Confession: I am a Smartphone Virgin

     I am currently a sophomore in college, and somehow, over the past half-decade during which Razors and Blackberries became antediluvian and Nokias were laughed into near-extinction, I have eluded owning what appears to be one of the world's most coveted commodities. In the hands of the young and old, the dwellers of first-world to third-world nations, and approximately 1/5 of our world's 7.046 billion (2012, Google) population is.... the Smartphone.
     I cannot tell you how many small children have asked me, "Can I see your phone?" and when I reply that I do not have a smartphone, eye me with a strange look and ask with disbelief, "Really?" to which I casually retort, "Yes."
     No, I do not live under a rock. Yes, I can afford a smartphone. Yes, I have seen the commercials glorifying this tiny device's plethora of nifty capabilities. Yes, I have friends who enjoy the whole social media thing and would gladly "follow" me on smartphone apps. Yes, I find the digital realm appealing and realize that my hypothetical smartphone could transport my mind into such fantastical worlds with the tap of its screen. However, though I have begun this blog post in such a way as to have the reader believe I am a perfect candidate for owning a smartphone device, I indubitably do not wish to own a smart phone.

Why I Do Not Have a Smartphone

1. I am afraid of smartphones. While many people have nomophobia (the fear of losing one's iPhone), I have a fear so rare and strange it has yet to be named as far as I can tell.

2. I am also afraid of smartphone-addiction.
This video scares the crap out of me, and I don't even have a smartphone.

     During the Creativity in the Digital Age Class I took at the beginning of freshman year in college, we read a book titled Program or Be Programmed. In this book, it discussed the typically hidden dangers toward the users programmed technology. For example, it noted the addictive qualities of smartphones. Phone companies "induce our dependence and compliance." Like the smartphone users Rushkoff regarded in his book, as a smartphone owner, I would "scramble to keep up with the never-ending inflow of demands and commands, under the false premise that moving faster will allow us to get out from under the endless stream of pings for our attention." Phone creators program phones to keep us attached to them, even to the extent that "each variety of beep is studied and tested for its ability to en-train our behavior" (Rushkoff). Consequently, being so caught up in keeping up with the virtual world could lead to anxiety (FBJ). In scientific studies, college students who heavily rely on their smartphone become anxious when without their device. I fear being torn apart from my hypothetical smartphone would lead to smartphone withdrawl, a period during which I might fall apart completely. As a person who likes being in control, I fear allowing my hypothetical smartphone to run my life. I do not wish to feel obligated to my smartphone or feel incapable of going minutes without it.

3. I don't see a smartphone adding much to my life.
    Call me old-fashioned, but when I think "phone," I define it as a device which allows me to call and text others.
      Sure, with smartphones there are so many apps available, but if I really thought about it, the only apps I'd ever use would be Instagram (because pictures are fun), Viber (to text my international friends free of charge), Google Maps (because I get lost easily), and Google (to search stuff).
       But really, I have a laptop, friends who let me use their smartphones to Instagram stuff, enough patience to wait until I get home to look up that thing I wanted to know about a few hours ago, and I can read maps.
       But there are so many fun games. My boyfriend swears by smartphone gaming as his favorite way to pass the time while taking a #2, and one of my friends actually has an app designed to be played in the bathroom, "Toilet Time." But, I got enough of virtual gaming when I was addicted to Neopets in the fourth grade.

4. I prefer the real world.
    As unfiltered, non-hilarious, and mundane it may seem at times, I enjoy seeing the world for what it is. If I had a smartphone, my world would be limited to an tiny screen. I might never stop living vicariously through my phone and would consequently fail to acknowledge the beauty of the real world. (Cheesy, I know.)
     But there's a truth in this. If I had used my phone as a crutch during social situations, be it on the first day of a new class or at an orientation, I could have missed out on meeting a potential friend.

4. I live above the influence.
     I know that sounds high and mighty of me, but to me, smartphones are just another trend. Like any trend, I am allowed to choose whether or not I want to follow it. I think of buying a smartphone with the same mindset I have when contemplating buying a trendy fashion piece. So what if every model and fashionable girl is wearing (insert trendy fashion item) right now? Does this piece fit me and flatter me?
      Personally, I do not think a smartphone fits my personality nor flatters my lifestyle. Personality-wise, I cannot be bothered by other people's photos or tweets 24/7. What can I say? I'm an introvert. I do not feel compelled to be connected to others all the time. I do not need virtual attention-- receiving praise for a filtered photo of blueberries or a #selfie brings little satisfaction to me. I don't mind the virtual solitude. Plus, virtual communication doesn't  fulfill me. I'm not a huge fan of texting or messaging, and would prefer face-to-face conversations over Snapchats any day. Also, smartphones would not flatter my lifestyle. As a crazy, ambitious college student, do I really need more distractions? It's hard enough balancing my studies with a social life, and adding an online social life to keep up with would just drive me insane.

