Wednesday, February 4, 2015

In Defense of the Selfie Stick

Oh, lame. I just googled "In Defense of the Selfie Stick" and it turns out I'm not very original when it comes to post titles.

I've been hearing a lot of smack talk about selfie sticks recently and it makes me scared to mention how much I really really want to own one. So because I no longer want to hide my love/want for selfie sticks, here are a few reasons why they are awesome.

  1. You know your photos best — Have you ever asked someone else to take a picture of you and you didn't like how it turned out? It was probably out of focus or framed weirdly, or they catch your favorite angle. Even worse, they might've shot it too wide or tall to fit into the perfect Instagram square. With selfie sticks, you are the master of your photo, your focus, and your frame.
  2. No fear of losing your phone – (Or GoPro or whatever). One thing that's always made me nervous is giving others my phone/camera. What if they scroll through my photos? What if they drop it? What if as soon as I hand it to them, they run away never to be heard from again?! Nope, the selfie stick gives me peace of mind. At least if someone tried to yank it away from me, it wouldn't be because I willingly handed it to them.
  3. You can actually see your surroundings – Personally, I love a good selfie for a profile photo. But when I'm visiting someplace new or experiencing something fun, I want to remember where I was and what was around me. Not just what my hair and makeup looked like. I love seeing myself in the context of my surroundings. Shit, I can't never tell where most of my non-selfie-stick selfies were taken.
  4. They're so simple – Seriously. I don't know why they didn't exist before! Literally a stick. Like. What. Gone are the days of taking a bulky tripod with you on a trip to get that perfect shot of you in the mountains. IT'S A PERSONAL MONOPOD! These things are portable, lightweight, easy to use, and... Oh god, I've been writing way too many callouts at work. Help.

Sorrynotsorry, but I love being part of such a self-indulgent generation. 

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Fandom.



I love everything about this. I love fandom and I love love.

Also bonus points for how Scott Pilgrim inspired this is. My favourite movie.

Made me realize that there's something about growing up being part of a fandom (or even growing up on the internet) that you can't get elsewhere. Even the title of this film is worth loving. Every time I've used the expression "I ship it" irl I've had to explain what it means. And people still don't get it. They just give me inquisitive looks. Shit, even the term "irl" is something I have to explain. And then people think I'm weirder than they originally thought I was because I feel the need to differentiate between things that happen online and in real life. But really, I'm just this girl that likes to read and browse and immerse herself in worlds that have expanded far beyond she'd ever imagine.

We all know and love Joey Richter because of A Very Potter Musical, and then we fell in love with Mary Kate Wiles after seeing her fun and quirky portrayal of Lydia Bennett on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. And we all love wizard rock because it's cheesy and awesome and fun to raise your wand up and dance to. And because for maybe a few minutes it takes you away from the real world and all of a sudden you're at Hogwarts, snacking on pumpkin pasties that you bought at Honeydukes last time you visited Hogsmeade... and wow, a lot of places in the Potter universe begin with H. And we make up expressions like "I ship it" and "headcanon" and "OTP." And we write fanfiction, read blogs, listen to podcasts, and watch YouTubers, and follow the creators of said blogs and podcasts throughout their careers.

I'm just having one of those nights where fandom amazes me. How I probably wouldn't be writing this blog without it. How I don't even know if I'd have a blog because one of the main reasons I became "addicted" to the internet at 12 years old was because I went on HarryPotter.com and was active in their forums. Which then led me to make a lil Harry Potter website, which led me to learn web design, which got me into graphic design, which got me the career I'm currently working towards. Like I said, fandom and the idea of it... they really amaze me. But I guess they shouldn't. I mean, that's how most religions work, right? Like, "here, read this book and live your life by it."

On a slightly related note, I found this other video because of "I Ship It" and loved it. I've been reading "Fangirl" and it just hit me in the right spot. In a cute sorta nostalgic yet glad-it-got-better sorta way. Maybe I'll save that book review for later.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

You know what the meanest thing is you can say to a fat girl? You're not fat.





Louis CK is amazing. I've never seen anything on TV that struck so hard with me. Not necessarily in a positive or negative way, but just because of its honestly.

"You know what the meanest thing is you can say to a fat girl? You're not fat." This line is so fucking true. I don't know how many times I've mentioned my weight or made a comment about myself being fat, and immediately people will go "You're not fat!" or "Haha, you're so funny. But really, you're not even fat!" As if the idea of being fat is so disgusting and repulsive that they think I say it as a means of self-deprecating humor. But really, I'm just stating a fact.

In fact, the girls that tell me this are usually the type to make comments about their own looks, and call themselves fat in front of me. The type that give a shit about walking around with split ends on their hair, or not getting their eyebrows done, or complain about needing a pedicure because they can't wear sandals.

A lot of the comments on this video consist of "well, maybe she should lose weight so you won't have to complain about being fat!" Problem solved. In reality, not all fat girls' lives revolve around their hatred for being fat. Believe it or not, some women like their bodies! Shocker, right?

Body acceptance is an issue that I struggle a lot with. On one hand, I don't mind my weight. I think I look great, and I have a boyfriend who loves me just the way I am. But it's the simple things are annoying sometimes, like my thighs chaffing when I wear dresses, or the fact that I sweat more than non "fat" people.

Like most impromptu blog posts, I have no idea what I was trying to get at. I just felt like talking about living as a "fat" girl, and how much I appreciated this scene from Louie.