The finale.

Our little journey together to reinvigorate this  cliche of 

"all the glitters is not gold" has been a fun one for me. whether or not i have re-invented it as such is undetermined.but what's reinvention these day anyway? (pssht) 

To me its applying the old to the new in an interesting way, something i hope i achieved. (hoped!)

I'm rather sad to stop this blog because i enjoyed applying this idea to contemporary "issues" or current trends. 

So i hope you enjoyed my little voyage into the world of blogging and thank you all for your contributions, comments and follows!

I think i might continue with this blog in my own time.

so watch this space, cos i ain't done growing yet.

bella, out!

Internet fame.

This is a thing that both intrigues and irks me.

the power of going viral. And the various channels by which one can create hype and "achieve" fame these days.

Which is in part what we set out to do with this project. well at least create a conversation and interaction with our readers.

I think i'm a little old fashioned when it comes to how people become famous, surely its because they are talented?

especially when it comes to musicians. Sadly this is no longer the case, evidently.

Justin Bieber. Need i say more.

This is probably the only reason i dislike you tube. yep. its you tubes fault.

bugger.

he was "discovered" there and i'm sure, he  marks the first of endless number of average child stars to be putty in music executives hands. That will sell records to the masses and earn them imaginable sums of money while real musicians have to struggle and fight tooth and nail to get anywhere or sell out completely and utterly.[cough.kings of leon.cough] (Really guys, really? your sex is on fire.)

vom. vom. vom.

Back to bieber or beaver as my mom calls him.(i love my mom)

What are they going to do when his voice breaks?

Oh and guys watch this its hilarious:

Psycho Beleiber.

SURELY this marks the extent of how extreme this whole thing has become.

pretty darn pathetic and or creepy if you ask me. Going viral seems to be the glittery thing to do these days but the after-effects and the real musicians left struggling. Not so golden.

Do you guys have any other comments on people that went viral?

and are now [unfortunately] famous?

word up.

have you guys heard of lookbook?

Its where people upload their photos of what they are wearing everyday then rate each other. You also have to apply to join!
ridiculous much?
glittery, but not golden for shit.
It all viva la materialism and image is what matters.
yet another occurrence of if i look and dress creative i must be creative. All image, NO Spinach. The bane of my existence.
It also doesn't help that most of the users are underweight, too hungry to smile kids.
Is this where the world is heading?
all glitter, no gold.
i hope not. 
please do yourself a favor and go check it out. its positively cringe-worthy.
also read how they describe themselves and title their posts.

For the boys.

I have had a couple of complaints from male counterparts that say although they do read and enjoy my blog they feel a little left out in terms of subject matter. So here goes their most beloved thing of all:

There once was a time that they were frowned upon by the masses, thought to be only for sailors and lumberjacks. They were only adopted by brave "alternative musicians" and their followers. This all has changed. The beard and Mustache phenomenon is slowly taking over the faces of men everywhere.The "trend" is an extremely glittery one (perceived as super cool/kief/rad) and for the most part it is. The thing which makes me sad though is this:
Locnville's attempt at facial hair.

So there are some downsides, like people that really really can't rock a beard, trying to.
and also that mustaches are a must-have on the hipster wishlist.

[god,help us all]

So the facial hair-a-thon that has gripped the world should more than likely not grip every face. I believe that to pull off a beard you need to have an almost majestic strongly masculine feel.Be a true beliver and lover of the beard. Like these people:

Every Time I die Guitarist: Andy Williams

Folk king: Devendra Banhart

Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra

Dallas green

Delicious French connection model.

 Dylan Blake, Geologist

 Andre Pereira- Vocalist for Sesling 

 Sam Beam- Iron and Wine

Gideon De Kock- Bassist:Like Knives & YS!MM

 Dash Snow- Artist

 Paul Rudd-Actor

 Ciaran Coetzee- Snor enthusiast

Mark smith- Explosions in the sky

Werner Olckers-Wrestlerish

Karl Schulschenk-Pirate

Brett Allen-White- Copywriter/bassist

do you all get my point? the beard trend doesn't always glitter but hell, real beards grown by real men.

THOSE are purely golden.

[i apologize for any epic beards i may have skipped. 

Comment who you want mentioned and i'll upload them ]

Two things that should never go together.

yes. glittering vampires. The two things you'd never think of putting together pre-twilight. But alas it has been done. And will forever go down in the hearts of every tween girl on the planet.[unfortunately]

Let me start out by saying i have read the entire twilight series.I started when the first book was initially published and was completely under the radar much like it was with the harry potter series.

And they were great. a great holiday for my brain. It made me feel like an easily flattered sensitive 12 year old again with a completely idealized idea of what love is all about. So i suppose its only fitting that its every young pre-pubescent girls secret to life and love.

