#rebelmama

[gabriellebrick]

Consistency has been a topic lately. What does consistency look like for you? ✧ ... This morning it looks like quiet stretching while my tea water was warming up. It was writing in my journal while my tea steeped. It was sitting down in the quiet silence of the morning to check in with this amazing collective of women. To read. To be present to the sounds of the morning. The sounds of my soul. The sounds of my breath. ✧ ... There is a Grace I’m learning, in the Fierceness of my own self love. My dedication to my own happiness, sanity... life. ✧ ... Grateful. Over and over again, this is the word that shines. I am grateful. ✧ ... #fiercegrace #annapurnaliving #poetry #books #carrieannemoss #selflove #motherhoodunplugged #rebel #rebelmama #therearenorulesonlychoices

[artandindustry]

LIFE LESSONS WITH MALALA AND BARBIE

“One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.” 

These are the words of Malala Yousafzai, who in 2012, at the age of 15, was gunned down by a masked attacker while travelling home from school with her classmates. Malala was shot with a single bullet that went through her head, neck and shoulder. Two of her friends were also injured in the attack. At the time, Malala’s father was known as an advocate for education in Pakistan and became an outspoken opponent of Taliban efforts to restrict education and stop girls from attending school. Sharing her father’s passion for learning, Malala began writing a blog for the BBC under a pseudonym, fearing that her school would be attacked.

Malala and her father received death threats but continued to speak out. Around this time, Malala was featured in a documentary made for The New York Times and was revealed as the author of the BBC blog. Shortly after, the attempt on her life was made.

The Taliban’s attempt to kill Malala received worldwide condemnation and led to protests across Pakistan. In the weeks after the attack, over 2 million people signed a right to education petition, and the National Assembly swiftly ratified Pakistan’s first Right To Free and Compulsory Education Bill.

After establishing the Malala Fund in 2013, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, contributing her entire prize money of more than $500,000 to financing the creation of a secondary school for girls in Pakistan.

“The measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls….”

By contrast, in 2012 I was a 28-year-old woman who was playing with Barbie Dolls. Albeit, I was using them as “models” for some lighting tests and as my photography subjects in place of real life women.

As a model myself for over 15 years, I’d always been fascinated with the representation of women in visual culture, our own and foreign ones, since my job was inevitably linked to this  (mainly fabricated) reality. As a student, I decided to pursue this curiosity further, specializing in Visual Culture and Communications at the University of Toronto – studying the impact of cultural representation and its effect on industry, society and self-identity. Those two factors aside, I’ve always loved Barbie. When I was a kid I would play with them for hours. I wanted as many as my parents would allow. I loved them all and wanted them with different hair, different skin, different eyes, different clothes, and different jobs. I would set up scenes, scenarios and escape to a different world where they could do what they wanted and I, in turn, could too.

The Barbie Doll has become an iconic figure and powerful symbol of femininity, for better or for worse, and to this day is used by numerous artists to represent “femaleness” in pop-culture.  I mentioned this once in a class in University and another female student scoffed and said, “Oh sure it’s easy for you to say that when you look like a Barbie Doll…” Embarrassed, slightly mortified, I didn’t know what to say except, “No I don’t. None of us do. That’s the point, I think.” She scoffed again.

I hate that story. I never tell it to anyone. But that moment stuck with me. I realized a couple of things in that exchange:

1. Visual representation of identity in pop culture has a resounding impact on people throughout their lives but is experienced differently. 2. It has an impact nonetheless.

Regardless of how we feel about visual representations of identity, or lack of them, they ultimately make up the fabric of social “standards” and in how a society views people, in relationship to each other. For example, if we live in a society where girls play with perfectly made up dolls, while boys play with toy soldiers do we end up in a place where beauty is the highest standard for women while strength and courage are the highest standards for men? Possibly.  I’m more interested in how to bend these notions. Which brings me to the concept behind our Malala Tees. After hearing Malala’s story and following her journey for several years I couldn’t believe her unbelievable courage, drive and absolute curiosity of life and thirst for knowledge. My mother is a teacher, my brother and sister-in-law are teachers, my cousin is a teacher and my entire life I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by curious people who pride themselves on learning and in passing on knowledge to others that need it most.

We take education for granted. We forget not everyone has access to it. We forget that some people, simply because they were born a girl, are either systemically or forcibly refused access to it. If only we could be reminded of this more so that we practice gratitude for those that teach and for the ability to learn; so that we speak out against those who discourage and block education, while doing what we can to support access to it.

If the Barbie Doll has become the most iconic symbol of femininity in the world then surely a 15-year-old survivor of violence against women, advocate for education, Nobel prize winning, celebrated author and fierce young woman can be as well.

So I reached out to my good friend Sean Siford, a loud, tattooed, punk rock loving vegan and most unassuming feminist you’ll ever meet, who happens to be one of the most bad ass designers I know, and asked him if he could design a tee with the name “Malala” written across the chest in vintage Barbie font.

A few days later the Malala tees were born, with $10 of EVERY shirt sold donated to the Malala Fund, helping to fund girls’ education. Last year on International Women’s Day I worked with the Malala Fund on licensing the documentary “I am Malala” and held a private screening at Soho House Toronto to a small group of 60. This year, along with the help of the Rebel Mamas, we’re giving away a free Malala Tee to raise awareness. We want to hear some of your favourite school/learning memories and why you think girls (and boys!) education is so important.

