My inspirations: Pink

Time to unmasked June's inspiration....


You might have heard of a woman called Alecia Beth Moore...


But you probably know her better as the kick ass popstar, Pink.

Typical popstars are almost guaranteed NOT to feature in these types of posts. They conform to everything: The way the world expects them to dress, the music their fans want them to hear, what the public want to hear them say... They wouldn't hesitate to be air brushed, or to strip to the bone for some publicity, or to release a song merely because they know it will get good airplay, despite it's complete lack of depth or meaning...

So it's a good thing that Pink is not your typical popstar.

She's without a doubt, a strong woman, who is not swayed to be anyone else but herself, despite the fame, fortune, success and the ever watching eye of the media that encourages so many others in her position to adopt a public persona.

Pink's personality is clear in every single thing she does, whether it's a music video, a song, an interview or a tweet. The most iconic display of her "I don't give a f**k!" attitude is probably in her video for So What. The world embraced Pink's funloving, rocker self and she was rewarded with a worldwide number one, hit single among countless other awards and nominations. Her latest album, "Funhouse", features some of the rawest songs that Pink has ever sung, her creative energies fueled by her split from then ex-Husband Cary Hart. Songs such as "I don't believe you" and "Mean" are evidently written by someone with a broken heart. 

The good news? They didn't stay split for long.

Now, they are back together, as strong as ever and Pink is expecting a baby in the very near future. Although, becoming pregnant wasn't easy...

ELLEN DEGENERES: Was this planned?

PINK: I worked for it.

And, in the same interview, she revealed why she was so hesitant to reveal her pregnancy straight away:

PINK: I have had a miscarriage before....

It's one of the things that so many women experience in their lives yet no-one ever talks about. I can't imagine what it feels like, to lose the life that is growing inside of you before it even had a chance to live... I respect Pink so much for bringing it up, even if it was just commenting that it is a hardship that she has dealt with in her life, as once again, fans can relate to Pink on a more personal level, rather than the false relationship that 90% of other celebrities share with their fans.


But one thing that very few people can relate to is Pink's seemingly endless willingness to give. 

A dedicated PETA campaigner, Pink has a real desire to lend her beautiful voice to those who cannot speak, animals. Not phased by anyone's social stature, she has written scathing letters to the likes of Prince William, criticizing him for hunting Foxes and expressing her concern over the use of real fur in the bearskins of the Royal Guards to the likes of the Queen. She also works with charities such as UNICEF, Save the children, World Society for the protection of animals, Take back the Night and the Human Rights campaign as well as donating $250,000 of her own money to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal. 

It's only after reading the list of Pink's humanitarian causes that we can truly appreciate how fantastic this woman is, and how selfish the majority of us are in comparison. When was the last time you gave money to charity? Or helped someone in a rough situation out? What have you done, or achieved today that has made you proud of yourself? Pink may be able to donate sizable sums of money that we, as "normal" people simply cannot afford, but time and dedication is something that you cannot put a price upon, and these two things are just as important as the money when it comes to charity... so what's our excuse for not lending our hand to at least one good cause?

And of course, the inspirational quality that I admire the most in people: Their eagerness to spread the word on individuality.

Let's face the facts: Pink has always been a little "out there" (And I mean that in the most loving, respectful way possible). Her outfits have ranged from timeless classics to unique outfits, designed specifically for her, to plain and simple, "chilling out" clothes. Pink looks amazing in all of them and do you know why? 


Apart from being an all round gorgeous girl, she wears her clothes with confidence and, as I've said before, anything worn with confidence is beautiful.

"Break every stereotype you can think of! challenge anybody! No matter how old, stand up for what you believe in! Love yourself, appreciate what you have....cry a lot cause it helps!"

Pink's music and wise words have not become another meaningless symbol of pop culture, but rather a constant reminder to her millions of dedicated fans that their uniqueness is what makes them beautiful and that life always gets better.

It always does, but we all need a reminder of that from time to time.

