Author Archives: Karlyn

This Ain’t No Mad Men Party: Show Women The Money!

showwomenmoneyMad Men, an AMC television show that throws you back to an era of chain smoking, business dealing, and treating women in the workplace, and in general, like they’re less.

Today is Equal Pay day, a day when a woman finally catches up to what a man doing the same job made in 2013. #Truthbombs, ya’ll. This is not a day to be celebrated, but to instead bring awareness to the stereotypes that clench our culture and continuing to infiltrate in our economy. Even when women work full-time, year-round, they still only make 77 percent (on average) of what men in their field make. Over the course of their working lives, women make between $400,000 and $2 million less than they would if they were paid fairly. I’m pretty sure this is a form of robbery.

It’s also a known fact that women have outnumbered men in attending and graduating from higher education institutions. I can verify this since James Madison University was 60 percent female and 40 percent male when I attended, which made the dating scene um…interesting.

Anywho! With that factoid tucked in our belt of knowledge it’s practical to draw the conclusion that more women in the work force have more education and/or equal education as their male colleagues. So if this ain’t no Mad Men party, why don’t we all make the same pay for the same work? Seems logical, given the evidence.

A lot of this discrimination stems from pay-secrecy policies issued by employers that punish employees if they utter a peep about salary. Ridiculous? Absolutely. But right now there is no federal law that broadly prohibits employers from penalizing and even firing employees just for talking about their salaries. At my full-time gig I don’t think there’s a policy in regards to pay, however, culturally it’s simply “not done.” People, in general, are hush hush about money in real dollars and cents, however, many have no problem flaunting their new designer handbag or new revved up ride that just rolled of the showroom floor in all its shiny glory.

I’m not sure if you’re aware of Lilly Ledbetter, she’s a women’s equality activist and back in her years working with Goodyear she was a victim of this discrimination. She worked for Goodyear from 1979-1998 and on her first day she was told to never discuss her pay, and it wasn’t until 10 years after she started working when an anonymous source dropped a letter in her locker that she realized she was being paid 40 percent less than her male colleagues in the same job title. This resulted in a Supreme Court Case (Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.) in the late 2007.

Today many women’s, labor, community groups are pushing a new bill in the Senate called the Paycheck Fairness Act, which will help close the wage gap between women and men working identical jobs and stiffen the penalties for corporations who continue to discriminate. The Paycheck Fairness Act will also be a much-needed update to the 50-year-old Equal Pay Act that was signed during the Kennedy administration.

Please take action and tell your Senator to SHOW ME WOMEN THE MONEY!

Amen, Lorde!

She’s never seen a diamond in the flesh, she cuts her teeth on wedding rings in the movies because she’s just that badass, so naturally, we’re on each other’s team.

Lorde, music’s royalty and über talented 17 year-old became my Twitter heroine March 30. P.S. how is she only 17, amiright?!

She tweeted a side-by-side photos of herself, one photoshopped eliminating her blemishes and another sans editing with this amazing caption: i find this curious—two photos from today, one edited so my skin is perfect and one real. remember flaws are ok 🙂

Being that she’s a 17 year-old (again, HOW?!) and in blinding light of fame, it’s refreshing that she use her fame as an opportunity to shatter some p-shoppin’. By using Twitter she was able to reach her fans directly (which I’m sure many are teens themselves) using herself as an example of the unrealistic results of photoshop and telling her fans that giving your flaws a big ol’ hug is a good thing, because it makes you, you.
Amen, Lorde!
Other celebrities should jump on this golf cart to dissecting photo editing! Forrreeee!!

Hooked, Line and Sinker

I was MIA last week because I was busy playing hooky from life, which everyone should do!

Collage of some of my favorite photos from Life Hooky! Thanks to minxes in the top left photo sporting their LBD's for this experience!

Collage of some of my favorite photos from Life Hooky! Big thanks to the two minxes in the top left photo, sporting their LBDs, for this experience!

I went to Costa Rica and met 19 “hookers” that quickly became life long friends, travel buddies, and business brainstormers. “Life Hookers” is what we affectionately called ourselves through the five-day trip of luxury, culture and risk taking with a side of business.

