Hypocrite in a Really Cute Dress

I know American Apparel is about the grossest company ever. They're sleazy, overpriced, and have ridiculous standards. That being said, I still shop there. I KNOW! I suck. And their stuff runs SO small. I just have so many skirts and tees that I love and wear to death. They have a few new items that are must-haves for Fall.

I don't know how great this will look on me, but I'm obsessed with the idea of this jacket over a body-con outfit.

I love bows and am always looking for new ways to wear them.

This will look great with skinny black jeans or leggings. Or how about colored tights?

I LOVE this dress. How cute will it look with black tights, a blazer, and tough boots?

This on-trend maxi skirt makes the trendy crop-top less '90s (and with less skin.)

Don't forget-they also have cute kids stuff!

"I’m absolutely ordinary — well, except for bad things like all the near-death experiences and being so clumsy that I’m almost disabled."

*ANYONE know where that quote is from? Come on, people!*

OUCH. I can't believe I hurt my ankle again. I'm seriously so lame. I don't even know how I did it! I vaguely remember twisting it but I mean, that happens a lot. I went to the doctor and they don't think it's fractured, just did something to the ligament. I wore my Toms today because my foot is swollen and they're roomy and comfortable but apparently, they're terrible for my feet. I have to wear Nike's to work tomorrow and I have no idea how to make them cute. It's too hot for my Lulu pants-they're so thick. A skirt and gym shoes? Gross.

At this point, the pain is ALMOST worth looking like this. (Note: This is an actual pic I took in Forever 21 today. Sorry it's sideways.)

I have super dorky Merrell's that I can try to work; at least they're like fake cute. Tell me: How do you make comfort and fashion work together?

OMG of the Day: Olsens Do Jeans

MKO and Ashley can pretty much do no wrong in my book. I love their personal style, The Row, Elizabeth and James, and Olsenboye. What I'm NOT thrilled about? Their $400 jeans. COME ON. They better be the most amazing feeling, comfortable, make-me-look-like-a-size-zero, jeans. But I doubt it. Want to try them? You can get them at Barney's. And they're Style.com's Item of the Day. While I appreciate the effort and attempt at something different then the tired jegging, I think I'll pass. If you like the look, try these for $35!

Cut and Paste Magazine Covers

I tweeted OMG as soon as I saw this Britney Cosmo cover today. What did they do to her body? It literally doesn't look like her head is attached. I just don't understand how they could let this go to print. It made me think of all the other horrible photoshopped covers? Which one do you think it the worst?

Madonna for Forever 21, I mean, Macy's

There are a few things wrong with Madonna's Material Girl line for Macy's.

1. Isn't M supposed to be ahead of the curve? Why does this look so Forever 21?

2. The lace biker shorts. Shudder.

3. Little J is the face of the line.

The postive?

1. Lola is blogging. (Why isn't she the face?)

2. The cowboy shirt and the bags are pretty cute. So are the pants.

3. Everything is under $40 for when it goes out of style next week.

Will you guys be buying clothes from Material Girl? I think it will pretty well. It has to be better than her H&M line. Silk jumpsuits in the clearance rack, anyone?

*Pics via refinery29.com*

Dove's "Real Beauty" isn't Real

DOVE “REAL WOMEN” PRINT CASTING JUNE 28-30, 2010 in NYC
ABSOLUTELY NO ACTRESSES / MODELS OR REALITY SHOW PARTICIPANTS or ANY ONE CARRYING A HEADSHOT!!!!
REAL WOMEN ONLY!
LOOKING FOR 3-4 REAL WOMEN for a DOVE PRINT CAMPAIGN!

AGES 35-45, CAUCASIAN, HISPANIC, AFRICAN AMERICAN, & ASIAN!

SHOOT: SUNDAY, JULY 18 in NYC! MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE SHOOT!
RATE: $500 for Shoot date & if selected for Ad Campaign (running 2011) you will be paid $4000!
USAGE: 3 years unlimited print & web usage in N. America Only

YOU WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED FOR THE CAMPAIGN IN A TOWEL!
BEAUTIFUL ARMS AND LEGS AND FACE WILL BE SHOWN!
MUST HAVE FLAWLESS SKIN, NO TATTOOS OR SCARS!
Well groomed and clean...Nice Bodies..NATURALLY, FIT Not too Curvy Not too Athletic.

Great Sparkling Personalities. Beautiful Smiles! A DOVE GIRL!!!
STYLISH AND COOL!
Beautiful HAIR & SKIN is a MUST!!!