Lauren xxx

P.S. Previously did a blog post that was solely on her bravery for putting out the video for "F*ckin' perfect", that ties in with this post, as I don't think you can truly appreciate her as one of the only brave, innovative artists in the music industry of today until you watch it. 

My inspirations: Hayley Williams

Okay, so I'm going to try something new.


Every month, I'm going to write about one person that inspires me and is helping me become the person that I want to be. 


April's inspiration is Paramore's fiesty little lead singer, Hayley Williams.

She's making it socially acceptable

cool to be ginger.

The girl is clearly a legend.

I'm fairly new to the whole "Paramore" phenomenon. I was a casual listener, drawn in by "Misery Business" and "Decode", hooked by the "Brand New Eyes" album. Then I went to see them live.

From the moment they came on stage, I was part of the Paramore Family. And you can't escape from your family. 

As every newly obsessed fan knows, you've got an uphill battle to catch up with all of the goings ons of a band that has been around for several years. Luckily, Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor are all amazingly interactive with their fans. From twitter to tumblr, live broadcasts to livejournal, they've basically stormed every form of social networking and used it to chat with their fans.

And it's from her tweets, livejournal updates and tumblr posts that I have quickly discovered just how sweet this woman is. 

Look at what she's been through over the past few years, from hackers to break ups, world tours and magazine covers, I think it's an true testament to Hayley that she is able to hold onto her sense of individuality in such an obvious way, rather than conform to the masses of young singers already out there. You don't see her wearing uggs because they are cool. You see her wearing Doc Martens because she loves them. 

She's taught me to wear what I want wear, and not what everyone else is wearing just because it is "cool" or "fashionable" at the present moment. 

I have huge respect for anyone that decides to be an individual and wear what they want to wear, and not what everyone else wants them to. 

I don't care what anyone says: Something worn with confidence is beautiful.

Also, people don't seem to understand that fashion is not universal. It's not timeless. It's personal. We choose what to wear because we like it. Not because someone else has chosen it out for us. That's not fashion. That's just wearing something to please someone. There's a big difference.

"Misguided ghosts" isn't a song that many non Paramore fans will recognise, mainly because it was never released as a single from their Brand News Eyes album (which I never did quite understand, the song is so beautiful). The reason I mention this, is because the song has helped So. Many. People.

A few of their songs have helped people through a number of things: Be it the deaths of family members or friends, messy break ups, depression, confidence issues... you name it, fans have claimed that Paramore is the reason they got through it, and some even say that Paramore is the reason that they stand here today.

I've heard lots of things about "Misguided ghosts" saving people's lives. I'm basically the same. Maybe I wouldn't go as far to say "I would have probably committed suicide if it wasn't for that song" but the four simple words that Hayley sings ("You are not useless") have gotten me through some of the hardest times of my life. So thanks for inspiring so many people to continue living, loving and believing that life gets better. 

The thing is, Hayley is aware of the troubling hardships that so many of her fans are going through every day, and acknowledges that Paramore is an escape for them.

"What motivates me is seeing people in the crowd and wondering what they're going home to and what they're dealing with, and knowing that for the time being we're their escape"

Most celebrities don't really take much interest in what their fans are going through, they become lost in the fame bubble, becoming too wrapped up in their own self importance that they do not really understand that the world is burning down at their feet. It appears as though Hayley either has a deep understanding of the problems of the world around her or has gone through some kind of hardship herself. Either way, it's a beautiful sight to see someone who has the power to change the world attempting to use that power. 

To write love on her arms, Invisible children and Love 146 are just three of the charities that Hayley supports.  She also speaks out from time to time on her tumblr about social pressures to be thin, online bullying, animal cruelty, sexual assault... You know, important issues that 95% of the world ignores.

On top of all the chart success, cosmo covers, 1 million twitter followers and the almost constant touring, she still seems to be fairly grounded and  a genuinely nice girl.

I immediately fell in love with this post. She really shouldn't have to explain why she decided to be a cover girl for Cosmo, but for some reason, she felt like she needed to. 

