Captains log: 28th October 2019

QUITE a few years ago I attended a Paul McKenna ‘thing’ in the arse end of nowhere that I like to call Birmingham, with 898 strangers. If that sounds specific IT’S because there was 900 of us and I was with my BFF. Anywhoooo, it was one of his “I can make you thin” seminar (he didn’t btw) but part of it was a visualisation demo. He dragged some poor woman on stage and made her stand in front of a mirror (and 899 other people) whilst the rest of us had to ‘imagine’ standing in front of a mirror. Long story short, we had to imagine the person we ‘wanted’ to look like/be in the mirror looking back at us and I went for the unattainable. I decided on Eva Mendez, you know that well known blonde from Essex? It was FOUR WHOLE DAYS before I suddenly wasn’t Eva anymore.

THERE is a reason behind my telling you this. When looking in that imaginary mirror, why didn’t I pick myself? Not that there’s anything wrong with the gorgeous Eva but my point is, why was I always wanting to be somebody else?

NOW you could say that if you wanted to be somebody else then go for it, pick a good one and I think Eva qualifies as good.

I find it disturbing that as women we take ‘beauty’ over strong, powerful women. I find it disturbing that long hair is still considered to be feminine whilst short hair isn’t. I find it really fucking disturbing that young women aspire to be airheads with little or no redeeming qualities other than attending functions that lands them in editorial/online exposure. Why would anyone want to be a Z lister versus a woman who is strong, empowered, educated and can string a sentence together?

I truly believe there is a shift going on in how pre-teens look at those out there who inspire them. Our pre-teen generation, I believe, are going to shake things up. Just as an example, todays pre-teens are very much concerned with the planet and how mankind is ruining it. They are concerned about litter, plastics, war, GM food, climate changes and racial intolerance in a way that only a few were when I was growing up.

OF course, there are always going to be people who believe that their looks can make them whole and sadly for some that is actually true. But the kids coming up to teenage years now are actually looking to be powerful but not through money or exposure but through education and intelligence, through hard work and diligence. Who realise that money is transient and so is celebrity.

THERE are four ‘celebrities’ that I love, aspire to be like and that I find truly inspirational. That’s not to say I want to be them. I am me, and that is just fine.

THE first is Barbra Streisand. What a woman! I have always thought she was truly beautiful. And her singing voice? What a gift. She sings so effortlessly but with such amazing power. As an actress she blows me away. I recently went to see the newest version of A Star is Born (I didn’t just cry; I completely lost it) and I thought Lady Gaga was brilliant casting. The Streisand/Kristofferson version will always hold a special place in my heart though. If we take this latest remake for this example, LG’s character states that although she knows she can sing, the ‘industry’ didn’t think she had the right looks. Over the years, Streisand has received much negative comments about her looks. I have no idea why. Because she has strong features? Is that how we determine if somebody isn’t beautiful? If you have ever seen (my most favourite) film, The Way We Were you will see how incredible she is. Now that is one beautiful woman.

NEXT in line is my beloved Paula Yates. For those who know me really well, my love of Paula has been a very long affair. We’re talking sometime around the mid-80’s. I get that it didn’t end well for a woman who had so much to offer. Her demons and sadness won and that, my firends, is a crying shame. She is, by some, only remembered as the ‘widow’ of her famous boyfriend (who died in less than socially acceptable circumstances). She should however, be remembered for being strong and courageous and an amazing journalist who had great strength and vitality. She was so gorgeous, funny, a risk-taker and an accomplished author. I admire her intelligence, her creativity and her style. For me, she is greatly missed.

MOVING on, Ellen DeGeneres is next on my list of admiration. Ellen is without a doubt one of the funniest, kindest, intelligent and thought provoking women of our generation. She believes in openness, honesty and inclusion in everything she does. Did I mention she was funny? Funny gets me every damn time. When Ellen famously ‘came out’ on the Rosie show, she was petrified. Worried that the ‘showbiz’ industry would turn their back on her. I think that might have happened had it not been for how she dealt with it. Will balls of steel. Today, she is a powerful woman who sends a strong message for doing the right thing, standing up for human rights and isn’t afraid to put her money where her mouth is. I LOVE her. I wish she was my friend.

MY last one is the singer Pink. She is a woman of today. And a woman of tomorrow. Is Pink less beautiful because she doesn’t take anyones shit? Is she less beautiful because she doesn’t wear towering heels or dress provocatively? Because what I see is a strong, gorgeous person who looks after herself, her body and her mind. I love her kick-arse attitude and how she doesn’t bow down to convention.

HERE’s some frightening facts for you. Did you know that Megan McKenna has 2.1 million followers on Instagram? Do you know why? Because I don’t. Does she honestly have all those followers because women/young girls want to be like her? Admire her? Aspire to be and be inspired by her? If those are the reasons then that is what is wrong with society today. If you love her, I won’t judge you (that’s a lie; I’m totally judging you) Is it really because she is a strong role-model to you? How about we ask the question with a different slant? If you had a daughter, would you be happy to have Megan as a role model for her? Or would you choose somebody else; perhaps a woman who represents strong, empowered, kind, thoughtful, beautiful women who have talent in some form? I don’t think there is even a choice in this one but each to their own.

IF you believe this isn’t worrying, how about this? Charlotte Crosby has 6.4 million Instagram followers. This is the same woman who not only recently threw up down herself but put herself out in public thereby allowing the paps to take photographs of her. A grown woman that had to be collected that evening by her parents. How proud they must have been. What will she do when her star fades? What can she offer the world? If there isn’t already a book, there will be. And I’m pretty confident in staying that I bet she doesn’t ‘write’ it. DISCLAIMER She might already have a book on the shelves but I can’t be arsed to check through sheer lack of interest.

IF these ‘celebrities’ believe their ‘fame’ has longevity, they might be interested in the following. I should point out another disclaimer here…the following examples are of people I have NEVER heard of. That’s probably a generational thing but I’m sure [given their following] that somebody does.

Jessica Shears – lost 84k followers since her peaK

Chloē Crowhurst – lost 49k followers since her peak

Tyla Carr – lost 46.1k followers since her peak

If you had a magic mirror, who would you be? Would you choose to be the cosmetically enhanced celebrity saturating our news feeds? Or would you choose yourself and show our daughters’ of today what a strong, determined, ambitious woman can look like and how she can make a difference in the world?

BIG SNOGS
Kitty xxx