          You guys know that I love it when the Internet puts positive things out into the world. I mean, who enjoys scrolling through your Facebook feed and coming across sad, depressing, or just mean-spirited words and images? Not many people, I'm guessing. If you do, you probably need some help. I hate it when that happens, personally. So when I noticed a pretty good number of rude and bigoted comments online directed towards Russia- the whole of Russia- I decided to take matters into my own hands. Literally. 
          I painted my fingernails rainbow, because rainbows are not negative. This fact is not up for debate. Rainbows are positive, and they're the most widely known symbol of support for the LGBTQ community. I painted my fingernails rainbow, because they are a positive sign of support for the LGBTQ community, and I painted them for Russia. Here you go, Russia. Have a rainbow, they're free.
          My project for the month of March is to make as many rainbow-themed things that are directed to Russia, and post them on the Internet. The goal isn't to necessarily make these things so that Russia will see them, but that there will be positive things on the Internet about Russia that don't put down other countries, either. If you'd like to help, just make something- write, sing, draw, sculpt, just create- that's rainbow themed. Put it out into the Internet, and comment on this post about it when you do. Bonus points if it's directed at another country. Double bonus points if that country's government is oppressive, especially to the LGBTQ community. Cookies if it's directed at Russia. Well, I can't actually bake you cookies, but you should definitely treat yourself to some. You deserve it. If you're posting to twitter, instagram, or any other site where hashtags are usable, tag it #rainbowsfortheworld, then hashtag the specific country or community that you're targeting. 
          Spread the word. Show off the rainbows. Let people know. I'll keep you updated on my rainbow journey throughout the month. We'll see what happens. 

-Lily
           

Food for Thought: "Do What you Love"

          "Do what you love, love what you do." It's a common quotation now, and generally considered a pretty positive and inspirational thing to say. For my February Food for Thought, I decided to write about this. (See? February. Valentine's Day. Love. Do what you love. It goes togeth- oh, never mind.)

          Anyway, I first decided to write about it when I came across this article at Slate.com (courtesy of my mom. Thank you, mom. You make really good pancakes.) It's a little depressing, but an interesting opinion. For those readers who are lazy like me, I'll sum the article up with a quotation. 

          "Superficially, DWYL is an uplifting piece of advice, urging us to ponder what it is we most enjoy doing and then turn that activity into a wage-generating enterprise. But why should our pleasure be for profit? And who is the audience for this dictum?

DWYL is a secret handshake of the privileged and a worldview that disguises its elitism as noble self-betterment. According to this way of thinking, labor is not something one does for compensation but is an act of love. If profit doesn’t happen to follow, presumably it is because the worker’s passion and determination were insufficient. Its real achievement is making workers believe their labor serves the self and not the marketplace."

          Well. That's depressing. I can't say I agree with this rather pessimistic view on following your passions. Actually, I rather disagree. The article does have a point- in our society, the work of many is often unappreciated or assumed to be the work of one person- but I believe that DWYL isn't the cause of that. I don't think DWYL really about "disguising elitism as noble self-betterment", nor is that what it was originally intended to be. In my mind, DWYL represents that happiness doesn't directly correlate with money, and that if you keep working hard, making good choices, and following your passions, you're one step closer to happiness. In summary, it seems like DWYL is representing one ingredient to the "recipe to happiness", as opposed to representing the entire thing. Doing what you love is important to success, but there are other factors.

          I also found this contrasting opinion from John Green (go nerdfighters!) on writing (though his words apply to other forms of creating too) in the digital age. The opinions don't directly contradict, but definitely contrast overall. Here's the link. 

          Again, for my lazy readers, an excerpt: 

          "Every single day, I get emails from aspiring writers asking my advice on how to become a writer, and here is the only advice I can give: Don't make stuff because you want to make money- it will never make you enough money. And don't make stuff because you want to get famous- because you will never feel famous enough. Make gifts for people- and work hard on making those gifts in the hope that those people will notice and like the gifts.

          Maybe they will notice how hard you worked, and maybe they won't- and if they don't notice, I know it's frustrating. But ultimately that doesn't change anything- because your responsibility is not to the people you're making the gift for, but to the gift itself."

          What do you think? Who's right, and who's less right? Please post in the comments!

          Oh, and I couldn't find another royalty free picture that was related to my post, so here's a picture of a fluffy bunny. 