The movies are for those to lazy to read the books and hold the same charm over the audiences with more eye candy. I must just get off my chest how disgusting jacob is though.(sjoe, i've kept that bottled up) So i'm totes not on team Edward or team Jacob but rather: Team Jasper, the quiet brother of Edward who at least has some sort of element of bad-ass-ity. word up.

But still. the acting is at times vom inducing and the shrill screams in the movie theaters gave me a headache. Not to mention that it has sparked (excuse the pun. hah) the hugest vamp-trend. making vampires cool to the masses which i'm pretty sad about because i'm a sucker for mythological creatures of the night.

(it comes with the literary nerd package ok.)

So now vampires sparkle and glitter in the sun and talk about their feelings. [sies tog] Where is the guts and gore and blood and passion? luckily it is still preserved in series like

true blood. NOW! those are real vampires, and in all of Anne Rice's vampire series.

thank god for that.

lets hope this sparkling "lovely" form of veggie vampirism is just a phase.

Cos' poor old Dracula's reputation is being swooned over by tweens.

(and i'm pretty certain he isn't too happy.)

By popular demand.

Alrighty then. I've neglected this a little bit and decided I'd tackle one of the issues raised by my oh so very many followers in the comments of previous posts.

 REAL women.

And the media's  as well as societies lack of portraying them, accepting them and celebrating them. I say praise the curves!

just say (no) YES to cake!

So where the cliche comes in is here really: Magazines, advertising, the fashion industry, our mothers, their mothers, men and the BIGGEST culprits other women preach to us and ram images down out throats  that "this" is what the right weight is "this is what is pretty" . Our magazine pages are draped with the bodies of poor hungry little girls, our runways strutted down by emaciated gaunt zombies who'd likely bitch slap you for a piece of celery (yuck) then run to the bathroom to throw it up again. eish.

what with technology  constantly improving and  Photoshop changing the face of beauty ( quite literally)

We are left with a completely warped perception of beauty and a poor self/body image. Is it purely our western culture? our indescribable idealism? that we all want our fairy tale?

Maybe it is easier for us all to just accept the pretty glittery things that shine and sparkle and make us emit oohs and aah and shwows and whoops of wonder. Because if we look to closely the dullness and dishonesty will just allow us to be consumed by a bout of depression? 

but the truth is WE choose whats shiny. we can choose what glitters. If we dictated enough self-confidence maybe then it would change? maybe then there'd be real women in real clothes sizes eating nourishing balanced diets without the guilt trips?

Now that wouldn't that be golden?

As I go to a brand communications college i'm always interested in what brands are up to and in researching for a new project on Dove i came across their "real" beauty campaign and workshops for girls. 

check this video out:

Dove Evolution!

that pretty much sums it all up.

What if we were equipped with the tools of confidence?

imagine all the crap and drama we'd eliminate?

There is a poet which i cant for the life of me remember the name of that writes in a poem i still can't remember the name of  that God is in imperfecting, he is in the blemishes the unique characteristics that bless every thing. I could'nt agree more.

I'm stoked to be fat and happy. 

stop, cupcaketime!

So seeming as i have to blog about this cliche for the next while my curiosity got a getting so i wanted to know where exactly it came from and i must say i am more than happy with the origins. All great things come from great writers and who is greater than William himself. although as most great things it was altered or corrupted some might say by a change of times. Here it is in it's original context:

“

All that glisters is not gold;  Often have you heard that told: Many a man his life hath sold But my outside to behold: Gilded tombs do worms enfold. Had you been as wise as bold, Young in limbs, in judgement old Your answer had not been inscroll'd Fare you well, your suit is cold.

”

so Glisters became glitters and the cliche was born, but as with most cliches, a cliche only become a cliche for it is a universal truth. Basically for those of you who weren't to sure about  what shakespeare mean't there its basically by my interpretation a warning that everything is not always as it appears or is portrayed to be. Many things in life we are simply affronted with and told what is right and what is wrong and what is good and what is bad. what it means to be beautiful. 

For me I try to decide to for myself by myself, sure i am influenced by those close to me but i pride myself in being a strong minded individual [thats another thing whats an individual these days anyway] who can think and choose for herself and thats my choice. I so happen to choose to disagree with most people's perceptions of the world, that doesn't mean i don't respect them i just so happen not just go with the flow, this could also be called pigheadedness. [which is most likely true]. For me beauty is born from the unexpected. The unconventional the surprising the odd marriage of ideas that plague or rather bless our world. They may not necessarily glitter but they are pure golden. Here is the perfect  example:

Coco Rosie forever inspirational and golden.

Everyones opinion is valuable and everyone's perception of the world limited we are all victims to our upbringing or a surviver of our surroundings, I am lucky enough to have been brought up in a way which allowed me to make my own decision and develop my own sense of being. And to me that is the most golden thing of all. A sense of self that helps you navigate the world.