the best and the worst: week 09

this, by far, is one of my favourite weeks as a blogger. yes, the hectic schedule is there and trying to find every available moment to put in posts was tough but the best moments came when i introduced my blog to more friends and i see them cringe. that is the exact reaction i wanted from readers this week. the selection of content and images were meant to provoke a response. 

after the initial 'eek-ing', my prayer was that there would be conversation on the things that they saw on my blog. increasingly, i am beginning to believe that fashion is truly a conversation. the attitudes of fashion and movement of trends is a continual exchange of ideas. this week, the quest for beauty sailed to the extremes and i must admit that i am overall pleased with the results and responses.

however, i may be glad, we still have a job to do and that is to reward and demerit. here are the results:

best: ties that bind

this post was a 'painful' post to write because no matter how one tries to cushion the material and the angle, the act of feet binding is brutal. i would like to sugarcoat the ideas behind breaking the bones of young girls and limiting their movements but i just could not. there is not explanation to such cruelty. it is definitely good that this was the best post of the week. i am hoping that everyone would then pause to reflect on the modern day parallels. have we allowed ourselves to 'bind feet' just because we want to achieve a certain stereotype?

worst: hair i am...

i think the pattern is clear. the final friday post... and most of my friends agree that it is really a factor of time that the second friday post of the week garners a lot less attention even after much marketing efforts. 

overall, readership numbers are very encouraging. not sure if i have found the formula for The Online Edition yet but it's wonderful to know that whatever i am doing, you are enjoying it. thank you!

sexiest man alive: Channing Tatum

ps: i'm bending traditions a little because i want to send my congratulations to channing tatum for being named 'sexiest man alive'

fash'on... BAM!

at what cost(metics)?

over the week, with every post that i write, a recurring question i have is: at what costs? what lengths are people willing to go to in order to achieve the ideal beauty standards. when the targets are achieved, then standards change. just like the ever-changing yardsticks of beauty, cosmetic trends change all the time. word-of-caution before you slap on your next lip colour, do make it a point to find out what you are putting on yourself.

Rihanna

cosmetics (colloquially known as makeup or make-up) are care substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. they are generally mixtures of chemical compounds, some being derived from natural sources, many being synthetic. in the united states, the food and drug administration (fda) which regulates cosmetics, defines cosmetics as 'intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body's structure or functions.' this broad definition includes, as well, any material intended for use as a component of a cosmetic product. 

not meant to scare you but here are some of the disadvantages of makeup:

cosmetic allergy

allergic reactions: one of the most common problems experienced with makeup is an allergic reaction. in many cases, a person doesn't know they are allergic to the makeup until after using it with adverse results. the chemicals can cause rashes, acne, itching or dryness, wherever the makeup has been applied. the reaction can be nearly undetectable to quite severe. allergies can be determined by visiting a physician and completing a 'patch test'. during the test, the doctor applies certain chemicals to a small area of the skin then waits for a few days to see what reaction, if any, occurs. once an allergy becomes apparent, consumers can avoid makeups that contain the problem chemical.

acne

acne: certain makeups clog pores more than others. liquid or cream makeups clog pores the most, while powder makeups and especially mineral makeup tend to leave skin a little clearer. when heavier makeup gets into the pores of the skin, it can be difficult to fully wash all the makeup away before going to sleep. when makeup is left in the pores, it attracts dirt and oil, which in turn combine to create blackheads. blackheads basically consist of dirt that has gotten stuck within the skin, and they are often visible and can be removed. after a while, the blackhead will turn into a full blown blemish, which is an small bacterial infection. these do not last forever and can be 'extracted' from the skin, but they can quite painful. many people try to cover up blemishes with more makeup, which can actually make the problem worse by attracting more oil or dirt to the inflamed skin. in order to avoid this, it is best to find a makeup with washes off easily and possibly contains some antibacterial ingredients.

cancer: even though there has been a dramatic increase in the creation of 'natural' or 'organic' makeup products, there are still many brands that use potentially dangerous chemicals in the creation of their lines. not all the ingredients in each product are tested for long-term safety and although they are tested to make certain that there will be no immediate harmful results, some chemicals have been linked to cancer. it is rare, however, for the millions of people that use makeup daily, the risk increases. chemicals like amorphous hydrated silica have been shown to contain small amounts of crystalline quartz, which has been linked to the development of cancer. chemicals like this are absorbed through the skin, and also breathed in, bringing the toxins to the lungs.

image from beauty through strength

in conclusion, do take care of your skin... after all, it is the largest organ of the body.

fash'on... BAM!

waist-ed beauty

if you are a returning reader after yesterday's articles, kudos to you! i salute your level of courage and bow before your high tolerance for shocking images. anyway, we shall continue looking as some rather uncomfortable things that done in the name of beauty.