Aerie Ditches Photoshop Like A Boss

          It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a clothing company in possession of a good fortune, must airbrush their models. 
          I'm sorry for that pride and prejudice reference, but I'm more sorry that you don't get it. 
          Still, it's true- almost every clothing company Photoshops their models beyond recognition. Even though you probably already knew that models are airbrushed that way, here's a short time-lapse video showing just how drastic the changes are.

          Now that you know just how crazy the modeling business can be, I've got a less depressing snippet of the media for you: ads released by Aerie, American Eagle's sister store for lingerie, that feature models who have not been airbrushed at all. This is a really bold move on their part- I mean, when was the last time that you saw an underwear ad that didn't feature a stick thin, roll-less, belly-less, flawless skinned model? It's probably been a while. Here are some of the ads from "Aerie Real" ad campaign.

Here's one featuring a gorgeous young lady who has a belly. Up until the age of twelve, I was under the impression that unless a woman is overweight, she has a completely flat stomach. So you can imagine my distress when I hit puberty at ten and gained a few (normal) pounds, and I wasn't a skinny prepubescent kid anymore. And I was lucky- I didn't develop anorexia or bulimia like other young girls who suddenly feel like now that they're older, they aren't skinny enough.

Here we have a model whose tattoo is front and center, even though they're usually photoshopped out in underwear ads.

A model who looks... Well... Real. Aerie, you have hit the nail right on the head. And on a side note, that is really cute underwear.

*sarcastic voice* is that- gasp! Cellulite??? *falls out of chair* *gets back up again to make sure that precious laptop is still running*

And finally...

Thank you, Aerie. Thank you because your models are real people who haven't been edited and airbrushed until they literally look like plastic dolls, like the woman in the video at the beginning of this post. Thank you because unlike other ads, this one doesn't demean people who don't feel good enough because of our society's false standards of beauty. Thank you because your brand, which is aimed at girls 15-21 years old- girls in high school and college- is one step closer to helping young women understand that they're always gorgeous, and that they shouldn't let anyone tell them otherwise. I don't mean for this post to be a promo ad for your company, but you deserve a serious congratulations for this awesome ad campaign. Good job.

Plus-Size Model is so Awesome, Ellen DeGeneres Applauds Her

          Have you ever seen a video of an interview so amazing, you just want to hug the interviewee? This is one of those interviews. Some say that Robyn Lawley, a plus-size model, is fat- she begs to differ. Here's a  video of her amazing interview on the Ellen show, where she says the most sense about female body image I've ever heard anyone say. Please watch! 

The Three most Damaging Words to a Little Boy

          Hello, readers!

          Today I have something directed at the guys out there... Have you ever been told anything like "man up!", "grow some balls," or "boys don't cry"? Chances are, the answer is yes. Sadly, society at large has decided that masculinity means being buff, tough, and never showing emotion. I can't imagine having to go through life like that. Guys should be allowed to be sensitive or emotional as they see fit, and the gender stereotypes in our world are extraordinarily limiting. Most people view females as the most oppressed by society and the media, but here is a great video about how our culture and its screwed up standards of masculinity can damage guys so much. 
          -The Fox

          

       

The Media is a Barbie Ad

Think about the typical commercial on TV, whether it’s for makeup or cooking utensils- who are portrayed as the beautiful, dauntless damsels? Most likely, they’re tall, white, skinny, thick-lashed, full-lipped, nearly symmetrical, and quite often blonde. To me, that sounds like a Barbie doll. How about a sports equipment ad or an action movie? The leading men all seem very similar. They’re strong, tan, muscular, dashing, buff, surrounded by scantily clad Barbies, and did I mention that they’re pretty ripped? It looks like G.I. Joe and his buddies made it to the party.

Why this is a Bad Thing

Every girl and every guy is expected to fit these narrow standards of femininity and masculinity, people who don’t are considered lesser, and the world will continue to run smoothly- that’s how our society works. However, very few people do fit these stereotypes. There are other ethnicities than Caucasian. There are other body types than stick-thin (with a large bust, of course) and extremely muscular. Not everybody plays football, or likes boybands, is a fashionista, a corporate king, has a face like a goddess, or works out every day. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these things individually, but the way our society portrays it, you have to have all the “right qualities” and more to be happy and successful. The message is everywhere- TV, ads, song lyrics, movies, commercials, even the descriptions in books- sometimes subtle, sometimes blaringly loud. Nearly everyone has been bombarded with images of false perfection and wondered, “Am I normal?”