PLEASE SUBMIT SNAPSHOTS of FACE & BODY ASAP & WE WILL CALL YOU IN FOR A CASTING NEXT WEEK 6/28-6/30 in NYC!
urbanproddovecasting@gmail.com

Enough said.

Via The Cut

Jury Duty Day 1

...and hopefully the last! I have a bad feeling I'm going to be picked for this jury. Hey, I'd pick me! The people in my group are ca-razy! Everyone tried to get out of it. First they said, "If anyone can't understand BASIC English get in this line." So, about 20 people line up. He's like, "YOU ALL UNDERSTOOD WHAT I SAID SO WHY ARE YOU IN LINE?" Umm, wow. I know that this is important so even though I don't want to miss work, I'm not going to lie. I feel bad for the lawyers. A girl in my group told them (and the rest of us) that her dad abuses her step-mom and there's nothing the court will do. OK...wow. Our case involves someone who was born in Russia, will anyone have a problem deciding if he is guilty? One guy is like, YES. I would decided against him if he's Russian. Great, dismissed. But the problem is that if you get dismissed for this, you don't go home. You have to wait for a different jury selection. My chances of getting out of this? Slim.

The outfits people are wearing here are horrendous. Some girls look like they're going to a club! I'm seeing a lot of neon leggings. In a courthouse? A lot of the men are in sweats looking like they just crawled out of bed. Lovely. I'll check back in later!

P.S. If you care, I went preppy :)

Why I'm Not OK with Kelsey Grammer in La Cage

VS

I'm still working out in my head if I can see the revival of La Cage aux Folles on Broadway. I have friends in the show, I've heard great things, I really want to see it, but I dislike the idea of supporting Kelsey Grammer in any way. I've tried, but I just can't get past the theatre community welcoming him with open arms.

It's no secret that Grammer is a Republican. In a time when our president it trying to bridge a gap between the two parties, that might not be a major deal breaker. The problem is his passion for the Republican party and the actions he takes to support them, clashing with this gay roles on Broadway. In the past he was a guest for George Bush's first inauguration, endorsed Rudy Giuliani in the 2008 presidential primary, and even campaigned for John McCain in the general election. Now, he's becoming the pitchman for the RightNetwork, a news network that prides itself on being far more right winged than Fox News. In the promo, he says, "There's wrong and there's right. RightNetwork: All that's right in the world," and "We're bringing outstanding talent...I'm proud to be a part of this team!"

One can infer that Grammer agrees with what he's saying here. He says that what is featured on the network is "right" in his eyes. OK, let's go with that. That would mean that he agrees with Newt Gingrich and other Republicans on the website who oppose gay rights and the promo material that's "pro-America, "pro-business, pro-military sensibilities." I think I am being fair in that assumption. Is it OK with the Broadway community? They seem to be willing to overlook his actions. Grammer told the Wall Street Journal that there's nothing political about playing a gay role: "My take on homosexual, heterosexual, transgender relationships, it's up to you and the person you love, and frankly I've never thought that politics and marriage mixed in any way. I'm not a big proponent of big government being in charge of weddings."

That is a great, positive, awesome thing to say to ease the minds of the LGBTQ community and make it OK to support him and the show. I'm not buying it. I don't look at Hollywood for role models, but it's not OK to actively support such a strong political agenda while making money off of an opposing situation. Seeing him onstage feels like he's making fun of his cast, like in his head he's laughing thinking, They love me! I'm such a good actor! I don't really care about any of you weird people! I'm told by an older actor on Broadway, someone a little closer to Grammer's age, that he doesn't think Grammer is making fun of people, it is his naivete, and that of the Republican party, that keeps him from seeing the big picture.

I'm not against there being a RightNetwork. It's pitched to be On-Demand so it'll be easy to avoid the anti-Obama videos (which are shown on a comedy show on the cite.) I like a challenge and a conversation. I know there are conservatives on Broadway. I also acknowledge the slippery slope that is concentrating so much on an actor's personal life when really, they are just acting. I think I wouldn't mind as much if he weren't so active in his politics and so obviously OK with gay jokes as seen on Politics and Poker, one of the shows on the network.

I don't know what the solution is. I don't think someone should be turned down for a role based on their politics/religion/etc. I personally feel like Grammer should have more respect for his cast members while he is in La Cage and at least wait until his run is over before launching a conservative network. Maybe something good will come of this. Maybe he will draw Conservatives to the show, in turn showing them how much they have in common with the homosexual relationship in La Cage. It's a love story that you would have to be stone to not feel anything for. Or maybe I need to stop expecting a Hollywood actor to be ethical because that isn't exactly in their job description. Should I suck it up and spend a good sized portion of my measly salary seeing the show because ultimately it's about live theatre and the story of La Cage Aux Folles? I don't know. I'm 25 and tend to spend money based on emotion and my emotions are saying that his RightNetwork campaign is wrong.