The excursion was concerted by the saucy minxes over at The Middle Finger Project in the form of Ash Ambirge, her partner in crime Jess Manuszak and their comrade Carlos. (Luckily, no arrests were made on this inaugural trip, though the bail money was ready.) I had the privilege of meeting Jess last May in Vegas at Bloggers in Sin City and she told me about TMF’s new venture, Life Hooky. Baller name, smart business women, fun adventure, all inclusive. Where do I sign up?!

When I initially registered, I’m not sure I knew exactly what I was in for. “If Jess digs it and is apart of orchestrating it, it’s gotta be good,” I thought. SOLD! Also Ash is a biznass genius, so there’s that. I love to travel and since I’m of the only-child origin it was nice to go somewhere by myself (especially a different country) where people were on the other side waiting for my arrival.

Many of the “hookers” connected before the trip through a Facebook group where there wasn’t a shortage of banter, humor and fuzzy mustached selfies. But the trip wasn’t about the mustached selfies, ziplining, plunging 80 feet into the pacific from a catamaran, volunteering at a local school, salsa dancing, cooking in a local’s backyard, or even lounging by the pool with a rum and fresh pineapple juice cocktail taking in the sultry sunsets night after night—it was about the people.

These “hookers” were all open-minded, ready for adventure, ready to talk business, ready to take life by the gonads, ready to crack inappropriate jokes, ready to LIVE.

The craziest part? We’re from different countries all around the world (seriously…France England, Australia, Canada were all represented), at different stages of our lives, but we  jelled. It’s a bit unexplainable and many of us during the last evening all together had trouble articulating just what it was that made us all cohesive. They all inspired me.  And I’m not quite sure Ash & Jess know exactly what they created.

But it’s safe to say… I’m hooked, line and sinker.

Check out this little ditty of a highlight reel! PURA VIDA!

Dear Barbie, Meet Lammily

Dear Barbie, Meet Lammily
We’re all familiar with the unrealistic Barbie biology and the pressures she subconsciously has on young girls growing up.

Hey there, Lammily! image credit: Nicoklay Lamm

Hey there, Lammily! image credit: Nicoklay Lamm

Nickolay Lamm, a full-time artist and researcher sat down a few months ago and designed a “normal” Barbie that reflected the proportions of a 19 year-old girl based on the CDC reported standards. His goal: to show that average is beautiful and to revolutionize how girls think about their body through a new fashion doll named, Lammily. Watch out Barbie there’s a new girl in town and she can bend her knees, elbows, wrists, ankles and isn’t constantly walking on her tippy toes.

After countless requests from parents and girls alike to make this average doll from an illustrator on paper to a physical doll for purchase, Lamm started his kickstarter campaign and as of March 5 has almost $20,000 raised!
Seeing that Barbie was featured as a Sports Illustrated model this year, (seriously) it’s clear Mattel has no interest in changing Babs measurements to be more realistic. However with the demand for change, there has never been more of an opportune time for toys to challenge societal standards. GoldieBlox challenged the pink aisle and restrictive gender stereotypes and so will Lammily.

I already donated $75 and I am looking forward to giving away one first edition Lammily doll right here on the blog! So stay tuned for that nugget of awesome!

I really believe by changing toys, freeing magazine covers of photoshopped images, and casting more female protagonists in television shows and movies we are changing the way girls think and view themselves and others.
Please donate to the Lammily project here: https://www.lammily.com/average-is-beautiful

 

What are your thoughts on making this average doll a reality for girls everywhere?! 

The Teen Movie Cocktail—Shaken Not Stirred

TeenMovieCocktail

We’ve all watched them at sleepovers, rewatched them, and quoted them while out to lunch with friends. Teen movies were the epicenter of all things and they were relatable because the teenage years are typically a time of relationship and identity growth and struggle (#strugglebus), which is why there is a distinct recipe for many teen movies that started back in the 1950s, developed through the ‘80s and ended with what we are familiar with as “the teen movie” from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

After spending several Sundays cuddled up on my couch watching and rewatching teen movies, I forced myself to get physical, physical focused and put my analytical panties on instead of quoting every scene verbatim. I viewed two classic classic movies, Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and The Breakfast Club (1985). I also viewed four teen films from the 1990s and early 2000s, She’s All That, Never Been Kissed, Mean Girls, and 10 Things I Hate About You, all of which I now consider classics (of my time) as well.

