Have your hankies at the ready Dollymixers, for this is going to be my last post as guest editor! I know, I know, I'm sad about it too, mainly because I've had far too much fun being at the helm of this fine website over the past fortnight.
Alas, I haven't had enough time to tell you all about why darts is the best professional sport around at the moment (you'll have to take my word for it on that one I suppose), or how to form your own clothes swapping collective, or even why Skins is one of the strangest teenage shows on television at the moment (although that's pretty self-evident I suppose. I never did any of those things when I was eighteen. Does this mean that my teenage years were somehow a fundametally deprived time?)
I have however learnt a fair few things over the past fortnight. Mainly that:
:: Attempting to edit a women's website whilst doing a full time office job can be ever so slightly detrimental to your health. I have fallen asleep on my laptop keyboard twice over the past fourteen days. That can't be good, although the large gin and tonics I've been drinking to help the flow of my creative juices may have had something to do my "narcolepsy".
:: I really really want to go to Rock Camp for Girls. So much so in fact, I'm thinking of attending the one being held in London this Summer. People of London! If you've ever been looking for an excuse to invest in a halfway decent set of earplugs, then this is your chance!
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY DOLLYMIXERS! Or, if you're not attached, Happy Single-Awareness-Day! For yes, the so-called most romantic day of the year has rolled its bandwagon into town once again. Whilst I do have a boyfriend who managed to get me a present so mindboggingly brilliant, I almost got down on one knee and proposed to him (see photograph), I'm not totally ignorant of the fact that if you're not attached, the culture around Valentines Day can make you feel a bit worthless.
Prior to meeting my ex in Summer 2007, I was single for three long years, and know all too well the horrors of working in an office where everyone apart from yourself is surrounded by sappy cards and red roses. All these things appear to designed to make the single girl feel like crap whilst simulatenously worrying that she'll die alone and end up being eaten by her 55 cats.
I try not to "do" Valentines Day for a number of reasons. Mainly because I'm not particularly girly, and believe that there's more to life than wasting my hard earned money on overpriced tat. Plus, I told Mr. Cay in no uncertain terms that if he bought me heart shaped chocolates, flowers or (perish the thought!) a novelty teddybear, I'd have no hesitations in feeding them to his next door neighbour's dog.
Crikey. I mean....blimey. I mean...oh sorry Dollymixers, you appear to have caught me currently attempting not to fall over in shock. For something very odd indeed has been seen to be taking place within the comments section of a Daily Mail feature. It appears Middle England has suddenly embraced its inner feminist and developed a social conscience.
"She looks healthy, beautiful and HAPPY. The critics should keep their mouths shut, it's all just petty jealousy."
"She looks awesome! This is needlessly cruel."
Her legs look exactly the same as the other picture of her dressed as Daisy Duke. Exactly what is wrong with her figure. She hasn't exactly 'squeezed' herself into them. I'd love a pair of legs like hers.The media are to blame for this poor attitude to curvier women. AND we're not fat or obese it's just the way we are and for god's sake there's nothing wrong with it. I'd rather look like the way I do than someone like Skele-miserable spice.
Does this mean that the Mail is going to start changing the way it reports about the goings on of female celebrities? I wouldn't hold my breath just yet, but it is nice to see the Mail getting a stern ticking off from the people it appears to speak for. As for what I think about Jessica Simpson's new figure? Let's just say that if I had an arse like hers, I would never want for anything else ever again.
Looking for something to do in Manchester this weekend? Why Don't You....
:: Enjoy a cup of tea and a cupcake at the Sweet Tooth Cupcakery in Chorlton Cupcakes are the new rock and roll, as any fule doth know. With Chorlton frequently being referred to as Manchester's answer to Islington (just without the Caledonian Road and the bendy buses), it's no surprise that us uncouth Northerners have managed to get our own rather delightful little bakery as well.
In my opinion, this is one of the best cake shops in the world. Located in a hidden away corner, and decorated in vintage Americana, all the cupcakes served are handmade in shop using the richest ingredients such as French butter, mascarpone and fresh fruits. and are given characters once created which range from famous Hollywood film stars to local characters.
Whilst you're there, be sure to try the Johnny Cash (double chocolate with an oreo base) accompanied by one of the bakery's signature milkshakes. Just make sure you wear something loose fitting.
Sweet Tooth Cupcakery, 9a Oswald Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9LP
Not only do these women kick arse and take names in the politest way imaginable (just watch what one of the ladies does when she meets an "objectionable gentleman" who will insist on kissing her), but they also manage to do it in high heels and full party gear. One of the ladies even shows a rather daring flash of white knickers when she's throwing a brute over her shoulder. Speaking as a woman who finds it difficult to complete even the rudimentary basics of kickboxing whilst wearing jogging bottoms and trainers, you can't help but admire their chutzpah. Indeed, it proves that even back then, ladies were not afraid of punching muggers in the balls when the situation so required.