*Pictures via comcast.net and playbill.com*

Urban Outfitters Not-So-Secret Conservative Ways

It's really disappointing when you find out that a company you frequently give money to, for lack of a better word, sucks. When I learned more about Whole Foods' asshole president, I boycotted as long as I could. I eventually gave in but almost always choose Trader Joe's instead. We do the best we can as consumers. It seems like every other day something more icky comes out about Urban Outfitters. I'm not ignorant; I don't actually think UO is a super respectable company, but come on. Have you seen the new "Eat Less" tee-shirt? Urban has taken it off the website but according to Huffingtonpost.com they can be found at many NYC stores. I know they are trying to be ironic and "cool" but it's a little gross, right? I personally don't think it's funny and I tend to think a lot of inappropriate things are funny.

Picture via Huffingtonpost.com

This is just one of a list of sketchy things UO is pulling. The Frisky was one of the first media outlets reporting on the company using "Obama/Black" to describe a color of a shirt. Eew.

Through The Frisky I also learned about Urban's lack of support for marriage equality and their misogynistic men's tee.

What are your thoughts? Will any of these things make you shop at UO any less? Do you at all now? Vote in my poll!

GRRRRRR

I'm sure you've heard about the things said about this commercial by the evil Bill O'Reilly. If you haven't, I refuse to post his video but in a nutshell, via examiner.com:

"Does that make you hungry when you watch that?" he asked repeatedly. "Does it make you run out and want some fries?" When she pointed out to him that the ad is part of a broader campaign with the slogan "Venez comme vous etes"--which translates as "Come as you are"--he asked if McDonald's will also be airing an Al Qaeda ad.

First of all, as much as I hate O' Reilly, I still think he should be legally allowed to say these awful things. That being said, this scumbag is comparing gays to Al Qaeda. For real. I get what he's saying; the commercial doesn't make a lot of sense selling fast food. It doesn't matter though, because McDonald's ads are not really about selling food. Everyone knows what they're getting into when they eat there. They are trying to sell a better image in the free-range-organic-eco-friendly 2010 world. Is this commercial amazing and ground breaking? No, but it's a start. I mean, France doesn't have marriage or adoption equality but at least one company is attempting some change.

So what now? What does our generation do about Bill O'Reilly's comments (other than tweet about it?) Stop watching his show, listening to his podcasts...what else? Don't you think if a news person said these things about a race of people there would be a major uproar?

OMG of the Day

My senior picture (was a junior when we took it.) I'm pretty sure my hair is straw. Don't you love being at a parent's house?

Family Friendly Apple

Have you been reading all the talk about the iPad censoring like crazy? I'm debating on getting one so I did a little research. As a magazine lover and a writer, I like the idea that people will read more of them with the device since it'll be easier to carry around and more user friendly. A major downside is Apple's "no nipple" policy. It's not like I'm obsessed with nipples or something but I don't like the idea of censoring fashion spreads. Apple is doing this by not allowing certain content into the App store so publications have to censor themselves to get into the store. A writer at Dazed and Confused, told Shiny Shiny that the mag is secretly calling the iPad edition the "Iran Edition" due to the Muslim/iTunes censorship similarities. Ick. There have also been complaints over the groups of people that are being censored. "The Gay Community App," which only let people find LGBTQ people in their area, was removed. FYI: The Playboy app is somehow still there. I'm all for actual porn not being easily accessible but Apple denying "objectionable" content feels too controlling. Who says what's considered "objectionable?" Personally, I don't think a girl, or boy, in a bikini is sexual.

What do you think? Is Steve Jobs being TOO careful?

image via psu.edu

Bad Advice of the Day

Via Cosmopolitan:

If you notice shots where you're blurry on the edges of the frame or even cut off, you're not at the forefront of his attention.

In Defense of: Jessica Simpson

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in forever! OK, so it's been less than a week but it feels like forever. It's been a really crappy couple of days and since I don't like to bring people into my problems, (I'd rather keep it all inside and then get sick) I was super quiet. Even on Twitter! I also can't load pics to Blogger for some reason and it's bugging me and I need to figure it out. But, it's a new day and I'm going to TRY to be positive. :/ I have a feeling my posts are going to take a bit of a...snarky tone. Hey, that's the first time I've said the word snarky! That's the second! (REALLY dorky musical theatre reference. A mix CD to whoever can guess the show.) Let's start with something that's been making me mad lately (surprise, surprise!)

