Obsessed much?

Are you over reading how everyone seems to be "obsessed" with something? Lipsticks, dresses, people, fruit, porcelain dishes, clothing brands, body types..the annoying list goes on.
I cannot help but feel utterly amused about how a generation that harbours so little passion for anything is so quick at declaring what essentially is a borderline mental illness for completely insignificant stuff.

This makes me seem like a cynic but I am really missing a time when over-exaggeration was dismissed by my parents or peers in its very core.
Me: "Oh my god, I love this..."
Mum: "Astrid, it's a fucking dress, stop being so dramatic."
You get the idea.
Don't get me wrong, I am guilty of exaggerating emotions in equally the written and spoken word, hence why the idea for this post started brewing in my head in the first place.
And let me tell you this, there is nothing more annoying than being annoyed by your own daily vocabulary. Or more-so the apparent decay of it. Big words everyone. Whoohohohoooo.
So a pretty good step towards not sounding like a overexcited school girl is to substitute the words "love", "obsessed" and "so(oooo)".
Here are a few suggestions:
Like: In a way I feel more strongly inclined to use "like" in sincere contexts than "love". We have used and over-used the meaning of "loving something", it has essentially become somewhat of an empty phrase.
Great: I am not sure what happened to the good old "great". It seems as though in our society "great" just isn't expressing enough excitement. If I use the phrase "It was great", people always automatically assume that  I am either lying or trying to be a sarcastic smart ass. I think it is time to restore this adjective's __________ (fill in the lame word game blank).
Marvellous: This is a tricky one, seeing as whenever someone uses this adjective in real life, all evil Disney characters pop up in my head. And don't tell me Ursula or Cruella DeVille would not totally indulge in using that adjective. "Let us continue with the marvellous activity that is skinning puppies and capturing mermaid souls"

OMG I LOVE her pastel hair!

Enjoy: This must be my favourite newly discovered "Thou shall implement more often" - verb. Not only can I use it in conjunction with "utterly" (which IS without a doubt the weirdest yet most amusing word in the English language), but it also captures what we are essentially trying to say with our "love its" and "obsessed withs" - that for a very brief moment something we did/saw/bought gave us pleasure. We enjoyed the experience, but it won't drastically influence our lives or turn us into better creatures. In fact, three instagram photos down those things have most likely already slipped our minds.
Love and obsession really should do more for the human nature than that. They should influence us, should turn our world upside down and shake us hard like that dayum Polaroid picture. Shake it, shake it UHH OOHHH.
And with a completely intentional 'I made that Outkast song stuck in your head' - outro I shall leave you to it on this enjoyable (see!!!) Sunday afternoon.

From where I'd rather be...

Cinque Terre. Coastal stretch in Italy that is only reachable by train. Preferred method of transport: Pair of feet.It's a small version of the much loved 'Ghibli'-esque Town by the sea side.
Lonely planet lists one 'sight' for the five picturesque villages: A canoe hire place.This is where I'd rather be. Preferably living in a giant sea shell for a house. Frolicking at the beach every day. Living fabulously...eating pizza.
 (images via wikipedia)

Feminist Taylor Swift

I am just in love with this. Hopefully one day Taylor Swift realizes how strongly she promotes mysogyny and slut-shaming in her lyrics. And seriously, someone who preaches about the importance of keeping ones innocence and virginity locked up tightly, but then goes out and does Jake Gyllenhaal amongst other hunky humans can't really be taken for reals in her role of spokesperson for 21st century young females. Aaannd breath.
What are you saying? Jealous much? I sure would give more than an arm and a leg to do stuff to Donnie Darko. But I still don't respect the Swift.
 Hey Taylor, how about you stop idolising the 'young caucasian male love interest' on the cost of 'the other girl' and write a song that doesn't promote women-bashing? How about you write about how immoral it is to have two partners at a time who both think they are in an exclusive, monogamous relationship? Maybe you could include a passage in one of your catchy choruses about one of these girls contracting herpes from their cheating boyfriend and how they don't know that they can sue his ass for grief bodily harm?  The other one could get pregnant and both could be called whores by society, while the boyfriend in question is a so-called 'stud'. You could then come in and pay for a proper lawyer for these girls and tell them all about their legal rights, then ride into the sunset with them empowered as hell, all while STD riddled boyfriend is left behind in the rain with a lawsuit coming his way.
What do you think? Surely a Taylor Swift song I would like to hear.

