Thursday 27 March 2014

The Media - Pressure to be Slimmer for Summer

It's unfortunately that time of year again, when all the magazines and papers seem to be talking about bikini bodies.

I was recently browsing through one of the weekly celebrity gossip magazines when I found myself wanting to get up and put it in the paper recycling bin.

I started to feel annoyed when reading about a girl from a famous reality TV show. There was a photo of her looking lovely in what was obviously a bikini photoshoot, with text next to the photo quoting her saying that she has big boobs and big thighs and that she dislikes her nose, to name a few things. The magazine printed next to this that she is a size 8, along with her age.

If she really is a size 8, then I think the last thing that they should print is her moaning about how big her thighs are... This sends completely the wrong message to women and girls.

Everyone knows that the media are constantly shoving photographs of pretty and skinny female celebs in our faces - in a way it's old news. It's just what they do...it's the norm... it sells... it makes money... it's annoying!

Way to make us girls feel rubbish.. why do we need to see constant bikini photos of celebrity women taking a stroll in the sea or enjoying the sunshine on a beach? 

Then listen to them moan about the size of their legs whilst claiming to be a size 8?

This magazine was comparing lots of photos of celebs in bikinis by their age and clothes size.

In my opinion, these articles featuring perfect skinny ladies just subconsciously tell many of us "This is how you need to look. If you don't, men won't think your hot. You won't be up to date or fashionable...if you don't look like her in a bikini, then you don't look good enough."

Excuse me! Most of us have full time jobs, houses to look after/pay for, exams to revise for or children to take care of.  

It would be unrealistic for everyone to look like a perfect celebrity, as most people don't have time to go to the gym every day, or money to buy a pre-made healthy salad every lunchtime, or get chauffeured around in a private car that gives them time to organise their fitness schedule with a pricey personal trainer while someone else drives them from location to location.

No wonder it's hard for normal girls to look as good as famous celebrities!

I think that the ladies & gents who edit these magazines and choose the photos/write captions, etc, should look out for different and fresh positive ways to show us these celebrities. I know a 10 year old girl who genuinely worries that she is the biggest girl in her class at school. She is not in any way overweight.

We have learnt to worry about these things, and I believe that it's the magazines and papers that have taught us this.

I'm not saying ban celeb magazines - please do show us their outfits and how we can find a similar high street style for a cheaper price - but don't constantly show bikini photos and write things like "We are so jealous of her bikini bod".

In the grand scheme of life, how we look in a bikini should be low on our list of priorities. We should not have to feel that we will be compared to others. When I wear a bikini, it's to enjoy some gorgeous hot weather, go for a swim or have a fab day at a super fun water park (something I love doing!) ...Not to try and look like a hottie in the eyes of the other people who are sitting around the pool.

While it's lovely to feel good about yourself, we should be able to feel good regardless of minor details such as the shape of our legs.

I know that I would certainly prefer to enjoy myself, having fun and appreciating my lovely family, eating the occasional Domino's pizza with garlic bread or cooked breakfast and doing the things I love, rather than over-doing it at the gym every evening in order to be a skinny as possible.

Life is too short :)



Sunday 23 March 2014

Saturday Bargins including Gilly Hicks Cardiff

 
So yesterday I went shopping in Cardiff with my fiance and managed to get myself a few little bargains. First up is these earrings from New Look:
 
 
Lots of the jewellery at New Look that is not their own brand is half price at the moment. I've seen the stands in a couple of different stores, so I know that it's not just in Cardiff. There is a great choice of earrings, rings, necklaces etc...too much to choose from!
I never seem to get on with bigger earrings so I just stick to my smaller studs. The ones shown above were half price at New Look - £2 for the ones on the left, and £2.50 for the ones on the right. Not bad for six different pairs :)
 
My next mention is to Gilly Hicks - sister store of Abercrombie & Fitch. Being a bit of an Abercrombie fan I was keen to take a look in here. The huge screens on the front of the store show footage of the sea at Bondi Beach, which also encourages me to go in for a look, being a fan of Australia too!
 
Well I was glad I went in! There was a great sale on, and all bras were just £4.99! I didn't think I would find myself blogging about underwear, but this was such a good sale that I feel I should share it! 

 
I did find myself double checking with a girl who worked at the store that they really were all £4.99, as the original price on the tag was much bigger than that! This section of the store was set up perfectly with all different styles of bra organised into colours and sizes.
 
 
 
 

As you can see from the price tags, the original prices were around £40 each. I would never be able to pay that amount on these items (and I wouldn't choose to either!) so I think £9.98 for both was a great buy.
 
