Beautiful/Fat. Inspiring/Disgusting.

Yesterday, a boy in work said to me,

"look at that fat b**ch over there. She just bumped into me."

Only seeing a woman size 12-14 (UK), I responded,

"She's not fat, she's like a size 12, that's not fat!"

"Yes it is, look at her, fat f**king b**ch!"

Outrage is an understatement for how I responded.

Therefore, I had to share my view with the world.

It absolutely disgusted me that somebody, not just a boy, but anybody thinks that they can speak about a woman in that manor.

It especially irritated me that he didn't know this woman. This woman could have given birth not one week ago for all he knew. And yet, she is considered fat in his eyes.

And the reason for this...

The Media.

Not all of the media, just media that report stories such as these:-

'Kourtney Kardashian shows off the full extent of her 44lbs post-baby weight loss as she parades her trim figure in a series of skimpy bikinis'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2269271/Kourtney-Kardashian-shows-44lbs-post-baby-weight-loss-series-skimpy-bikinis.html

And

'Jessica Simpson shows off her 40lbs weight-loss (and little Maxwell's first bikini) on Katie Couric's new chat show'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2201224/The-big-reveal-Jessica-Simpson-shows-post-baby-weightloss-arrives-Katie-Couric-interview.html

I mean WTF?

I get it. I get that women want to be fit and healthy again. And, it's ok if women want to look good, it's not a crime.

But why oh why can these women in the media not embrace their motherly figure for a while?

Women give birth to life. Without women, we would have no history. It's something of utter natural beauty and simply a miracle.

A woman's body after giving birth, to me, is like a badge of motherhood.

Something to be proud of.

And something that should not be ridiculed in the media.

If these stories were not published in the media, there wouldn't be this disgraceful sense of being 'fat' or 'ugly' post birth.

What's worse is that these women in the media, such as Kourtney Kardashian, are signing deals with magazines to lose the weight in a certain time.

How are we supposed to progress in the world as independent women, if half of us are just feeding into men's and the Media's idea of the 'perfect body'?

It's a depressing thought.

Based on True Events

Love film? Love documentaries? Love media?

Yes?

Thought so.

Watch this programme.

Documentary on Discovery Channel on the true story behind certain films.

I watched Scream - The True Story.

Hugely thought provoking.

Shows the inspiration behind Hollywood blockbusters such as Platoon, Die Hard and Scream.

I enjoyed watching a documentary on the ideas behind the film.

Documentaries on the film-making process; pre-production, in-production, post-production, have become bog standard. Cliché even.

Even for die hard film buffs, you will learn a thing or two.

Credit to Discovery production team, spectacular sources used (nothing new there).

Airing weekly from 1st of January on Discovery Channel.

Would recommend this not only to film buffs, but to anyone interested in film or media in general.

My Passion, To You...

I know that I have said that film is my main interest and haven't yet posted anything on film.

So in the spirit of Awards season, I'd like to share a film review I did of Skyfall some weeks ago.

My passion, to you.

Skyfall

 

Plot: MI6 comes under attack after a hard drive containing alist of all NATO operatives undercover in terrorist organisations is stolen andused against M. Bond returns from a near death experience in poor condition setto track down the hard drive no matter what the cost.

Although this film is without a doubt one of, if not thebest Bond film yet, I knew after watching it that I would find it extremelydifficult to put it in words. 2012 marking the 50^th anniversary ofthe James Bond films, originally penned in novels and short stories by IanFlemming, marks a year for change. Throughout this film I found some usualconventions of what every other Bond film usually has, twisted in with arefreshing new narrative and revolutionary techniques used by Oscar winningdirector Sam Mendes on conveying characters, plot lines and the general themeof the renowned 007 films. So please forgive me if you think that I’m jumpingfrom classic to modern throughout this review, but when/if you watch the film,you’ll understand!

 In classic Bondstyle, director Sam Mendes gives the audience a fragment of the storyline andcuts to the opening sequence credits. Mendes opens with 007, played by DanielCraig, mid-mission, shooting and chasing enemies through a foreign country onall and every type of vehicle, with a fierce woman at hand, no doubt. Thusdelivering all of the compulsory fundamentals of a standard James Bond openingsequence. This will leave audiences expecting what they think will come next inthe narrative. They will be wrong.

When James Bond returns to MI6 in poor shape, he becomes relatableto the audience, in which in my personal opinion no Bond has done before. Craigand Mendes pull this off impressively, bringing 007 into the 21^stcentury leaving an emotive audience relating to the character. Similar to otherrecent superhero movies, the narrative surrounds James Bond as an orphan anddelves into his childhood without losing the reality of the film. With the 50^thBond anniversary, we were expecting something different and things to be shakenup and this film definitely did just that. Stripping it down to the bone, Ifelt this film had one up on a few of the 2012 blockbusters. Skyfall signalscurrent problems in society, for example data theft and hacking which left thefilm feeling all the more relevant and even honest.  It depicted a man,struggling psychologically and physically set to take on a realistic villainSilva, played by Javier Bardem. Silva is an eerie, Hannibal Lecter-esquevillain, with bright blonde hair and a Spanish accent to contrast it, he ticksall the boxes for a brilliant Bond villain with a lot more to him than meetsthe eye, without giving too much away!

