The Girl Effect

Today marks day one of The Girl Effect, a global campaign to spread awareness about the plight and potential of over 250 million adolescent girls living in poverty worldwide. The movement is built on the following premise: When girls have access to education, health care, legal protection and career training, they will succeed. And this success creates a ripple effect of positive change for their families, communities, and the world at large.

The movement is about starting a conversation, so please spread the word. Show these videos to the people you love. Tweet. Digg. Share on Facebook. Liberating girls from the shackles of poverty has the power to change the world.

This cause is very close to my heart. I encourage you to take a moment today (as I will be) to express gratitude for the MANY luxuries and liberties you enjoy. Consider giving a donation or micro loan to this very worthy cause and have a happy Tuesday evening :)
xoxo
Rebecca

A sprinkle of poetic inspiration

Photo: Pinterest

I recently came across this beautiful and empowering poem by Patricia Lynne Reilly called "Imagine A Woman". I hope you find it as inspiring as I do :)

Imagine a woman who is interested in her own life.
A woman who embraces her life as teacher, healer, and challenge.
Who is grateful for the ordinary moments of beauty and grace.

Imagine a woman who participates in her own life.
A woman who meets each challenge with creativity.
Who takes action on her own behalf with clarity and strength.

Imagine a woman who has crafted a fully-formed solitude.
A woman who is available to herself.
Who chooses friends and lovers with the capacity to respect her solitude.

Imagine a woman who acknowledges the full range of human emotion.
A woman who expresses her feelings clearly and directly.
Who allows them to pass through her as naturally as the breath.

Imagine a woman who tells the truth.
A woman who trusts her experience of the world and expresses it.
Who refuses to defer to the perceptions, thoughts, and responses of others.

Imagine a woman who follows her creative impulses.
A woman who produces original creations.
Who refuses to color inside someone else's lines.

Imagine a woman who has relinquished the desire for intellectual approval.
A woman who makes a powerful statement with every action she takes.
Who asserts to herself the right to reorder the world.

Imagine a woman who has grown in knowledge and love of herself.
A woman who has vowed faithfulness to her own life.
Who remains loyal to herself. Regardless.

Imagine yourself as this woman.

How to make better decisions

Photo: CarolineXHearts.

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."
-Samuel Beckett

From jobs to boys to ice cream flavors, I feel strongly that wishy washyness is a terrible and dangerous affliction. As someone who used to routinely find herself drowning in pro con lists and feelings of self-doubt, take it from me: listening to your gut is always, I repeat, ALWAYS the best course of action.

Here are some useful tips for tuning into that inner voice:

*Ask the question right before you go to sleep and see how you feel in the morning

*Free write in your journal

*Consult a pendulum

*Write down what you think you’re ideal self would do

Now repeat after me: No FOMO (fear of missing out, isn't that great?!) and go ahead and make the decision already!

“The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves as well. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen accidents, meetings and material assistance that no one could have dreamed would come their way. Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”
– Goethe

Sunday evening girl power!

Photo: We Heart It.

The following poem was written by a personal hero of mine, the playwright, actress and global women's rights activist, Eve Ensler. Hope you find it as beautiful and empowering as I do!

I AM AN EMOTIONAL CREATURE

I love being a girl.
I can feel what you're feeling
as you're feeling it inside
the feeling
before.
I am an emotional creature.
Things do not come to me
as intellectual theories or hard-shaped ideas.
They pulse through my organs and legs
and burn up my ears.
I know when your girlfriend's really pissed off
even though she appears to give you what
you want.
I know when a storm is coming.
I can feel the invisible stirrings in the air.
I can tell you he won't call back.
It's a vibe I share.

I am an emotional creature.
I love that I do not take things lightly.
Everything is intense to me.
The way I walk in the street.
The way my mother wakes me up.
The way I hear bad news.
The way it's unbearable when I lose.

I am an emotional creature.
I am connected to everything and everyone.
I was born like that.
Don't you dare say all negative that it's a
teenage thing
or it's only only because I'm a girl.
These feelings make me better.
They make me ready.
They make me present.
They make me strong.

I am an emotional creature.
There is a particular way of knowing.
It's like the older women somehow forgot.
I rejoice that it's still in my body.

I know when the coconut's about to fall.
I know that we've pushed the earth too far.
I know my father isn't coming back.
That no one's prepared for the fire.
I know that lipstick means
more than show.
I know that boys feel super-insecure
and so-called terrorists are made, not born.
I know that one kiss can take
away all my decision-making ability
and sometimes, you know, it should.

This is not extreme.
It's a girl thing.
What we would all be
if the big door inside us flew open.
Don't tell me not to cry.
To calm it down
Not to be so extreme
To be reasonable.
I am an emotional creature.
It's how the earth got made.
How the wind continues to pollinate.
You don't tell the Atlantic ocean
to behave.

