Self image.

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Hey folks!

Here it is. February's blog post. And yes, I do realise that it is mid March now. This blog post has been written in snippets, on the way to and fro work, a trip to Manchester to see a dear old friend and now, at my desk during my lunch break. What with me travelling to Dubai for a time span across the end of Feb and early March it had unfortunately, taken a back seat in my ever long to-do list. Of course, this means I owe you guys an additional post soon, I’m hoping to get an extra one out before the end of the month or early next month but time will tell…

Quick update on last months post regarding my kaizen resolutions...

1) Gym - this has been going well, I've been reaching my goals. I won't lie I did miss a session after I gave blood though. I've also been trying to walk more. On holiday I hit up the gym a few times too. This week I’ve not managed due to resettling in after my holiday but rest assured this will resume as of this weekend!

2) Blog - number two, check! Ten to go! It was a big struggle trying to come up with a topic. Any suggestions and inputs are much appreciated!

3) Promotion - awaiting appraisal in the summer. Still a junior analyst for now.

Now, all that aside, this month I'm gonna be writing about personal image. How you perceive you appear to others and how we all judge others to some degree based on the way they look, externally. This was an idea that stemmed from watching THIS video that a friend sent to me. Thanks for making me think!

So firstly I think this topic is ever so slightly more relevant to female readers, which immediately made me pose the question of why this is the case. In short – I believe, there's less pressure on men, both from other men and from females. And definitely less pressure from the media as a whole. To be honest there just seems to be more acceptance in general. I mean there are BIG guys like for example, Rick Ross out there and he gets away with out too much slagging off. Yeah every so often people let slip a few fat jokes, but it's nothing compared to what the case would be with a female alternative.

Now, I don't read magazines and in general I think they're filled with mindless rubbish and gossip about celebs and wannabe celebs - quite frankly, I couldn't care less about where they've been seen, who they're dating or what they've been caught wearing. I've flicked through them at the doctors and I kinda feel like when you've read one, you've pretty much read them all...

On one page you have x celeb looking great in her bikini, on the next there's y celeb that's lost too much weight and looks unhealthy and the following page there's someone else that has *SHOCK* *HORROR* PUT ON SOME WEIGHT! And all these articles they're always so harsh, so darn critical. Oh someone was caught looking a bit pale without make up, someone else is ageing and oh my, someone else is back with him. Why do we care?! Don't we have enough going on in our own lives to think about instead of meddling in the affairs of others who don't know we even exist?!

Don’t even get me started on TV shows following celebrity lives… Caught a bit of the Kardashian’s whilst taking a jog at the gym a few weeks ago and wondered, in short, WTF. Why is this so popular, some one care to explain?

Make up is another one for females. If you don't wear it, like me most days, perhaps you should consider wearing it, a touch of foundation, a lick of eyeliner, a bit of lippy. It'll make your skin/eyes/lips look amazing. Like I can't make that decision myself. If you do wear it on a daily basis, then one day go without everyone one asks what's wrong? Or says you look ill cos they're so used to seeing you with it on. What is up with that?!

From a very young age we are shown images of women through the media and quickly have unrealistic expectations of what one “should” look like. In reality, those women are smothered in make up, often have plastic surgery and as if that wasn’t enough, there’s photoshop and the option of reshooting unflattering scenes… It’s interesting that, for me, the image of an older woman i.e. a grandmother is untainted by this, though, with what you see on TV that might not last long.

I guess the rise of social media doesn't really help - people post selective, flattering picture of themselves and are able to untag those which they don't want their friends to see... This means you're constantly only seeing the 'best' of normal people... 

We all age, we all get wrinkles, ultimately, we will all die. You just have to embrace that about life… You've only got a short time. And, yes, while I agree that if you want to do stuff to yourself it’s up to you, I also think it takes a strong woman not to succumb to these societal expectations.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that it's inevitable that we all judge people based on their external appearance but let's try on a conscious level to give them the benefit of the doubt on how they choose to present themselves, give them a chance to present their character and personality before defining them into a stereotype... It's only fair.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover and all that jazz man. & beauty is in the eye of the beholder – you know the deal.