What did she do?

I am deeply saddened with and equally disgusted at how the public approaches the 'Nigella' issue.

In case you don't live in the English speaking world (or have comfortably resided under a rock) Nigella Lawson is an extremely successful TV cook and cook book author, known for her delicious recipes and curvacious body (she's a woman after all, she has to somehow get reduced to her looks and not simply judged by her achievements).

Photos surfaced this week of her husband assaulting her in a restaurant, grabbing her by the throat and shaking her head in this violent grip. Nigella is then spotted leaving the scene with her husband, in tears.

So of course there's an uproar about this. Some of these reactions have been positive, with Domestic Violence Prevention organisations creating awareness and pointing out statistics. One in four women in Australia is a victim of domestic violence. That's also a disgusting amount of humans inflicting said violence. FYI. It's not a harmless issue.

BUT: The reactions submitted online looked somewhat like this:

"What did she do?"
"Did she provoke him?"
"Maybe it was her fault?!"
"Maybe she deserved it?!"

Notice something? Yeah man, society right away jumps on the victim-blaming and -shaming bandwagon. We wonder what SHE has done to make him THIS angry? Oh ok....well I see we're supposed to walk on egg shells around men, because their natural state is "violent and easily provoked"?

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, POORLY EDUCATED FELLOW!

Here's the deal:
From a very young age we are taught that our actions have consequences. BUT we need to understand that we cannot be held responsible for other people's actions. Nigella cannot be held responsible for the fact that her husband chose to physically assault her. She might have said something or done something but at the end of the day it is NOT HER FAULT! He is the one who consciously raised his hand, put it around her throat, hurt and belittled her (because violence is a demonstration of power for the weak) and then claimed he was trying to "make a point" during a heated discussion through this "gesture".

It's the same type of victim-blaming we see society resort to in rape cases. We just don't blame the victims for saying something or doing something provoking, but we blame them for dressing a certain way or drinking a lot or walking home from work by themselves (How could you? Hire a personal bodyguard NOW!). Again men are portrayed in a natural state of "the potential rapist". As if a "rapist gene" existed in male brains which is aggravated by bare leg pairs, intoxication, unconsciousness and the lack of consent-giving.

I know this is bullshit. I know that every healthy human being is blessed with the ability of making choices. And I am not eating any of this victim blaming crap. No woman gets herself raped or gets herself assaulted. It's the people who inflict these acts of violence that deserve to be shamed, blamed and held responsible for their actions.

Spread the word, lovely creature.

Face trade

If I could do a face trade for a day it would be with Sky Ferreira.
Also thinking about chopping all that hair off and rocking the hot mess bob.

But yeah. Nah...

WANDERLUST: MEXICO

Ok, there is no holding back anymore - I just want to go to beautiful MEXICO!!!
I have been day dreaming over photos of caves, beautiful beaches and historical sites for months and months on end. It's logged in for 2015, or at least I just decided.
If you're looking for a sweet new travel destination you can drool over or read about, stay right where you are! I will present you with the five most intriguing reasons why you shouldn't slide into your grave before you have visited this beautiful country!

1) The beaches
Yes, yes I understand it is unheard of dreaming of beautiful beaches when I live in a country that is known for its amazing Coastal landscape. BUT in my defense please have a look at below photographs. Can you smell the sun screen or feel the sand between your toes? Picture the tan lines and taste the fresh pina coladas? I can all too vividly imagine all of these things, even whilst wearing pink flanellette pyama bottoms.

2) The historical value
It has always been a life goal to explore ancient ruins leftover by such impressive, mystical and dark cultures as the Mayans were. I have a deep fascination with ancient, intelligent cultures. I can watch hours and hours of documentaries and read into history books until I resemble a crazy hermit professor. To stand in proximity of buildings of enormous historical value and a super mystical aura is most certainly worth a visit.

