So I've promised another beauty post for a long time now, and I've been wracking my brain thinking as to what to write. It's so easy for me to just write a post telling everyone that they are beautiful, but what good does it do, how many people walk away feeling better?
It makes me extremely sad when I hear about someone with low self-esteem, or someone who looks different to other and feels ashamed or embarrassed or when someone calls themselves ugly.That shouldn't be happening.

In this world there are so many species, so many types of animal. Each and everyone one of them is unique and different and special. And though to us perhaps we may think, say, spiders, are ugly, they hold skills and uses that we don't and others don't, which makes them extremely important in this world.

I don't want to be the kind of beauty blogger, who just sits here and tells you that everything will be okay. How will I know right? And it's dawned on me that it is so hard to change people's mind on that topic. In fact sometimes I find it hard to follow my OWN advice when it comes to body image and beauty. We all feel inadequate at times and indifferent to how we should feel or look. And maybe we need to focus on that a bit more. The fact that EVERYONE goes through it and experiences it. Even who you may think is the most beautiful person every, will most likely have something about themselves that they dislike or even hate.


Also, when it comes to boys, I'm not sure they are that fussed anyway. And I don't mean that disrespectfully. I mean that as women we focus a lot on make up and as we do it ourselves, we can tell when another woman isn't wearing any etc. But to boys, I don't think they can notice much. They still see the face that the see all the time underneath. And in ways, I actually think that is comforting. I myself feel gross and horrid without make up. I feel as though my eyes look too small and my eyelashes seem invisible and my skin is blotchy. However my boyfriend constantly tells me I don't need make up and that I still look beautiful. It's almost as if they don't see makeup, they just see faces. So why do we still make so much effort when it comes to beauty?

I think personally that the reason we spend so long getting ready and doing hair and make up is in fact to gain dominance among other women. We challenge each other and are all subconsciously fighting for the top spot. We want to look the best. And you see it in animals too- Alpha males, Beta Males  etc. And female animals for sure have to compete against each other for the males. Although a lot of nature shows focus on the male competition, I'm sure there is a lot of female competition as well. So, we seem to seek approval from other females, even females we are friends with. And the thing is why? Half the time people enjoy bringing others down, they enjoy feeling more beautiful than others and letting people know that. It's almost like survival of the fittest. Those with the low self-esteem get hunted by those with the high self-esteem.

My point is, I'm not even sure what real beauty is, no one knows. But I truly believe there is more too it that just appearance. Please let me know what you all think. Maybe you agree or maybe you disagree. Let me know in the comment box! X

Since coming to University, I have noticed a huge divide in genders. I have recognised that a large amount of female students are or consider themselves to be Feminists, myself including. It's actually been lovely to meet other strong women who are independent and have their own views about sexuality, sexism and gender equality etc. Having gone through my fair share of well, crap from men, my views over the years have changed, and of course as the years go on, so does my life, I get older and what comes with age, is different experiences. You learn as you grow and see men in different lights, some you see as men, some you see as boys still due to the way they behave.

I think it is fair to say that there is still a lot of sexism in this world, and that women are often targeted or treated as objects and are simply something to add up and count, to some men. Women are renamed as vulgar vocabulary, that only relates to genitalia, suggesting women are nothing but 'sex on legs'.

HOWEVER, I may call myself a Feminist, but I think some people have got feminism completely wrong. After reading an article in The Telegraph by Natasha Devon, I realised that I found myself somewhat agreeing. She, a feminist herself, stated that she felt as though modern day feminists believe all men are evil. And it's true, a lot of feminists appear completely against all things 'male'. And the thing is a lot of feminists still have boyfriends, husbands and partners- surely if they believed that all men are evil, then they wouldn't want to be anywhere near them. Either this or in fact not many feminists actually believe this but other people think that it is what ALL feminists are like. So perhaps this belief that all men are evil could just be a stereotype?

And I'm not against these women in any way, I think that they have been taught to believe such things, or perhaps bad experiences have led them to. I myself went through a stage when I believed that all men wanted the same things and were as disrespectful as the last. However I found this not to be true.

 Of course unfortunately a lot of men are, and do treat women horrifically. But surely for the men out there who are gentlemen and who do treat women well, we are giving them a bad name. In someways we aren't giving them a chance, because they aren't the ones doing anything wrong. That is why it is bad to generalise sexism, because it does not occur in all men, and I think that a lot of feminists and other people think that it does or at least preach it to others.

Since being at university, I have also noticed how alcohol is a major factor in student life. Now whilst there is nothing wrong with enjoying alcohol, I believe there is a right way of going about things and a wrong way- and this includes both genders. I have seen just as many drunk females as I have drunk males. So the attitude that all boys want is to 'binge drink' is incorrect... in fact, if it's the way you feel, you should be saying 'all people/students seem to want is to binge drink' because it is not just men who drink. However, to be honest the drunken attitudes I have seen at university have tended to be a lot worse in men, and I have noticed a lot who take females home and sleep with them, who then mock the female or laugh about her the next day #ittakestwototango. So unfortunately a lot of feminist females at universities are exposed to a lot of negative male behaviour- so is it any wonder we have been lead to think this way?

However, in the article I mentioned above, it also stated than being whistled at is a compliment. Whilst some women may see it as this, I disagree and believe that being whistled at is simply to acknowledge the fact you are a woman, rather than your actual beauty. It also makes women feel anxious and intimidated. So I don't think it should really be taken as much of a  compliment!

My point is, not all men are bad. Unfortunately I myself have been swayed by the feminism of today by bad experiences and the feeling of being different and feeling insignificant to men. However we seem to forget that we have probably met a lot of lovely young men in our lifetimes. So keep strong to your feminist views and be independent women, but don't believe that ALL men are evil because they are not. If you are against binge drinking, keep that view, if you are against drugs, keep that view, if you are against whatever else, it's okay to keep your views and feel the way you do, but we need to learn to not generalise all men and to realise that some women, in fact, can actually be just as bad.

Besides, Feminism shouldn't just be about this. It should be about equality and equal rights and the things that previous women have stood for. Instead of being portrayed as victims of men, we, as feminists of today, should stand up and be stronger than ever for ourselves... not for anyone else!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/10831043/Modern-feminism-has-got-it-wrong-about-men.html?fb