*BACK TO THE 80s*
Alex has gone all old school for this weeks Tasty Tuesdays with a Cornflake Cake
Tuesday, 11 October 2016
International Day of the Girl
(Young girls in a classroom at the opening of a education centre for Syrian children in Kahramanmaras)
October 11th, International Day of the Girl, is a UN initiative set up to promote the rights of girls around the world. It aims to highlight the realities of life as a girl across the globe and the challenges they face with regards to education, equal opportunity, healthcare, child marriage and sexual violence.
The worlds 1.1 billion girls are "part of a large and vibrant global generation poised to take on the future." Although not every girl will face all of the challenges mentioned, almost every girl will encounter at least one of them.
The theme for this year is Girls Progress = Goals' Progress: What Counts for Girls, a theme designed to highlight the fact that what is good for girls is also good for driving progress across society and ending poverty. Not only is progress good for the girls, but also good for families, communities and society. When we invest in girls' health, safety, rights and education, we empower them to reach for their goals and build better lives for themselves.
One in three girls in developing countries get married before the age of 18. Child brides usually means that they miss out on life experiences such as education, a career and more likely to be vulnerable to physical and sexual violence.
It's not just a day; it's a movement. They want women and girls everywhere to be seen as equals in the eyes of others and in their own eyes.
Monday, 10 October 2016
Illustrator's taking on 'perfection'
(Illustrations by Siobhan Gallagher)
"We're imperfect, scared, anxious and depressed - but we're willing to share and relate to others," says New York-based illustrator Siobhan Gallagher, who posts her work on Instagram, is part of a new movement, in which female illustrators are challenging the 'perfection' that we see on social media.
They work in different styles and mediums, they live all over the world, but what connects these women is their desire to use their work to show the modern day woman's thoughts, feelings, experiences and friendships, as they truly are. "Some social media accounts are so curated and polished to make it seem like people are living perfect lives with perfectly posed experiences and bodies, and that's just not interesting," says Gallagher. "I'd rather share my interior life through drawing, because those thoughts are more real and relatable."
(Illustrations by Gemma Correll)
According to Stylist, mental health experts now recognise the potentially damaging effects of social media; from social anxiety and depression to body image. British illustrator Gemma Correll, whose work has become popular in recent years, aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues through her drawings. "I honestly think that humour can be a saviour at times of distress or if you just live with a constant level of anxiety and depress," Correll told Mashable in January 2016.
These kind of illustrations are so appealing because they're not trying to make out that life is happier, cooler and better than it is. The women in the drawings don't have perfect bodies or perfect habits and that makes them relatable. The artists produce the work that we have been longing for without us even knowing that this is what we want to see. It's refreshing and feel more 'real' than the countless fitness bloggers and models whose 'fantasty lives' clog up our social media feeds.
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