Share your story with us using the hashtag #rebelmamaformalala on Instagram or Twitter for a chance to win! (A winner will be chosen and announced on March 8 – International Women’s Day!)

If you’re interested in ordering a Malala tee check out www.artandindustry.co Connect with Ariane Laezza on Instagram // Follow Art And Industry on Instagram

*** Follow THE REBEL MAMA on: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter *****SHOP THE REBEL MAMA*****

[thaegypsy-blog]

|| freedom || i want REAL freedom....not just when saturday and sunday arrives!! mi nah function well inna captivity 😌 . #egypsy #thaegypsy #freedomfighter #rebelmama #rebelwarrior (at Barbados)

[shuttergoesclickphotography]

YAAAS! Got to sister-trip with this beautiful pregnant woman this summer (a blog post is right around the corner). She's a badass a mom-extraordinaire. As the youngins say, "Slay girl!" . . . . . . . . . #findyourpark #nationalpark #babybump #optoutside #modernmotherhood #outdoorwomen #keepitwild #sheexplores #Rainier #WA #visitWA #ForceofNature #travelbug #iamawomanhearmeroar #celebratewild #wildernessnation #adventuretravel #shuttergoesclick #fujixt20 #SGCphotography #durhamnc #naturallightphotographer #ncphotographer #chasinglight #durhamportraitphotographer #momlife #mamabear #rebelmama #coolmom #makewavesmonday (at Mount Rainier National Park)

[brassknucklelovin]

Brass knuckles and #chromenails. 😎 #getonmylevel #rebelmama #coconail (at Coco Nail)

[shontellepinch]

Easter Weekend is nearly here, what will you bring? Here's three ridiculously simple appetizers that look fancy and taste divine ✨ Direct link in my bio. #rebelchef #rebelmama #momsofinstagram #foodblogger #healthy #badassmoms

[news-of-madonna]

#Madonna #Italia 🇮🇹 D&G #RebelMama #RebelHeart #StevenKlein

[iamerikaellis]

Defiance can be delicious. #pregnancyproblems #EverythingInModeration #RebelMama

[gabriellebrick]

There are things that are known and things that are unknown. If we get quiet enough and open our hearts, it’s amazing what we can hear. ... #williamblake #poetry #lifequotes #rebelrise #rebelmama #openheart #live #quiet #motherhoodunplugged

[bendibaby-blog]

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A post shared by Brooke, SP & Rumi (@bendibaby)

Can't take me anywhere anymore. I do #yogaeverywhere. But now I can't even be trusted in a #yoga class. I've gone rogue! I'm a #rebelmama! I'm so used to my own #homepractice that I can no longer take direction. My teacher #ShivaRea taught me #Sahaja, Sanscrit for spontaneous movement. And once you wake that kind of mojo up, there's no going back. Once that #Kundalini cat is outta the bag there's no taming it. Free yourselves #yogamamas. From the constraints of anything that binds you. I know why the caged bird sings...

[ragstostitches1-blog]

Baking gingerbread cookies at 9pm with the kids #becausewecan #becauseweareonvacation #rebelmama #pastbedtime

[hiddlestonedintheblueboxwith10]

A little collage of our fun the other day loved that I got to capture the whole fun on the slide #geekedoutparents #rebelmama'sanddaddy'swithtots #roxii #roxziibai

[arvedsen]

Gotta enjoy this beautiful evening [Toldboden] #Burfday #RebelMama @carlaartrebels

[gabriellebrick]

Rebel. Freedom chaser. Lover. It is these words that inspire connection. Thank you @alexandraschueler for your post on freedom chasing. It home big time. ... Life is meant to be lived and my God, all I really carve at the end of the day is to sit WITH YOU at my kitchen table imbibing foods that make us feel amazing, but more importantly... That have both feeling FULL, alive and reminded of our own existence. ... I posted the full video on my FB page ... didn’t realize this was 2 min long lol I was jammin like a preacher sharing my love!!!! ... Come dance with me. Come be free with me. Come and love with me. ... #rebel #rebelmama #rebelrise #freedom #freedomchaser #wild #ephemeral #love #art #life

[gabriellebrick]

This mornings jam. It’s gotten cold the last few days over here on the east coast and it’s my favorite time to bee a variety of teas. ... Use tea as your base can be a powerful way to upgrade your elixir making, especially with Cacao as a delivery system. ... Cats claw and Pau d’arco are awesome for a powerful immune boost, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Cats claw can also help repair DNA and is a powerful aid in helping with Lyme. Pau d’arco like cats claw also has been known to help w arthritis! Pau d’arco is fights against cancer, candida and inflammation. ... This feels like the perfect powerful immune boost with the cold weather rolling in. So when making your elixirs, ask yourself what you can use as the base that will instantly take your morning bevy to another level. Happy Tuesday. ... . . #rebel #rebelrise #rebelrisemama #rebelmama #elixir #superfoods #teatime #organic #vegan #nextlevel #upgrade #coach #nutritionist #motherhood #momblogger #mompreneur #momboss

[gabriellebrick]

Take your salads to the next level. Add wild food, seeds, other fat like avocado and olive, sprinkle powders like spirulina and chlorella. Then scoop a big pile of fermented food on top and toss in a simple e.v.o with lemon or acv and sea salt. ... ... #nextlevel #salad #recipe #whatsfordinner #rebel #rebelmama #rebelkids #organic #superfoods #coach #momboss #mentorship #eatclean