They're sexy but are they safe?

Zoe Saldana in the movie "Columbiana"

I was on Facebook one, casually scrolling through my newsfeed and I saw a girl I know (that I competed in a pageant with ) post an article about the struggles of being a stunt women in the acting industry. She is a stunt women and actress and actively works.  She likes her job , but agreed there are shortcomings since she is a female. The article talked about how women are put much at risk than men doing this type of work. Yes, this work can be looked at as dangerous overall. However, it made me think. I watch action movies all the time and I’ve never stopped to think about the stunt women that is actually taking those falls.

Charlies Angels 2003

They are fighting, jumping off buildings, running and doing things that most ordinary women may not be willing to do. Men stunt actors may have to do those things also but, they would not have to do it in HEELS. Men also would not have to do stunts in a little dress, or a bra and underwear or any other type of small costume that a women may have to wear.

Action movie star - Angelina Jolie

How can you have the necessary padding keep you protected when your clothes are limited? Men for the most part don’t have to worry about that as much.  Women have to be tough and courageous , but also still be sexy. Their are countless numbers of movies that I have seen that have  actresses fighting in close to nothing. I did not take a second to think about,  how did she do that in that outfit ?  I guess that's the whole purpose of stunt men and women,   the viewer is not supposed to think about those things.

Well I will think about those movies a little differently now.

"Dark Girls "

When the documentary "Dark Girls" came out , there were so many  controversial comments about it , and social media was buzzing. Although ,it was so popular I decided there was no rush to see it. Not because I thought that it wouldn’t be interesting but , it is a topic I am so familiar with. I didn’t need to watch the documentary to have an opinion on “Dark Girls" which ..I clearly fall in the category of. 

Being A “Dark Girl” is my life and will always be my life. 

If you haven’t heard of “Dark Girls”, it is the documentary that explores the prejudices of dark skinned women face around the world. 

I cant tell you how many times I have heard the phrase “You're pretty to be dark skinned.”  Interestingly enough not once has that comment ever been from any one that wasn’t African American. It is a backhanded compliment ,and implies that you’re not as pretty as  a girl that  is light skinned. 

This documentary showed different women and men talking about their experience and comments on the issue of colorism. There were Professors, Actors, ordinary men and women , and even young children that were apart of this film. 

In this  documentary the “paper bag” test was mentioned,  which I never knew about.  If  you were lighter than a paper bag you were considered “beautiful and smart” . On the other hand if you were darker than a paper  bag you were considered “stupid and not attractive”.  

There was also  a little girl talking about her struggles with her color. She was probably about 7 or 8, and it was sad to see someone so young have such insecurity with who she is. Her mother and brothers were all lighter skinned. She hated being called black because she associated that with not being pretty. That  showed me that beauty image issues start very early. I think in this case , it was so much deeper than just about beauty image. 

This documentary did not only discuss the issue of colorism within the African American community , but ethnicity around the world. There was a Japanese girl that spoke of her experience with colorism when she was younger. The issue of colorism also exist in the Dominican community and other latin communities around the world. 

The never ending discussion of dark girls vs light skin girls in the African community is a joke to me. I feel it only adds to the practice of putting African American women against each other . Whether you are light skin or dark skin , you represent the same race. There is a long history behind where this colorism started and unfortunately it is very prevalent in the African American community.

No one is born with these thought about the ccolor of your skin. These bad habits or thoughts are learned. Whether there learned from home or from society.

Overall it was an intriguing documentary , I think its something that anyone could watch no matter their ethnicity or color and take something from. 

Beauty Behind the blog

When I was younger I was never the girl that played makeup as a kid. I Probably didn’t really get my first lip gloss till about 12 , and of course it was only clear (boring I know. ) See my mom , was more conservative when I was a kid , I wasn’t allowed to wear color nail polish , color lipstick or makeup. I used to be so annoyed that she wouldn’t let me buy red lipstick. I felt like I was the only girl that had these restrictions back then. Now that I am older, and I look back on that time period I realize that those things were not that big of a deal. I also am glad that I did not wear makeup back then, I didn’t really start wearing makeup till about 3 years ago. Now I know everything there is to know about makeup and can easily spend hours watching YouTube makeup tutorials, and recreating makeup looks I see on Instagram (im quite obsessed with makeup now ). Not only can makeup be expensive but as a pre-teen and teenager there was no point of it , and not having it did not make me feel less pretty.

