Size of Merit

On Thursday 21st November 2013, half the nation (this may be a slight exaggeration) tuned in to watch everyone's favorite TV Christmas countdown. - No, X Factor, not you - I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

As per, this year's camp contains a handful of soap stars, a washed up 90s throwback (Sorry Carlton, we still love you), a few TV hosts, the required Glamour Model-esque female, a reality TV star... and an Olympic Gold Medalist?!

Stop the Press! You mean to say this year's camp mates contain a person who might just be worth her fame?

Groundbreaking, ITV, simply ground breaking.

There is no doubt that Rebecca Adlington is one of this countries greatest sweethearts, swimming her way in by winning us two gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. As a young, and completely un-athletic female, Becky Adlington is up there with Jessica Ennis, Dame Kelly Holmes and Paula Radcliffe on my awe-scale. I can't commit to what I'm going to have for dinner, let alone to a single sport for more than half my life. To me, and to many others, these women are truly remarkable; they show determination, grit, poise, elegance and there is not one of them I wouldn't love to call my mate. 

So I know I am not alone in saying that watching Ms Adlington break down over the fact that she feels she is not beautiful enough, broke my heart and struck so many chords.

This years Camp beauty is Amy Willerton, Miss Universe GB. Amy is many things young girls aspire to be, beautiful, bubbly and, to the surprise of so many, actually pretty intelligent. It was only a matter of time before the morality of beauty pageants and whether or not they are 'good' was brought up. Personally, I believe Beauty Pageants just, are what they are. Whilst I don't agree that women should be treated as objects they do seem to do some good, The Miss World Organisation has raised more that £250 million for children's charities since it begun and, it's true, the girls genuinely do chose to be up there. So in the same way that female dancers and glamour models and porn stars use what their Mumma's gave them, Beauty Queens should be allowed to, too.

However, I think there is something seriously, SERIOUSLY wrong if a women who dedicated her life to a discipline and won this country two GOLD MEDALS feels inferior to a Jordan Price castoff, Beauty Queen. I'm not saying that winning a beauty contest is easy, because it isn't and I would by no means win one, but I REFUSE to be told that it is anywhere near as hard as winning any Olympic medal.

So what if Becky Adlington hasn't got a perfect nose, or a size 8 waist?! 

SHE'S A GOLD MEDALIST! Not to mention the fact that she's a genuinely lovely human being. 

How many of you can call yourselves perfect?!

Didn't think so.

When you strip it down to the basics the fact that society's messed up idea of what a woman should be has affected her too should be ringing alarm bells to everyone. Few had heard of Amy Willerton before I'm a Celeb, but Rebecca Adlington has been a household name for years and yet I wonder who, upon leaving the Jungle, will be granted more page space and air time...?

It's sad, and disheartening and ever more true that it is high time we start valuing human beings on what they have achieved, not the size of their waists.

- xo

Take It Off/Keep It On

If you have been shocked at any entertainment news since this year's VMAs all I have to ask you is which rock have you been living under since the 80s?!

The following things are not NEW or SCANDALOUS:

• Sexualisation of the youth.
• Girls in music videos in very little clothing.
• Black girls in music videos in very little clothing.
• Men singing about 'honeys they would like to fuck'.
• Men having 'honeys they would like to fuck' in very little clothing in their music videos.
• Women being used as objects of sexual desire.
• Slut shaming.
• The fact that sex sells.
• The fact that, for whatever reason, naked ladies manage to sell.
• Women making themselves sexy.
• Women getting naked in their own music videos.
• Provocative dancing.
• Women not exactly liking the fact that they are constantly represented as 'honeys the boys would like to fuck'.
• Drugs.

Now here is a list of things that ARE new:

• The term 'twerking'

Therefore I would like to pose you all this question: 

Why, in light of recent events, is everyone so up in arms about half naked young stars who want to own their sexuality?

Madonna and Britney were at it years ago...

How has it always been perfectly OK for Rappers to dress up their music videos with half naked girls, humping cars like dogs on heat, yet it not be OK for Miley to step on stage and point a foam finger at her crotch? Literally, the whole universe reacted like she's stepped on stage and stabbed a small puppy. She was turned into a monster.

Why can Robin Thicke have naked girls in his music video but Lily Allen does it ironically and everyone seems to miss the point?

What is wrong with you, society?! What do you want from us?!

I'm glad Miley keeps taking her clothes off and sparking up in public places, I'm glad Rihanna gyrates on a giant throne and I'm glad Lily is willing to call out every person, every where who keeps trying to put women, their sexuality and their worth in boxes.

These three women, although doing very different things, are all getting at the same point. I'm gonna go ahead and say it here that yes, I think Miley has done wonders for feminism. 

Shoot me, but I do. 

Mostly  I think that the fact that being a feminist has such awful connotation is ridiculous. Essentially to be a feminist is to be a humanitarian, so why all feminist are obviously asexual, man hating lesbians is beyond me.

Some of us don't want to burn our bras because they are Agent Provocateur and they make us happy, thank you very much and good day to you sir! 

By making the choice to get on stage and do what she did, Miley simply stepped up and showed everyone that maybe, just maybe, women don't need Rap stars to undress them and get their hips moving; sometimes we like to do it for ourselves. Equally by Lily keeping her clothes on and singing the word 'bitch' over and over again whilst a group of scantily clad ladies danced about behind her, she was showing us that maybe we don't always want to take our clothes off either and that's just fine too.

.

Let women take their clothes off or let women keep their clothes on.

Teach your daughters that it's THEIR choice to make and teach your sons to respect that choice.

And for the love of God, someone please tell Robin Thicke they own heels bigger than his dick.

- xo