3) Day of the Dead
It's in October so not the sun-bathing sangria-slurping season anymore, BUT (oh yes, another capital BUT!) wherelse will you find windows full of sugar skulls, flowers and houses full of altars. It's fascinating that in Mexico people have this beautiful tradition where they celebrate the lives of all the loved ones they lost. Isn't it such a more evolved way to deal with an inevitable part of life than the convential Catholic way (that is: mourn your loss at the grave, then re-visit the grave once a year and mourn some more).
Oh yeah. And there supposedly is lots of Tequila.......ayayay

4) Cave diving
Look at it! Just look at the photos! Could you imagine anything cooler? You have to be an experienced diver to hop in one of these "cenotes", because apparently there's a whole heap of deaths every year. But I would be more than willing to get my diver's license (huh, see what I did there?) in order to experience one of these dives. And the question that's been burning on your tongue for the last five minutes shall not remain unanswered: these are all fresh water lakes and cave systems, so no sharks or other underwater besties (speak: giant octopus, box jellyfish, baracudas...)

5) I can buy an authentic luchador mask and wear it while I get drunk off cheap cocktails
NUFF SAID!!!! (all images via google)

Grated butter

I think the most frightening prospect at the moment for me is to live a life where I end up in unfullfilling jobs that pay little money and much worse rob me of content. I actually made Dan promise last night that this is not a life we are going to lead.

When I was 17 I got a massive, colourful and bright tattoo on my right calf and while I loved the shock value and "unfeminine" size of it, I also proclaimed that it would be stamped on my body for "boring-adult" - preventative measures.

It's safe to say I have slid halfway down a comfortable full time job/less partying/bill paying/responsible path since fully moving out from home. This surprisingly seems to dawn on me whenever I watch a John Hughes movie. Damn you truth unveiling 80ies.

So there are a few modest things I would like to do with myself in the next decade or so of my life, before babies and the likes become a reality:

-TRAVEL TWICE A YEAR:
There is obviously a finacial aspect to be taken into consideration but I tell you it is all about prioritising. I see a large part of the internet community enviously admiring people's travel posts and inquiring about their source of income, all while exclaiming that your average person cannot afford to live a life like that. When I went travelling three years ago I was a student, I had worked full time for three short months and saved my pennies, all while still having an awesome summer. Then I went off for 9 months, I worked sporadically or cleaned hostel bathrooms in return for free accommodation. It wasn't anything glamorous and yet so much more meaningful than any prestigious job I could think of. I lived off coffee, cigarettes, carrots and adventure. But even with steady work and this thing called responsibility travel isn't impossible. In the last three years, Dan and I have managed to go overseas once every twelve months at the very least. It's doable as long as you don't get sidetracked by every sale at your local mall and make time for it. The fact I want to see my family at least once a year helps with saving up for flights. Obviously, duuuhh.
On top of the travel bucket list are:

MEXICO
JAPAN
THAILAND
CANADA
USA AND IN PARTICULAR HAWAII!!!!

-BE RIPPED
Watch this space for millions of ab photos. No seriously. I am getting my butt kicked every week by my PT and the results are finally creeping up on me. To be honest I really just appreciate the fact that I can now last a full 45 mins of doing squats in every kind of variation evil people could possibly come up with. Yay me.

-KICK DIVORCE STATISTICS IN THE BUTT
And still kick along in a relationship that is much more amazing than anything I could have imagined myself to be in. I spent 10 minutes touching his face last night and had the best time of my life. If that doesn't express my level of affection then I don't know.

-FIND OUT WHAT JOB WOULD SUIT ME
An epiphanie I have been longing to have for seemingly a lifetime now. Hurry up life purpose! Thou shall surface immediately! I keep inhaling Penguin Classics in the hopes of discovering my sole purpose of existence between the lines of Wilde and Bronte and Kafka and Goethe. I shall notify YOU first if I succeed. And then whack a patent on the idea.

