Natalia A.

Fun fashion meme

Because you can never have enough of talking about yourself. Or clothes.

This one was sent to me by email (thanks, Lal!), but it’s frivolously good and ethically conscious, I want to put it up on the blog:

Name an item of clothing that has been with you the longest:
On my thirteenth birthday, friends of the family gave me a blue-gray bikini. The packaging said: “guaranteed to last 10 years.” It’s lasted for 11 years, so far.

What’s an article of clothing that you can’t live without (BESIDES jeans, people)?
Never underestimate the power of a great bra, I say. Preferably with sparkly straps.

Describe your perfect winter & summer footwear:
Winter: knee-high, patent leather boots on a low heel. Summer: Flip-flops with jewelled, blingy little accents.

What’s a good, ethical clothing brand you’d recommend?
Sharkah Chakra makes great eco-jeans. They don’t treat their workers like shit, and they don’t crap all over the environment either. The only drawback is that the jeans are not cheap.

And what’s a brand you wouldn’t recommend?
I don’t like PETA, but they’re right when they tell us NOT to buy fur from Burberry. The fur business in general isn’t very pleasant once you think about it, but if you’re already into fur, just stay clear of Burberry fur. I love that label, but they have really sneaky ways of getting around regulations on the fur industry and it’s really unfortunate.

What’s the ugliest trend of all time?
Like, besides shoulder-pads? Personally, I think really high-waisted pants are godawful.

And the prettiest?
I’m sorry, but as far as I’m concerned, chandelier earrings never went out of style. I LOVE them, and think they’re a great way to brighten up an otherwise basic outfit.

What colors predominate in your wardrobe?
Greys and pinks.

What are your vintage shopping strategies (if you have them)?
I think vintage is a great way to help balance out some of the bullshit that the garment industry is involved in. I don’t shop vintage a whole lot, since things in my size are usually hard to find, but I accept hand-me-downs readily. I also raid my mother’s closet every time I go home. It’s not stealing if she hasn’t worn the thing for over a year… right?

What’s the most insane piece of clothing that you have ever owned?
This pair of glossy pleather pants that I wore on many occasions. And by “occasions,” I don’t just mean Halloween.

If you could describe the majority of the clothes you own in one word, what would it be?
Figure-hugging (not short, not open, or low-cut, but not baggy – I hate baggy).

I tag Octo, Hedonistic Pleasureseeker, Ren, Renee, Daisy, Debs, Amber, and anyone else who’s reading and wants to have a go.

Two Memes: Books & Music

The first one is from No Thought Control:

It’s an old one, but fun one: Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 56. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences. The CLOSEST BOOK, NOT YOUR FAVORITE, OR MOST INTELLECTUAL!

Closest book: When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson:

“There was no signal on his phone and the radio had given out nothing but crackle and hiss for some time now. The CD player contained one disc accidentally left over from the previous rental and Jackson wondered in what circumstances he would feel so desperate for the sound of another voice that he would listen to Enya’s.

He should have brought his iPod, he could have been listening to songs of heartache and redemption and redneck righteousness. And it had obviously been a bad idea to leave that OS map behind, although he wasn’t convinced that the roads around here actually conformed to any map.”

Don’t you just get the feeling that something horrible is about to happen soon? Well, it does. But not in the way you would expect it too.

Oh, and I like Enya. But if I was with Jackson, Emmylou Harris would do nicely too.

Moving on, a cool, cool meme spotted at Ren’s:

Rules:- Choose a singer/band/group- Bob Dylan.

Answer the following using ONLY titles of songs by that singer/band/group
Band/Artist

1. Are you male or female? Got My Mind Made Up
2. Describe yourself: Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
3. What do people feel when they’re around you? Forever Young
4. How would you describe your previous relationship? Idiot Wind
5. Describe your current relationship. Someone’s Got a Hold of my Heart
6. Where would you want to be now? All Along the Watchtower
7. How do you feel about love? Buckets of Rain
8. What’s your life like? Tangled Up in Blue
9. What would you ask for if you had only one wish? I Shall Be Released
10. Say something wise. Tomorrow is a Long Time

For both of these, I tag anyone reading.

Upskirting and Downblousing: Stay Classy, Guys

I read this feature on upskirting and the legal issues surrounding it on Salon, and felt a chill crawling up my spine the entire time I was reading it.

Walking around in Amman, I stick out like a sore thumb. People notice me, and sometimes they follow me, and sometimes I think I’ve noticed several people trying to photograph me (it happened so quickly, that I wasn’t sure what was going on). I feel especially vulnerable on escalators, even in a fairly conservative below-the-knee skirt.

The situation is even worse in Ukraine, where men just aren’t afraid to get caught doing this sort of thing. The only time I know I don’t have to worry about it, is when I’m walking around with a burly cousin or a male friend – because we all know that a woman only deserves basic respect if she “belongs” to another man. The rest of us? Fair game.

When harassment happens to me, my usual response is to laugh it off. I laughed for about an hour after some guy grabbed my ass on the metro in Kiev this summer, probably due to the fact that I had just been wondering why crude harassment of me had recently stopped.

But there is something particularly creepy about a guy getting so close, and then being able to take away a memento – a flash of panty, a bra strap, that he can then store on his hard-drive, wank off to, send to his friends, whilst bragging about the experience. When I put a picture of myself out on the Internet – I am in control, to a certain extent. Others can still wank off to it, or photoshop it, or whatever – but it’s still my picture, I created it.

“What about paparazzi? Or plain old journalists? Of which you are one?” A friend asked me recently. “Wouldn’t you say that invasion of privacy is already the norm in our society?”Continue reading “Upskirting and Downblousing: Stay Classy, Guys”

The Awesome Continues: 100 Names for Batshit* Radfem Blogs, Vol. 2

* – In the interest of human decency, please allow me to point out that not all radfem blogs are batshit. Claiming otherwise would be unfair. No radical feminist who contributed to this list was harmed during its making.

Shakespeare! “Heroes”! PUMAs!

They’re all in here, and they are all waiting to delight you. A great number of people participated on this one, so instead of listing them all and then un-listing the ones who wish to remain anonymous, and annoying everybody, I’m just going to ask the authors to come forward in the commenting section. As always, suggestions for Vol. 3 are welcome, as are new list ideas. If your stuff didn’t make it in, please do not despair. Submit again.

May the force be with us all:Continue reading “The Awesome Continues: 100 Names for Batshit* Radfem Blogs, Vol. 2”

Beautiful People, the Older Women Are Hawt Edition

It’s getting cold around here, especially at night. Soon, we are going to an even colder place – the place of my birth, where there is snow, and prowling skinheads, and a purring kitteh on the window, and rose-patterned bedsheets, and my mother and wonderful aunts and grandmothers. I’m in the mood for mulled wine and lots and lots of beautiful people, specifically, beautiful older women.

Cristine Rose: