Making fashion ethical, and ethics fashionable
The 2017 Ethical Fashion Report is out today. I had the great privilege and pleasure of being part of Baptist World Aid’s research team.
Read the report … and read some of my reflections, about what I’ve learned and why ethics in fashion matters. Continue reading Making fashion ethical, and ethics fashionable
Lavish Friday
Unconditional, eternal, lavish I was reading about how God loves us unconditionally, eternally and lavishly. Unconditional, I get – I’ve had grace explained to me more times than I can count. Eternal, I get – God loved us before time, loves us now and will love us always. But lavish? The thing about growing up privileged but being hyper aware of disadvantage and poverty is … Continue reading Lavish Friday
Freeing the Beast
If I could use my eyebrows the way Emma Watson does, everyone would know where they stand with me. Lumiere and even Cogsworth watched those eyebrows. The Beast dared to hope because of those eyebrows. Only good ol’ Gaston didn’t get that Emma was using those arches to give him the finger.
But where Lion for me was all about Dev Patel’s hair, the latest live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast got me thinking not so much about Emma Watson’s eyebrows, but about the nature of freedom and slavery. Continue reading Freeing the Beast
Anti-celebrity me
It’s been pop culture season on my blog lately! First it was Married At First Sight, then it was Dev Patel, followed by Jeff Daniels.
This week, I’m talking celebrities – the red carpet sort, and also the everyday sort … And I’m looking at why I get so shy and unfriendly around them. Continue reading Anti-celebrity me
On Dev Patel’s hair
My Oscars tie-in post is essentially an exclamation mark about Dev Patel’s hair, not-so-cleverly disguised as a film review. This post contains zero references to La La Land and/or Moonlight. Continue reading On Dev Patel’s hair
My love-hate relationship with reality TV and the concept of marriage
Commercial TV is an evil genius. I don’t watch much of it these days, but somehow I got suckered into Married At First Sight. It’s just, y’know, I’m making dinner and my housemate likes to unwind in front of the box. So there I am, innocently frying my fish when she begins hooting with laughter. So I get drawn away from the stove (I am a walking fire hazard) and find it’s that show the boys were talking about the other day. The one I made fun of them about.
When they refer to the battle for the watercooler, this is exactly what they’re on about. Commercial TV has perfected the art of balancing the ridiculous and the relatable, the beautiful and the ugly, attraction and revulsion, to create programs like this. Shows you love to hate on and hate yourself for loving. Shows you can’t help but talk about.
Like I’m doing right now, on the night of Valentine’s Day, incidentally. Continue reading My love-hate relationship with reality TV and the concept of marriage
Any sport will do: absurd but awesome
I love sport both on an emotional and a philosophical level.
Here’s why.
I love the contradictions in sport. I love how it is rational yet irrational, meaningless yet so imbued with significance, universal yet elite, aggressive and divisive yet a unifying force. Continue reading Any sport will do: absurd but awesome
From travelling light to living light
Packing light Coming back from 12 days away over the Christmas-New Year break, I realised that I only used half of what I’d brought along with me – the rest could have stayed at home. I really thought I’d gotten good at packing light. When I travel with others I often get comments about how little luggage I get by on. I’m a bit chuffed … Continue reading From travelling light to living light
Re-entering the darkness
I wasn’t procrastinating – I actually wasn’t planning on ever reading the book. It was going to be one for the mantelpiece, to adorn the bookshelf. After all, I spent a year working for the organisation founded by the author, so I didn’t just know the content – I was living right amongst it.
It was a surprise, then, how much the opening chapters of The Locust Effect moved me. Two months back on board with International Justice Mission (IJM), now in Australia, and we’ve talked on a number of occasions about vicarious trauma. I’ve shared with my colleagues some of what I went through that year in Bolivia. They’ve shared about how advocating against cybersex trafficking has had a toxic personal effect on them. Continue reading Re-entering the darkness
Making those booze bucks count
Pre(r)amble Yeah, yeah, I know you were after something profound, poignant perhaps. Something about resolutions. Something fitting for the opening post of 2017. However the first thing that comes to mind for me to share with you relates to alcohol. I seem to have developed something of a reputation as an alcoholic; it began with my family but has spilled over into my friendship circles. … Continue reading Making those booze bucks count