The Corset

there has always been a perception that girls appear sexier if they have waspish waists and hourglass figures, but the pain and discomfort suffered in the name of sexuality must at times have been truly awful. from ancient times through all kinds of societies, corsets persisted, and still has an impact today, though the garments are now much more user friendly.

a great number of societies considered such garments vital for sexual attraction, tight garments a form of subjugation, which women seemed happy to accept. roman slaves underwent tight lacing, middle-eastern women favoring elaborately decorated tight belts to gain male admiration. as time passed restrictive bodices, of cloth or leather became women's essentials, 15th century ones stiffened with wood, whalebone or even wrought iron, and mother of french king henry iii catherine de medici wanted thirteen inch waists and no larger among female staff. 

effect of corsets

many females suffered and died young, because wanting to show off their best sexual assets could hardly have been done in less healthier ways. women in victorian times believed a tiny waist essential for every girl because wanting to be married before reaching twenty-one with a waist measurement similar to their age, was seen as vitally important in society. this meant that corsets were so tightly laced that legs and lower bodies were often permanently numb making fainting commonplace.

that said, madonna was often seen wearing corsets on her world tour and singer alicia keys wears one in the victorian style to spice up her stage act. both britney spears and victoria beckham are often seen on celebrity nights wearing corsets, which are great for accentuating the shape, though many these days feel that these garments should carry health warnings, because they once were practically instruments of torture.

attitudes may have changed today but the appeal of the corset never died completely. hourglass figures still a powerful sexual weapon, fancy corsets readily accepted as sex toys. anything that enhances gratification has a place in society and rightly so, even naturally shapely women made more attractive with that waspish waistline and in the sexual struggle every little helps.

fash'on... BAM!

bother with bra-ther?

image from dangerous lee

so the earlier post was a bit of a comic relief, somewhat of an intermission for a rather 'heavy' week. in order to get you back (and myself) back into the mode of 'comfort women', i'm going to explore fashion that sometimes is overlooked. according to statistics, eighty percent women wear the wrong size bra. 

scary fact but true; you may be wondering 'so what!' well you should know that an ill fitting bra could cause unsuspecting health problems like headaches and back pain. hence if you have noticed these following points you are wearing the wrong bra:

image from your perfect fit

a) your bra strap is digging into your skin

b) your breasts are spilling out of the cup

c) the cup is away from the top of the bra

d) the underband rides up your back

e) the underwire does not sit on the breast bone

when you are ill-fitted, the problems that could arise include:

1) restricted breathing: if the bra is too tight or if the underwire does not fit perfectly on the breast bone, you will feel that you can’t breath properly. 

2) indigestion: a tight bra can cause indigestion; it can obstruct the flow of the digestive system.

3) back pain: if the bra does not fit correctly, and the underband chokes the back, it can increase the risk of back pain. same goes for shoulder blades, the bra should not restrict your movement.

4) poor posture: if you slouch or hunch over it could be that your bra is causing the tension.

5) abrasions: ill fitting bras can limit the circulation of blood and oxygen to certain parts of your body. the friction of a tight bra can also cause scratches. 

6) breast pain: limited circulation in your breast can make you uneasy. this can lead to the next problem. 

7) breast cancer: ill fitting bras restrict the lymph flow to the breasts; this increases the toxins in your breast, which may cause cancer.

8) headaches: tight fit plus restricted flow plus lack of oxygen can lead to headaches.

the best advice i can give you ladies: go to an established lingerie store and get them to fit you well. also note that your sizes do change, thus once you feel your bra seems a tad out of place or odd, it's time for a visit to the store.

Victoria's Secret models

fash'on... BAM!

makeover magic

all right, i hear your gastric juices churning with the material that i have put out over the last couple of the days. is there an end coming soon? not yet. however to give you some comic relief, here are a couple of  clips i pulled off youtube.

fash'on... BAM!

paying lip service

so the first two posts about feet binding and neck rings for today have drawn a fair amount of reaction. once again, while it is easy (even personally) for us to judge and condemn, i am trying to think through the reasons and factors behind the various extreme treatments in order to achieve beauty or what is deemed as beautiful. it is also my prayer that throughout this week, we keep an open mind and try not to stereotype what is wrong and what is right. we have to really, really try.

as we journey on, the final post for today examines another 'fashion trend', this time it is more than just lip service.

