The MTV Movie Awards

I loathe the MTV Movie Awards. Maybe just because it's become the Twilight show, or maybe because teenagers annoy the crap out of me. But regardless, I hate them. I don't want to watch Kristen Stewart kiss Robert Pattinson, I don't want to see Justin Bieber think he's really cool, and I really don't want to see unworthy people win silly awards. So no, I didn't watch it this year. But, faithful to the fashion scene, I did follow what everyone was wearing.

I do like the casual, summery feel of this awards show. Short dresses, cute suits, lots of bold, popping colors. Usually there are some truly outrageous ensembles, but I have to say that this year was pretty disappointing. Not as much color (come on people, it's summer!) and there were some severe mistakes and unflattering outfits. One of the worst, Shailene Woodley.

The idea of this outfit is cute, but the execution here is less than stellar. The top looks too big for her and the pants don't seem to fit quite right. Not only that, but it's and awards show. How terribly boring is this look? Black, plain, no jewelry. And who did her hair?! It looks like she had it up, took a nap, rolled out of bed, and didn't fix it. Tsk, tsk, Shailene. You're young and beautiful, dress like it!

Another disappointment was Julianne Hough.

Midriff revealing dresses were tacky when they were cool in the 90s, so they're ten times more tacky now. We know you have the flattest, most tone abdomen ever, Julianne, you don't need to show us on MTV. In this case, the long-sleeved-mini skirt combo doesn't work, not with the texture of the skirt and the ruffle. This dress just doesn't flatter her; the top is so matronly and the gap at the midriff makes her look wider than she is. And her hairstyle isn't helping the cause; it's dull, boring, and too old for her.

But there were some shining fashion moments on the carpet as well. One of my absolute favorites was Emma Watson.

Not only does this dress fit her impeccably, but it's fun, flirty, and trendy. The mix of prints works in her favor, and the skirt design doesn't make her look hippy, which can often be a problem with the flared out section. But the shoes, look at those fabulous shoes! They complement the dress perfectly and give her a huge dash of fierce. She looks trendy, age appropriate, and smoking hot.

But my favorite, surprisingly, was Emma Stone.

Maybe it's not fair because I'm so partial to her, but in all seriousness when has she ever looked bad? No, she's not following my summer color rules (although the pink lips are fierce), but this dress suits her so well that after looking at all of the celebrities, she is the one I remembered. This look is classy, young, and flattering and while I would have picked a more fabulous shoe, she pulls this off flawlessly. Can I borrow your stylist, Emma?


Like I said, I loathe the MTV Movie Awards. But with so few events, I can't be picky about my red carpet scrutinizing. I just hope that the Video Music Awards are less painful and give me more fashion to work with. But I can promise you will never see Justin Bieber on this blog.


---Rachael

Why 'Girls' on HBO is My Latest Obsession

Normally I try not to get involved in too many TV shows. As a writer, I'm pretty critical and I often get very emotionally invested in characters. As a naive and obsessive 13 year old, The OC and One Tree Hill were my favorites (though both were technically forbidden to me at the time by my parents). I worshiped the characters, yearned for the very unrealistic high school experiences depicted, and spent mornings at the bus stop gushing over them with my friends.

More recently, as a much more mature (though not exactly grow up) 21 year old, I try to keep the following-shows-religiously side of myself on a strict diet, and choose to satisfy the various assets of my personality with shows that match. For my nerdy, book-loving, fantasy pleasure it's by far Game of Thrones. For the intellectual, writer-looking-for-perfection-in-drama side, it's Mad Men. My dark and apparently sex-driven side calls for True Blood and for my trashy, 'reality', guilty pleasure side, it's 16 and Pregnant. Yes, I watch many other shows on and off, most of them reality-based or crime dramas, but these have been my very consistent, watch-every-week, obsess-over-slightly shows for the past year.

And then Girls came along.