From our Teen Movie Cocktail we concocted above one of the most used ingredients was character type. So let’s plug our noses and hold our breath as we take the plunge off the diving board into a deep pool of character types.

In the beginning of 10 Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls a minor character showed the main character around explaining the rules of high school and the different cliques and stereotypes. A few of the labels mentioned in those two movies were “burnouts,” “sexually active band geeks,” “girls who eat their feelings,” “cool Asians,” and “white Rastafarians,” just to name a few. The most frequently represented cliques were the popular crew and the losers. While not all the movies I’ve seen included such a blatant introductory scene, almost all were populated by stock character types.

Pop.u.lar.—

The Queen Bee
[ leader of her pack, trend-setter, mostly aloof ]
One such character was the popular girl or “queen bee” who is wealthy, naïve, and snobby (cue hair flip). Often she was seen leaving campus in her convertible car enroute to the mall with pals. One character that screamed “queen bee,” is Regina George from the movie Mean Girls. She was the one with the silver Lexus convertible, long blonde hair, designer clothes, a room the size of a house, and rules for the lunch table— “on Wednesday’s we wear pink.” Her girl crew was appropriately given the name “The Plastics,” teen royalty. The audience knew Regina was the “queen bee” when Cady (the new girl in school) was trying to sabotage Regina’s reputation and cut two holes in her tank top showing off Regina’s bra. It wasn’t long until every girl in school was sporting this idiotic fashion “trend.” Regina is “the Barbie Doll I never had.”

image from ign.com movie review.

The Breakfast Club. Claire the Queen Bee in pink. image from ign.com movie review.

The popular girl image hasn’t changed much from the Rebel Without a Cause and The Breakfast Club eras but its attitude has (oh snap!) from the coy, sweet and kind to the dominant “mean girl.” For example, Judy from Rebel Without a Cause came from a wealthy family, (which is safe to assume from the interior of the family home), however she was as sweet as could be. She also was a tad naïve when it came to falling in love. Claire of The Breakfast Club was the “princess.” She wore diamond earrings and brought sushi for lunch, claiming her elite status, however, through her dialogue she didn’t seem as stuck up or outspoken as Regina George in Mean Girls. One thing that separated Judy and Claire from the mean girls of the current films was the fact that they confessed their weaknesses and their dislike with their popular status. These factors humanized these characters, however, an emotional confession was never heard from the popular girls in the current films.

The Jock
[ swoon-worthy, athletic, little to no brain waves ]

Character from She's All That sports a letterman jacket to identify his "jock" status. image from kron.buzznet.com

Character from She’s All That sports a letterman jacket to identify his “jock” status. image from kron.buzznet.com

There was the popular boy or “jock” that was always charming, sometimes conceded, good looking and ruled the school. He was the guy who got high fives for no reason while walking through the locker-lined halls. Often times the popular boy was struggling with the future and growing out of his popularity. A prime example of this is the character, Zach, played by Freddie Prinze Jr. in She’s All That (bats eyelashes). He was always sporting his letter jacket, representing his status, and a smile that melted every girl’s heart. Though he was portrayed in this stereotypical light, he was also very intelligent as the class president and a senior that got accepted into Ivy League schools like Yale and Harvard. This was a rarity in teen films. In Mean Girls, Aaron Samuels, the hot senior boy that all “The Plastics,” wanted attention from, was a soccer player that lacked the talent it took to succeed in calculus. Too often males are portrayed with less intelligence because the more important qualities are that they are athletic all-stars and practicing courtship on the popular girls to enhance their social standing. Andy from The Breakfast Club was the typical jock, pressured to excel on the wrestling mat from his dad and coaches. He was always wearing his letter jacket and packed a hefty lunch of four sandwiches. Joey the conceded male model in 10 Things I Hate About You focused on his good looks, often catching reflections of himself in glass throughout the school day so he could fix his hair.