woman with lip plate

the lip plate, also known as a lip plug or lip disc, is a form of body modification. increasingly larger discs (usually circular, and made from clay or wood) are inserted into a pierced hole in either the upper or lower lip, or both, thereby stretching it. the term labret denotes all kinds of pierced-lip ornaments, including plates and plugs. in africa, a lower lip plate is usually combined with the excision of the two lower front teeth, sometimes all four. 

among the sara people and lobi a plate is also inserted into the upper lip. other tribes, such as the makonde, used to wear a plate in the upper lip only. in many older sources it is reported that the plate's size is a sign of social or economical importance in some tribes. however, because of natural mechanical attributes of human skin, it seems that the plate's size often just depends on the stage of stretching of the lip and the wishes of the wearer.

image from youtube

among the surma and mursi people of the lower omo river valley in ethiopia, about six to twelve months before marriage the woman's lip is pierced by her mother or one of her kinswomen, usually at around the age of fifteen to eighteen. the initial piercing is done as an incision of the lower lip of one to two cm length and a simple wooden peg is inserted. after the wound has healed, which usually takes between two and three weeks, the peg is replaced with a slightly bigger one. at a diameter of about four centimetres, the first lip plate made of clay is inserted. every woman crafts her plate by herself and takes pride in including some ornamentation. the final diameter ranges from about eight centimetres to over twenty centimetres. 

surma women with lip plates

shauna latosky, building from observations and conversations during field research among the mursi in 2004, discusses in detail why most mursi women adorn themselves with lip plates and concludes with a narrative that reveals the value of the lip plate within a discourse of female strength and self-esteem. these days, it appears that mursi girls of age thirteen to eighteen decide for themselves whether to wear a lip plate or not. the lip plates worn by mursi and surma women have been instrumental in making them a popular tourist attraction in recent years, with mixed consequences for these tribes.

in the pacific northwest of north america, among the haida, tsimshian and tlingit, lip plates used to symbolise social maturity by indicating a girl's eligibility to be a wife. the installation of a girl's first plate was celebrated with a sumptuous feast.

fash'on... BAM!

extended beauty?

similar to feet binding, i asked myself how the custom of neck rings came about. how was it possible for people to come up with 'fashion trends' that inflict such discomfort in another? unfortunately, once again, the women are at the brunt of it.

starting young 

image from feminist university

neck rings are formed with one or more spiral metal coils of many turns worn as an ornament around the neck of an individual. in a few african and asian cultures neck rings are worn usually to create the appearance that the neck has been stretched. padaung (kayan lahwi) women of the kayan people begin to wear neck coils from as young as age two. the length of the coil is gradually increased to as much as twenty turns. the weight of the coils will eventually place sufficient pressure on the shoulder blade to cause it to deform and create an impression of a longer neck. 

the elongated neck: ideal beauty?

the custom of wearing neck rings is related to an ideal of beauty: an elongated neck. neck rings push the collarbone and ribs down. the neck stretching is mostly illusory: the weight of the rings twists the collar bone and eventually the upper ribs at an angle 45 degrees lower than what is natural, causing the illusion of an elongated neck. the vertebrae do not elongate, though the space between them may increase as the intervertebral discs absorb liquid.

x-ray of deformed collarbone

while many may condemn the practice of 'neck stretching', we cannot forget how this custom has become definitive of the tribes' culture. the question is: does culture and tradition have to have an outward expression even when it is clearly in opposition with the natural order of the human body? is no one born beautiful?

fash'on... BAM!

where hair you been?

since for the rest of the week, the images are going to be 'interesting', i decided to start off with something less stomach churning. what is the first thought that comes to your mind when a lady raises her arms and you see an unshaven, hairy underarm? 

Michelle Chong as Lulu

Julia Roberts

a fashion convention that we have accepted is the image of the shaven woman. truly, it seems like society at large is unable to accept ladies who do not shave. hence, one of the processes that women (and some men) subject themselves to is hair removal. we are not talking about just haircuts but the process of waxing and shaving so that they can fall into the category of 'soft, silky and smooth'. it's always interesting to note reactions when people catch a glimpse of a hairy situation. literally, faces change colour. hence, whether we like it or not, society has created processes for hair removal. let's thus explore the methods:

1) waxing is a form of semi-permanent hair removal which removes the hair from the root. new hair will not grow back in the previously waxed area for two to eight weeks, although some people will start to see regrowth in only a week. almost any area of the body can be waxed, including eyebrows, face, bikini area, legs, arms, back, abdomen and feet. there are many types of waxing suitable for removing unwanted hair.

