The chunky, strappy shoe that I personally rocked so hard in middle school and early high school are back with a vengeance. From Miranda Kerr to Naomi Watts and the Olsen twins, celebrities have been rocking this shoe quite a bit lately. They've seen a bit of an upgrade since I last looked to purchase a pair (as far as I remember anyway) as they now come in a multitude of fashionable styles and colors. 

No longer are you limited to wearing them with sweatpants or an old pair of jeans because you were too lazy to put effort into your ootd! Oh that was just me? Oh..Alright. In any case you can pair them with a sleek pair of joggers or some boyfriend jeans to add a laid-back and whimsical feel to your look. 

Big news everyone! Miss Twerk-Sum-All-Day-Erry-Day will be hosting the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards! Who am I referring to you ask? Miley Cyrus of course. 

It was just two years ago that Miley was twerking what her mama gave her on the crotch of Robin Thicke's Beetlejuice inspired pants. The chaos inducing performance blew up for a good two weeks before fizzling into a far off memory like most celebrity fueled scandals. But now that she's stepped up from performer to hostess are raunchy, thrusty flashbacks plaguing your brain? You bet your ass they are! 

But let's be honest here. Miley's been doing some great things since that cringe-worthy performance in 2013. She's launched the Happy Hippie Foundation to bring awareness to homeless and LGBTQ youth and has seen much success with it from the #instapride movement on instagram to the backyard sessions she's hosted with various musical artists including Ariana Grande and Joan Jett. Follow the movement on instagram @happyhippiefdn and donate via the website happyhippies.org/#donate. 

So really despite her past with the VMA's what's the worst that could happen? I predict blow up rainbows and glitter. Lots of glitter. Miley makes everything a party so I look forward to attending this one...Even though it'll be on my couch in the comfort of my living room with a big bowl of popcorn. What do you think? Will she be a good host or will it be just a 2013 repeat?

"A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. 
We all need a splash of bad taste—it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. 
I think we could use more of it. No taste is what I’m against." --Diana Vreeland

Everyone just take a deep breath for a moment. Now imagine all of the insecurities you have about your body. Your chest is too small. Your chest is too big. You’re too fat. You’re too skinny. You’re too short. You’re too tall. You’re too dark. You’re too light. Now let’s imagine having all those insecurities on display for the whole world to see, only you’re not ashamed of them but rather empowered. I can only imagine how refreshing that would feel, to be completely comfortable with your body not because of its perfections but because of its imperfections.

It’s a bold move for Rihanna to put her body on display like she did and I think that it’s commendable of  her. Now before I get attacked by all the anti-Rihanna folks out there I will say that her dress was a little inappropriate if you’re just looking at it for face value. No I wouldn’t go walking down the street with my ta-ta’s, nipples and honey buns showing through my clothes. And no I wouldn’t encourage young girls to go around with all of the above screaming “HELLO WORLD” either. However, let’s look at the context here.

Rihanna is known for her risqué fashion choices, yes? Rihanna is known as a fashion icon, yes? Alright so what’s the problem here? The point of her outfit is for you to look at her, perhaps shake your head (whether in awe or in disgust it probably doesn’t matter to Ri-Ri) and say “Only Rihanna”. Is that not the point of being a fashion icon-wearing styles that no one else would dare to wear and simultaneously looking damn stylish? So what if her ta-ta’s are out. I’m sure children encounter much worse on their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds. Not to mention in mass media just in general. So excuse Rihanna for living up to the award that she was so deserving of. Fashion is about risk taking. So brava, Rihanna, brava!

Now I’m not going to deny that when I first saw Rihanna’s dress I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was a similar feeling to that I felt after listening to Beyonce’s new raunchy album … “What..what..what is this…omg tmi TMI!” But then after giving it a couple listens I found myself singing along into a hair brush and imitating the finest strippers the world has to offer (terribly I might add). Same goes with Ri-Ri’s milk makers. The more I saw pictures of her the more I silently chanted “you go girl!”. Rihanna ultimately does whatever the hell she wants that much is obvious but I think that people tend to overlook her image and write her off as being a “slut”. Like whut? When did the definition of “slut” go from opening your legs to every suitor to fashionably showing some skin? What happened to don’t judge a book by its cover?