"The media clearly has our attention. it's easy to let all the images of all these godlike looking women whisper to us how we think we're supposed to look. It's like "Here, look at my BOOBS! Don't you wish you had these?" "More guys will like you if you do it THIS WAY!" "Get this figure" Blah blah blah spend all your time, energy, and money on becoming the world's idea of ''sexy"... and you know what? It's never gonna change. As much as i tell myself i don't care and i wear whatever i want... there will always be those moments when i'm at the check out line at target and i see some gorgeous person on the cover of any ol rag... and i'm like "ugh, is that how it's gotta be!?"

"I NEVER ever thought of myself as conventionally beautiful nor sexy. And only just recently did i ever even begin to accept how my looks differ from other people's whom i admire. I'm hoping that the more a magazine will take a chance on a girl like me, the more a girl will have a frickin chance in hell to be UNIQUE, powerful, strong in her weaknesses, confident in her flaws. Because that's who i'm trying to become."

She's correct. We spend so much time looking towards the media to inspire us. We look towards it to find out what to wear, what we should look like, what we should watch, what we should listen to.... but in the end? It doesn't matter. Because what we look like on the outside is only superficial. Look in the mirror, you cannot see your heart or your soul, no matter how hard you stare. The beauty on the inside will outlive the beauty on the outside by decades. So whenever your hair is a mess or you are breaking out, just remember that. 

My last comment will be on her motto, B.O.Y (Beware of you)

She wears it on her tank top for

basically every Paramore show.

I've previously written about what that simple little phrase means to me, and presumably, quite a lot of other people.

When asked what it meant, she simply explained:

"BOY means “Beware of You”… Be aware of your power. We have the choice to live positively or in our own destruction"

I can't put into words the amount of respect I have for Hayley. I hope that 2011 is a better year for her than last year, she deserves it.

Lauren xxx

EDIT: Reading the Cosmo article about her makes me love her even more. Even people like Hayley were bullied when they were younger.

Bullying is for wimps. Spread love, not hate, because love is far more powerful than hate, if you can only find it in your heart to do it. 

Read some of the article here and here.

Love 146

This post may upset you.


This post may inspire you.


This post may not even stir any sort of emotion in you, although, I sincerely doubt that.


I'd like to tell you a bit about a charity called Love 146.

This is the part where you will understand why I am telling you about the upsetting nature of this post.


It's about child slavery.


Child sex slavery to be specific.


And being from a society where children are free to be children, free to play, free to love, free to learn, we don't think that this sort of horrible act could POSSIBLY take place in the world.


But it does.


And it's common.


Go set a timer for a minute, on your iPod, computer, clock, egg timer, whatever, just go set it.


Done?


By the end of that little countdown, two children will have been sold into slavery.


That's 1.2 million children every single year that are trafficked. 


Gang rape, pornography, sex tourism... what sort of a childhood is that?


Some of these kids don't even make it to adulthood, HIV and aids are common diseases, caused by forced, unprotected sex. And the 'lucky' ones who don't contract these type of diseases? They tend to suffer from severe psychological harm. 


It's sick. It's sick and it's immoral but it's happening and we can't just deny that.


Sometimes, they hand out menus of the girls at Brothels. 


You might be thinking "What sort of twisted person would use those Brothels?"


The answer?
Quite a lot... or else they wouldn't exist.


Sometimes the kids are sold to pay off debts.
Sometimes the kids are sold to allow their family to survive.
Sometimes the kids are willingly sell themselves to feed their family.


At any age, this is shocking, but at 8 years old? She shouldn't have to do that...


And Love 146 exists so she doesn't have to.


The name 146 comes from the first time the team visited Asia, trying to find ways to help the problem of sex trafficking.


They went under cover to a brothel and watched small children through a pane of glass, all watching cartoons joylessly. The feelings of joy and happiness had been flushed out of them. The meaning of Carefree was unknown. No-one took on their existence, apart from one...