5. Overall, it's just my personal preference. 
     Right now, I'm a smartphone virgin. I don't know if I'll ever want to change this status (call me a smartphone asexual or a loyal dumbphone-lover), but as of right now, my pink flip phone's good enough for me.


All the Ways Your Phone is Messing Up Your Life in One Chart:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/31/smartphone-addiction_n_5626996.html

Sources:

• Archer, Dale (MD). "Smarphone Addiction." http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201307/smartphone-addiction. Psychology Today, 25 July 2013. Web. 14 July 2014.
• FBJ Bureau. "Even minutes spent without smartphone can fuel anxiety." http://freepressjournal.in/even-minutes-spent-without-smartphone-can-fuel-anxiety. The Free Press Journal, 14 July 2014. Web. 14 July 2014. 
• Heggestuen, John. "One in Every 5 People In the World Owns A Smartphone, One In Every 17 Owns A Tablet."http://www.businessinsider.com/smartphone-and-tablet-penetration-2013-10. Business Insider. 15 December 2013. Web. 14 July 2014. 
• Googling
• Rushkoff, Douglass. Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commandments for a Digital Age. California: Soft Skull Press, 2011. Print. 

Shopping...

I got my first Anthropologie purchases today! I've always walked into the store and browsed around because everything about that place is so darn cute, but I've never been inclined to purchase anything. Until today...




How cute are these stamps? Novelty items are my addiction- especially ones on sale.
They were originally $24, but Anthro was giving them away for $1.95! You can find them on shop.thesmallobject.com.
http://shop.thesmallobject.com/collections/rubber-stamps/products/the-recipe-writing-stamp-set
Details: All rubber stamps from our ready-made art stamp collection are wood mounted and deep etched in high-quality red rubber. The stamps are hand assembled in my studio. Each one is individually cut and mounted on a 1" wooden blocks and measures approximately 1" tall. 


I also picked up this super gorgeous bib necklace called the "Animalia Heirloom Necklace." It was originally $48 but got marked down to $7.85! As a Bio major, it just felt like the perfect addition to my jewelry collection. (I have officially failed my challenge. Wow, that didn't take any time at all >__>) But ugh, it's so perfect for me.

I Like Facial Masks

Why, hello there.

I was babysitting today, and since we arrived at movie theater a bit too early, I decided to take a quick look into Ulta. In the acne/skin care aisle, I recognized the green squeeze tube as the one my friend Amy has. One day, we felt extra gross and extra girly after doing some Blogilates and ratchet Just Dance, so she, Annie, and I decided to cover our pores with the Queen Helene "Mint Julep Masque."

Quick Review: It claims that it "helps dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads & shrink enlarged pores." I have to say that it lives up to its label. Since using it at my friend's place about two weeks ago, my acne (though it should be bursting forth as that time of month is approaching) appears to have retired. I've also notice a reduced amount of redness around my cheeks and T-zone, and, as a good facial mask should, it gives my face a "fresh" feeling after I was it out. The clay itself is a nasty pastel green color, yet I find massaging this awkward looking, minty-smelling green gunk into my skin oddly relaxing. Plus, it's just $3.99 for a large tube. Now a proud owner of aforementioned product, I plan to use it roughly once every week or so.



(P.s. I've realized now that I've limited myself from buying fashion-ish things, I am slowly becoming more drawn to items of the makeup/art supply/comic book variety. The shopping addiction is real.)

The Standard of Beauty

Last semester, my friends and I would have these random conversations about our favorite childhood movies. Almost all that came up in our discussions were Disney films. We loved the songs, and most of us had a favorite princess (I really like Mulan and Ariel). One day, we were all at an on-campus restaurant to have a Valentine's Day dinner, plus some of our friends were performing there with their A Capella group. After their lovely performance, the little TV screen up on the ceiling started playing random films, its sound competing with alternative rock pumping through the venue from the speakers. The film was Beauty and the Beast. The conversation moved to discussing Belle's beauty and beauty of Disney females in general. I never took issue in any aspects of the film Cinderella until my friend, Amanda, pointed out the absurdity in the term "ugly stepsisters" and questioned the features of the two siblings which Disney's animators felt merited the sisters' reputation of repulsion. The two girls, Anastasia and Drizella, Amanda pointed out, had, "Big noses, brunette hair instead of blonde hair, and curly hair instead of straight hair."




