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Just finished The Walking Dead series 4.

Can't get over how adorable Daryl and Beth are (staying optimistic) as a pairing so i'm healing my broken heart with fanart.

U NEED TO BE TOGETHER.

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mer mer mer exams.

help plz.

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“What of Art? -It is a malady. --Love? -An Illusion. --Religion? -The fashionable substitute for Belief. --You are a sceptic. -Never! Scepticism is the beginning of Faith. --What are you? -To define is to limit.”

Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray

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WHERE ARE ALL THE FAT BLACK WOMEN?

  Not my subtlest of titles I have to admit. But just give me a moment to explain myself...

So today in English Lit my teacher made a really interesting point that I haven't been able to stop thinking about all day so I thought I'd share it with you.

First lemme give you a little bit of context. currently in our lessons we're doing the comparative part of our coursework, for this we've been studying Grace Nichols 'The Fat Black Women's Poems' collection, many of which protest the marginalisation of people, especially that of women, black people and larger people; for these certain unchangeable characteristics of their physical appearance. In todays society the kind of characteristics that are deemed 'normal' and 'desirable' are that of white skin and a thin figure, as forced down our throats by the much of the media.  

Okay now we've got you all up to date on the background knowledge I can carry on with the story. In one of Nichols poems 'Beauty' she talks of how "Beauty is a fat black woman/ riding the waves/ drifting in happy oblivion/ while the sea turns back/ to hug her shape."

Our teacher had made a PowerPoint to support her lesson (as most teachers do) and at this point she stopped the class to point out that she'd wanted to get a picture to represent this stanza of the poem to put on the PowerPoint but that when she went onto google and typed in "woman in the sea" all she found was somewhat a representation of how narrow-minded our society is and how even in today's society, these issues of marginalisation are still as prominent as they once were when Nichols wrote about them back in 1984.

So here's what my teacher showed us that she found when she googled "woman in the sea."

a whole host of women in the sea no doubt, yet every single one of them perfectly white and perfectly slim. So to bring me back to my title, I couldn't help but wonder where are all the fat black women? why are there no other women from different ethnic groups and cultures? Different sizes? Different anything? Why does such a generic search regurgitate such a small fraction of personal image?

But then it got worse. Some guy in our class decided to put his two cents in and as a reply to our teacher said "Well you should have searched for a fat black woman shouldn't you?" While I'm pretty sure his comment wasn't intended offensively it still hit a bit of a nerve for me. It kind of just proved to me that even without meaning to people are still marginalising others and accepting it as perfectly fine. Why should we have to specify the race or size of a person to get a varied result in a media search, surely it's wrong that rather than just being as classed as a "woman in the sea" people should be classed as "fat woman in the sea" or  "black woman in the sea" shouldn't there be varied images of women In all shapes and backgrounds in just one search? So yeah it just got me thinking.

okay yeah there's my thoughts for today, I'm aware they're not very well put together but give me some credit I've been up since half six. I'd be happy to hear what anyone else has to say on the issue.

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Cheeky new pair of boots from www.newlook.com

They were a bit different and a bit in the sale.

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PLEASE FORGIVE ME.

Lord forgive me for thou have sinned. I have neglected my blog in favour of mock exam revision FOR COMPLETELY POINTLESS REASONS BECAUSE THEY STILL WENT HORRIBLY BAD.

Plus I didn't really have anything to write about and since my life is sparsley interesting on a good day let alone on an average one. I figured people ain't got time to be listening to frustrated recallings of 6:30am starts and LITERALLY falling asleep in lessons. :):):)

HOWEVER, I will update you on the slightly interesting aspects of my daily life; me and my bezzie Charlie gutted some fishes in biology which is always a fun time. Despite the fact the smell was rather, well... fishy. I am ashamed to admit there was a fair amount of "close your legs" humour.

Urm I could go on but I feel like my witty fish banter will be as good as this post is going to get, so I guess I'll just leave this here.

I hope this was a sufficient offering to compensate for my absence xoxo

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COMPLETE FACE SPAM.

But I just can't get over how weird my face looks WITH TEETH.

Plus I like this picture.

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If you’re not willing to put in the effort in this city, don’t come here. This city is about effort. Effort is rewarded, no question.

Londoner about London (via iviq)

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Hey those metal things on my face have disappeared how cool is that?

SERIOUSLY AFTER 3 YEARS I AM FREE AND IT FEELS SO GOOD.

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Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (via quotes-shape-us)

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Listen because good.

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Presentation evening xox

Fab seeing everyone again and it was fab i got 3 awards.

I am now officially an outstanding achiever.

- simply the best BETTER THAN ALL THE REST - lol jk dw i'm not that pretentious... i'm mildly better than the rest that is all.

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New outfit for my presentation evening back at school next week.

You know - gotta give the impression i actually have my life together and that i'm a mature young woman. Ha ha ha who am i even kidding.

Jumper - www.riverisland.com

Skirt - www.newlook.com

Headband - www.Topshop.com

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xoxo

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I think of London as a partner. I’m in love with London and always have been.

Peter Rees, a city planning officer quoted in Craig Taylor’s Londoners (via distantheartbeats)