Kerry Degman

2) shaving is the removal of hair, by using a razor or any other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down to the level of the skin. shaving is most commonly practiced by men to remove their facial hair and by women to remove their leg and underarm hair. 

3) intense pulsed light, commonly abbreviated as ipl, is a technology used by beauty studios and medical practitioners to perform various skin treatments including hair removal and photo rejuvenation.  light travels through the skin until it strikes the hair shafts or the bulb (root) of the hair. the bulb is usually where the highest concentration of melanin is located, as opposed to the rest of the hair shaft. as the light is converted to heat energy, the bulb and most of the hair shaft are instantly vaporized. the intense heat radiated by the hair also destroys the hair-producing papilla or the entire hair follicle. contrary to what is often claimed, photoepilation is not a permanent hair removal method but a permanent hair reduction method. this means that although IPL treatments with these devices will permanently reduce the total number of body hairs, they will not result in a permanent removal of all hair.

so let's list some drawbacks of hair removal:

ingrown hairs

a) hair removal of any kind can cause some issues: skin inflammation, minor burns, lesions, scarring, and increase in rate of growth, thickness of hair, ingrown hairs, bumps and infected hair follicles.

b) waxing can be painful when the strip is removed from the skin. although the pain is not long-lasting, it can be intense, particularly in more sensitive areas. just watch this video.

c) when removed against the direction of hair growth, the wax strip may disturb hair follicles, causing hair to begin to grow in different directions. this may cause hair growth to be more noticeable and make other methods of hair removal more difficult. fortunately, this risk is negligible if the waxing is performed properly.

d) another drawback of waxing is that some people experience ingrown hairs, red bumps, and minor bleeding. this is more likely to occur when waxing areas with thick hair, especially the first few times when follicles are strongest. 

razor burn

e) razor burn is an irritation of the skin caused by using a blunt blade or not using proper technique. it appears as a mild rash two to four minutes after shaving (once hair starts to grow through sealed skin) and usually disappears after a few hours to a few days, depending on severity. in severe cases, razor burn can also be accompanied by razor bumps, where the area around shaved hairs get raised red welts or infected pustules. 

so the road to silky smoothness is not so smooth after all. 

fash'on... BAM!

unicorn fashion

the unicorn is a legendary animal from european folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard and cloven hooves. first mentioned by the ancient greeks, it became the most important imaginary animal of the middle ages and renaissance when it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin. in the encyclopedias its horn was said to have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness.

two unicorns crossing horns

in the world of fashion and beauty, we often hope to find the next 'unicorn'. we want to dazzle and wow people. sadly, unicorns do not exist but there are still ways to be that shimmering star and yes, they involve animals.

1) snake venom cream

snake venom cream

inkanat created snake cream, which contains syna-ke a polypeptide similar to that which contains the snake venom, which has a proven effect on wrinkles by acts in similar to botox but without the side effects, and it also contains collagen. as you get older, your skin is aging with you and the signs become more visible with age, wrinkles are marked around the eyes and forehead and your skin begins to sag with the rest of the body, especially in the neck, chin and upper arms. this is due to elastin and collagen, which have kept your skin firm so far but are leaving. lines caused by facial expressions are always visible. we use about sixty facial muscles to communicate through speech and facial expressions. frowning, raising eyebrows, laugh and make faces are some of the typical facial expressions we use to communicate. over time and with frequent use of these facial movements, these wrinkles persist and become deeper and permanent wrinkles in the forehead, laugh lines and wrinkles around the eyes.

2) ox bone marrow shampoo

ox bone marrow shampoo

brazilians have a knack at everything flashy and tacky. take for example the 'tutannol' - a shampoo made from bone marrow that came straight from the insides of an ox. this shampoo promises strong and shiny hair through natural ingredients laden with essential oils. tutannol is also salt free hence users need not worry about their hair smelling like the ocean.

3) snail ooze cream

snake ooze cream

the 2008 january edition of the journal of the international society of skin pharmacology corroborate the molecular basis of snail secretion’s regenerative compounds. this secretion has been used as a natural skin care treatment for many ailments and skin conditions since ancient times. the special properties of snail serum according to studies protect the snail’s body from hazardous elements like sun radiation and the surfaces they so slowly slither on. regenerative properties found in snail secretion contain the same structural elements of human skin like water holding molecules, collagen and elastin, etc. this protects and repairs their skin, shell and organs when affected by outside elements, and according to studies has the same affect on our skin. additionally, snail secretion is used frequently and proven to be reliable in skin damaging treatment as a consequence of treating skin cancer with radio therapy. 

4) snake massage

watch only if you have nerves of steel!

fash'on... BAM!