Why We Should All Calm Down About Vogue Photoshopping Lena Dunham

Some controversy I just don’t get. Like photoshopping. When I watch a film I know it is not reality, and when I read magazines and see posters I don’t expect that to be reality either. Which is why those making a huge deal about Lena Dunham being photoshopped in Vogue (of all places, Vogue is all about fantasy) are making a fuss over nothing. And the gleefulness of some people about the ‘before’ pictures is just bitchiness on a high-school level- she doesn’t look like a supermodel, but that doesn’t mean she is not beautiful. Beauty is debatable.

Dunham has said she is ‘confused’ about the uproar. Frankly, so am I. Jezebel even paid $10,000 for the unretouched pictures and featured them. Why? Models are also retouched in Vogue. Why is Dunham singled out? If anything her differences should be applauded. Dunham did a great Tweet on it.

In fact pretty much everything in the media is photoshopped. The sky, food…the list is endless. Of course men and women are photoshopped, yet it is only when women are photoshopped that the media have a huge hissy-fit about it. The same media that encourages the practice. You may noticed I said women. I meant it. Have you ever seen a media-storm about a man having his pot-belly removed or been made to look younger? I haven’t. Men don’t care either.

Jezebel article on Lena Dunham being photoshopped. Credit: Jezebel.

Jezebel article on Lena Dunham being photoshopped. Credit: Jezebel.

In my opinion it is just another form of sexism. Women are made to feel bad about their bodies so they can be exploited out of their hard-earned money with an endless parade of celebrities whipping themselves into shape weeks after birth, or starving themselves for two days a week. Then they are made to feel bad about not feeling good about their bodies. We can’t win.

Here is my opinion on photoshopping: I love it. I really love it. In fact my idea of hell is being in the media, especially in print, and not being photoshopped. Every flaw is highlighted when photographed. I don’t even care if they photoshop out an arm, as long as they make me taller, thinner and better looking. After all, it’s not reality and it’s not supposed to be.

 

10 tips on fighting the festive flab in the New Year

getfit lose weight10 tips on fighting the festive flab in the New Year By Garry Kerr, Head of Training and Operations at British Military Fitness

Nom, nom, nom…extra eating: During the winter and especially over the festive

season we typically eat more than we would normally and exercising is a great way

to burn those extra calories and keep yourself in shape so when spring finally arrives

you’re in tip top shape! Here are some tips to help you beat the Christmas flab!

 

1. Keep a fitness journal

 

A workout log can help keep your exercise routine on track when you’re

struggling to stay motivated because it will show you how far you’ve come

since you started, and therefore how worthwhile it is to keep going.

 

2. Commit yourself.

 

Get moving! Just do it! There is no time like the start of a New Year. You’ve

got the indulgences of Christmas behind but it’s important you commit. Why

not write all the classes you can attend in your diary so they are viewed as

actual appointments and you’re less likely to cancel.

 

3. Set short-term goals

 

Having something specific to aim for, such as losing a certain amount

of weight or entering a race / marathon for example the Major Series

in the Spring will help you stick to your training

plan. But make sure your goals are achievable. Setting and failing to reach

outlandish targets will put you off.

 

4. Find the fun in it

 

Exercise should not feel like torture. After all, you have made a conscious

decision to do it. You can take great pleasure from overcoming challenges

and progressing with your fitness alongside other people.

 

Does that mean that it will be easy? No. In order to change your body, you

need to experience ‘overload’. This means that you need to keep challenging

your body in order to increase your fitness levels. You will however improve

your fitness levels if you rest and recover properly after each workout.

 

5. Reward yourself

 

Once you’ve hit one of your targets reward yourself. By training and

committing to your training you’ve earned the right to spoil yourself. Whether

it’s a new item of clothing or fitness-related gadgets or clothing – enjoy your

achievements.

 

6. Use visualisation

 

If you don’t believe that you can do that final burpee or make it through

those final reps, you certainly won’t be able to but by picturing yourself doing

it before you try it, you’ll create a mental template that can translate into

success.

 

7. Eating right

 

Food is 90% of the health and fitness battle. You can make great changes

just through making small adjustments to your eating habits alone. While

changing any habits may seem like a daunting task, there is a wealth of

resources available to guide you. By eating a regular mix of proteins, fats and

carbohydrates you will reap the benefits of your physical training routine. You

will have both the energy to perform and the nutritional foundations needed

for recovery. This exercise and nutrition relationship will help you to achieve

your goals

 

8. Be realistic

 

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Unfortunately, while over-used, there is some truth

in that saying.

