Why One Man Is Documenting The Tattooed Bodies Infiltrating Mainstream Fashion
Modeling isn’t really about self-expression. In fact, posing for a commercial photo might be one of the easiest ways to suppress your individuality. You’re told how to pose, and how to look appealing. Often, you’re Photoshopped to look inhumanly gorgeous.
These are beautiful.
I had dinner with my friend the other day after our first Toastmasters meeting and he said a couple of things that really struck me.
The first was that if you had the ability to change the world, you should reach for the highest stage you can and do it there. If you are capable, it is your moral responsibility to the world to do it. To do the best that you can at the biggest stage you can do it on.
And the second…
Inspiring and motivating are two different things. Motivation makes it seem like you need an external force to make you do something you wouldn’t otherwise do. Inspiration, however, creates that force - that fire - inside of you so that you may make that decision yourself, day after day. You shouldn’t be motivated to go to the gym and be healthy. You should be inspired. Inspiration changes lifestyles, I’m not sure motivation can do that over the long-term.
Consequently, I am ‘inspiring’ and drawing inspiration from every day to try and write more frequently. I want to get into the habit of blogging and writing every day. You wouldn’t think so, but writing for anyone really helps with personal development and provides clarity on things you wouldn’t otherwise have noticed.
Christy Turlington photographed by Gilles Bensimon
It’s been a while, but something happened today that really inspired me to write.
I was just at In-n-out, coming back from a weekend in Tahoe and chatted a bit with the people in front of me. They had just gotten out of football game and were slightly inebriated, but what really struck me was how quickly one of the me began assuming things about me and my friends because of our physical appearance.
Strike 1.
“You’re both Chinese right?”
No, my friend here is Vietnamese.
“You speak Chinese.”
Like it was a statement. I do, but I wish you wouldn’t tell me as if it was something I wasn’t already aware of.
Strike 2.
“I have these coworkers that speak Chinese, they’re from Japan. Same thing. Don’t you understand each other’s languages?”
To be fair, Americans are pretty horrible at geography, but I found it upsetting that he had never heard that Chinese and Japanese were separate languages before that point.
Strike 3.
“You speak English very well for being Chinese.”
I think my face had fallen at the point pretty blatantly and I had tried my best to compose myself and explained that I was born in America. (I proceeded to ask him if he was born in America as well and commented on his grasp of English)
I was disappointed to say the least. The irony was that this man was around his late 20’s or even 30’s and had told me he was Latino and that his parents were from Mexico, yet he couldn’t understand that I could come from an immigrant family as well. But I realized that my discomfort with the situation was misplaced. It wasn’t this man’s fault that he was ignorant or that I might’ve been the first Asian-American he’s ever talked to. And instead of being heated over the prejudiced bias of his assumptions and his questions, I had the responsibility to educate him and to help him realize what it really means for America to be diverse. I hope that I had an impact on the way that he sees Asians in America, takes this experience, and in turn, educate others in his community.
At the same time, society as a whole also has a responsibility to increase diversity in all communities and to provide access to quality education at the foundational levels so that the general masses and low-income/minorities do not become ignorant and racist populations of America. There has been a lot of white vs. black racial conflicts and tensions lately. But it isn’t only the white communities that are at fault. Minority communities themselves need to understand each others’ backgrounds and not become the hypocrites they so passionately hate in our institutions. Minorities need to break down the walls between themselves before they can tackle the corruption and discrimination of the majority. How can you beat and change the system when you don’t even understand the people on your side?
I really believe that ignorance is a choice.
Educate yourself and all those around you.
Gossip Girl 1x01 - September 19, 2007 (8 years ago)
Lololol. Nostalgic. Need to rewatch gossip girl.
Was there ever a shoe more coveted over the years than the thigh-high boot?
Here, see a brief history of fashion’s kinkiest boots and the woman who wore them.