If you ask me, Rihanna is still a role model for young girls. She’s not trying to get people to encourage their daughters to walk around with their privates out. What she’s saying is to love your body the way it is and do/wear what makes you happy and feel good about yourself. We all have insecurities, including Rihanna so why not embrace them and make them fabulous?  Have fun with fashion and I think it would do some good to embrace Rihanna’s hidden messages. We all need to loosen up our britches. No one likes an uptight grumpy cat. 

So...Avril Lavigne has a new music video out for a new song of hers called "Hello Kitty". There's apparently a bit of debate as to whether or not it's racist, however can we just point out that Avril still looks like a child? Celebs have a secret fountain of youth and they're holding out on us normal folk. I want in on the secret and I want in now. But on to the subject at hand...

I watched the video and my very first thought was "what..the..hell..did I just watch." However, two minutes later I was bopping my head and singing the chorus to myself. It's a catchy little song. "But isn't it racist?", one may ask. Personally, I don't think it is. I can't say what Avril's intentions with the song were, I'm not her. But from an outside perspective I don't see the video as something that was made to make fun of Japanese culture. I think Avril was just emerging herself into Japanese culture. "Kawaii" is a term that represents "cuteness" in Japanese culture and it's actually a huge part of Japanese pop culture, entertainment, clothing, behavior, etc. And seeing as Hello Kitty originated in Japan, it's kind of silly to say that Avril's video was racist. Hello Kitty is probably the biggest icon of "Kawaii" there is. Just because Avril's a little white blonde girl participating in Japanese culture doesn't mean she's racist. Is Eminem racist by participating in Hip Hop culture? Macklemore? Noooo. So everyone chill out and start bumpin' to this song in your car. I feel like it'll be a great summer jam for me. And it will forever be playing in my head...Come come kitty kitty you're so pretty prettyyy!!

Alright blog numero uno. This is going to be a bit random seeing as I don't have much to say but I have had a certain desire for a while now and I thought-why not write about it? I, for one, am a lover of tattoos. And having a few myself I'm finding that I may be addicted. However I also find, unlike a lot of folks, tattoos to be a wonderful way of expressing yourself as well as--if your drawing skills are limited to stick figures yet you still have a passion for art like me--a great way to have some beautiful art on display 24/7. 

So. I've been thinking about what I would like to get as a fourth tattoo. I have countless ideas, let's be honest, and if not for fear of being jobless I would have them literally everywhere. However, there is one concept I've been sitting on for a while now. I'm completely, 100%, with no shame in my game, obsessed with Kingdom Hearts. I love the story within it, I love the music within it (shameless plug to the singer of the KH songs, Utada Hikaru) and I just love playing the game. But who wouldn't?? It combines sub plots of classic Disney characters within the major plot of original characters who kick ass just as much as the Disney characters. If you've never played, I highly recommend. And side note I'm unhealthily ecstatic for the release of the third installment of the game on Playstation 4. I'll be purchasing the ps4 solely so I can play that one game. Like I probably won't have any other games...But I'm getting sidetracked. 

Point is, I would like to get a Kingdom Hearts tattoo. I've been looking at images trying to get a design illustrated in my head and soon I will more than happily add another to my collection of tats. All of them are meaningful to me. My first is the word "faith" on my forearm, sort of as a reminder to keep my faith even when things go wrong. Second, the word "love" in the shape of a wing on the inside of my left shoulder. The placement is so that it is in line with the apex of my heart. Another reminder to let love fly and love thy neighbor. And last, the Olympic rings encased in a dream catcher on the side of my left thigh. For some reason people never get the meaning of it. My dream is to go to the Olympics but that's another subject that can be fleshed out in another blog post. Ramble complete. (: