December Favorites

During the month of December, I have come across many great books and shows. I want to share some of my favorites.

The Feminine Mystique

By Betty Friedan

After learning about how this powerful book spurred the feminist movement in the ’60s, I vowed to myself that I would read it. A year later, I finally took the time to finish it.

The feminine mystique has succeeded in burying millions of American women alive.

Betty Friedan explores the phenomenon of women moving back into the domestic sphere after gaining suffrage. Instead taking a step further and utilizing their new-found freedom, millions of educated women chose to dedicate their lives to motherhood, willingly confining themselves to the home. She explores the psychology, the many causes, and the multitude of implications of the feminine mystique. From reading, I clearly understood the attitude and desperation for women of the time. I recommend this book to all feminists and those who want to understand the sentimentality behind the powerful movement of the ’60s.

The Beauty Myth

by Naomi Wolf

Coming across this book on Our Shared Shelf, I found that The Beauty Myth is a modern version of The Feminine Mystique. In her book, Wolf focuses on how standards of beauty are holding women back in terms of careers, politics, education, etc. Dubbing the issue as “the iron maiden”, she illustrates how society molds a solid standard of beauty to bend and twist women away from their freedoms. She urges women, young and old, to push past those beauty standards and live to their full potential.

What girls learn is not the desire for the other but the desire to be desired.

I highly recommend this book! Although the books was published in the ’90s, many of the issues are still relevant today. The Beauty Myth is a huge eye-opener for me, and I’m sure it will be for you, too.

The Crown

 

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I adore this show. Whether this show is accurate to the true events, I do not know, but the drama, the tension, the glamour glued my eyes to the television. There is a reason that The Crown has almost five stars on Netflix. Let me tell you why: the actors/actresses look almost like the people they depict, the film shots are stunning, the costumes are gorgeous, the accents are great. And, this is just my opinion but I think everyone should watch this show. If you don’t have Netflix, GET NETFLIX, so you can watch it.

 

If you are stuck at home with nothing to do during your winter vacation, these are just a few suggestions I wanted to make. I really enjoyed these books/film and I hope you do, too. If you have any book or movie recommendations, please comment in the section below. I am always looking for another book to read!

Thanks for reading!~

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30 Things to Do During a Hurricane

Without being able to go to school or leave the house, I found myself very bored at home, so I tried many things to keep myself preoccupied.

Here’s a list of things to do when you are stuck in a hurricane:

1. Read a book
2. Write a book
3. Play cards
4. Build a house of cards
5. Play an instrument
6. Write a blog
7. Watch a movie
8. Learn a K-Pop dance
9. Sing a Song
10. Compose a song
11. Do stretching exercises
12. Draw
13. Write a letter and then throw it away
14. Sleep
15. Lay on the couch
16. Eat
17. Drink Water
18. Listen to music
19. Do cartwheels
20. Clean room or closet
21. Cook something
22. Pamper yourself (face mask, etc.)
23. Sharpen all of your pencils
24. Recreate iconic pictures
25. Study ahead for school
26. Flip water bottles
27. See how quickly you can roll across the room
28. Jump on the bed
29. Use sofa as punching bag
30. Touch the rain with your toes

I wrote this blog post as Hurricane Harvey mercilessly swept the Texas coast. Thousands of homes are damaged by wind, rain, and flood waters. Bayous overflowed and trickled into neighborhoods. Torrential rains filled the highways and underpasses. Our roads became rivers and our neighborhood, lakes.

Please pray for the Texas’s recovery from the damages of Harvey.

3 Essential Apps for Ethical Shopping

As I get older, I am becoming more and more aware of the toll we put on the environment, animals, and other people, so I try to make more mindful purchases when shopping for groceries and clothes. However, that can be difficult when reliable information is hard to find. Recently, I discovered 3 Android apps that have completely changed my shopping experience and helped me choose more ethical products. I hope they can do the same for you.

The following apps are not listed in any particular order.

Fashion Week Love Story

To my well-worn Levi shoes,

My year with you has gone by quickly, and you have been with me every step of the way. Through my every whim, through all the mud and the rain, thank you for being my loyal companion.

You are like a puzzle piece that fits perfectly into my style and my life. I love how great you look with every outfit. I love how comfortably you sit on my feet. You have definitely outlasted countless numbers of other shoes, and I hope that you can stay another year.

Although you are a bit muddy, a little worn out, every mark on you contains a story that we share. You have served me well, and I thank you for that. In honor of Fashion Week, I dedicate this post to you, my little shoes, and I hope our journey may continue for many years to come.

Love,
Annie

P.S. For more information on Fashion Week, check out FashionRevolution.org

Why I Gave Up Social Media for Good

I was just like you. Plugged. Wired. Addicted to the pleasures of social media. Like (or unlike) you, I was perfectly aware of this addiction. Everyday, after school, I immediately plunged into my Instagram feed to catch up on news that I had missed. Feeling inclined to spend a little bit of time on the Discover feed, I did not reemerge until an hour or two later. My undone homework still lay strewn across my desk, and the guilt flooded over me. Everyday, I find myself panicking to toss my life back together.

Last week, as I was sifting through Youtube, I came across a TedTalk by Dr. Cal Newport that led me to decide that I have had enough of social media taking over my life. In the spur of the moment, I deleted all of my social media accounts. Within the following week, I experienced life in a completely different perspective.

Better Quality of Life

We are all fighting a battle against time. There’s never enough of it. We want to spend it with family and friends, we want to get work done, we want to excel in our studies and our careers, yet, ironically, when we are given an opportunity to accomplish any of these things, we often find ourselves hiding, procrastinating, and delaying behind our phones.

After quitting social media, I, of course, found a great deal of time on my hands. Enough time  to study, to complete homework, to read, and even to blog again. However, the most important benefit of all is my renewed sight. Without my head burrowed between social media pages, I can finally experience the life around me to its fullest. The cotton clouds, the sea of billowing grass, the people rushing from place to place. I’ve never truly noticed them before. If you think life would be any less exciting after quitting social media, you’re wrong.

I’ve also noticed a spike in my own productivity. Without having social media to immerse myself in, I found absolutely no choice but to immediately start on my studies everyday after school. I no longer broke my concentration to check on Facebook or Instagram notifications, so study times were shorter and more intense. I even had more time to study ahead. My academic life can definitely go without social media. Don’t believe me? My grades can prove it.

Why Should You Do It?

As you see, quitting social media has numerous health and social benefits:

1. more time for family and friends
2. longer and unfragmented concentration
3. deeper conversations
4. more awareness
5. more time for hobbies/leisure

So, give it a try. If you are unwilling to give up social media completely, try deactivating your accounts for a week, and you will have an unforgettable taste of the invaluable experience of life!