Heroine

My Huge Eyes Spy

I remember when I was in 6th grade, about 12-years-old, in Germany, I noticed skinheads hanging out by my school. I was so afraid they would do something to me (I have a Turkish dad) if they noticed me. My stomach would hurt and I kept my distance, trying to rush to the bus to get home. As a child I was really afraid of skinheads (I still kind of am, but now more so because I know how ignorant they are).

Mo Asumang grew up in Germany as well. Her dad is from Ghana and as an Afro-German I am sure her experiences must have been similar, if not worst than mine. However, she decided to confront racism head on by talking to people who hate. When a clip of her talking to a Ku Klux Klan member surfaces online, my stomach turned again, as I watch her speak to him. She documented her experience in a film: Die Arier. This woman truly is a heroine! She is so brave and I can't wait to watch her full documentary.

Throughout the course of my life, I went from being a kid who wanted to be blond and blue-eyed to someone who mostly accepted her looks. Mostly only because somehow I still struggle with my exterior, but not to the extent I once did. I think generally it is hard to accept yourself as a woman today. Especially considering the depictions of women in the media and the images of how we should look like and the pressure it creates on us (but that is another future post).

My 'huge' eyes (as I was made aware many times as a child), my olive skin complexion and darker hair are now the assets I am most proud of.

I love being me.

Homage to... Women

Shout out to Rihanna and Ciara!

Do I really have to explain why I am shouting out to these women? If you don't think so just go ahead, skip the text and watch these incredible videos! (Not without thanking directors Anthony Mandler - director Te Amo and Diane Marte - director(in) Ridin.) Btw, in German we add 'in to titles and job descriptions for females, so an extra shout out to a female director!

Women in leading positions are still rare, women do get paid less than men for the same kind of work. Because of that, I am extra proud of women that really accomplish things in life, are true to themselves, and project confidence. Those women can be women that are close to me like my mom, my sisters, or friends. Those women can also be women that I never even met. Michelle Obama is one of them, Madonna or Meryl Streep, too, to name a few.

Why? Women are confronted with body images on the daily. When walking through the city, watching TV or reading a magazine, women are portrayed with perfect features, which we all know are faked, thanks to photoshop. Women are expected to look perfect be a good wife, a great mother, an impeccable sister.

Women have it hard, but women in public have it extra hard. Imagine being watched and commented on all the time. Therefore, I wanted to shout out to Rihanna. We all know what her ex has done to her, the image of her bruised face went around the world. One can only imagine how humiliated she must have been. These things break woman but she went on and spoke out. Now, she is stronger and more successful than ever. Her latest music video "Te Amo" is a beautiful caption of the songs lyrics. Rihanna is a great performer and pairing her talent with supermodel Laetitia Casta makes an awesome piece of music video. Rihanna is just beautiful inside and out, and I hope she continues to be confident in herself - I have no doubt she will.

Another public figure I have always looked up to is Ciara. I can't get enough of her latest video "Ridin" feat. Ludacris. She is just beautiful and I can't believe how well she dances. It is so refreshing seeing a woman with that kind of confidence, when was the last time a female (hip hop) singer has wowed us like that? The video does portray her skills so well, and it shows her strength as well as love to music and dance.

Ciara and Rihanna truly are role models for young women today. They are successful, not only in a male dominated genre, but a male dominated world. You girls inspire all of us. You portray talent, interest, confidence and beauty.

Thank you Rihanna and Ciara,

Keep inspiring us!

'Leave Britney Alone' and take Beth Ditto as an Example

Britney Spears is currently performing all over Europe, North America, and Australia with her “The Circus Starring Britney Spears” tour. The tour started in June of this year in Paris, and will end in October. According to Spears’ official website, it is said to be the highest grossing tour of 2009, and will earn $ 74 million. Despite these great successes, I did not know anything about the tour, except for Britney’s weight issues. When I googled “Britney and the circus tour”, I got 3,590,000 results, whereas when I googled “Britney Spears weight issues”, I received 5,650,000 results!

Regardless of whether people like Spears or not, things need to be put into perspective. As far as I can tell, I do not think she is overweight or even fat. She may not always appear in the best light in all of her outfits, but I think one should blame her stylist. He/she should be able to tell what is flattering for Spears or not. To me, Spears appears like a regular woman. Just imagine seeing someone of her body type on the street, would you turn around and comment on her weight?

It angers me, how women in public are ripped apart for their appearance. I wonder why we live in a society that appears to live by the motto “perfect only”. Due to some unforeseen circumstances and stresses, I have dropped a couple of pounds lately. I was never a big girl, but always the curvy kind with a size 8 or 10. I never pressured myself into loosing weight, and never put myself on a diet. I merely ate healthy, and went to the gym regularly. Now that I have lost weight, the feedback I am getting from friends is mostly positive. Everyone tells me how great I look skinnier. On the one hand, these compliments are flattering, yet, I can see how they put me under pressure. I am a private person, now how must this pressure feel like coming from everywhere, public media even?

Beth Ditto, rising star of The Gossip, appears to be comfortable in her own skin. She is outgoing, and even performs on stage in her underwear. I personally have a lot of respect for the kind of work her and Spears do. Being in the public eye, and therefore being judged upon your work right on the spot is enough pressure, do people really care about their weight? I think we need to remember that people like Spears and Ditto are human beings, with human problems, and not icons, or images that have to represent what we would like to be.

As a college student, I had lived a predominantly sedentary life style, and decided I needed to become more active. I noticed how, by working out, my body became leaner and more defined; additionaly, it contributed to a kind of inner balance. Anyhow, there was no force for me. I liked the way I looked, and I think that is the key--feeling comfortable in your own skin, and dressing accordingly. Thanks Beth Ditto for showing us how to! This is what Ditto said in an interview with BILD, “I had two options. I could either hate myself and my body for the rest of my life. Or I could set my own standards, find my own look and be happy with myself the way that I am. So I did the second one!”

Woman, stop dieting, stop thriving for perfect. Live healthy and be good to yourself. Take Beth Ditto as an example for everyone who judges upon your looks!