In the nature ofswitching things up, from the trailer it appears there are two Bond girls, BéréniceMarlohe and Naomie Harris.It becomes quite clear early on that Mendes skilfully crafts M’s character intobecoming the centred Bond girl right the way through.  Focussing on her life more in depth ratherthan just her career, we get a more personal view of M, played by Judi Denchnevertheless still keeping her powerful and fiery manner.

Another technique used in this film, which sets Skyfallapart from most other 007 movies is that the film was predominantly set inBritish locations. This brought the James Bond franchise back to the frontlineof British cinema. In line with this, the film had British wit coursingthroughout, which I thought it had lost after the 007 character had become morecamp and comical after Roger Moore’s adaptation compared to the original suaveSean Connery.

The film also paid homage to almost every other Bond film rightthrough to the end, with references to the famous ejecting car seat in theAston Martin DB5 from ‘Goldfinger’, similar locations to ‘From Russia withLove’ and also marks the return of title designer Daniel Kleinman who did theopening titles and gun barrel sequences from ‘GoldenEye’ and ‘Casino Royale’,in which both are very recognisable in the Bond franchise. Although extremelyfamiliar to other 007 films, on the other hand Skyfall doesn’t have some of theconventional Bond elements, for example this film has a non-Ian Flemming title,doesn’t say the famous line ‘shaken, not stirred’ and doesn’t have theextremely famous gun barrel sequence, not at the beginning anyway.

Taking everything into consideration, Skyfall is everythinga 21^st century audience could want from a Bond film. Finding theperfect line between extravagance and authenticity, audiences will relate tothis film and the character yet still be thrilled and on edge enough for thefilm to do its job and entertain. With a great cast and brilliant director SamMendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins, this 007 film may be the only JamesBond film out of the 23 in all to have a chance at winning Best Picture. Watch this space!

Carys Wright

For more on film releases and reviews, tune in to The Reelon Calon FM Thursdays between 3-4pm!

 

Designer Vaginas, Lopsided Boobs and Rotten Nipples...

Just when you think documentaries on surgery couldn't get any more disgusting... Botched Up Bodies appears on our television screens.

Don't get me wrong, I have a hard stomach when it comes to anything body related. You know, open wounds, vomiting, surgery etc.

However, this Channel 5 programme was without doubt the most sickening of the lot.
From fat getting squeezed out of a woman's cheek due to bad fillers to a 'designer vagina', this documentary shows a darker side to cosmetic surgery.

In recent years, cosmetic surgery has become more and more glamorised in the Media. With treatments and surgery becoming more accessible than ever to the public, in spite of the recession, figures on plastic surgery in the UK are rising.

From 2008, UK plastic surgery statistics show that total procedures (men and women) have risen by over 5%, omitting non-surgical procedures such as Botox injections.

Even with the likes of the Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) scandal, breast implants continue to be the most popular cosmetic procedure.

In my view, Reality TV programmes such as The Hills, Jersey Shore and The Only Way Is Essex have played a huge factor in this. They idealise cosmetic surgery to their fans leading to fans wanting the likes of a 'designer vagina'.

And although some of the statistics the show provided to the audience may not have been representative, the camera doesn't lie. What we saw was cosmetic surgery gone wrong and drastic measures being taken to fix problems that may not have been there if it wasn't for the Media glamorising plastic surgery.

Therefore I may have been revolted by Botched Up Bodies but I think that it's something the public need to see. Showing the results of bad/cheap surgery, I hope that it will make not only young girls but everybody reconsider having cosmetic surgery.

Episode 2 of Botched Up Bodies is airing 21 January 2012 on Channel 5. Catch up on episode 1 on www.channel5.com

 

The Special Kellogg's Ideology

I said in my first blog post that I would give my view on things in the media that catch my attention.

The Special K adverts.

In these adverts, women are stepping on scales with inspirational words appearing on the digital screens instead of their actual weight.

What is that about?

Are women so insecure that we can't see our actual weight?

Do Kellogg's think that by giving women an elevating word or adjective in replacement of their weight that that is what women will be feeling when eating Special K?

Because we won't be.

We don't want to beat around the bush. In this day and age, we don't have time for bulls**t. If we're unhappy with our weight we want to get to the point. Know our weight, know the weight we want to get to, get to that weight. Simple.

We most certainly don't want to feel as if we are being brainwashed.
We do understand what corporate companies are trying to do by feeding into women's insecurities but this isn't 1941 anymore.

Modern women are not codependent on men or flattery. We achieve our goals in life through hard work and independence, something we fought for for decades.

It doesn't matter if you are or are not the Medias idea of 'gorgeous'. You are what YOU choose to be.

First Blog Post

My first blog post, what to say..

Welcome to my blog.


I intend on giving my (very opinionated) view on the media in the upcoming weeks.

I will be swamped with uni work and radio work. But I will continue to update this about those things.

Reviewing films is part of my radio show (The Reel on Calon FM) and so in the next couple of weeks I will give you my view on upcoming films.

Not only that but I will share my opinion on anything media related that grabs my attention... or doesn't grab my attention, either way you'll read about it on here.

Warning: I want to be a director. I am very opinionated and I am bossy, I like things done my way because I think my way is the right way.

But then, it is called JustMyMedia so you've probably guessed that already.

I hope to have you intrigued...