 

A healthy approach is to aim to improve on yesterday. By repeating this

process you will start to feel like you have made great improvements over a

course of weeks, months and years. It is also important to consider where you

want to be.

 

9. There is gain without pain!

 

While exercise should be challenging in order to encourage the body to adapt

and therefore improve, it should not lead to any injuries.

 

Many people, particularly those new to exercise can become over enthusiastic

because of the physical changes that they experience. Our bodies can only

truly complete exercises at 100% intensity for a number of seconds. Exercises

completed over the course of an hour-long session are performed below

maximum intensity. You should therefore focus more on your technique and

try to work as hard as possible but not push yourself to the point of nausea.

 

10. Abandon an all-or-nothing attitude

 

Don’t think of exercise with an all-or-nothing approach. If you unexpectedly

miss a session, don’t beat yourself up. Just get back on track tomorrow.

Remember; exercise and fitness is a way of life, it’s not a destination.

 

Top 10 Sad Songs

Like Elton John said; ‘sad songs say so much.’ Whether the catalyst for a good cry, or just life affirming (Like A Change Is Gonna Come), nothing beats music for getting you through a tough time. So we put together the Top 10 Sad Songs to go along with our Top 20 Break Up Songs. Let us know if you disagree or love a particular song.

top 10 sad songs, sad, music, lyrics, tearjerkers

Credit: Wikipedia Commons

 

Johnny Cash “I Hung My Head.”

The perfect song for encapsulating regret.

I felt the power
Of death and life
I orphaned his children
I widowed his wife
I begged their forgiveness
I wish I was dead
I hung my head

Mariah Carey “One Sweet Day.”

I dare you not to cry.

Sorry, I never told you, all I wanted to say.
Now it’s too late to hold you. ‘
Cause you’ve flown away, so far away.

Luther Vandross “Dance With My Father”

Ditto.

If I could get another chance, another walk, another dance with him
I’d play a song that would never, ever end
How I’d love, love, love
To dance with my father aga

John Lennon “Mother”

You can feel the pain in Lennon’s voice. His mother left him when he was young.

Mother, you had me but I never had you,
I wanted you but you didn’t want me,
So I got to tell you,
Goodbye, goodbye.

“I Needed You. You Never Needed Me”

Red Hot Chili Peppers “Under The Bridge”

This song about heroin addiction has so much depth.

Sometimes I feel
Like I don’t have a partner
Sometimes I feel
Like my only friend
Is the city I live in
The city of Angels
Lonely as I am
Together we cry

Radiohead “Creep”

I don’t care if it hurts
I want to have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice when I’m not around
You’re so fucking special
I wish I was special

Sam Cooke “A Change Is Gonna Come”

Possibly my favourite song ever.

It’s been too hard living but I’m afraid to die
Cause I don’t know what’s up there beyond the sky
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will

Amy Winehouse “Back To Black”

The Billie Holiday of her generation.

We only said goodbye with words
I died a hundred times
You go back to her
And I go back to…..

U2 “With or Without You.”

Just brilliant.

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you

Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you

With or without you

Kelly Rowland “Stole”

A song about “what if” and the brutal waste of a life cut short.

He’s not invisible anymore
With his Father’s 9 and a broken fuse
Since he walked through that classroom door
He’s all over primetime news

Mary’s got the same size hands
As Marilyn Monroe
She put her fingers in the imprints
At Manns Chinese Theater Show
She coulda been a movie star
Never got the chance to go that far
Her life was stole
Now we’ll never know

 

Fuel | Food Review

I am one of those people who faint if they don’t have breakfast, so I take it quite seriously. Some ‘energy cereal’ landed on Frost’s doorstep and we put it to the test.

Most important thing first: taste. It tastes great. Really good. Like muesli, but better. Fuel is made for sport and fitness enthusiasts. It based on the 10k hours principle (see below) and has been developed for those interested in marathons and triathlons to sustain them through training and the race. This isn’t me, but my life is busy and I exercise most days.

It comes in two flavours: Real Fruit and Chocolate Chunks. Both flavours taste great. Does it give me more energy? Yes. It is a good healthy breakfast that gets you through the day. I would buy Fuel. There is £1 off the normal RSP of £3.29 at Sainsbury from now until August 14th.