I am an emotional creature.
Why would you want to shut me down
or turn me off?
I am your remaining memory.
I am connecting you to your source.
Nothing's been diluted.
Nothing's leaked out.
I can take you back.

I love that I can feel the inside
of the feelings in you,
even if it stops my life
even if it hurts too much
or takes me off track
even if it breaks my heart.
It makes me responsible.
I am an emotional
I am an emotional, devotional,
incandotional, creature.
And I love, hear me,
love love love
being a girl.

Happy girls are the prettiest girls

Photo: Femkeee.

"I believe in pink, I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."
-Audrey Hepburn

Current Character Inspiration: The Very Stylish and Kick Ass Caroline Forbes of The Vampire Diaries

Photos: The CW

Head cheerleader turned bloodthirsty vampire, Caroline Forbes (played by Candice Accola), is by far my favorite character on The Vampire Diaries (aka the best show on television). When we are first introduced to Caroline, she is a boy crazy, gossip hungry, perfectionist, on a constant hunt for the approval of others. This makes her easy prey for a manipulative yet attractive vampire villain, Daemon, as she believes she is worthless without a cute boyfriend. As the show progresses, however, and Caroline is accidentally turned into a Vampire, she is forced for the first time to turn inward and undergo some painful introspection and self-exploration. As she experiences hardship she’s never previously faced, her strength is put to the test. Slowly she becomes more assertive and powerful, transforming from a weak victim into a vital force in the show’s ongoing struggle against evil vampires.

I think there is a little bit of Caroline Forbes in all of us. As women, society teaches us early on that we need to be perfect and popular in order to feel good about ourselves. Most of us, however, eventually hit a point (perhaps less dramatic than becoming a vampire) where we come face to face with the fact that this confining, empty, and dis-empowering stereotype of what a woman should be doesn’t quite fit. And that’s when the (often uncomfortable) introspection begins. As trite as it might sound, the process of discovering who you are and getting in touch with your individuality and inner strength is one of the hardest, scariest, and most important things you will ever do.

I believe my inner journey began during my junior year of college when, feeling unhappy and stifled by my “sorority girl” image, I decided study in South Africa for a semester. At the time, traveling by myself half way around the world felt like a very big deal, and decidedly outside my comfort zone. But I did it anyway, feeling I owed it to myself to test just how strong, independent, and (hopefully) happy I could be. Though I had no idea at the time, going turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made, starting a ripple effect of self-discovery and growth that continues today.

So while I began this post with every intention of discussing Caroline’s many adorable hairstyles and penchant for floral accessories (which are lovely to say the least ;)), I guess it has morphed into something else altogether. Much like Caroline’s character, my own personal journey, and probably many of yours. I just want to say, whether you feel like you are in a strong confident place right now, or are just starting to come face to face with tough stuff, I urge you to stay strong and not compromise. I've been there and believe with all of my heart that you are worth every bit of effort you put into to finding yourself, whatever that means to you. So take chances, stay positive and as the great Winston Churchill famously stated, "never, never, never, never give up"!

Xoxo

Rebecca

PS. If you haven’t already, watch Vampire Diaries! You won’t regret it :)

Fedoras, Fur Jumpsuits and Feminism? A Closer Look at The Message of New Tongue and Cheek "Man Repeller" Blog

Tonight, as I began my daily post-work ritual of reading fashion blogs in bed while listening to Taylor Swift (yes, I really am that cool), I came across a blog curiously titled, The Man Repeller. The insatiable journalist living inside me was instantly intrigued. A blog dedicated to repelling men? Was this a joke? I had to know more.

The tongue and cheek site created last April defines a man repeller as “a woman who dresses herself in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling members of the opposite sex. Such garments include, but are not limited to, harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls (see: human repelling), shoulder pads, full length jumpsuits, jewelry that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.”

The Man Repeller celebrates fashion choices in the vein of Lady Gaga and Carrie Bradshaw (in early Sex and the City episodes). From giant hair bows to fur jumpsuits, “fashion” items that blatantly flout traditional notions of sex appeal and notoriously mystify the heterosexual male species are featured. Additionally, the blog provides readers with advice on how to take conventionally “sexy” items (like snug leather pants) and “de-sexify” them (throw on an oversized knee-length plaid poncho, of course!)

While the tone is light and humorous, the underlying message really got me thinking about fashion, what it means to me and my friends, and how it influences and is influenced by our perceptions of ourselves as women. How much of the clothing heterosexual women wear is an attempt (whether conscious or unconscious) to attract the male gaze, and how much is a statement of individuality and art?

I would argue that the site’s celebration of ways a woman can remove herself from her societally enforced role as a sexualized object through the very medium that subjects her to that role in the first place (the fashion industry and popular media) is actually pretty powerful. What do you think? Would any of you feel bold enough to leave the house in some of these accessories? How about go on a first date?