The Mean Girl
[ socially aggressive, revenge seeking, fake front ]

Cady cuts holes in Regina's shirt after gym class and it becomes a fashion trend around school. image from templekids2011.wikispaces.com

Cady cuts holes in Regina’s shirt after gym class and it becomes a fashion trend around school. Peer pressure dictated by high school popularity standards.                                                                image from templekids2011.wikispaces.com

If a mean girl is defined as a character who is a direct user of socially aggressive behaviors that consists of  “indirect aggression to damage another’s status or self-esteem spreading rumors, silent treatment, note passing, backstabbing, public of private humiliation.” Who really is the mean girl in Mean Girls? Is it Regina, who on the surface seemed to fit the mean mold? Nope. It was Cady who used socially aggressive tactics (listed above) to sabotage Regina’s life and “queen bee” reputation. Another set of “mean girls,” they always seem to come in a set, are the trio of girls from Never Been Kissed. Similar to “The Plastics,” they were always flaunting their bodies in revealing crop tops and short skirts. They picked on the nerdy math girl, Aldys or “Alpo,” as they called her. The last scene almost caused the biggest form of public humiliation for Aldys. The popular guy, Guy, (original, ha!) asked her to dance. While twirling around on the dance floor, one of the girls took out a can of Alpo dog food from her pink purse and got one of the popular guys to help pry it open. Just when they were about to dump it on Aldys, Josie (undercover journalist turned popular) yelled and hit the can and the dog food ended up landing on the trio of mean girls. Hey Karma, how you doin’?

Next week: how Outsiders or “losers” character type become Insiders, or  a member of the Popular crew, with a quick wardrobe change. I smell a makeover sequence!

 

A Letter to My (future) Daughter

Last week I shared with you a letter a father wrote his daughter about the pressures of growing up in this “better be perfect looking or else” culture we live in today when “perfection” is just a wave of the mascara wand away.

I gave myself the challenge to write a letter to my future 13-year-old daughter on how to relish life, though I’m not even close to knowing “it all.” Here we go!

daughterDear (future) daughter of mine,
Hey Lovely, in life there will be challenges and difficulties (like puberty), celebrations and triumphs (like acing that math test), but all of those lessons learned and victories won are moments that shape your You. A life puzzle… of sorts.

Here are my top 5 (so far) things you should know:

ONE: Become a Thunkie
Or a thinking junkie. Your brain is beautiful, use it! Show your personality, communicate your dreams. Soak up all the knowledge from not only the classroom, but also life’s experiences. Pick up a book, a real one…smell the pages, have your eyes scroll across the serif text, learn something of value. Because in the end your brain is your most valuable tool, though sometimes you’ll wish it would shut up so you can follow your heart.

TWO: Don’t Believe Everything You Read (and watch)
The 10 Ways to Get Every Man to Want You”
“5 Days to Flawless Skin”
“The Get Toned by Tuesday Workout.”
All of the above could have (and no doubt have) been headlines for the women teen magazine, Cosmopolitan. Don’t believe the hype, I admittedly tried the 10 ways… didn’t work. Flawless skin? I’ll keep my laugh lines, thank you. And you can never get toned by Tuesday, ever. Also those models and celebs on the cover, they’re photoshopped to have beaming sun-kissed skin and the perfect hourglass shape.
In life many things are based around appearance, influenced by marketers. In today’s (2014) culture there’s a high value on appearance. For women we’re told to be younger, thinner, and more natural by caking on make-up.
Today, were even lacking in powerful female characters in TV/movies and even in real life. In the off chance a woman of power like former secretary of state for the Obama administration Hillary Clinton,  is in the news she’s labeled as a “bitch” or “bossy” and often critiqued more on her appearance than her work. Bet you didn’t’ know you were getting a culture history lesson, did ya?
Lovely, if people call you “bossy,” shoot them a warm smile and reply “thanks,” you’ll catch them completely off guard leaving you to bask in your Thunkie glory.

THREE: Always Believe Your Mother
I know, I know you’re like “mommmmm, seriously?” Dead. Deal with it. As you grow and mature you’ll be thanking me one day, as I did my own mother (yup, tastes like vinegar). However, I’m not going to silver platter these “told you sos,” some you’ll have the privilege of learning on your own. Like, social media. Just know what happens on social media is being collected by the Library of Congress and will no doubt come back to spook you during that important job interview. Which is why you shouldn’t put up a fight when I say you have to be in college before your granted the responsibility of running your own reputation on the wild, wild web.

FOUR: You Only Live Once
This has been my life motto since I was 12, until Drake went and ruined it with his overplayed tune. Even my screen name was “ulive1” on AIM (which was basically text messaging via the Internet). Anywho! Please remember that this life is precious. You only get one shot to make the most of it. Everyday is a blessing. Don’t drink and drive. Do travel. Don’t speed. Do work hard because it will pay off. Don’t worry too much. Do dance around your room and Do and ask your mother to join you.

