Keep it Real….

I wanted to follow up on the post I did about fashion retailers using models who are representative of all body types.  Some of the comments I received were very positive and supportive of this notion…others were somewhat apathetic to the situation.  Basically saying…the fashion industry is the way it is and there’s really nothing that can be done to change this.

Some of these comments included:

Absurd Vancouver Property of the Week (June 27, 2012)

Sigh…$1.4 million dollars burning a hole in your pocket?  Apparently Real Estate is a great investment….In Toronto you could buy this:

A 4 bedroom Tudor-style home in affluent Forrest Hill.

Two Vancouver organizations promote a child’s right to “play ball…”

I participated in team sports my entire childhood and youth.  The lessons I learned on the field, truly impacted and shaped the kind of person I was off it.  I was taught that it often takes many different people with many different talents to reach success.  I was taught that winning isn’t everything.  I was taught loyalty, comradery and grace.  I formed friendships with people that I might not have, were we not on the same team together.  Basically, team sports are huge part of who I am today – and I would not change that for the world.  As a mom, I will definitely encourage my kids to participate in sports – I know, first hand, what the benefits are.

I don’t care if it looks good on her…I want it to look good on ME!

Recently an event came across my Facebook feed.  It was a casting call for models for local Vancouver fashion mecca, Aritzia.  It read:

We’re hosting a casting call for Aritzia models! If you’re a size small / size 4 on top and bottom and no taller than 5’10 – we’d love to meet you.

A second ad read:

Maintain personal body measurements within tolerance of Aritzia Standard Size S or 4; Waist size 25 – 27; height minimum 5’7 to 5’10 maximum

I re-posted the event on the Thirties Grind Facebook page and said:

Hey ARITZIA, how about representing girls of all shapes and sizes??!! Great opportunity here for a Vancouver company to take a stand and push back against cultural biases!!

I’m totally serious.  Wouldn’t it be great – revolutionary even – for one of our local, and now world-recognized, companies to take a stand and start incorporating all body types into their ad campaigns?  A recent study shows that, aside from showing greater social consciousness, it is actually good for business.  “We are undergoing a shift in the mind-set of the modern female consumer,” explains Ben Barry, who conducted a study of 2,500 women, and found that “…women increased their purchase intentions by more than 200 percent when the models in mock advertisements were their size.”

So, aside from the fact that the fashion images women are presented with are representative of a small fraction of the population (and nothing is saying we should not represent these ladies, too) and, consequently, have been shown to contribute to body dis morphia issues in women (especially young girls)…these images are actually deterring women from shopping in certain retailers…not so good for bottom lines.  Basically the message is, as I said above:

I don’t care if it looks good on her…I want it to look good on ME! 

So…show me someone like me wearing it!

———-

We have enormous power. Eighty-six percent of the purchasing power in this country is in the pockets of women. Well, let’s use it.

Pat Mitchell, CEO Paley Center for Media

Make your voice heard:

Sources:

http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-05-18/duh-of-the-day-women-more-likely-to-buy-clothing-seen-on-models-their-own-size/

http://benbarry.com/2009/11/glamours-body-image-revolution/

Absurd Vancouver Property of the Week (June 19, 2012)

Six hundred thousand dollars, is (IMHO) a lot to spend on a home.  Imagine if you had six million?? 

Let’s hear it for the boys!! Modern dads are kicking serious parenting ass: new documentary film takes us into the lives of 7 contemporary fathers.

First off I’m going to start by saying that my husband is likely the best dad on the face of the planet.  Really and truly, he is a hands-on, present, and nurturing father.  Okay…I’m obviously biased, and I’m certain there are more dads like him out there.  The Sound Films (in association with Tabula Dada) was pretty certain of this, too.  Their documentary film, DADS explores the role of the modern father.  In the words of director/producer/editor, Dave Rees, “…contemporary men simply have different priorities.”

Experts say we’re due for a 15% market correction, but CMHC says expect a 5% increase by next year…who’s right??

Yesterday, CMHC released a report stating that we can expect to see a close to 5% increase in housing prices in Greater Vancouver by this time next year.  This news comes as a shock to many who have been consistently hearing experts sate we can expect a market correction, bringing prices down by at least 15%.  It is an age old debate in Vancouver…and, honestly, I feel like the imminent bubble burst is a bit of an urban legend.

Absurd Vancouver Property of the Week (June 13, 2012)

I think it’s (un)reasonable to assume that if you have less than $1 million to spend on a house in Vancouver, you are going to be dealing with an old timer/fixer-upper.  Say you have just under $800K to invest in a home.

In Toronto, your fixer-upper would look like this:

They’re sexy and they know it. “Sext Up Kids” explores the hypersexualization of our children – and the consequences.

You would have to live in a cave to not be aware of how sexualized young children are today.  I only have to stand at my front door and watch the parade of very young girls walking to the high school down my street in clothing that I find both inappropriate and appalling or listen to boys brag loudly about how they “banged” someone over the weekend.  Sometimes I feel like I’ve become a prude, but then I see films like Sext Up Kids and realize that it is good that I am uncomfortable with my observations and this movement in our culture.  At least, I have not become completely desensitized to it.

Sext Up Kids is a documentary that

…exposes how growing up in a hyper-sexualized culture hurts our kids. Teens and pre-teens show and tell what they are doing and why they are doing it.   Experts reveal startling new research, tracking how the pressure to be sexy is changing teen and sexual behavior in alarming ways…Parents and educators struggle to help kids navigate puberty in a world where the line between pop culture and porn culture is increasingly blurred. For every parent who thinks, “that’s not my son or daughter,” Sext up KIDS is your wake up call.  – CBC, Doc Zone.

I recently had the opportunity to interview filmmaker, Maureen Palmer.  She provided much insight into the issue of hyper-sexualization in our society, it’s consequences and what we, as parents, can do to help our kids have a more critical view of what is being served up to them on a daily basis by our media and culture.

To Epi or not to Epi? That is the question…

A friend of mine is pregnant with her third child.  Recently she posed the following question on Faceboook:

Moms: I’ve been reading up on epi’s because I’m really considering getting one this time around. I’m horrified at a lot of the stories of permanent side effects and I’m starting to quiver at the thought that ‘au naturale’ may be the best way to go again. I was just hoping to enjoy this birth a little. What was your epi experience like?

The amount of response she received told me that this is a hot topic with veteran moms and moms-to-be alike.  With my first baby,  I had an epidural – and thank gawd!