Celebrity “Body surfer” pictures sweeps Social Network

Social networking site Twitter, has been hit by a “body surfing” craze , as female celebrities are uploading full length pictures of themselves for thousands of their followers to admire.   

Recently divorced Model Heidi Klum (pictured right) is the latest celebrity to join the craze, uploading a full length picture of herself entitled “Gorgeous day”, relaxing on a beach while enjoying America’s fourth of July celebrations.  The star shows off her tanned and toned body in a skimpy animal print bikini, showing at the age of 39, she is still proud of her figure.

Ms Klum joined the likes of Singer Rihanna and America Playboy Model Coco Austin. What all these women have in common, apart from their celebrity statuses and millions in the bank, are the body confidence to show off their torsos to the world, as beach Season is creeping up on us all.

Celebrities as young as 20 year old Miley Cyrus ,began the craze by posting pictures of her legs with a warm fire to be seen in the background. These “leggy” pictures gathered enough interest and reaction to others and eventually developing into full length body shots by fellow female stars.

These pictures have caused controversy amongst Twitter “followers” and fans worldwide. Many have branded this craze “ridiculous”, and it is merely a “need for nonstop validation”. Loyal Fans of these “body surfers” have replied by showing and encouraging their support to their idols.

This trend is rapidly becoming a serious twitter craze amongst celebrities as more and more famous women are posting these “revealing” pictures on a daily basis. Only in the world of Celebrity would these pictures be deemed a “craze” and a way to gain praise from fans, as many similar pictures are posted everyday by non celebrities, and girls as young as teenagers posting pictures of themselves, which are, of course deemed inappropriate and a cry for attention.

This “body surfing craze” certainly raises questions as to what message these women are sending to younger, loyal fans who also think it a good idea to “jump on the bandwagon”, become like one of them and wait for the appraisal to hit them. 

A cry for help?

Celebrity Actress and socialite Lindsay Lohan has sparked media interest again, not for her drunk driving or drug abuse - but a photo shoot displaying shocking pictures of the young lady posing with a gun to her head and "seductively" into her mouth. Another reason for so many to wonder where she is going with this, and what kind of image she is creating for herself.
These controversial pictures were taken by Photographer Terry Richardson in LA, and many of the pictures have already been taken off his website due to a number of complaints. Ms Lohan has made headlines worldwide for her shocking behavior and I'm sure we have all forgotten how many times she has been sent to prison. You would think that she would want to improve her public image and give the impression that she is trying to turn a new page, and put a positive spin on news articles,but sadly, it inst this time.
Maybe she agreed to take them to cause this uproar and controversy, and if so, she is definitely winning!
But what kind of look does this give her, why would she agree to do a photo shoot so striking and defining for all the wrong reasons?

One black and white picture ( below)  is titled "Lindsay Lohan - Suicide" and shows her pointing a gun to her head and looking rather a little worse for wear. Many other images include her dressed in skimpy lingerie (revealing a little too much) and holding a cigarette, while posing on a bed for the camera.

It does make you question what kind of reaction she thought these pictures would generate, and of course, why did she agree to them in the first place? With so many young celebrities risking their health and taking their lives today, I hope Lindsay will not become another statistic in a long harrowing list. Lets hope these pictures are merely a cry for attention rather than a cry for help.

Graduate Fashion Week: The Highlights

GFW 2012: Part 2



This year's Graduate Fashion Week kicked off in style,truly showcasing the talent of young graduates in 2012.
Fashion students from all over had been working hard all year to show off
their own unique collections to the public, and they did not disappoint!
From the Gothich to the Brightly coloured, so many Fashion styles and
prints were on show!
A "fringing and faces" collection (pictured right) by Claire Acton from the University of Central Lancashire, really stood out and wowed admirers on the Catwalk! The outifts were bold and certainly made an impression on spectators.







The bright and colourful "Blumarine collection" (pictured left) was certainly eye catching this year.
GFW is known for its prestigious awards and this year many worthy students received praise for their collections.

The Zandra Rhodes Textiles crown was awarded to Fiona Xiaoping Huang from the University of Central Lancashire for her creative take on her own collection,  and the Ethical award of 2012 went to to Northumbria University student Sarah Murphy.

Congratulations to Chloe Jones Fashion Graduate from Bath Spa University on winnig the GFW Gold Award 2012 for her stunning Gothic collection! Chloe's collection titled "Our Father who art in Heaven",included slouched hooded tops with full length plain skirts and big prints that stood out.
A fantastic ending to a spectacular week, and I am sure we will see many of the graduates succeed in the industry with such great collections!

Graduate Fashion Week 2012

GFW 2012: Part 1

Fashion students from the UK and overseas have been waiting for this week all year, and now the time has finally arrived to display their work at the biggest graduate fashion event in the world!
Graduate Fashion week (GFW) is a non profit organisation, created to showcase up and coming new talent in the Fashion Industry. Stylists, designers and experts will gather under one roof to marvel at what BA degree students have achieved in the past year!

Hundreds of exhibitions and Catwalks will be set up at Earls Court 2 Exhibition Centre in London, and will open Sunday June 10th until Wednesday June 13th for admirers and fashionistas alike to enjoy!

From Bath Spa to Amsterdam Fashion Institue, hundreds of University students eager to show off their talent willbe working hard this week to put the finishes touches on their masterpieces before unvailing their work to big crowds! Each student is given a personal proffesional Mentor to guide them through the week and help them create the best work they can!

