Monday 30 July 2012

All Shades Of Woman


*Steph Gilmore wis the 5th ASP Women's World Title @ Roxy Pro Biarritz (http://www.aspworldtour.com)

Could surfing ever become an Olympic event? Moreover would female surfers compete? Imagine Steph Gilmore representing Australia and what about Britain, who would fly the flag for surfing from our fair isle?

As a British citizen I was infinitely proud of our country and  the efforts of Danny Boyle who managed to encapsulate aspects of our culture in the intriguing opening ceremony. Beijing was always going to be an opening ceremony like no other but I do think the London attempt stood out in its own way. As a Brit I obviously was able to identify with the content of the ceremony but I wonder whether it translated well to an international audience?

So could surfing ever become an Olympic sport? It obviously has its own championships and enough of a following to make it a watchable event so why has it still not been registered? Is it down to logistics?

Below is an interesting article I found by
Fernando Aguerre Surfer & President of the International Surfing Association which tries to address some of the issues and puts forth a compelling argument for inclusion...


As a woman I care deeply about the inequalities our gender is often subjected to and as a white westerner realise I probably endure far less human rights injustices compared to other groups of women in the world. That being said I have found myself disillusioned by the portrayal of women in the Olympics. Swimmers for instance are commented on about their bodies, a well known Scottish comedian actually calling one British swimmer a 'dolphin face.'
When did sport start being about how a woman fills a swimming costume, or how tight her uniform is or how well she sells a product? Or on the flip side she's taken seriously if androgynous and plays down her femininity?
Surfing is rife with this kind of prejudice and nearly every surf girl magazine has/will feature an article about pro surfer Alana Blanchard and her revealing bikinis.


I sit on the fence about this, as someone well acquainted with cellulite etc the thought of wearing something comparable to an Alana bikini would fill me with dread. That being said I can't knock her for wearing one, its not Alana's fault she's got a body which can carry off such styles. She also happens to come from Hawaii so doesn't need to look like a seal to surf (there is nothing glamorous about a wetsuit...)
If you look back in surf history you'll discover it was actually performed naked in its native Hawaii!
In her defence surfing is still also considered a sideline sport despite its following, so to earn from it you have to look a certain way and land endorsements. Sport is a business so competitors have to think amd act like business men and women. 

 
That being said as a woman who has moments of despair when looking at the perfectly coiffed pictures of surfer girls and on discovering more lewd comments in male dominated surfer mags written about female competitors it is hard not to feel dis-empowered. Unfortunately sexism in sport is still rife.

* Now to accentuate the positive *

There are however courageous women out there fighting for the rights of the oppressed and marginalised elsewhere in the world. I came across the Association for Women's Rights in Development website and have felt so compelled to action I just had to share their work with you:


Lastly my girl crush on Kat Dennings an actress who makes interesting choices in the roles she plays and who is a refreshing change to the factory farmed actresses of a certain gilt our media inundates us with. 
Antonio my bf encouraged me to watch Daydream Nation an indie art house film where she plays a mixed up but strangely empowered high school girl. Utterly compelling stuff.

Kate Dennings I <3 you!  

(She also happens to have a blog which I may or may not peruse from time to time....)

* coming soon interview with pro surfer and travel writer Sam Bleakley.



Sunday 29 July 2012

VINTAGE STYLEY

  
 

Vintage styley for Gemma's 23rd Birthday Party! 

 Having begun both the internship and my refugee youth worker job life has suddenly accelerated...
So now my days are spent commuting, working furiously as the communications assistant at Responding to Conflict and planning the soon to be implemented Birmingham refugee youth group. The sudden responsibility and desk based work has flummoxed me, my body physically aches against being sat down for so long, I fidget and my mind wanders.

Amongst this work I'm also trying to find a full time post (the internship is unpaid and the refugee job is only three hours paid a week), be a loving girlfriend and family member and try to survive whilst having an anorexic bank account.

As the saying goes:

 LIFE IS IN THE LABOURING.

I’m also learning about what kind of job I’ll suit and gaining skills in fields I’ve never even considered before. It’s a steep learning curve but thats what lifes about, picking routes, making wrong turnings, finding out things about yourself and continuing forward anyway. 

 

Outlandish posing no excuses...

Like for instance the recent realisation that vintage (i.e. 30’s, 40’s, 50’s) style suits me better than others. When I’m in a tea dress, hair curled and heels on I feel confident, I think I actually strut. I always love to dress hippie as it reflects my outlook (peace loving, environmentalist etc etc) but having lately discovered the vintage look I think the structures actually suit my shape better...these hips don’t lie (sorry that was an awful joke).

 
Vintage style shoes borrowed from my mom's amazing shoe collection!


Trying out 40's hair and makeup for a fancy dress birthday party 



So I’m going to mix it up a bit hippie when I feel like being a flower child and vintage when I want to feel vivacious.

So anyway.

* WHAT I'M LISTENING TO *

I'm making no apologises for this playlist.

1. Blackstreet feat. Dr Dre - No Diggity
2. Das Efx - Baknaffek
3. Das Efx - They Want Efx
4. En Vogue feat. Salt n Peppa - What a man
5. En Vogue - My lovin
6. Jade - Don't walk away
7. Kris Kross - Jump
8. Mark Morrison - Return of the Mac
9. TLC - Creep
10. Naughty by Nature - Hip Hop hooray
11.Will Smith - Get jiggy with it
12. Will Smith - Summertime

90's Hip Hop Oh Yes!

Hope this week treats you well.

Much Love

X

Thursday 12 July 2012

Conflict & Peace


When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace

 - Jimi Hendrix

I could wax lyrical about my absence but I'd rather tell you about my internship
(which happens to be the very reason I've been away from blogging).

Responding to Conflict is an NGO which works in war torn countries around the world, helping communities and training local partners to transform conflict and begin the peace building process.

So what have I learnt thus far as the communications intern?

1) Diplomacy doesn't necessarily mean you are being democratic.

2) 70% of the army during the Liberian civil war was child soldiers, some as young as eight.

3) If you give people freedom they will reward you with justice

4) Joan the South African peace consultant puts salt on her oranges. Weird.

 

I think I finally know what I want to be.
Drum roll please.

* A Peace Adviser/Surfer *

*i.e. go to war torn countries as a consultant to begin the peace building process. And Surf.

Now all I need is a Masters degree....
(and money).

WomenZone Surf Festival
The Gower, Wales




It rained like it was the second coming, our tent leaked and the waves were as flat as a witches tit.

IT WAS AWESOME!

Despite only catching one wave (which was more luck than anything else), spending several days with my former housemate Sarah and meeting the lovely 'Leamington Ladies'
 (A lesbian group based in the West Midlands who get together to do extreme sports), made an otherwise failure of a weekend pretty amazing.

Sarah is someone I kind of befriended by accident and has come to be an incredibly important person in my life who I couldn't live without. We schemed this weekend and settled on the idea of an adventure to Bali next year. She's about to embark on a new chapter in her life and I'm excited to be there with her as she makes some positive changes. That and hopefully surfing in Bali will actually mean, gosh some surfing!

There was a moment this weekend as I was sat on my board looking at the horizon where I felt complete and utter happiness. I was just an ease with all the things that make me, me and the components of my life. It conjured this saying which I think encompasses the emotions at that precise moment...
 
For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It's always our self we find in the sea.
~e.e. cummings

Until next time water babies
Love & Light
x