"Sometimes I wish I could be more like Coach Tanka. He pulled a Jessica Simpson. You know, lost his fiancee, gained 40 pounds, stopped showering, and everyone acts like it's totally normal." -Glee

"It looks like she has no waist...the length is dowdy."
"Fire your stylist for that dress."
"GO DOWN A SIZE." -All GFY

"She looks like the broad side of a Mack Truck." -Yeeeah.com

"Is FAT Jessica Simpson still hot?" - Askmen.com

I could go on forever but it annoys me too much to continue. What effed up thing happened where Jessica Simpson is the poster girl for fat and pathetic? It's not just how all the media attention of her looks effects her, but the problem is how it effects girls everywhere. Do we really want a 13 year old to look at pictures of Jess and think, Man, if she's fat, I'm huge! I better go to a Pro-Ana website ASAP. On The View, she said that if she doesn't find someone by 40, she's going to have a baby with gay BFF Ken Paves. She was attacked on the web within the hour. Who hasn't made that pact with their GBF? She's just so real that it freaks people out. It's like people are yelling, Girls aren't supposed to say those things!

I love her show on VH1, The Price of Beauty. It makes me literally laugh out loud (come on, you KNOW you want to laugh sometimes when you're supposed to be "meditating,") and cry when she meets with women who have done horrific things to themselves to feel beautiful. I wasn't always a fan of Jessica's but I love way she has handled all this crap in such a classy way, and all the amazing things she does for Operation Smile.

I'm not saying we should never criticize someones clothes, (I can spot a "don't" a mile away) but let's try celebrating women instead of picking them apart. Instead of saying, "Jessica's eyes look dead!" (the GFY girls again,) how about appreciating that she's on Marie Claire with NO makeup on and looks beautiful? Instead of saying how lonely and pathetic she is, let's try pointing out the classy way she handles her life in her 20s (ahem Lindsey L.)

What do you guys think? Is her weight fair game for being a celeb?

Just..Don't

I know, I know "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." But sometimes, I just CAN'T help it. Visiting my grandmother in Philadelphia, I wanted to take pictures of the "don'ts" everywhere! I majorly embarrassed my little cousin. Please tell me why this girl is wearing fuzzy bedroom slippers in line outside of Rita's? (water ice, for people outside the area.)

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH CABLEVISION?!

No R Patz

What will Kate be wearing? I won't know.

I heart Anne.

If I wasn't SO excited to see Billy Elliott tonight, (I've seen 4 Broadway shows this week!) I'd be freaking out even more about the Oscars. I'm obsessed with award shows. OBSESSED. I literally usually watch 5 hours of coverage. Instead of going to an Oscar party tonight, I was going to see Billy, and then come home and watch all of my DRV'd hours and blog about all the dresses. Well, today Cablevision turned off ABC because of some tax disputes SO I CAN'T RECORD THE OSCARS! I can watch my shows, Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives, on Hulu but not the Oscars. THIS IS NOT OK! What to do!??!

Hot Mess. I never use that phrase, but this is serious.

I'm reading this month's O Magazine "De-clutter your Life" and I'm feeling overwhelmed. I really need someone to help me organize my clothes/shoes/accessories. I need to purge seriously, but can't do it alone. Because: 1. I'll probably cry a little. It's emotional giving away some things, and 2. I need brutal honesty. I need someone to yell at me and say, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU THAT IS NOT CUTE ANYMORE AND NEVER WILL BE AND YOU'LL NEVER BE A SIZE ZERO AGAIN."

How can I find anything??

Drowning in STUFF.

Embarrassing.

Just the "Ta Ta Tamer" thrown over the door.

I don't even use these bags right now.

Did I mention that I'm currently doing 6 LOADS OF LAUNDRY? So add 6 bags to this. This is just my closet. I don't even KNOW what's under my bed. It gives me nightmares. Bags? Shoes? Dust? Gross. Someone call Nate Berkus!!

Rescue Me

I'm having nasal surgery in less than a month (fun!) and I am looking to buy/rent some DVDs to watch in bed. I'm into TV shows at the moment but I watch so many already. Rescue Me was on sale and that is supposed to be good so I'm saving that. Does anyone have any ideas? I have never seen Lost, but it doesn't seem that interesting. Maybe I would like it. I have seen all of Grey's, Ugly Betty, House, 24, Queer as Folk, ext. So, any other ideas? Anything that you can't wait to run home and watch?