Photographed by Irving Penn
10.02.2015
Absolutely in love. (Too bad it’s $1300) Also, I actually found it on Blake Lively’s Preserve website. All the more reason for obsession. Thank you, S.
http://www.lindseythornburg.com/shop/Midnight_Eyes_Trench_Cloak
aries:has a great sense of humour. soft voice. strong willed and stubborn. kind. fair. stunning appearance. doesn't talk much about feelings. adventurous. neither angry nor up to a fight 24/7. dreams of starting a family. gets along with people. never insults or hurts others on purpose. is actually quite sensitive.
taurus:master of organization. sometimes a little confused. is stubborn and rarely changes their opinion but always listens to what other people have to say. quiet when lost in thoughts. financial genius. generous. sometimes a little mean. will never let you down. great friend / husband / dad. is actually a great cook but doesn't eat 24/7. does sports and loves nature. is a "wow look at the moon"-person.
gemini:clever. hates boredom. always has a plan b/c/d. cares for their education. talks a lot. sometimes lost in thoughts. tends to overthink. always have a great story to tell. never underestimates others. believes in their friends. always know the answer. is not annoying 24/7. know when to shut up. bright smile. active. loves adventure. never shouting when angry. doesn't let others feel their anger. nature-lover.
cancer:very caring. will ask you how your day has been. invites you to their house to make popcorn and watch your favourite movie/series. very funny. good sense of fashion. is the friend who will take you home when you're drunk. makes sure you're ok. is fascinated by science. lovely eyes. adorable. never loud but always present. emotional but not a cry-baby.
leo:proud and loud. not easily insulted but when they are they roar. knows so many cultures. is interested in new things. can be very soft but won't show it unless they trust you. bright smile. always polite. will be there for you when you need them. unique sense of fashion. hard workers. chatty. always know how to handle a difficult situation. reliable. trustworthy.
virgo:feel much more than they would admit. don't have many friends but would do anything for the friends they have. careful. neither waste money nor time. a little stingy. the friend that feels what you feel. can read your mind sometimes. loves to surprise people. to be avoided when angry. calm down easily. loves to make others smile. sometimes too caring. loyal.
libra:sometimes a little weird. hardworking. sometimes they believe in themselves, sometimes they give up on themselves. aesthetic-lovers. usually very well dressed. polite. interested in art, history and literature. doubt their skills a lot. sometimes a little absent. instead of shouting they don't talk. loves conversations with new people.
scorpio:NOT EVIL AT ALL!! very emotional but never reckless. you can call them at 3am and they will be there for you. sometimes they don't know what to do with all their feelings but they will never let you suffer because of that. the best friends. adorable. stunning look. hard voices, hard souls, soft heart. are interested and show their interest in you and your feelings. will apologize immediately when they see they treated you wrong and they are truly sorry. mysterious. when they trust you they tell you everything. a little revengeful but would never harm others.
sagittarius:hilarious. clever. tell great jokes. are interested and caring. fight issues. don't show their emotions. won't be angry for long. colourful people with colourful minds. somehow they always know what's going on. love to work out. learn languages quite fast. honest.
capricorn:serious people. sometimes very stubborn. well educated. strong. smart. working to achieve their goals. never ever ever give up. never show defeat. don't cry very often. love the sun. good at making friends. do not forgive easily. forgive but don't forget. will remember almost everything they did / heard / said in their lives. loyal. know what they're worth.
aquarius:entertaining. bright personality. you can always spot their voice. has a very emotional part they won't show anyone. can make a bad situation good. great friends. sometimes a little bossy. tend to put on a show. won't mess around. chatty and makes new friends easily and quite often. has many friends but only like 2-3 real friends they would trust with their lives. hate to show when they hurt. very intelligent.
pisces:not crying 24/7. not weak at all. develop crushes easily but get over them very fast. either things don't mean anything to them or they mean the world to them. lost in daydreams but have the brightest fantasy. can be a storm. if they see you treat them wrong they leave. loyal to the people they love. can be revengeful. scheming. knows exactly what people deserve. would never harm anyone who doesn't deserve it. want justice. hard to get. hard to understand. great friends. worth the fight. will hold your hand and go through hell with you. passionate lovers.
omfg.
“I do not like cats. Cats are fake animals.”
Dogs are where it’s at.
“He’s been my pal for as long as I can remember.”
Okay, the feels just came back. Waaaaahhhhhhh. My childhood.
Haha.
These kinds of things mess with my head though.
I haven’t written or done any art lately and I think it’s affecting me..
I believe that the brain and mind are like muscles and the less you stimulate them, the more they deteriorate. They say that people who keep journals and write stories have a lower percentage of getting Alzheimer’s. If that’s truly the case, then I am worried for many of my peers. I feel as if our generation now runs on social media - tweets and grams have replaced our written thoughts and traditional art mediums. Maybe I am just an old granny, but I find it sad. I wish I wrote more. I wish I drew more. I wish I created more. I wish I thought more.
But it could also be a direct consequence of my environment here abroad. Most days have felt like a vacation, and I’ve gotten lazy.
I need to learn to use my brain again.
“She’s sweet, but she’s fucked-up.”
