i am so ashamed.

Jessica Simpson has inspired me. I KNOW. wtf? she's doing this show on vh1 about what makes women feel beautiful all over the world. she went to thailand where women try to be as pale as possible (hello, they'd be all over me), and some wear the golden neck rings that elongate their necks and show that they are prosperous. she then went to paris to a fashion show, and here's the thing- the women being primped for the fashion show, in a way that seemed normal to me (hairspray, makeup, etc.) were in the same position as a girl having rings put on her- things applied to them by someone else. and this blew my mind. mascara, teased hair, eyeliner, etc are just as ridiculous as those rings. but here's the big thing- the girl having the rings put on her is following a tradition, and her mother was putting them on her. she was happy. she felt beautiful and connected to her culture. the models they showed in paris scowled, and were being jerked around with combs, brushes, and appliques. the little girl was so beautiful, and those models looked like shit. like trendy, gone tomorrow, hollow, controlled shit doing as it was told. and even dumb Jessica Simpson had grace and understanding of the magnitude and beauty that tradition can hold over some haughty french crap.

the other thing they discussed that i've been thinking about, is anorexia. most of you know that being overly thin is my only serious beef with fashion. and i love the most ridiculous of the ridiculous- hello, Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. but they spoke to a girl named Isabelle Caro who is anorexic (after wanting to be a model and having a rough childhood) and appeared the following ad:


now. this is a powerful ad, and i agree with the point it's trying to make. however- this girl did not make it as a model because she was not thin enough- now she's famous for being super skinny. i'm not sure how i feel about that. but someone get her a sandwich, for real.