A similar standard of beauty was seen in The Princess Diaries. In this film, Anne Hathaway's character, with her frizzy hair, "bushman eyebrows," glasses, and retainer, is seen as a candidate for a mandatory "makeover." In order to be presentable for her new role as "Princess," it seems fit that young Mia should change everything about her physical appearance.





The makeover included: tweezing, hair-straightening, glasses-breaking, and makeup. Voila, now you have a princess. With all this focus on physical appearance (there's an entire makeover scene for crying out loud!), the ending message of the movie, which I never caught on to as a young girl, obviously faded into obscurity. This message, ironically, is to "be yourself."

In the last scene, (spoiler alert) Mia decides to officially accept her role as Princess of Genova. However, her last minute decision followed a plan of running away from these duties. In escaping, Mia left in a hoodie, tee, jeans, and Docs and found herself, just as the top of her convertible decides to break, in the middle of a San Francisco downpour. Therefore, her appearance at the royal ball, dripping wet in non-couture and sporting the shoes her grandmother had made her swap for black pumps on Day 1, proved that the appearance doesn't make the princess, but her personality within. However, the message came a bit too late. For eighteen years prior, I thought the message was "you can't be cool unless you look like everyone else."



So far, we've seen Disney's standard of beauty to consist of:

• straight hair
• good brows
• no glasses

Let's add:

• Big eyes

And most blatantly obvious:

• the "ideal" female physique

This physique is:

• petite
• thin, but athletic and toned
• curvy (perky chest and lifted butt)

I feel brainwashed by the Disney standard. 

I feel victimized by the notions hidden behind these images. 

No, I do not blame Disney. They have every right to exert their artistic style and perpetuate their ideals. And it would be wrong, though I feel urged to do so, to call these notions of beauty "falsified" or "ignorant." However, I am not one on board with those commanding Disney to produce movies staring "normal" girls. 

There's no such thing as "normal"

Many push the issue that "Disney does not portray normal girls." However, what is a normal girl? "Normal," though often interchanged with this idea, does not mean "average." Let's say the Disney girl standard body type is 5'8, has a waist size of 24, and wears a dress size of 2. Google says, "Today, the average American woman is 5'4, has a waist size of 34-35 in, with a dress size of 12-14." So, Disney portrays a woman of these dimensions. It's a win for the "average woman." Yet, once again, women are alienated. The girl who's just naturally thin and curveless. The disabled child. The girl who's plus-size. Anyone not fitting this standard must wait for another image revolution. 

Embrace the diversity. Know beauty when you see it. 

If we can't change their perception of beauty, we ought to damn well train ourselves out of the notion of "the standard of beauty." Let's face it. There are no real standards of beauty. There is no "normalcy" in terms of how a body should be shaped or a face should appear. 

Disney trained my eyes to see beauty in one type of girl. It's up to me to decide whether I want to expand this perception of beauty. 

I do.

I want real beauty. I see girls too thin to fill their A-cup bras just as beautiful as those with the silhouettes of classic pin-up girls. Curly, straight, frizzy hair. Any color. Any eye shape. 

I don't want to perpetuate an ideal anything. I hope someday, my eyes will see beyond preconceptions. I want to challenge the standard of beauty. 

Because everyone is different.
Sure, the media presents ads with "perfect lashes," "perfect skin," "perfect outfits," "perfect bodies" etc. etc. etc.
These images are perfect. They're not real. It's hard not to get hooked into the cult of perfection when it's all around us. We live in a world of images. It's the digital age. And this constant influx of ideals and standards, especially regarding beauty, confuse the mind, change the perception, and its too easy to get sucked into striving for a fantasy. The media wants us to reach for these unattainable physical standards because advertisers prey on girls' insecurities. If there appears to be this collective need as a society for girls to look a certain way, marketers can easily sell products to "help" women achieve "the look." We can only be accepted if we fit the mold. We desire these products because we want to be desired. Market manipulation gets really scary if you think about it too much.

Which is why I support marketers who want more than profits.

I'm a huge fan of Aerie, the lingerie branch of American Eagle Outfitters, which began a campaign which celebrates "real" beauty. No filters or photoshop. These are natural photos are of women embracing their unique bodies.




We need to get these kind of messages out: that beauty cannot be standardized, that any girl should feel beautiful in her own skin, that no one deserves to be criticized for the shape of her body, that though many remain closed-minded on their perception of beauty, slowly people are beginning the realize the meaning behind the statement "beauty is in the eye of beholder" and that the definition of beauty can encompass everyone if we let it.

Happy 4th Monthaversary! (:

My current boyfriend and I have been together for a third of a year now! I feel like it's been both a long time and no time at all. He feels really awkward writing cards, so he decided to send me a poem. It was based on a poem he'd written when he was 10 called "The Angel." (haha) The last bit is what he made up when he could not remember the original lines. 