I have to admit when I was younger , peoples opinions and society's image of beauty did have affects on me. In middle and high school I used to be insecure about my height , weight  (being too skinny ) . Now those things don't affect me at all , and I am comfortable with the skin im in.  The amount of insecurities may have decreased since I was a teenager , but that comes with growth and just accepting more of who I am now.

 

As a girl who has modeled , and competed in pageants the beauty world has always been around me. I love beauty , fashion , and all of those girly things but those things don't define me. Most of the time I don't wear makeup outside unless im going to a special event where I need to be a little more glam than usual. Competing in pageants I am used to seeing girls do about anything to "look" perfect. from Implants , perfect fake teeth , to spending thousands of dollars on a gown. I have never been the girl to do all of those things (maybe that's one reason why I haven't won the bigger pageants ). I have also seen girls do all of those things and be so disappointed and angry when they don't win. I compete for the challenge , seeing the growth and progress from pageant to pageant and possibly competing on TV to become Miss USA one day (which has its own long list of perks). I have had positive and negative experiences when it comes to pageants . I don't know if I will ever do them again but it has been a great pastime that I can look back on and be proud of.  

 

Till next time .......

5 beauty treatments that might make your jaw drop .

Some people will do just about anything to look beautiful, no matter how weird or expensive. There is definitely a price for beauty , what are you willing to do for beauty ?   Check out these 5  beauty routines , that are not part of the everyday beauty routines. 

1. 24 Karat Gold  Facial :

According to many historians , Queen Cleopatra slept in a gold face mask every night to maintain her beautiful skin. It is more popular among celebrities because it can tend to be more pricey. Some of its benefits include : UV , tighten skin, increase circulation , and remove toxins. However there are no scientific studies to prove these benefits. 

Gold Facial mask

 2. Vampire Facial Mask- 

Kim Kardashian made this facial famous when she posted a selfie of her with blood all over her face. Kim Kardashian is known for setting trends so of course she would be the one to flaunt this odd type of beauty treatment.

How it works : Vials of your blood  are drawn from you and re injected into your face .  It uses Platelet rich Plasma to  which is supposed  to  increase collagen production , and stimulates new blood vessels. This treatment can typically cost around $1,500.

Kim Kardashian showing off her vampire facial.

 

 

3. Bird Poop Facials-

This treatment is typically more common in Japan . The "Poop " is made from nightingales that are raised on a farm and  fed organic birdseed. Then their poop is sanitized by a UV light. The droppings are made into a powder , which is then applied on the face in a paste form. The droppings contain a bleaching agent . This facial helps to naturally brighten , and lighten the skin.

4. Dead Sea Mud :
The mud along the shore of the Dead Sea has a lot of minerals such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, bromine and calcium.  The mud  has many therapeutic and medicinal benefits .Many visitors usually cover their entire bodies in the mud. Due to the muds popularity, Dead Sea mud has become extremely popular and you don’t have to go to Israel to experience its benefits.   Some of its benefits include:  tightening skin , adding moisture to skin , removing toxin and impurities. 

Woman covered in mud at Dead Sea

5. Placenta hair treatments : 

Placenta …yes  I said placenta . When you first see that  word , you automatically think of a human placenta (gross !) but actually placenta that is used in hair treatments are afterbirth from sheeps (not sure if that makes you feel any better ). Placenta can help repair and treat damaged and dry hair. It helps to replenish proteins lost in hair and and also reduce frizz. Placenta hair treatments come in various forms such as shampoo, conditioner, and serums. 

Leave - In Conditioner with Placenta

 

What is the weirdest beauty treatment you have tried ?