FIVE: Be Vibrant, Be You
Be strong, be steadfast, be giving. Take responsibility of your happiness. Dismiss those who prove toxic on your well-being leaving room for others that paint your world in positivity and love. Positive thinking is powerful and how you view yourself affects how others, in all aspects of your life, view you. So make the promise to yourself—you deserve it—because you are beautiful, because you are you

Be the best You, you deserve it and so does the world!

With all the XOs,
Mom

What are some life lessons you would share in a letter to your future child or current sister, cousin, friend? Share in the comments!

 

 

 

Where Are You Most Beautiful?

What if I asked you, “where are you most beautiful?” What would be your response?

For father and Clinical psychologist, Dr. Kelly Flanagan he wants his “Little One” to always know where her beauty exists: on the inside.
I LOVE THIS.

bonus points if you notice what's similar about these covers.

bonus points if you notice what’s similar about these covers.

Dr. Flanagan wrote a letter to his 4-year-old little girl on his blog about the oppressive language that’s seen up and down the make-up aisle of retail stores (and on the covers of magazines.) These words having staying power, power that grabs you by the throat and shakes you while saying (subconsciously) you’re not beautiful if you’re not “ageless,” “zit-free,” or “flawless.” (also see: clean.clear.and under control.)

He points out that after having a daughter he started to realize she’s just as strong and a force in this world to be reckoned with. She has the same gifts, potential and passions as any man. High-five, Daddio! Observing the words listed in the packaging of the make-up aisle many people, including her, won’t view her as someone that is fully capable of greatness, instead she will be thought of as a play thing or just a pretty face to gawk at. Society, you’re rude.

In his letter, father Flanagan (nope, not a priest, but it does have a nice ring to it) didn’t change the words marketers use, but instead gave them a new meaning, a better meaning. He redefined the make-up aisle.

Here are my favorite redefines:

Brilliant strength. May your strength be not in your fingernails but in your heart. May you discern in your center who you are, and then may you fearfully but tenaciously live it out in the world.

Infallible. May you be constantly, infallibly aware that infallibility doesn’t exist. It’s an illusion created by people interested in your wallet. If you choose to seek perfection, may it be in an infallible grace—for yourself, and for everyone around you.

Choose your dream. But not from a department store shelf. Find the still-quiet place within you. A real dream has been planted there. Discover what you want to do in the world. And when you have chosen, may you faithfully pursue it, with integrity and with hope.

He ends the letter with reminding his “Little One” that when she gets older and perhaps may want to wear make up, she should never forget where she is most beautiful: on the inside.

This letter truly touched me and I think more fathers, mothers, and overall people should take the time to dissect the beauty veil and how it impacts young girls/women psyches. I have found so much inspiration from Dr. Flanagan that next week I will be writing a letter to my own (unborn) daughter and posting it here.
In the meantime, I’m curious what life lessons you would include in your own letter to your child? Leave these nuggets ‘o wisdom in the comments! 

 

 

Karate Chopping Super Bowl Sexism

#NotBuyingIt app screenshot.

#NotBuyingIt app screenshot.

Social media has proven time and time again that it is a ninja raising awareness, causing chaos or in this instance, karate chopping (hiiiyahh) sexism in advertising.

For the past two years and before the existence of this blog, I would sit every Super Bowl Sunday in my yoga pants and Redskins jersey (yes, I’m aware they haven’t been to the big game since ’91) cross-legged on the couch nomming on mini potato skins (with bacon!), nachos con queso, watching teams of men go at it on the field to be the best in the nation. (Cue testosterone grunt.) And then there are the commercials drawing in the non-football fans to the TV. I think these commercials are always overhyped and in my opinion, pretty terrible and lack of creativity  (except for this one) because they too often degrade women, over sexualize women, and objectify women. For the record: If men were portrayed in these big game ads in similar ways, I would have the same problem. Why? Because “sex sells.” But me and many others are not buying it!
My thought: if the products and services were any good they wouldn’t need sex to sell them, amiright?