An Angel past compare

Her fragrance so sweet so fair

An embodiment of perfection

A cause of so many distractions

Her hair a flowing fountain

To praise her is to build a mountain

A little crazy a lot of cute

But sometimes I wish she would be mute 

But still I like it when she speaks

because shes amazing, and what more could a guy seek 

Feeling Artistically Constipated

I'm so unmotivated to make art. When school was attacking me with homework and tests and etc., I felt the need to draw things. But now that I actually have the time... nothing. hfodiahfidjsalkfda l;adsla

Summer Reading List

My taste in books is... questionable. I am about to turn 19, and I feel at this age and with my college-student status, outsiders expect my summer reading repertoire to consist of intellectually stimulating works or at least novels of the "adult" genre ("adult" referring to books with SAT vocabulary words scattered on every page, not fan-fictionesque prose [although many include such lol]). However, it's summer. The reading list is of my choosing, and I am guilty to say that my current genre of choice is... YA. I'm also a sucker for Rom-com, Biography, and non-fiction books with health-related topics. Oh, and comic books. I am so lucky to have awesome friends with extensive comic book collections and the kindness to share these beauties with myself. Here's to an awesome summer!

Things I've read:

[x] Starters Lissa Price YA (5/20/14)
[x] Looking for Alaska John Green YA (5/26/14)

[x] Eat Pray Love Elizabeth Gilbert Self-enlightenment/ Bio (6/6/14)

[x] All You Could Ask For Mike Greenberg Adult Fiction of the Rom-com variety (6/7/14)

[x] Saga (Vol. 1-3) Comic

Things I've started:

[ ] Game of Thrones George R. R. Martin Adult Fantasy/ Action 

[ ] Untouchables Narendra Jadhav Bio

[ ] How Sex Works Dr. Sharon Moalem Non-fic Health

[ ] Fat Chance Robert H. Lustig, M.D. Non-fic Health 

Things I need to get my hands on:

[ ] 1984 George Orwell (because it's awkward that I've never read this before)

[ ] All the next Sagas because I'm kind of really obsessed 

Now for some subjective reviews:

Starters  6/10 

Okay novel. Too YA. Ughhh I really need to stop reading these books because the writing is just so early-middle-school level. I did enjoy the story-line. Yet, another post-apocalyptic tale, but with an interesting twist. It was engaging and memorable, but the writing-style (a lot more Hunger Games than Harry Potter) felt off-putting after a year in college. As nerdy as it sounds, I like the challenge upper-level novels offer.

Looking for Alaska  7/10

Another YA novel. Very John Green. If you haven't read a John Green book before, I'd definitely recommend his novels. His style goes either way- you're either super into it or super not. I am a happy fan. This one wasn't my favorite (The Fault in Our Stars and An Abundance of Katherines have a higher place in my heart), but it's a nice novel for leisure. As usual, John's characters are quirky and offer that live-while-we're-young teen take on life. 

Eat Pray Love 8/10

My friend OT (greenglassheart) recommended this novel. It was during one of our talks about being "a strong, independent woman." She praised it, going as far as saying, "It changed my life." And yes, it's definitely a life-changer. Gilbert explores her journey of finding herself post-divorce. She's the epitome of the strong, independent woman. I loved the author's expression of vulnerability. She talked about personal issues most aim to keep hidden: depression, being hung-up by an ex, questioning spirituality, etc. Her style read as genuine; as a person on paper, she appeared humorous, ambitious, and undeniably inspiring. She isn't a perfect person, but when she feels broken, she refuses to remain so, and I totally admire that. I also admired her sense of adventure; through her words, I traveled to Italy, India, and Indonesia. (I'm really craving an adventure now...) 

All You Could Ask For 9/10
I'm loving these books about strong, independent women. This dude knows how to write about women. I was dubious at first, but within the first few pages, I connected to the three beautifully and genuinely voiced characters, Brooke, Samantha, and Katherine. Soon, these women felt more like friends than figments of Greenberg's imagination. The tale is very rom-com-esque, self-explorative, and touching. It's about friendship, love, and life. I loved this book even more because it's set in NYC/ Greenwich, Connecticut- two places I've recently visited; it even references Colgate! haha.  Definitely not the book for everyone, but I now feel impulsed to purchase the novel and add it to my collection (I borrowed the copy in my hand from la biblioteca), and find anything else this guy has written because, after this novel, he's gained a loyal fan.

** On second thought, turns out Greenberg's previous books, as he is an ESPN reporter, revolve around sports. I guess I'll just have to wait for the next fiction novel.