The store also had lots of other items on sale, definitely worth a visit!
 
 
 


 

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Happy Memories and Daydreaming

 



Happy memories mean a lot to me - surely that's what life is about - making as many happy memories as possible?
 
Whether it's memories of good times with friends, family meals or holidays to exciting new places, I think it's important to take the time to have a good daydream about them from time to time.
 
Today at work, whilst sitting in the staffroom on a break, I had a good daydream about my holiday to Australia last year. I had always wanted to go there and my fiance and I had the best time - we got to do so much fun stuff.
 
I feel really lucky and glad that I went as the happy memories are always there for me to visit in my head when I'm feeling bored or a bit down. They instantly make me feel better.
 
A child that I work with was talking to me about favourite toys today - Moshi Monsters seem to be all in! It made me think back to when I was about 7 years old, and my favourite toy was a pink horse box campervan with ponies and riders. I have a clear memory of setting up the campervan under the Christmas tree and having hours of fun!
 
Lots of people talk about their childhood memories and these are often either of fun times or of a time when we might have felt scared. Whenever I think back to a nice happy memory it seems to be more likely to be recent, from my adult life. (Although I am lucky enough to have lots of happy childhood memories, too.)
 
It also usually leads me to daydream about the future happy memories that I will hopefully be making...
 
Sunshine... holidays... birthday meals... clothes shopping...
 
I think I've been daydreaming too much today! :)
 
Do you have a favourite memory that cheers you up when you are feeling a bit down?

Tuesday 11 March 2014

River Island Holiday Shop Wishlist

So everyone is talking about the beautiful weather we've been having this week. I love blue skies and definitely feel much happier when it's a nice sunny day - it's just easier to drag myself out of bed for work!

As a result I love shopping for new summer clothes and accessories. We don't see many blue skies here in Wales so I like to save up for a summer holiday abroad whenever possible. I love seeing new places and getting a few days of guaranteed hot weather. River Island is one of my favourite shops to browse online for summer holiday clothes - here's my latest River Island Holiday Shop Wishlist:




 
Navy Textured Bikini - Top £15, Bottoms £10
 
Floral Bowler bag - £40
 
Light wash ripped denim shorts - £25
 
Cream Daisy Lace shell top - £25
 
Pink gem stone sandals - £35
 
x
 
 
 


 

Friday 7 March 2014

Rimmel Fruities – Strawberry Fizz Scented Nail Polish


 
When I picked up this Rimmel nail polish recently, I chose it for the gorgeous bright colour. I actually had no idea that it was a scented polish until I had applied it and was waiting for it to dry. I was patiently watching TV when I noticed the strawberry smell, which was a nice surprise! This polish smells lovely when drying, and after it has dried too. It’s really sweet and fruity. I find that I can still notice the smell for a day or two after applying, and I love the pink colour. It’s the only nail polish I have been wearing lately.

The polish gives a nice shiny finish, and I have found it to be long lasting, as the bottle promises. For me, it takes a good few days before any minor chips appear – perfect! 

At just £2.99, I have found this polish to be well worth the money. I also picked it up in Boots on a 3 for 2 offer, so I paid less than £6 for 3 different Rimmel nail polishes... bargain!

Have you tried a Rimmel Fruities polish?

Thursday 6 March 2014

A Next Home Wishlist



I have always enjoyed browsing the Next Home range for accessories. If money was no problem then I’m sure I would easily be able to fill my whole house with furniture and accessories from Next alone. I can always find beautiful ornaments, photo frames and pieces of wall art that would suit a range of budgets. Lots of the lower priced items that I have previously bought have been great quality. I recently heard a rumour that my local Next Home store will be closing down... I really hope that this is not true!

Heart shaped accessories seem to be everywhere at the moment, and I love them! Some of the latest available at Next are shown above – these are definitely on my payday wish list.

Top left – Heart collage frame - £20. With room for eight photos of different sizes, this would be lovely for displaying different photos of family and friends.

Top right – Lit flower heart - £16. This is so pretty and would look good hung up on a wall or door.

Bottom left – 10 LED paper lights - £16. These cute lights take batteries so can be placed wherever you like.

Bottom right – Heart Candle Tray - £20. This gorgeous heart tray comes with six tea light holders. I’m sure these would look gorgeous when lit.

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Welcome to Strawberry Sundaes



I’m Rachel and I work as a Teaching Assistant in a primary school. I have wanted to start up my own blog for a while after I started following others on bloglovin, so this is an exciting day for me! I enjoy spending my hard earned money on pretty things for my house and sunny holidays...