May 2013: Fall In Love

“ We should love, not fall in love. Because everything that falls gets broken,” a quote from the famous seven-time Grammy winner, Taylor Swift. Her lyrics manage to express feelings I did not think words could possibly express. She is an amazing artist, but a girl none the less. One that has fallen in love numerous times, got her heart broken numerous times, but also manages to pick herself up and move on. Another quote I really like from her is "Falling in love isn't as easy as it seems when you've seen love crash and burn right in front of your eyes." And she's so right.

And I have seen a lot of love crash and burn, and it has affected my perspective on it. I’m grateful for being a very simple girl in the world of relationships, having a blank relationships resume. Yes, I called it a resume because to some people that’s exactly what it is to them. I’ve heard it from a few people already, something like: “You have to practice, so you know what you really want, so you know what to do when things go wrong, so you improve.” I have not gotten this personal in this magazine blog before, most things should be left on MissyCurious, but Fall is the colour or red, of Love.

 

Girls these days fall too easily, but that also makes them stronger. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? I think it is weird that there are articles about how to fall in love, or how to make people fall in love with you, because love is a complex topic, people are complex beings, emotions are the most complex ever. I’d much rather talk about Autumn instead, and layering. That’s a lot less overwhelming to talk about.

It may sound strange to the majority of the readers why I am talking about Autumn when over where you live, the weather is quite warm. Well the reason is, in the land down under, our weather is cooling down and May marks the last month of Autumn. So instead of wearing less like the majority of you, we are layering up. However, I still hope this will provide you with inspiration when your weather does begin to cool back down.

April 2013: Funny Bunny

O n average, babies smile 400 times a day whilst adults only smile 17 times a day. The number varies from source to source but the overall point is that as we grow older we treat a lot of things more seriously. Now, consider a situation where someone you know does something dangerously silly. Young children will laugh whilst as adults we are in fear that something bad will result from it. I’m not saying that we should all be reckless irresponsible children again, just to feel happy and free, but we should definitely learn to see more humour and joy in the things that come in our life. Whether that be enjoying a beautiful bright sunny day, or a magical rainy night indoors.

I find listening to happy songs also has the effect of making me smile. My happy songs are ‘I’m Yours’ by James Mraz and ‘Spring RainWashed Over The Sun’ by Chinese Musician Leehom Wang. Wang's song is slightly sad if you understand the lyrics but both songs are very playful which makes me smile. Smiling isn’t simply a form of expression to show that you are happy. There are many benefits that smiling and laughing has on our health and well-being, and even those around us. When we laugh, endorphins are stimulated from the body. These are the natural painkillers that our body produces that also makes us feel good by relieving stress and healing the body.

Endorphins are chemically similar to heroin and morphine, they have a tranquilising effect on the body. Have you ever noticed that when you hurt yourself doing something silly and you laugh about it whilst in pain, probably on the floor, the pain seems to be minimised. It’s not because you’re too busy laughing that you forget about the pain, that maybe, but it’s mainly because of the endorphins that your body releases. Another benefit that these endorphins have on us is that it helps build the immune system, this also explains why happy people rarely get sick whilst grumpy people often seem to be ill.

Not only does laughing create these amazing endorphins, they also affect our entire body in a positive way. When we laugh, our breathing quickens which increases the amount of oxygen in our blood, improving circulation, lowering the heart rate and dilates the arteries. Also, the quick breathing exercises particular parts of our body such as the diaphragm, stomach, neck, face and shoulders. Have you ever laughed so hard you could feel your abs coming? Well laughing is good abs work. And another exercise factor is that laughing stimulates the appetite and burns up calories. How great is that!

March 2013: Primadonna Doll

W hat does red mean to you? Lust? Violence? Luck? Femininity? How about when I say red lips? Well for me it conjures an image of a woman with independence and power who shows a bit of lust and femininity, and maybe even some luck since the Chinese believe that the colour brings just that. But why does such a small detail bring such an intense image? How come a simple red lip has the ability to give an entire look a major spice of attitude? Look to Taylor Swift’s album Red for example, and her constant donning of a red lip during the period she was promoting the album. It really did show off attitude, as much as the songs in her album did.

So to understand the image a red lip conveys, let's  travel on a mental journey to the past. Now where to begin? Why not where it all began?  5,000 years ago in Ancient Mesopotamia, the women were believed to be the inventors of lipstick. Both the women of the Indus Valley Civilization and Ancient Egypt used lipstick. Not to forget to mention, Cleopatra, one of the most famous Egyptians of all time wore red lipstick. Now let your mind travel across the waters to England, in the 16th century, where lip colouring started to gain some popularity. Queen Elizabeth I's bright red lips and stark white face became fashionable which explains why power and independence is conveyed from a red lip.

Dark red was one of the most popular shades throughout the 19th and 20th century, worn by flappers to symbolize their independence.  Towards the early 1930s, different lipstick colours were being introduced by Elizabeth Arden who inspired   other companies to also create a variety of shades.  During this period, lipstick was seen as a symbol of adult sexuality, which begins to explain the lust and affection that red lips also convey. Teenage girls believed that lipstick was a symbol of womanhood. Adults saw it as an act of rebellion.

In 1937, a survey showed that over 50% of teenage girls had conflicts with their parents over lipstick. Books and magazines of the 1940's emphasised that men preferred a natural look over a made up look and even warned girls that wearing cosmetics could ruin their chances of popularity and a career. These  articles implied that red lipstick were for provocative teen girls. Despite the increased use of cosmetics it was still associated with prostitution, and hence teen girls were discouraged from wearing cosmetics.