Over the past few days my free time (and I have many) I've spent surfing the net and among my favorite sites is Anna Bayle's. Whoever thought a model's blog could be such a fascinating read? The wonderful thing about it is that while her articles cover mostly the fashion industry, which is often perceived as shallow, she provides great insight into the industry's issues and provides her readers with an understanding of the industry and its influences.

In many ways she reminds me of the almost perfect woman (as human beings, we're only entitled to the quest for perfection, I like to say). I don't mean statuesque and beautiful (although I understand these are definite plusses), but articulate, educated, independent, and most of all relevant. I love when women are incredibly strong, when they have a "big" personality that does not necessarily translate to big mouths. That she's a Filipina doesn't make much difference to me, it's great, but really her achievement - career-wise and self-growth - are her own.

In contrast, another model blog: elysesewell. Fans of America's Next Top Model may remember her as the elvish, French speaking third placer in the first cycle of the series. At the end the episode where she got eliminated she said that she was going to become a doctor, her first dream. She actually ended up modelling for a lot of Asian publishings of Elle, Cosmo, and the like. Her blog is very, very, different: there is the issue of age. While her views on the industry are few, it's interesting to be able to read "a day in the lifes" of an American model working in Asia. In many entries, she is often surprised at how far she can stretch her dollar in the many third world countries she's visited (In one entry, she's actually in the Philippines eating battered and fried boiled eggs). I like that she reads a lot, or at least, listens to books on tape. All women should read, if they can find the time. Or as in elyse sewell's, if they can find a way. It gives us a chance to learn, understand, and see the world in different angles. It also improves our vocabulary.

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This is entirely off tangent, but someone I know who is not a model, of fashion, anyway, but a model of "almost-perfection" is my friend, sorority sister and senior, Dinggay. Like Anna Bayle, she is beautiful, intelligent, articulate, and strong minded (the running joke is cold bitch). Dinggs was a voracious reader, and in her mind there was always this passion to learn something new and to improve herself. Maybe that's how women become relevant. So what if more guys have the world's focus as opposed to women? When you think about it, they've had a headstart - they haven't exactly been oppressed. Let the men hog the spotlight, while secretly (or not so secretly) we read, and write, and understand the world, and life, and love.

Tags: oh so random thoughts
Current Mood: contemplative
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