Jodi Picoult: Picture Perfect

Image courtesy of jodipicoult.com

My name’s Natalie and I’m a bookworm.

That’s right: I. Like. Reading.

My best friend always jokes that she’s going to buy me WHSmiths vouchers for my birthday.

– That would actually be the coolest present ever!

In danger of running out of things to blog about, I thought it would seem only fair to share my appetite for books with you all. So here goes my weekly book review!

This week: Jodi Picoult’s “Picture Perfect”

It’s been a while since I read a book quite as quickly as this one.

The story focusses around Cassie, a woman suffering from amnesia. Found wandering near a graveyard by Will, a police officer who has only just moved the area, Cassie learns that she is married to one of America’s biggest movie stars, Alex Rivers. As her memory starts to recover, Cassie begins to remember things about herself, her marriage to Alex and also why she ran away in the first place…

…And that is all I’m saying!

Picoult’s novels can be categorised as Chick Lit in that they are written by women, for women, and often deal with women’s issues. Picture Perfect is no different in this. However the use of a split first person narrative between the female protagonist Cassie, Alex and Will makes for a more balanced read than your typical girly trash.

Despite being published in 1993, Picoult’s text remains contemporary through her focus on the life as the wife of a movie star. However Picoult is keen to avoid the usual one-dimensional accounts of celebrity and fame synonymous with lesser airport fodder. The reader is invited to glamorous restaurants, crowded press calls, but also learns how the world of Hollywood seems fake even to those within it.

The text deals with sensitive topics such as alcoholism and domestic abuse, and as with all of Jodi Picoult’s novels she does not shy away from the details. But rather than get dragged down by the such heavyweight topics, Picture Perfect balances the good with the bad; creating an interesting and surprisingly gripping read.

Rating: 9/10

Tonsurephobia: The fear of getting your hair cut

What is it about frequenting a new hairdressers that fills us all with dread?

This week I got my hair cut.

Now this ordinarily would not be a problem. I quite enjoy going to the hairdressers in fact.

I pretend to be a lady of leisure as I chat with my hairdresser; updating each other on generic gossip from each of our lives, with my magazine in one hand and plastic cup of lukewarm hot chocolate in the other.

But this time I was going to a new hairdressers. A salon that had never before set eyes on me or my messy grown-out bob.

The fear set in.

Whilst the experience was delightful and I came out with a well-above average cut it got me thinking about my (unfounded) fear.

Then I had a phone conversation with a male friend who also mentioned he needed to get his cut.

The Problem: Said male friend had neither the time nor desire to travel back home to get his hair cut, but shuddered at the thought of trying somewhere new.

Now my two best friends have also elicited “The Fear” at various points during our friendship. Only difference-they both have beautiful long blonde hair. Their fear makes sense. One false snip from an over-eager Edward Scissorhands and their luscious locks may never be the same again.

My muddy brown barnet-not so much!

Now I could make some deep and meaningful statement about how this is yet another example of  society’s obsession with looks and how we continue to trade off of superficial outer layers rather than what lies beneath.

Yawn.

Instead put your headphones on, close your eyes and listen to this video. It might make you reconsider getting the chop for a while:

The Quest for the Unachievable Figure

Much like the search for the Holy Grail or the quest for the Fountain of Youth, women up and down the country (and men too), have long sought after the Perfect [read: Unachievable!] Figure.

The Size Zero debate emerged in 2006. Surrounded by images of Lindsey Lohan, Mischa Barton and Nicole Richie all losing weight under stylist Rachel Zoë, the question of size raged through the media and haunted the catwalk as size became a health issue.

Quicker than you can say “Weight Debate” the tide turned. Images of a skeletal Nicole running on a beach appeared in the press; A teenage model died six months after her anorexic sister collapsed on the catwalk. The backlash had begun.

NEW KID ON THE SCALES

Since then, the media has been looking for a new role model, and they’re roving eye has fallen on one Christina Hendricks.

A former model turned actress, the 35 yr old is currently starring in Mad Men and was also named the ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’ by Esquire magazine.

So far so good. Then we get to her measurements:

39D-30-39

Yes that’s right ladies. Our new body role model possesses a figure which is beautiful, hourglass, sexy and…

…COMPLETELY UNACHIEVABLE!

I applaud the media for recognising the need to change society’s perceptions about body image. Each week magazine’s berate the fashion industry for not accommodating larger figures. Indeed Hendricks still struggles to find clothes to wear to red carpet events.

But if they want to take attention away from “The Sticks” in order to boost the average woman’s morale and set positive role models then surely the more sensible idea is to actually use an average woman?

Christina Hendricks is not average by any stretch of the imagination.

It’s 2006 all over again, with women trying to conform to a body image which yes may be natural to some people-naturally slim model Lily Cole was banned from Madrid Fashion Week in 2006 for possessing a BMI under 18-but for the majority, is simply impossible.

THE “AVERAGE WOMAN” CAMPAIGN

Every time the media comes up with a new celebrity to spearhead the “average woman” campaign they do the exact opposite. Another example-Cheryl Cole was pioneered by the press as being “one of us”…

NO SHE’S NOT!!

Look at the woman she is b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l!

Here’s my body-shape analysis:

I have narrow hips and a little waist. I also have a bum once described as “something to smack”, and athletic legs built up through years of horse-riding, hockey and netball. But much unlike Hendricks, I  have a size 8/10 top with a “modest” (cue sniggers from those who know me!) bust.

Never fear, Marks and Spencer’s have the answer with their “2 sizes bigger” push-up bra (£22), as advertised in this month’s Cosmopolitan for those women looking to achieve the Hendricks effect?-TWO SIZES?! Or maybe I should just forego all this, go the whole hog and invest in a cosmetically enhanced bust?

BE HEALTHY BE HAPPY

Let’s just consider for a moment that there is no perfect body shape. That each woman, whatever her size has beautiful bits, less beautiful bits, and bits which frankly should never see the light of day!

I LIKE my little top – I like that I can wear strapless dresses that show off my shoulders, and that going bra-less doesn’t bring me out in a nervous sweat like some of my more ample-bosomed pals.

I’m not a HUGE fan of my bum and legs – Jeans are not my friend and I swear I saw some cellulite the other day! But they were borne out of being healthy and exercising regularly, and not eating all the pies which makes me think that things could be worse!

And the bit I hate? My feet: The result of spending my formative years ramming them into Wellington’s and trainers. Ain’t no diet gonna fix these beasties! One day I promise to make it up to them! But on the plus side-I’ll know I’ve met “The One” when they love my feet as much as the rest of me!

So there you go.

Not the “perfect” shape.

Just my shape.

Q and A with Jenny Kleeman

This week Jenny Kleeman, reporter for Channel 4’s Unreported World came to talk to us about her experiences as a documentary film-maker out in the field.

Here’s some of her answers to students question’s at the end of the talk:

*You’ve spoken about moments of being lucky, what about being unlucky?
About 3 years ago I made a film in India.  The end product was very different to what we’d been sent out there to do. It took us about a week to learn that the story we were going out there to do (the Godmen of Kerala) didn’t really exist. You learn to ask questions in advance.

*In what ways do you get emotionally attached to the stories?
We did a story about children getting raped in Lyberia-I thought it was important to remain as calm as possible. You don’t want to be interviewing someone and have some journalist crying her eyes out. But then you feel guilty when you get a really good interview. It’s confusing because you have a really good interview which is great for the film but it was a horrific story. I only show my emotions on camera when it’s really necessary-I’m very careful to save my emotions for when I get back to my hotel.

*How do you choose a topic for your film?
We make 20 Unreported World’s a year. Because there’s so many it’s quite difficult to come up with stories because obviously they have to be unreported. So we have people researching stories all the time.

*Why did you become a reporter?
You have to be a particular type of person: you have to be out-going, you have to be a bit of a show-off. I had made documentaries where I was behind the scenes. If you’re a producer or an assistant producer, while you don’t have the same authorship, your career is a little longer. A reporter-it’s your story out there but people can get sick of you quite quickly, it’s quite easy to lose your job.

*Are you afraid of things when you go abroad?
You have to put together a 40-page dossier which outlines any potential scenarios, anything that could go wrong so you are prepared. This has to satisfy Channel 4’s insurance. But obviously you are scared, you don’t know how people are going to respond. You have to weigh up how much a story means to you.

*Do you feel there is any conflict between your life and your responsibilities as a journalist?
Everyday I set myself an exercise where I wake up and write down  where I’m going, why I’m going there what I’m wanting to achieve. If I can’t think of those reasons then I shouldn’t be going.

An Ode to Jägermeister

My world would not be complete without Jägermeister.

When I was first making my way into the bar-tending world (cue gags from those that know me!), I started off as a simple shots girl. My usual tipple to sell was Tequila, but one day I was given a bottle of Jägermeister instead.

People were sceptical. Those who tried it said it tasted like medicine, others commented that it made them go all warm inside. One woman even asked me the calorie content!

Fast-forward three years and no night is complete without 1 (or 20) cheeky Jäger bombs. Now your only excuse for having missed the Jäger boom (!) is if you’ve, quite literally, been living in a box.

But believe it or not, Jägermeister was almost pulled from the British drinks market altogether.

Attending the TGI Friday’s national cocktail competition in Covent Garden, I met Sophie Lloyd, the SKYY Vodka brand development manager whose company also handled Jägermeister.

During the discussion I found out that while popular in Europe and the US, the drink had failed to set the British drinks market alight and had come very close to being removed from the British market.

Instead it was given one last marketing push.

Enter the Jägerettes!!

Interesting how it takes a bunch of orange-clad hotties, selling test-tubes and giving away flashing badges to turn a dying product into a success!

While Jägerettes have existed in the US since 1988, it was the first time the drink was not only taken seriously in the UK but had become a brand in its own right.

The stag logo can now be seen in car windows, on laptops and even on people’s bodies!

Brand Channel recently reported that Jägermeister sales in the US went from just over 50,000 cases a year in 1985 to 2.7 million just 20 years later.

The introduction of Jägermeister dispensers in bars has also doubled Jägermeister sales, according to Squidoo.

Jäger has also been introduced into cocktails, a Jägerjito being a personal favourite.

–Yes that’s right, A mojito made with Jägermeister! For other cocktail combinations click here

The Jägermeister website states that inventor Curt Mast dedicated his drink to be drunk at the beginning, and also end of every hunt..

Jäger bomb anyone?!

There are many videos on You Tube that claim to be the Jäger bomb train world record holders-This one’s just a pretty cool video!

Mark Watson Kicks Off

On Monday I was lucky enough to attend the recording of Mark Watson Kicks Off, a ‘Mock The Week’ style sports panel show.

Having applied for the tickets through the Lost in TV website as a joint birthday present for my Dad and little brother, I was a little apprehensive. If the show was pants, my present would go down in history as the worst (and cheapest!) present ever.

Vernon Kay: 'Laughter is the best medicine!!!'

I was pleasantly surprised.

Despite being forced to stand in the freezing cold for an hour we were able to amuse ourselves looking at the hand casts of many celebrities including Graham Norton (very wrinkly) and Des Lynam (huge!).

Once in and seated we were taught how to clap and cheer by some berk with a mike. Due to a last-minute time change, the audience was only at half its capacity so our task was to try to make it seem like the audience was full.

Mark Watson came out and introduced himself to us and talked us through much of the process of making the programme.

Throughout the show he would take moments to inform us exactly how everything worked and what they were doing at that time for example re-doing gags because of ‘legal issues’. Not only did it make Watson seem like a pretty nice guy but also allowed the audience to be that bit more involved with the process.

The contestant’s were comedian and ‘Mock the Week’ regular Andy Parsons, ex-Ireland footballer Matt Holland, and Dougie Anderson, Scottish radio and television presenter.

Stephen Fry: 'Help I've been cemented in-let me out!'

The gags were hilarious, although as my Dad wrote on his Facebook-yes that’s right Daddy Mac has Facebook!-I’m not too sure how many of the “front flower” jokes will actually make it onto the TV edit.

I’m not going to tell you who won, or what the different games, some of them new, involved. What I will tell you was that the whole experience was great. All the staff were lovely, and even the contestants all seemed very personable, often interacting with the audience employing self-deprecating humour.

Mark Watson would not have been my first choice as a TV show host, but there was something quite endearing about his gangly, awkwardness in front of the camera.

Leaving the studio as they prepared for the next show (an Ashes special) my family and I had all really enjoyed the experience. The biggest surprise being how closely it had run to time. They try to keep recording close to the length of the actual show in order to ensure the timing of the humour-as well as reducing the amount of editing! The level of sporting knowledge both Mark and his contestants possessed was also interesting. Analysis of the 1980 Olympics, boxing matches and knowledge of up-and-coming English footballers would put A Question of Sport contestants to shame.

Mark Watson Kicks Off is shown on ITV4, Thursday at 10.30pm.

Love over Lust: A shortcut to Sexual oppression?

The Family Education Trust will soon be distributing leaflets to hundreds of secondary schools, outlining the pitfalls pf casual relationships.

The Trust, established in 1971, warned that teenagers should distinguish between lust and love.

All good and well so far.

And then it declares that lust is ‘ugly and destructive’.

What?

Director Norman Wells, states that “The problem with so much relationships education is that it confuses love with infatuation, lust and mere physical attraction.

“The result is that it has become the norm for young people to embark on a series of short-term casual relationships that all too often prove to be a training-ground for divorce rather than for happy and fulfilling marriages.”

So those silly teenage romances we all enjoyed were actually a “training ground for divorce”?

Riight

Now I’m not an angry person but I can genuinely say that this piece of literature, created with the best intentions, has quite honestly made my blood boil.

While I appreciate the necessity for the reform of sexual and relationship education (what is relationship education?!) in schools, labelling lust as ‘ugly and destructive’ seems pretty destructive too.

We are taught from early on that sex is not something to be banded around. One should wait until the right person comes along.

This I agree with as it teaches teenagers self-worth as well as the ability to  build friendships with the opposite sex, improving social skills as well as understanding the basic health implications of sex.

But to urge teenagers not to have sex until marriage seems discriminative; in our modern society, many do not marry until much later in life. Being sexually active is an education in itself; allowing teens to learn about themselves as well as the emotions and feelings of others as they navigate these relationships.

All relationships begin with lust. The trust discusses the confusion between lust and physical attraction, and although that makes sense on paper, in reality the two emotions are one and the same. While I would never advocate choosing a partner for their looks, when you first meet a potential it is that physical attraction which is your primary instinct. You certainly don’t think ‘Wow, I’d really like to love them,’ do you?

To label sex as ‘ugly and destructive’ is an example of archaism synonymous with sexual education in the 1800’s when women were taught to suppress their sexual urges as they were sinful and that sex was merely for the enjoyment of men.

We want teenagers to understand sex not be scared of it.

We face the danger of raising a sex-fearing generation, under-prepared for the emotional implications sex can have on a relationship.

Yes teenage relationships are a training-ground, but certainly not for divorce. It is these silly crushes, first loves, first sexual relationships, and first experiences of heart-break that teach us the qualities we do and don’t like in a person; what is appropriate behaviour, as well as giving us a taste of what isn’t.

Your teens are about learning from your mistakes so that when you do eventually meet the person you are going to marry, you have the experience to know how to make it a ‘happy and fulfilling’ relationship.

So love away kids, and if you do give in to lust, be safe!

Working Mums vs Stay-at-home Mum’s: An imaginary war?

I would never fight with my Mum so why Mothers around the world keep pitting themselves against one another is beyond me?!

But that’s exactly what has happened as an ongoing feud between Natalie Cassidy and Denise Van Outen has once again dragged the topic into the limelight.

The fall-out began in August when Mum to six-week-old daughter Eliza Natalie Cassidy, blasted new Mums such as Denise Van Outen for returning to work so soon after giving birth. Speaking to Now Magazine Cassidy criticised Van Outen, stating: “Having a child is your job.”

The feud was deepened further when the ex-Eastender star appeared on Lorraine Kelly’s show to promote her new reality TV show. Van Outen, who’s currently starring in Legally Blonde: The Musical responded by posting a series of rants on her Twitter post, labelling Natalie a hypocrite:

“Natalie Cassidy criticised me for going back to work after having Betsy. Natalie’s on Lorraine show now promoting her reality pregnancy/new mum show. Isn’t that work????”

My flatmate and I share the view that to criticise someone’s parenting technique is one critique too far. While the actions of some children can often make you wonder what their parents were thinking, a recent episode of America’s Next Top Model showed us that to criticise someone as a mother is to really go for the jugular, as one wannabe model laid into another for criticising her abilities as a mother-tense stuff!

And yet we see it everyday as the chasm between Working and Stay-at-Home mothers becomes ever wider.

The media not only facilitates this debate with never-ending columns pitting the skills and abilities of Mothers from each group against each other, but also fuels it with never-ending, contradictory surveys.