Experts and empolyers will be appearing at GFW to take note of any particular pieces that catch their eye! Fashion students have s great ability to create and style work from individual and personal taste, and they should be applauded for such work.



"I do believe that British students are flourishing because you have the best education system in
England that gives Art & Design students the freedom to think, to dream and to do."
-Alber Elbaz, Fashion designer.

 

Tickets for seats at the catwalk and exhibtions are priced at £8 to £15 and can be bought here:
http://www.gfw.org.uk/tickets/catwalk/

Glamour Awards 2012 : The best dressed

Glamour Awards 2012

Last week saw this years Glamour Awards hit London by storm, as so many beautiful and admired women from all over were acknowledged for their talents and achievements of the past Showbiz year.
Female Singers, Actresses, Presenters and Designers graced the red carpet at Mayfair,London looking stunning as usual and ready to enjoy their night. The Glamour Awards take place every year to celebrate "Women of the year" in categories such as Icon, Solo Artist and Entrepreneur.
Famous American Actresses Eva Longoria and Lea Michele flew in to the capital for the evening, dazzling us with their designer dresses and were more than happy to talk about their work.

Actress and Activist Eva Longoria,looked stunning in a simple Orange zipped dress by designer and close friend Victoria Beckham. Orange is always such a striking colour, and it suited Eva to a tee, and didn't pull focus from the woman herself. Eva also picked up the Glamour Inspiration award!




Actress Lea Michele (pictured right)  picked up the US TV Actress Glamour Award for playing feisty Rachel Berry in the American series "Glee". Ms Michele looked sensational in a long dark blue off the shoulder dress, designed by Zac Posen. Matching earring and silver shoes looked great with this outfit and she really stood out!




British Singer Jessie J and American actress Jessica Alba decided to dress in stunning black dresses to the awards.



Both dresses flattered the women's slim figures, and while Jessica went for a classic long styled dress, Jessie decided on a 1920's flapper girl dress and matched well with little black ankle boots!

The night was a for all, celebrating why we admire such strong women who won awards that are inspirational to strive for in life, such as Entrepreneur (that went to Jessica Alba), Outstanding Contribution (Pop sensation Kylie Minogue won) and Actress Viola Davis winning Film Actress for her role in "The Help".

These women were commended for their good work throughout the year, and spoke highly of how they appreciated being at an Awards ceremony where strong women were awarded for being just that. Congratulations to all the winners this year,and let's hope that inspiration will build in others for next year's ceremony!

The "fatkini" web craze

I have recently noticed so many online articles talking about "fatkini" pictures, and it seems to have hit the web hard and become an overnight success!

These "fatkini" pictures have been labelled so, as many women who are deemed "fat" have taken pictures of themselves in bikinis and proudly posted them online for the whole world to see. A young woman named Gabi started a blog called "Young, Fat and Fabulous" back in 2008, and posted The XoJane and Gabi Fresh Fatkini Gallery for her readers to follow suit after she posted a picture of herself in a black and white striped bikini!

She encouraged other women who are deemed "fat" by society, peers of even themselves to brave the bikini, and post a picture online! The gallery of girls was tagged  "31 hot sexy fat girls in skimpy swimwear". The girls appear happy and proud in every picture, and more than willing to show off their bodies despite being the "usual" kind of girls who would model in such skimpy clothing! 



"I know first-hand how inspiring it can be to see people with bodies that look similar to my own feeling confident and happy on the beach in something other than a Hawaiian-print skirted one-piece." - Gabi.




This is just the kind of positive attitude that women who are lacking in self confidence need to show the world that "big women" can be seen as beautiful, sexy and attractive just as Catwalk size 0 models are deemed to have the same qualities. 

The ultra skinny and unhealthy size 0 trend started a few years back as pictures of celebrities, models and icons hit our magazines showing how extreme the size 0 "cult" was trending worldwide". Young girls look up to these women, and even start to believe that this is a good way to look. 

With both looks trending and believing that they are giving the right impression to young girls and women, it is hard to know which is right, and which one they want to follow, because after all, everyone follows some of trend, right? 

I think what Gabi has done is a great way to inspire women to be confident in their own skin and to be able to show off their bodies whatever their size and feel proud that they can and do look good! Lets hope this body confidence look helps other women to see that they can love themselves just as they are. 

Fatkini article from The Sun:

http://bit.ly/KgKGrK

Vidal Sassoon: Artist and Legend

Hairdressing legend Vidal Sassoon passed away recently, leaving a strong and admired legacy behind him. Known as an Artist, legend and even Rock star to some, he was described as being the man who "changed the world with a pair of scissors".

His salons were the first chain to be opened worldwide in thousands of countries, and changed the way women thought about the dreaded "tyranny of hair salons". Vidal Sassoon hair products are always in demand and will be used by women for years to come, which just proves his influence and impact on the styling world.

In 1954, he opened his first salon in London and was determined to start changing the hairdressing world and leaving his mark firmly on it. Well, he certainly did. His modern, geometric perms were a hit with the women of the 1950's, and the 60s saw his short "bob cut" hair style become an even greater hit with his admirers.

In a rare interview, Vidal Sassoon met with the the editor of The Guardian's film website in May 2011, and talked about his early life and career. After hearing of his passing, the Guardian found that it was the right time to release this interview online, and hear, in his own words, stories and memories from his successful career.
Without us even knowing it, Vidal Sassoon products are sold in almost every hairdressers and can be found in any well stocked store worldwide, and thousands are sold every day. His memory will live on, as we continue to use what he created, and appreciate all his work towards changing and developing a great company.