I was not looking for another TV show. No, my summer isn't exactly busy but there are other things I should be doing, like:

• catching up with this blog
• working on one of my work-in-progress novels
• preparing to move into an apartment next year like an adult
• learning to crochet something other than a scarf
• learning to cook like an adult
• anything that is more productive than watching TV

But, alas, someone told me that I should really watch Girls; four girls living in New York City, broke and awkward, young and ridiculous. It sounded like a more realistic version of Sex and the City and I figured I'd give it a shot, so I marathon-ed six episodes in one sitting with a glass of wine (or two).

I was immediately terrified and enthralled.

The first episode opens with Hannah, an English-degree bearing, unemployed writer whose parents cut her off. This is all too realistic for a college senior with a major that is basically English that plans on being a writer and is, at the time, basically being supported by her parents. Too real too soon.

Hannah is writing a memoir; essentially a collection of essays from her experiences in high school and college She lives with her roommate Marnie, who has a boyfriend named Charlie, and Hannah is have sex with the very strange and rather unappealing Adam (who for some reason never wears a shirt). Hannah and Marnie have remained best friends from their days at Oberlin College and are living the dream of being young in New York City.

Their world, or mostly Marnie's, is rocked by the return of their free-spirited, careless, and promiscuous best friend Jessa, who has apparently been traipsing around Europe. Jessa has returned to live with her younger cousin Shoshanna, a flighty, naive, excited student who thinks Jessa is the trendiest thing she's ever seen.

Awkward is the best word to describe the situations these girls find themselves in, from Marnie's boyfriend making a song out of Hannah's diary, to Hannah watching Adam jerk himself off and then asking for cab money home. But the strangest thing is, this show is relatable. It's so gritty, awkward, funny, cringe-worthy that it feels like real life. 

A lot of this has to do with the characters. Hannah's neurotic personality combined with the lack of a filter between her brain and her mouth can boost your self-esteem one moment (wow, I'm glad that isn't me) to having you feel like you're looking in a mirror (I have done that and I will probably do it again). She has a self-sabotaging quality, from being too forward with a boss to completely screwing up a job interview with an inappropriate rape joke. She's "the voice of our generation, or a generation" or so she claims. Well, she's speaking to me.

Marnie, the most level-headed of the four, takes on the position of being the responsible voice of reason. She's the friend you want to have when you're in a shitty situation, but the friend you don't want to have around when you're PMSing because she's always dressed and put together impeccably. She's not perfect; she's indecisive, slightly judgmental (particularly when it comes to Jessa), and hasn't exactly figured out what she's looking for. Which makes her just like many of us.

Jessa, with her legs that go on for miles, British accent, and ability to pull off any garment she chooses to put on makes her that trendy, hipster fantasy that Shoshanna surely sees. There's a bohemian-like quality to her, but she's crass, careless, and and incredibly self-destructive with behavior like chain-smoking and becoming a bit too close with a married man. It's the carelessness that's both appealing and unappealing; she's had the ability to just pack up and go, do whatever she wants all of the time. But it's made her a crappy friend and in my suspicions, hate herself a bit.

And then there's Shoshanna, who sticks out like a sore thumb amidst her very trendy, hipster counterparts (I hate to throw the word 'hipster' around so often, but I go to Emerson College and that's just what I'm surrounded by). Shoshanna is incredibly feminine, incredibly upbeat, and incredibly self-concious. She compares herself and Jessa to the characters of Sex and the City, loves the romantically set game shows on GSN, and wears a lot of preppy, pink, girly clothing. Yes, she's a bit annoying, a bit naive, and talks a lot, but she's hard to hate. It doesn't seem like there's a bad bone in her body. And her optimism is kind of infectious.

On a personal level, Hannah and Shoshanna are so scarily relatable that at time it makes me want to vomit. Hannah is a writer and she's unemployed, which is the future for myself next year. Not matter what job she falls into, it's not what she wants to do, because she wants to be a writer. We also happen to be the same size. And then there's Shoshanna in her girly clothes and notions about love, who says and is interested in things very similar to what I say and do. Not to mention that she's a virgin, humiliated after telling a guy that she's hooking up with to only have him reject her. Ouch. A fear of mine.