In 2007, The Institute of Child Health announced that the children of wealthier parents, particularly those with working mothers were more likely to be overweight or obese. Another minefield was released in 2009, when the Institute declared that children whose mothers work were more likely to be less active and eat unhealthily.

Yet in August of this year, a study of 1,000 babies carried out by New York’s Columbia University School of Social Work revealed that babies do not suffer when mothers return to work.

But stay-at-home mothers also receive stick with many claiming they feel resented by their working counterparts who do not respect their choice to stay at home.

For many this choice is no longer theirs to make, as earlier this year Uswitch.com announced that 50,000 stay-at-home mothers are being forced back into the workplace due to recession-related financial hardship.

My mother did a bit of both following the birth of me in 1988, and my little brother in 1990. While she returned to work just 2 days following the birth of my younger brother, her “work” was administrative duties for my Dad’s mortgage lending firm and thus allowed her to work from home.

My father set up his photography business in 1993. During this time my Mother continued to work for him meaning that my brother and I would be taken to work with her. This did not mean however that she was at our beck and call. My brother and I were expected to occupy ourselves, which we did quite happily with books from the local library, endless Aladdin and trips to see the elderly lady who lived upstairs, who taught me how to knit and let my brother play with her grown-up sons old toys. All done in the knowledge that we were helping Mummy and Daddy.

Being a Mum is the hardest role in the world, why does the media and society insist on making it harder by pitting mothers against each other, and judging them no matter what they do?

Mothers everywhere: Give yourselves a break!

As a 22-year-old, terrified of childbirth, I have no idea which group I’ll join or what type of Mother I’ll be. Parenting is not a science that can be summed up by a series of statistics. I have no doubt I will make numerous mistakes when I do eventually procreate, but I also won’t need a survey to tell me when I’ve got it right either.

I just hope I can be half the Mum my Mother is.

And the statistics can go screw themselves!

A nation of lipstick lovers?

A survey carried out by QVC beauty has revealed that women spend 5 days a year in front of the mirror.

Collectively, British women use enough lipstick in one year to draw a line from London to New York.

That’s 3459.34 miles- you could drive from London to Edinburgh and back 4 times and still have plenty of 012 Candy Girl left!

We also use 4,000 litres of foundation-that equates to approximately 32 baths.

Topped off with 16million sweeps of a mascara wand-bingo wings worldwide could be eradicated forever with that kind of arm action!

When I heard these stats, I was quite perplexed.

Now I am perhaps not the best person to be talking about make-up. I purchased my first foundation when I was 19, I can do shower-to-door in  30 minutes and am often intimidated into buying products I don’t understand by the make-up ladies in Selfridges. As a result my Ted Baker make-up bag is full to the brim with Mac, Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, YSL and Chanel, yet I have no idea how to use any of it!

But even to me 5 days (that’s 120 hours) a year is a difficult figure to fathom.

However when I passed these figures on to some of my male friends they all snorted in disbelief, convinced that it must be longer than that.

And then I read an interview in Grazia with the guys and girls from The Only Way Is Essex during which 20 year-old beautician Amy revealed that on “a big night out” it can take her 4 hours to get ready!

– But she’s a beautician! Surely it should only take her 10minutes! No?

But Amy is not alone, with 40% of the 1000 women asked in the survey stating that they wouldn’t even consider leaving the house with no make-up on.

Have these girls and the beauty industry not heard of a little thing called the recession?

Apparently not-Blogger, Jenni West, reported earlier in the year that whilst Harley Street practices have experienced a 50% drop in patients seeking invasive procedures such as Breast augmentation and tummy tucks, non-invasive surgical procedures such as anti-ageing facials and chemical skin peels have experienced a 10-20% rise.

And this growth has been matched at the make-up counters, with Superdrug reporting a 33% rise in the sale of false eyelashes.

But we’re not seeking quick fixes. Buying trends show that British women look for quality not quantity in their beauty products and are happy to spend more if it means owning a higher quality product that’s essentially going to last longer.

Another interesting trend is that during a period when many bank balances are nearing that dangerous red, red lipstick sales have soared. Even I recently gave into the red, splurging out on a YSL red-lippy.

My mantra’s always been if you look good then you feel good, and it seems like in this economic climate recessionista’s are looking to their beauty bags for the answers.