Barney Mauleverer, 37, is one of the creators of FUEL and a devotee of extreme sporting challenges having completed the gruelling Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert, the Himalayan Marathon and, most recently, the Jungle Marathon in the Amazon.

Barney said: “We have created FUEL because we were bored with what was on offer in the cereals category and specifically to meet the needs of today’s active people taking part in marathons, triathlons, mountain climbing as well as more traditional pastimes such as rugby, tennis and squash.

“An energy-packed cereal like FUEL will help give them the edge in their training regimes and in competition.”

Containing only natural ingredients, FUEL is rich in Vitamin B and E, high in fibre and contains guarana extract. It is a blend of both slow release and fast release energy providing an ideal start to the day.

FUEL is available in 400g packs and has a retail price of £3.29.

The 10,000 hours rule was developed by psychologist Anders Ericsson of Florida State University and made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers. Basically, Ericsson’s theory suggests that sufficient practice in a particular skill can take anyone to the level of proficiency equivalent to that heard on the playing of a top concert pianist. Gladwell took this theory further and said it could apply to the best sports people, business leaders and performers. He cited the 10,00 hours spent programming by Bill Gates at the age of 13 – long before the majority of his peers knew what a computer was. 10,000 hour works out at 90 minutes of practice ever day for 20 years.

Four Season’s Hotel create Diamond Jubilee Fizz Cocktail.

To celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, King of the Cognacs, Louis XIII, has collaborated with the Four Season’s Hotel London at Park Lane to create a cocktail worthy of The Queen herself. The Diamond Jubilee Fizz is a delicious blend of Louis XIII cognac, raspberry liqueur and rose essence, and is topped up with Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne. As if this wasn’t enough, each customer will walk away with a stunning Leviev Diamond!

The Diamond Jubilee Fizz is available from the Amaranto Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, throughout the whole of June for £10,000.

MOST POPULAR FASHION SEARCHES OF 2011

SHOPSTYLE REVEALS MOST POPULAR FASHION SEARCHES OF 2011

Royal Wedding boosts best of British

ShopStyle.co.uk (the fashion site that brings together Britain’s favourite brands and stores under one digital roof)  today reveals the most popular label and item searches of 2012 and shows that when it comes to fashion, we’re very patriotic.  Five of the top ten most searched for designers in 2011 were British. The prominence of Ted Baker, Burberry, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Paul Smith show that when it comes to fashion, Britain’s style-aware are loyal to our own shores.

 

The penchant for all things British significantly increased across 2011 thanks to Catherine Middleton’s much lauded style choices including Alexander McQueen for her wedding dress. ShopStyle.co.uk saw an enormous 100%*[1] increase in traffic the day of the wedding as women flocked online to find Middleton inspired dresses. And dresses stayed in the Top 10 searches across the year as women were influenced by Catherine Middleton’s elegance and classic style.

 

Alexander McQueen jumped into the top 40 search terms as it was revealed the bride’s wedding dress was designed by the iconic UK fashion house. The only other designer to move into the Top 10 this year was Ralph Lauren leaped fuelled by his TV appearance on Oprah.

 

The maxi dress is still eternally popular topping the list of the most searched for items in 2011, joined at no.1 of most popular labels by Diesel.

 

Shannon Edwards, Managing Director and VP Europe for ShopStyle believes 2011 was the year when fashion took Catherine Middleton to its heart. She says: “From the Royal engagement announcement the fashion world was in love with Catherine’s classic elegance and sophisticated, adoptable style. The Royal Wedding was an incredible event for fashion and began our adoption of all things British, from  designer labels to high street stores. It will continue into 2012 as we look forward to the Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics.”

 

Boasting over one million users each month and over 2000 UK and international fashion brands, ShopStyle.co.uk’s Top Ten of 2011 are as follows:

 

Top 10 Product Searches for 2011

  1. Maxi Dress
  2. Jumpsuit
  3. Red Dress
  4. One shoulder dress
  5. Sequin dress
  6. Playsuit
  7. Lace dress
  8. Nude shoes (Definite Kate Middleton link)
  9. Dress
  10. Bodycon dress

 

Top 10 Label Searches for 2011

  1. Diesel
  2. Marc by Marc Jacobs
  3. Ted Baker
  4. Burberry
  5. Vivienne Westwood
  6. Tommy Hilfiger
  7. Ralph Lauren
  8. Alexander McQueen
  9. Acne
  10. Paul Smith