They're four girls in their early twenties living in New York City, doing early twenties things. They make up words (such as 'Crackcident' in this latest episode) they embarrass themselves  in front of men, they analyze communication via various types of mediums like Facebook and texting, and do things they know they will ultimately regret. They are the early twenty-somethings of our generation, and we are a generation that loves watching other people do all of the screwed up things we do. So yes, I'm obsessed. I love commiserating, and judging, and loving these characters. I love the snappy, realistic dialogue and being able to put my friends and I in similar situations. 

Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow, your are the voice of my generation. Or a generation.

---Rachael

Fashion Night Out Boston

Now that I am back from my long and regretful hiatus, I realized the perfect topic to begin with is Fashion's Night Out. Created three years ago by Anna Wintour of Vogue, Fashion's Night Out was a shopping stimulus to the fashion industry in the recession and has since spread from New York to cities like LA and Boston. Although I would give my firstborn to be at the one in New York right now, I must say getting to be in Boston was pretty fun too.

I went with certain goals in mind: get a free drink without getting carded, find something great on sale, drool over everything you can't afford. I only succeeded with the last one, but I did however come up with a lengthy Christmas list being sent to my father in an email that he will promptly delete.

What I did get out of it were raffle oppurtunities: a set of bangles from Alex and Ani, a tote from Betsey Johnson, and a $250 shopping spree at Kate Spade. I also got to browse what's going on this fall: earth tones, boots (obviously), and a pop of color to an otherwise dark outfit. I fell in love with everything at Kate Spade, a sweater in the Ugg store, a dress at Lilly Pulitzer, a top at AllSaints Spitalfield, a bag at Marc Jacobs, and an orange Ferrari that I snapped a picture of and texted to my father to which he responded "Good luck with that".

What I like about this event is the social aspect. It's a bunch of people who love fashion and love to shop getting to roam free in stores they may not usually go in and even possibly grab a free glass of champagne. It's about the feeling you get when you see everyone feeling as excited as you are and when you get to walk down the middle of Newbury Street without getting hit by a car. So even though it wasn't as fabulous as I know it is in New York, I had a good time.

And now I will count all of the change in my piggybank and run back to Kate Spade....in my dreams....



-Rachael

Star Style

Here are my favorite fashion picks of the week. Some of my favorite stars keeping it fabulous and fierce.

Reese Witherspoon, looking young and playful at the MTV Movie Awards. This dress fits her so well and the pattern isn't over-the-top-animal-print. This woman doesn't age, seriously. And her body is fantastic for a dress like this.

Emma Stone is stunning, and in this Bottega Veneta she certainly shows it. Yes, I do agree that this dress is an acquired taste, but I personally love the lace and the yellow under it. It's flattering, unique, and she's definitely confident and working it.

Emma Watson in Marchesa. I cannot even express my love for this dress, and the way she wore it is perfection. The red lip, neutral shoe, and unobtrusive clutch complete this look. The yellow doesn't clash with her skin tone and it's a mature, fitting look for her. There's a deep plunge but she's not giving anything away.

Books and Their Electronic-selves

Ever since the dawn of Amazon's Kindle I have been vehemently against electronic books. Part of it is due to the silliness of 'soon they will replace real books completely' and 'but you love to read! don't you want one?' No matter what anyone says I find it hard to believe that real, paper books are going to just disappear. Sure, maybe they'll become less but they're not going to just go away.

I love books. I love how they feel, how they smell, picking one up, and being able to fold pages over or run my finger under the words. Ever since I learned to read I've devoured at least 8 books a summer. And now, since I have temporarily vacated my home state, I was limited to 2. 2 books was all I could travel with. And for someone like me, this is devastation.