I'm a firm believer that women should learn how to defend themselves, particularly in light of the worrying rise in sexual orientated violence. Whilst knowing how to kick an assailant to the curb isn't the same as actually doing it in practice, just knowing the techniques will help you to turn fear into power if you ever find yourself in a difficult situation . And, as these videos prove, it is indeed possible to elbow a chap in the solar plexus without messing up your hair.
It's all too easy to deride celebrities as just being a bunch of spoilt, overgrown children. I mean, look at them with their fancy dresses, infeasibly good looking partners and their desire to change the world via so-called "philanthropy" work. And then, one of them comes along and does something so mindbogglingly amazing, that you're forced to sit back and concede that maybe they can save the world after all.
A video has been released on Youtube showing her breastfeeding a hungry African child whose mother had stopped producing milk. Hayek was in Sierra Leone as part of a project helping to fight the spread of Tetanus. The country has the highest infant mortality rate in the world, in part fuelled by malnutrition, but also because of social stigma. Many Sierra Leone women stop breastfeeding their infants within the first few months after birth because of pressure from their husbands. Tradition has it, in some areas, that it is not acceptable to have sexual relations with breast feeding women.
According to ABC.com; "Hayek said her decision to breastfeed another woman's child was an attempt to diminish the stigma placed on women for breast feeding. At the time she was still breastfeeding her 1-year-old daughter...am I being disloyal to my child by giving her milk away?" Hayek said. "I actually think my baby would be very proud to share her milk. And when she grows up I'm going to make sure she continues to be a generous, caring person."
Naturally, Hayek's actions have raised eyebrows across the world. But, it is fantastic to see a woman not being ashamed to breastfeed not just her own child, but a child she saw who was seriously in need. With women across the world increasingly being stigmatised for choosing to breastfeed in public, there's something both refreshing and deeply empowering about seeing a woman choosing to use her body in a powerful and positive way.
Whenever you write about children's television, you always feel duty bound to say Pah! Kids nowadays! When I was a child back in the 1980s, we had a veritable cornocopia of premium entertainment! somehow forgetting that we too were bombarded with cheap (and frankly bizarre) foreign imports (if you want an example, then look no further than He-Man and She-Ra who were only created to sell a line of dolls).
Various commentators are saying that the reason kids are no longer watching these programmes isn't just because The Weakest Link has hit BBC1's teatime schedules, but also because kids have now have access to a wide array of mindblowing entertainment via satellite kids channels and the internet. Why sit around with your fishfingers and chips watching the squeaky clean Blue Peter crew show you how to make a spaceship out of a Fairy Liquid bottle when you can watch Elijah Wood doing his special dancey dance on Nickelodeon's amazing Yo Gabba Gabba?
Why is a sculpture of a giant horse deemed to be art? Well, because this isn't just any giant white horse, it's a giant white horse designed by the former Turner Prize winner, Mark Wallinger. Plus, a prancing white horse is the logo for the county council and has been the symbol of Kent for hundreds of years.
Personally, I love it. Particularly as, standing beneath it, you can feel like a character from Gulliver's Travels. Something tells me however that the charming people on the BBC's Have Your Say boards might not feel quite the same way...
Ok, so Christmas was two months ago, and my birthday isn't until November, BUT does anyone fancy donating a rather large sum of money to my good self so I can go to America and attend the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls?
Once upon a time, a long time ago (well, in 2002), I was actually in a band. I played clarinet, sang backing vocals, and was the only member of our musical quartet who didn't have a beard. We did two gigs in Oxford, one of which involved a man setting his leg on fire halfway through our set, and my friend Marianne running up onto the stage between songs so she could nick my cigarettes. We eventually went our separate ways after our lead vocalist had a Mark E. Smith style strop, and sacked us all so he could make weird eight-minute math rock epics in his bedroom. However, it was fun whilst it lasted, and I have always secretly harboured dreams of being the next Patti Smith or Joan Jett. Hell, I'd settle for being the next Dolly Parton come to think of it.
I know I'm not the only one who harbours girlish dreams of musical stardom, which is why the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls looks so...well...rock!
There are few things that I like better in life than going to the pub with my friends and drinking whiskey whilst putting the world to rights. Indeed, I think the right to go to the pub is one of those things which should be enshrined in every country's constitution.
Last month, the Sri Ram Sena (Army of Lord Ram) group attacked women in Magalore in Southern India who they saw out drinking, and who they deemed to be acting disgracefully. The attack was filmed, was filmed and then broadcast on national television, showing men chasing and beating up panicking women. Some of the women, who tripped and fell, were kicked viciously by the men. Because, you know, beating the living shit out a woman daring to express her individuality by living her life the way she chooses to is a really good way to win people over to your cause.
The group are also planning to protest against Valentines Day this Saturday, believing that a harmless commercial celebration of hearts and flowers will slowly erode away moral dignity and the fabric of society.
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