How many times did we see that Go Daddy commercial starring the first professional female race car driver, Danica Patrick and had NO CLUE WHAT GO DADDY WAS TRYING TO SELL?!?! This ad created that shock and awe factor I’ve talked about before, a buzz around the commercial that led people to figure out (thanks, Google) what or who Go Daddy is and what he was hiding under all that unnecessary sexism. This ad and many others are prime examples of advertising abuse, or not using advertising for the sake of selling, but for the sake of shocking (and awing).

These ads left a bad taste (and no, it wasn’t the queso) in the mouths of viewers everywhere who took to Twitter to share their disgust and concern by using the hashtag #NotBuyingIt. The #NotBuyingIt campaign, created by The Representation Project, is a movement that uses film and media content to expose injustices created by gender stereotypes and to shift people’s consciousness towards change. Due to the success of the campaign in the 2012 and 2013 Super Bowls an app was launched, which you can download for free from iTunes and upload your own examples in the media and everyday life of how sexism won’t sell.

I’ll be tweeting live during Super Bowl XLVIII using #NotBuyingIt and #MediaWeLike to call out the very worst and best in Super Bowl advertising. Super Bowl isn’t just a spectator sport, join me!

 

 

 

 

A Breath of Fresh Aerie

aerieREALThere’s a new real beauty advertising campaign on the rise by American Eagle apparel’s lingerie line, Aerie. Its spring 2014 advertisements will not be featuring Photoshop retouched images. (Cue happy dance.)

Aerie seems to be taking their lead from Dove’s Real Beauty campaign who took a risk and cannonballed into the deep end of the body image pool 10 years ago, and fortunately surfaced with numerous viral advertisements that are changing the way women view themselves.

What makes Aerie different? It’s young. Founded in 2006, Aerie is aimed at the high school and college female demographic. Females between the ages of 15-21 are the most impressionable when it comes to their sense of body image and these self-opinions are often dictated by what is seen in the media.

Aerie hopes to make women feel confident about the body they’re rockin’ and is asking them to participate by tagging photos of themselves using the hashtag #AerieREAL. Because “the real you is sexy.” (oh, snap!)

Though the ads still feature beautiful girls with model-like features: hourglass figures, legs-for-days, blemish-free faces, it still beats the alternative where images are digitally sculpted and shaped by the strokes of an (air) brush.

What do you think about Aerie’s real campaign? Good idea? Bad idea? Marketing ploy?

Let me know in the comments!

Bogus “Bikini Bridge”

bridgeWhat in the universe is a “Bikini Bridge” and who started such a thing?

“Bikini Bridge” is not a thing.

This breach of culture was started by the evil Internet imbeciles named 4chan (also responsible for “CuttingforBieber”) in an attempt to make girls hate their bodies (more than most of us already do) and feel insecure about not possessing this bogus body attribute. It’s the new “Thigh Gap” of 2014. No, no it’s not.  It was a test, of sorts, to see if the phenom would take off and become a society staple and so far, it’s working.

Now with 1,645 2,365 likes (since its inception, yesterday) the Facebook page is ever-growing with comments from mostly men (who are horned up, beep beep) rating the girls’ the “bridge” from 1-10. If a bikini bridge was a thing it would be formed when girls lay flat on their backs clad in a bikini and take a selfie of their undercarriage to capture the “bridge” of fabric created when their hips are protruding out farther than their stomach.

I couldn’t spend much time on the page because, well, I was starting to feel physically ill and tossing my cookies (mmm, cookies) was not on today’s to do list. The page description is “this is for those who don’t enjoy porn but do enjoy the erotic glimpse of Bikini Bridge. To see less is more.”

And click, buh-bye.

The Internet misfits weaseled their way into the Twitterverse where there is over 5,000 tweets using #bikinibridge hashtag as well as tragic blog posts that thought this “bridge” was the next body trending shaming thing, like this piece on Buzzfeed Community that shames women who don’t possess this counterfeit curvature and it’s by a woman.

Dropkick.

We have to do better, ladies. Because if we don’t, no one else will.

We have to take these hoaxes for what they are, FAKE, and instead of continuing to let them invade our culture, that’s already brittle, we have to put up those shields, blinders or both and be on the offensive (be ahead of the game, in control) of what we read in all mediums and what we write. We must do research to find truths instead of accepting a forged façade.

What words or phrases would you like to see banned from our culture? Ugly Cry? Bubble Butt? Thigh Gap?  Let me know in the comments!