She stared out at them, there was still life in her eyes, still fight left in her heart.


The number pinned to her chest was 146.
She had no name.


The team could do nothing to save her because they went to the Brothel whilst undercover so they could collect enough information on the Brothel so they could shut it down once and for all...


When that finally happened, the girl who wore the number 146 was no-where in sight.


What happened?


No-one knows.


But we wear her number in sorrow, with a silent and burning desire that we can end this intolerable cruelty once and for all.


Support the cause, re-tell her story, buy some of the merchandise, do something to help, because if we don't, who will?

What, in the name of god, is a Dragee?!

Confusion arises.


Seriously, can anyone answer that question? What is a dragee?

Sorry. CHEWY Dragee.

Just bought a Mento packet and saw that written on the side. Stirred my curiosity.

I did NOT go into town with my Mum today. 

Which is a Blog-worthy statement because it's sort of a tradition to go into town with her when I have Fridays off. 

However, her Hip is really sore at the moment, so we called it off this week.

Instead, I went to see Despicable me (Yes. AGAIN) in 3D with Halle and her wee bro Harrison. 

Oh my god I love that film.

Getting there was the hard part.

Don't you just hate it when you miss a bus because you were twenty seconds too late?

Always seems to appear just as your away to turn the corner as well...

Swear they time the buses so you either have to wait half an hour or you JUST miss one. Faaaaaaantastic.

Two girls were filming with a proper newsbroadcasting camera, maybe 17 or 18 years old, had a fluffy thingy (technical term) and a tripod as well!! Media students? I think so.

Anyway, got off the bus and had to run to the cinema, already twenty minutes late for the screening.

Halle didn't tell me it was in 3D, so had to pay for another pair of glasses.

Didn't mind that too much though, need a new pair, one of the ones I have doesn't seem to work well with the screen, this new pair definitely does.

Bumped into Chloe and Heather in the foyer too... well... I say bumped into... they snuck up behind me and hugged me. Sooo... bumped?

They were going to see Easy A. Halle is coming to see it with me on Sunday, can't wait!

Halle and Harrison couldn't wait for me any longer so they bought their tickets and went in. I didn't even know if the 3D showing was the one we were going into so I was tentative, I thought I was going to make friends with a 3 year old. 

Let's face it, one person buys a ticket to see a kiddies film by themselves? 

Seems pervy.

I walked in and I couldn't see them. Shame. Was going to have to sit myself.

Then I heard "Lauren"

Ahhhh, my name has never sounded so good!

The lot we were in with were kind of miserable, they never laughed at the good bits.

Seriously. LAUGH! 

Then Halle and Harrison went home (Boooo! Love Halle and Harrison days!) so I waited around for Chloe and Heather.

What a laugh those two are. But they didn't hang around for long either!  

Heather makes noises while shopping... Oh! Eee! Aaaa!

She said she was making her way through the vowels. 

Chloe then held up a top.

I went Ohhhhh!

Heather said that I had started now. 

I told Heather that I was going to do the contestants.

Chloe holds up a pair of jeans.

Zzzzzz!

Doesn't have the same effect.

I went to subway like a loner after that and had (now write this down somewhere cause it is a foodgasm) A footlong Italian with Chicken Terriyaki, Cheese and BBQ sauce.

Om nom nom.

Got home, and what happened?

MY MUM FOUND MY NATIONAL INSURANCE CARD!!!

So Yippee-ki-aayyyy.

I can apply for that Christmas Temp job at Paperchase now! Excited!

Probablly won't get an interview, but I really do want a job!

Happy about that anyway.

Still feeling Inspired... Haven't felt like this in my life. It's just as though someone whacked me over the head and said "Do something". Brilliant.

So site of the day, I would like you to visit if you're not too busy is http://love146.org/

I will post a blog about it, my challenge for the day. Go on it and discover what it is about before the blog if your impatient or want to here about it from the horse's mouth so to speak.

Right, Speak soon Lovies

Lauren xxx