That's all for now,

Take care

-K

Disposable society

Hey guys and girls, it’s been an awful long time since I last posted on here. Sorry about the delay. After I finished my exams and stuff I pretty much went into hibernation/socialising mode. Can’t believe it’s already been over two weeks since the exams, the scariest part is that my results are out in less than 24hours! =S I can’t lie, I’m VERY nervous and am keeping my fingers and toes crossed, touching lots of wood and praying that I somehow pull this off. It’s really weird ATM, cos I know Uni is over but I feel like I deserve a summer holiday even though I KNOW I need to get on top the job applications. Hopefully I’ll manage to find something and soon, cos not only is it time to grow up but also my bank balance is not particularly impressed with me as of late. Anyway, enough about me, and on  to today’s topic... The disposable society, enjoy! 

These days it seems as though we live in somewhat of a disposable society. With most things around us we use and dispose of. Take for example food packaging, we buy things in packets and boxes and unnecessary amounts of wrapping and ultimately these are tossed into bins without a second thought for landfills and how environmentally unfriendly our actions are. Everything just seems so, here and now, if you will. Just so temporary without any thought about sustenance. And it’s very similar with other aspects of life, clothing, furniture, even the structures of homes these days is questionable, new flats are built like cardboard boxes! I mean, I suppose you could say that this is a side effect of mass consumerism. Cheap and cheerful seems to be the way everything around us is. 

But is this disposable attitude beginning to affect other parts of our lives? I mean look at the way our friends are treated. Obviously it’s impossible to stay in touch with all our friends all the time but regularly we stay in touch with minimal numbers. I’ve seen a few people from my past randomly and I always stop to say hi but some people look down and pretend that they haven’t seen you. Apart from being outright rude it just shows the extent of which people ‘move on.’ I totally understand that it is near enough impossible to stay in touch with all the friends you have all the time, I mean  truthfully, some of my friends I see once a year at a push. 

But I find that many people enter a new situation knowing that they will not be in touch with the people around them after the time frame of interaction. I guess to some extent it shows people are some what fake but it can also be argued that this approach is practical. You will have friends at school, college, uni, work etc; most of which you will only speak to during those times and a select few may become life long friends. But the fact that we can, without a thought, move on and ‘forget,’ the past makes me weary. Yes the world is constantly changing and in this day and age we have the opportunity to meet more people and do more things than ever before, but hey, don’t take it for granted, it wasn’t always like this. Don’t forget the people that helped you out in the past, make an effort! They must have been your friends for a reason, stop concentrating on yourself for a minute and ask how they are doing! 

Another aspect of our disposable mindset is relationships. People move from relationship to relationship to relationship with such speed and with no regard for letting themselves heal or move on properly. It creates the impression that not only did they not fully give themselves to the previous partner but also that the old partner was so easily replaceable, similar to the IKEA furniture (okay that may not have been the best example, what about Primark tshirt) or I dunno, the sandwich from the shop. You use, get your moneys worth and bin it, before proceeding to consume another. I hear people defending themselves, “oh I’m just having a bit of fun,” call me old fashioned but I personally think that if you don’t see a long term potential with your partner you shouldn’t be in the relationship. I think many relationships come to an end simply because people are not willing to work on their problems, opting to simply just replace as opposed to mend. Rather like a pair of trousers, you rip the knees (I realise this can be considered a fashion statement! =P) and you go to pick up another pair rather than sew it back. 

People are often out there looking for their dream partner like a that wonderful pair of shoes. Like you’re out shopping for a life partner!! Someone/something perfect. Ticking all the boxes:

                *Tall – check

                *Dark – check

                *Handsome – check

Or even:

                *Comfortable – check

                *Matches my bag/outfit – check

                *Glamorous – check 

But even though you’re looking for the perfect man/woman/shoes, your definition of perfect is likely to change tomorrow! 

The world is moving so fast that nothing remains in fashion for very long. Technology, clothing, the economy, EVERYTHING is moulding and changing rapidly. And our response to that is to adapt, to change the things we own/do to respond effectively, but ultimately this means constant change and disposal of the old to welcome the new. But that doesn’t mean it has to affect other aspects of our lives. Think about it. Make do with what you have, appreciate the things and people you have around you. 

That’s all for now.

-K

P.S. I know this one was short but I’m hoping to post again on Monday! So keep your eyes peeled for the next post!