I'm currently sitting in the ERC library, killing time before class. I have just finished reading abut the fate of women during any given war, and the horrific experiences they are forced to go through for something that is, in my opinion, completely pointless and orchestrated by men. Sigh. The injustices of the world are really staring to get to me.

Everyday, we are confronted with images and literature regarding issues we cannot fix; sex trafficking, pedophilia, rape, gender inequality, famine and countless other atrocities that have so many ethical, moral, public, private and so on implications.

Call me an idealist, but I'm really, truly beginning to want to change the world.

So, I have recently purchased a book on 'Australian Style', written by Melissa Penfold and Jenny Tabakoff, (a stylist and a lifestyle journalist, both from Sydney). It offers not only an interesting read, but also valuable insights into etiquette and morally driven beahviour. The subjects range from "How to pull yourself together" (dressing) to "How to have beautiful manners" and "How to make your house look like a million dollars" etc.

I enjoyed the text's emphasis on empowering one's sense of self, of aiming to respect not only others', but your own sense of worth. The advice on page 27 states that "Every day, do something physical something pleasurable, something intellectual and something for someone else. It will balance out your life." I consider that rather valid, and quite a nice summary of achieving a happy balance in life.

However, despite the insightful advice, I can't help but feel that the book cultivates a very traditional view of gender, segregating men and women into their conventionally sanctioned gender roles. For instance, under the chapter of "How to be a seductress", the authors detail how to "remember to wear a dress or skirt, with pretty heels, at least once a week. It reminds you (and others) that you're a woman." (p. 95). Now, I know I'm a fan of fashion myself, and of course beautiful dresses, but really, this sentence screams to me of dressing for others, especially men, and not for yourself. Sure, wear a dress if that's what you feel like that day, week or even month, but if you're having a pants fortnight, why not explore the different types available to you? No need to be 'sexy' all the time, or ever if you don't wish it.

Another quote which rather bothered me was "walk like a woman, not a gorilla. That means a slight swish of the hips, taking light steps keeping your head up and shoulders back..." and so on. I think that phrase speaks for itself in terms of very clearly dividing men and women in their behavioural processes and the importance of behaving within the 'appropriate' (by whom?) boundaries of your gender.

Overall, I do think it is an enjoyable read, particularly when it mentions simple, yet always relevant rules of developing a 'moral' style in treating people well. The other stuff....take with a grain of salt.

So, I have recently been employed to keep atop the fashion and lifestyle blogging industry, and to select the most popular ones within which a fashion brand can advertise. It turns out that this job is actually perfect for me.

However, it's not only the viewing of incredible street and designer fashion which has been inspiring me to hone in my own fashion tastes and skills: it's also given me ideas of how to perhaps make my own blog a little more interactive and interesting, especially in terms of my own fashion choices.

So hopefully, I'll start to post my own fashion pieces soon!!

Ok, so after all this time, my wonderful friend has figured out why I couldn't log in. And do you know why, f0lks? Because I am a moron. I was using the wrong email to log in, and then ended up confusing myself to the point of incredible frustration and needed someone normal to solve it.

Soon, I shall be updating much more regularly once more.