GYPSY

stockholmstreetstyle via carolinesmode

THE MOST POWERFUL THING ON EARTH...

...is a girl.

As someone raised by a strong-willed single mother, I never knew how to be except to be a strong woman. 'Power' and 'woman' were not mutually exclusive; they were a spoken given in one breath. Of course, as I grew older, I knew this was not the case in most parts of the world and in most spheres of the human mind. Even women themselves held up the notion (usually unconsciously) that they were weaker, less intelligent, less influential, and just...less. 

But women are far more powerful than we ever think we are: we give life, rear precious souls into the world, get our hearts broken, tolerate stereotypes if not blows and insults, triumph over failures, trudge through crises, and are capable of so much love for everyone that sometimes we forget to love ourselves.

A famous quote once stated, "Women hold up half the sky." Ironically (albeit unsurprisingly), a man said that. 

Well, let me say that, woman to woman: we hold up half the sky and so much more. We hold up homes, families, children, villages, and entire countries. We hold up the world.

Recently, I have had to defend my being a woman to both men and women. As if my leadership and sense of a great vision had to be justified precisely because I am a woman. When men assert their ideas, they are seen as leaders. When women do the same, they are bitches. 

But what I go through as I embark into the business world is nothing compared to what other women go through just by trying to live a decent life. And this is where The Girl Effect comes in.

I believe with every fiber of my being that, as much as women hold up half the sky, we, too, must hold up each other and our own selves.

Do not be less of who you are. Do not apologize for being a woman. Do not underestimate your courage, your sense of vision, and bravado. Do not be ashamed when you show weakness and more so when you show strength.

And, for those little girls and women who cannot speak for themselves, be their voice. Be their light. Be the one to hold them up. Be their heroine.

I wasn't originally going to post anything new just yet. But, more and more, I am beginning to realize what my power as a woman truly is. I would not have realized my own power if it were not for people who think less of me, judge me wrongly, and completely underestimate me.

So, I am talking to you right now. Yes, you. This is for every woman who has ever felt less of herself, ashamed of her thoughts, or thought she couldn't because she's a girl.

If every woman believes she is powerful and every girl knows that she is as beautiful as she is intelligent, imagine the world we can live in. That world is neither impossible nor fiction; it is as real as the air we breathe.

So, from this moment on, accept yourself as you truly are: powerful. 

THE WAY WE WERE

Old-time movie stars fascinate me. I reckon it has to do with the little publicity their private lives got; the inner turmoil was ignored; their conflicts, desires, private personas wiped clean. In short, there is a genuine mystery to them. Only years later do we realize that they are as flawed as anyone else, their insecurities as gaping as the next person's.



But, in the spirit of times long forgotten, I'd like to take a look back at one of the great beauties. Pure aesthetics, nothing else, and that's fine as long as we know it is only for beauty's sake--and, for creatures as carnal as we, that sometimes should suffice.

 

I'm a giraffe. I even walk like a giraffe with a long neck and legs. 

It's a pretty dumb animal, mind you.

Sophia Loren

THE TRUTH

operationbeautiful.com

FALLING SLIVERS OF STARS

All human encounters, no matter how novel they may seem, always echo something from the stories we tell ourselves. We live to reinforce, shatter, counter, or throw our middle finger at our own tightly held narratives. We walk towards our future with a hand clenched in our past. Indeed, we move on but refuse to let go. So, in the case of you I never could have, someone like you will have to do.

ALL THE KING'S MEN

One of my random idiosyncrasies is that I have an unabashed fetish for cute grandpas. You know, those that smile warmly, dress anachronistically but still stylishly, and maybe even have a 'baby face' look to them. I understand that this may come off as grossly sexual (haha!), but I really just like them 'cos they're soo cute! Like I want to cuddle with them. Come on, wouldn't you have wanted to cuddle Mr. Miyagi?? Or at least pinch his cheeks?? I lost both grandpas early on, so I guess you could say I have 'grandpa issues'? Lol!

hiiya!

So, this leads me to wonder about the older gentlemen in Hollywood--how they were like when they were young. Sure, George Clooney is the omnipresent poster child for GQ now, but was he as stylish as a teen? Or just plain awkward?

case in point.

Here's a retrospective on stylish men, then and now. Dapper, I tell you, dapper.

my personal fave. paul newman. rest in peace.

sir ian mckellen looking ever-so-stylish

bowie before the glitter.

the other mj.

 sutherland in shades.

john lennon looks like my uncle, seriously.

guess who's coming to dinner?

i never had any doubt, christopher walken- ever since you danced into my heart in that fatboy slim video.

american gigolo, yes please.

bond, james bond.

  nerdboyriend.tumblr.com

LINNEA B.

A sartorial look, to me, is done right when it compels me to allude to eclectic sources of inspiration. This look alone reminds me of Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary, Mick Jagger, and disco. Go figure.

More of this goodness at carolinesmode. :-)

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