There's a princess in all of us

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" Snow White

I am admittedly a sucker for holidays. They bring so much joy to my life. I try not to play favorites, but Halloween undoubtedly falls in the top tier.

It's only logical that I love it...
  1. I love everything scary
  2. I love candy
  3. I love carving pumpkins
  4. Most importantly: I love (lovelove) costumes
Dressing up on Halloween is the opportunity to wear something you wouldn't normally allow yourself to spend money on. For example these are absolutely essential to a Kelly Kapowski costume (if only I'd had them last year when I was Kelly!).

Really, Halloween is an annual extension of our childhood. For one night, it's OK to put on something ridiculous and feel fabulous. Last year, some of my friends dressed as Lego's (speaking of acting like children). And they looked adorable.
Halloween gives us the same confidence that we had when we played dress up as kids. I remember playing Pretty, Pretty, Princess and feeling so beautiful when I finally had the chance to wear the crown - especially when I already had the earrings, necklace, and bracelets on. It didn't matter that it was plastic jewelry, it made you feel like a princess.
In an attempt to extend the joyous activity and fulfill our childhood dreams of becoming a princess, Disney unveiled a line of engagement rings.
The rings and bands were each inspired by one of the six princesses: Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Ariel and Belle. The line is an addition to Disney's current Couture and Wedding collections.
Between the gowns, bridal party dresses, and rings, it really is possible to have a fairy tale wedding. There's nothing closer to feeling like Cinderella than wearing a gown and ring modeled after her; it's the ultimate game of dress up. If only it were as cheap as the jewels in the Pretty, Pretty, Princess box...

Adventures in Jim's bathroom...

Though it was more for myself than it was for Jim, this weekend I decided to be a proactive girlfriend and clean his bathroom. So, while he was at work on Friday, I scrubbed away. I give him credit, as the floor and toilet were relatively clean. The shower and the sink, however, were disastrous.

The shower was basically similar to the showers I've seen in frat houses. Before I got in, I considered putting on my flip flops.

It was the sink, however, that was especially painful.

Jim lives in a lovely apartment with all granite countertops. The bathroom sink is tan with brown speckles, designed to hide stains. I quickly found the countertop was hiding quite a lot.

The first swipe of the sponge (a brand new sponge, mind you) made me gag. It was covered in tiny hairs. Apparently over the last six months, Jim and Paul have been shaving their beards over the sink and washing it out like good little roommates. However, they disregarded the fact that not all of the hairs made it into the sink, but instead landed on the surrounding countertops.

I gagged again when I realized the toothbrush I've had in their apartment since May has been resting on the countertop.

Because I really wanted to brush my teeth, had no car to get a new toothbrush, and couldn't imagine Jim's was any cleaner, I decided to boil it.

While I was standing there boiling the toothbrush (for a long time) I remembered an old middle school trend. All the girls in my class (anyone who was anyone) bought children's toothbrushes to boil, melt, and turn into bracelets. Mine was the Little Mermaid.
We all thought we were super hot eighth graders walking around with bent Disney toothbrushes on our wrists.

And I wish I could tell you this was the worst of the trends. But that's thing about middle school. It's awkward for everyone, even for those who didn't suffer genetically. It's this phase of life where girls are so uncertain about their bodies and style that they just copy one another.

You end up with everyone trying to wear the same type of skirt, when the skirt was really only made for a specific body and style.

This month in Glamour, Heidi Klum explains the key to her look. She writes, "Know yourself. Don't follow the trends; follow your instincts...some people are naturally flamboyant, and some are quieter; don't try to be the opposite of what you are -embrace your body and your spirit..."

Klum's insight truly is the key to a woman looking and feeling her best.

The majority of Glamour's November issue is dedicated to helping girls feel more confident in their own skin. With advice from experts, such as Klum, as well as devoting pages to "real" women, Glamour aims at giving every woman confidence.

And while I certainly applaud the magazine for shifting away from tiny models, I'm not sure they're exactly on target. No, cover after cover shouldn't feature only double zeros. But Glamour immediately jumped from zeros and twos to plus size models. What about all the women in the middle?
It's true, being too thin isn't healthy, nor does it serve as a perfect model for young girls. But, with so many Americans overweight, is it really necessary to applaud women who are categorized as having unhealthy BMI's? Does the shift have to be so extreme?

Of course, Glamour's editor, Cindi Lieve, does write, "To be clear, I'm not advocating a 'real women have curves' mentality, which implies that all skinny women are obsessive dieters and not 'real women'...But the bottom line is this: In the real world, women of all body types- whether pixie-ish...or curvy...have sex appeal, full, fabulous lives, and men drooling all over them...This is not a magazine for small women or large women, for size zeros or size 20s. It is a magazine for all women."

Lieve absolutely has it right. Magazines should applaud and be relatable for all healthy women. Unfortunately, though, the November issue displays only the extremes. And for the change to truly take place, editors can't forget the women in the middle.

FYI: Due to the concerned comments, please note that the toothbrush in Jim's bathroom was not my primary toothbrush all summer. I only used it on rare occasions, such as when I visited him this month. However, I vow never to keep a toothbrush that long again. I also think it should be known that I regularly change my primary toothbrush (minimum once a month). I know you were all concerned... :)