What about you? What preventative measures do you have in place in order to avoid becoming a miserable, boring adult in an office job?

Or are you perfectly content with this prospect? No judgement. I envy you if you do. There is nothing I strive towards harder than being content. So yeah. Unrelated selfie. Good bye.

Light content please

I KNOW I KNOW
It's time for some less heavy content on here. Jesus. Lighten the flip up, lady. Talking to myself again, I know.
Here are some inspirational pretty super awesome photos. I've collected. Because data hoarding is better than, y'know, pet hoarding or something.
All via instagram, facebook and google.

On rape jokes

Hey there lovely.
Did the headline intrigue you? I think it's an excellent way to enjoy your afternoon tea just that little bit more.
But seriously now.
I have mentioned that there are going to be links to interesting articles on the feminists versus rape joke telling comedians debate. Victim blaming rape jokes, that is. Not the "(S)He couldn't rape you because (s)he can't even find the sex hole blah blah blah" type jokes. We're talking about jokes like "She's so ugly she wouldn't even get raped in prison" type dealy. Jokes that create a positive flair around rape and make it sound like a privilege for women to be rape victims. Like we should be flattered to be chosen by a male for violent unconsented intercourse.

The natural response from comedians is of course a ridiculous one. They are outraged by feminists trying to blame the increase in rape cases on comedy, something people have used for centuries to deal with traumatic experiences by laughing about them. There is also the big fear of censorship. One cannot censor comedy. It's simply outrageous that one could attempt to point a finger at it, because everything goes in comedy.

The aspect of trivializing rape, by telling jokes that ridicule the women who have gone through this experience, is not taken into consideration by the comedians that are strongly involved in this debate. Of course, it's always easier to go with the flow and jump onto the "censorship" bandwagon than dealing with a completely valid point the opponent has made.

Another thing I absolutely love is the fact that the dumb public likes to give their unsolicited opinion on the topic.
No wait, they didn't even tackle the topic, they just wanted to get the following things off their chests:

These are tweets directed at Lindy West, who is a contributor to the feminist website Jezebel, after being in a debate with comedian Jim Norton on the issue of rape jokes.
You can read the full article jam packed with more moronic tweets from obviously highly challenged boys.

Not only did they completely miss the point of the debate, they also proceeded with making comments on West's appearance and how they would like to hate-fuck her and how noone would even want to rape her. Intimidated by a smart woman much? Could they really not think of a better way to voice a different opinion?
Seriously, social media is the biggest mistake we have ever made. Some people just shouldn't have a voice.

But moving on there is indeed one article that helped me return to normal life without wanting to lecture EVERYONE that passed my way on the topic and randomly destroy shit out of anger.
Hop over to xoJane to read through it. It's one of the more rational articles on the issue and ticks all the right boxes. And while you're there, there are also another 655 articles on the topic that should be read.

Also check out:

Feministing
The F Bomb
The F Word

I Am Feminist

Caption to the left says: Committed suicide because she showed her boobs on the internet and slept with a complete stranger who also had a girlfriend, which kind of makes it her own fault. It's all over the media.

Caption to the right says: Committed suicide because he was born ugly. Not his own fault. Noone cares.

Large caption on the bottom says: How sick actually is this world we live in?

No caption ever says the following: The girl was a minor, she was only 16. She took a photo of her boobs because a guy requested it and then blackmailed her with it, creating fake facebook accounts and following her around the state, stalking her and threatening her. Her peers and friends blamed and shamed her for an action she was too young to even think through, unlike the guy who to this day is still alive and not in prison for blackmailing, stalking and inflicting psychological harm that ultimately led to suicide.

I removed the girl who reposted this on facebook from my friends list.

Perks of being a wallflower

I am neither qualified nor tempted to write a review on this heart-warming and charming yet disturbing in a way motion picture. I can simply make a recommendation in that I would advise you read the book and watch the movie. I can also recommend to stock up on Penguin classics as the urge of consuming a copious amount of printed words is all I crave to do right now.