No. You are not normal. But I’ll tell you a secret- no one really is. And if they were, the world would be so, incredibly, boring. We’re told that we all have to be Barbies and Joes. The truth is, though, the real world is frankly much more interesting than the Barbie Dream House our society tells us is ideal. It’s full of different cultures, different personalities, different passions, different people. Instead of identical, plastic Barbies and G.I. Joes, it’s populated by entirely unique people, each one full of different components that make them interesting. Still, the media and businesses push that “perfect” image of those fake dolls so hard, that not only do people believe that they have to fit these societal standards, but many of them expect the same of others. Too many people don’t realize that being different is as much a part of us as having hearts that beat. You can’t punch the different out of someone; you can’t bully it out of them. Still, people will scorn and hit and laugh and wear at someone until they’re tired and broken and scared: too scared to show what’s inside. Sometimes they hit so hard -with words, actions, or fists- that we fashion ourselves into a thing like them and let our different go. What’s inside will always be there, but some people bury it so deep that no one will ever see it again. We all change naturally over time, some people change us, and that’s okay, but some people damage us. That isn’t. Some things hurt us, some people hurt us, but if we let them make us compromise our real selves, we let the pain win.

Alternatives to Hate

Changing ourselves to stop the hate might seem like a logical course of action, but what if someone accepted you for who you really are? What if we could be different, proud of it, and accepting of people who are different than us? Wouldn’t that give us the strength to survive hate and challenges, and take action against it? Sometimes it is easier to give up, when other people are too ignorant or hurt to do anything but hurt us; but just like there’s rejection in the world, there are people who will reach out to you. Sometimes you need to find people like this. Sometimes you need to be them: someone who proudly wears their own brand of different and accepts others for theirs, someone who knows that even though we’re all different, we’re all equal.

It’s easier to stay with the crowd and march along with everyone else, but you’re so trapped that if you ever take a step in your own direction, you’re trampled by everyone going against you. It’s better to break away from the horde, find your own path, and stretch out a helping hand to that other person you see pushed to the ground. Being your authentic self is hard sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be lonely; if you reach out to others, some of them are bound to take your hand. Even the worst of challenges seem easier when there is someone by your side who accepts and supports the real you, instead of just the mask you put on. Just keep on being the best version of yourself that you can be and be accepting of others. We don’t live in the “perfect” Barbie Dream House that the media tells us we should. There’s too much weird, exciting, dangerous, awesome world out there for there to be room for that. Tackle it head-on, and chances are, you’ll find a place you love where you really belong. And the best part? The Dream House isn’t real. The crazy, awesome world is.

What you can Actually Do About it and Why you Should Try

Some people will read this and laugh, or shake their heads, or just ignore the words completely. Maybe they think these words are stupid, but why is conformation and bullying less stupid? According to cdc.gov, “for youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death. It results in approximately 6400 lives lost each year.” That many teens and young adults alone were miserable enough to end their own lives. Do you want to a) contribute to that number, b) do nothing, or c) help people, the world at large, and yourself? Maybe option c seems impossible in your situation, but here are some simple things anyone can do. (Unless you’re a hermit, in which case, enjoy your solitary lifestyle.)

1. Spend one day where you promise to be only your honest self, without trying to be like a Barbie or a G.I. Joe. It might be tricky, but it’s worth a try.
2. Have a conversation with someone outside your usual social circle. If you can, try meeting/introducing yourself to someone very different from you. It might broaden your horizons, and theirs.
3. No-bullying day: for one day, pledge not to tease, hit, or bully in any way someone because they’re different or because you disagree with them. Kids, teens, and adults can all hurt people, whether bullying or not. Spending a day focused on empathy will help prevent that. Also, if you’re being bullied, don’t just ignore it- reach out, stay strong, and remember not to fight fire with fire.
4. Try something you’ve never done before. Anything that broadens your horizons of the world works: you can visit a new place, try an exotic food, start a new sport or hobby, anything. Treat yourself to a change and experience more of the world.

If you can do these things all of the time, that’s great, but every bit helps. Really. Even if it seems impossible or pointless, even a little change helps. So why not give it a shot and break away from the Barbie/Joe worshipping culture? Why not accept that no people are the same? Why not see the world for the crazy, epic thing it can really be? The right thing is never the easy thing, but it’s the most rewarding in the end. The person we really are is never the “perfect” doll that society tells us we should be. The media may push the ideal life as a Dream House full of plastic dolls with tiny, superficial, “perfect” lives, your own life might feel dreary or miserable or lonely or boring, but it doesn’t have to be. You might have to take baby steps, but why let that stop you? Give it a shot.

-Lily Fox