The dawn of the electronic book has increased the number of readers. Nothing about this is bad. The electronic book makes countless titles more accessible. Nothing about this is bad, either. All you need to carry is one fairly small device and you are essentially carrying an entire library. This sort of access was unimaginable before the Kindle. And now you can take you pick of Kindle, or Nook, or iPad. You can access the internet, buy books as soon as you hear about them, broaden the books you hear about. The possibilites really seem endless, and even though I have remained stubborn for so long, the lack of books on my bed stand is a sad and lonely picture.

I will never abandon the old-fashioned book. They are my first true love. But I may need to consider being a part of the present and having everything I want in a small, portable package.

Not Jane Austen, though. That just seems wrong.


--Rachael

To Tan or Not to Tan

Some of us spend the entirety of the summer on the beach in a bikini, soaking up the sun's rays and drinking pina coladas. And then there's others who have to lather up in sunscreen every time they go outdoors and look for the shady spots on the lawn to pop a squat on. As someone who is paler than pale, I have been trained to be afraid of the sun. When given the option I choose shade, at the beach I need to be under an umbrella, and sunscreen is my summer fling. Even still, I have many friends who bake in the summer and become so tan that I'm convinced they've changed races on me.

It's not secret that tan is what is considered attractive nowadays. We have created the man-made tan in the forms of a UV box and tinted chemicals. Every celebrity plastered on a magazine cover glows a nice golden brown. And of course there's the week-before-prom fake-tan frenzy.

But let's face it: tanning to the extreme is unhealthy. Skin cancer, skin damage, and major wrinkles are all side-effects. And because of the tanning trend, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), 58,094 people in the US were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin in 2007. 8,461 of these people died. I know that even though I'm not into the tanning thing, I'm at risk for skin cancer. And I think it's pretty frightening that in my high school days, the girls who were known for spending hours in tanning booths claimed to 'not care' about the risk of skin cancer.

It's okay to tan. It happens naturally and it happens to a lot of us and yeah, quite frankly it does look nice. But let's remember the facts and keep them in mind while sipping pina coladas on the beach this summer. Get a little brown and then consider picking up the sunscreen for awhile. It will do you some good and save you some wrinkles in the future.

And don't we all want that?

--Rachael

Hollywood Messes

Even for those who don't avidly follow the fascinating, poisonous world of celebrity insanity, everyone tends hear about the worst of the worst. The people who are injected by the fame bug and let it completely ruin their lives are the ones who show up on the local evening news, on the covers of tabloids at the grocery store, and even come up in conversation on the radio. I probably don't even have to give examples, as all of them seem to come to mind immediately, most notably of late Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan.

Frankly, our fascination with the crumbling infrastructure of these people's lives is pretty twisted, but at the same time it's hard to feel guilty about. After all, they realize what they've gotten into and know that the world (well, not the entire world) is following their every move. Honestly, I find it hard to believe that it's become appropriate to create a spectacle out of your deplorable lifestyle. And yet, I eat the news up with a spoon like Nutella out of the jar.

So why? Why do we encourage these people to fall apart? Is it to make us feel better about our slightly more mundane lives? is it purely for entertainment? Doesn't that make us just as bad?

While I will never understand why people paid hundreds of dollars to watch Charlie Sheen be an absolute mess on stage or why people will continue to enable Lindsay Lohan to be self-destructive, it happens. And I can think it's shameful and disgusting all I want yet I will be a hypocrite and continually log onto Perez Hilton's blog everyday to stay informed. I suppose that just like Charlie and Lindsay, I am allowed my vices (although mine doesn't quite endanger my life, maybe just a small piece of my sanity). After all, I suppose that at the very core we're not all that different. It's interesting to think about what your life would be like if it had taken just a slightly different path. Would you ever be in Lindsay's Blahniks? Would you ever really be able to know?

I suppose there's hope for them all. Hey, Britney's back! Let's send some positive vibes, shall we?

--Rachael