“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” -Steve Jobs
Thank you to Steve Jobs for changing the way we work, play and communicate.
Photos courtesy of Apple.
Filed under: body image | Tags: books, eating disorders, Portia de Rossi, sexuality
Photo: Amazon
As I stretched out in the sunshine last week on a sandy beach in Cabo San Lucas, I didn’t have my usual easy, breezy, vacay style beach read in my hands. My choice instead was Portia de Rossi’s book, Unbearable Lightness. The gripping memoir detailing her battle with anorexia and bulimia is written with painstaking thoroughness – the writing is simple, yet infused with brutal honesty, and Portia is a very compelling storyteller.
Before she found love and happiness with the woman of her dreams, Portia spent years living a secret life. A closeted lesbian, she says she was terrified of being outed. She was also waging a vicious battle with an eating disorder. At rock bottom, she starved herself down to 82 pounds. Her book lays everything bare, and this from a woman who, though she had achieved fame, fought so fiercely to achieve perfect privacy that she lied about almost every aspect of her life not only to the press and her co-workers, but to her family and friends as well. Already emotionally fragile, with her self-esteem rigidly tied to her body weight and the size of her thighs, she increased the stakes by convincing herself that in order to maintain her career in Hollywood and escape a brutal life of mediocrity, she had to both stay in the closet and shrink down in size. This idea that she had to keep up the facade isolated her, consumed her every waking moment, and made her extremely ill.
I’ve poured over the pages of many books about eating disorders and body image throughout the years, but I found this one to be a particularly emotional read for me. Body image is something that I ferociously struggle with. I’ve allowed my body to be the target of some of my harshest judgments and at times, even the barometer by which I have measured my self worth. I wish I didn’t do this. I especially wish that at 30 years old, I wasn’t still hung up on it to some degree. I am well aware that my body does not define me and shouldn’t, yet in my own head I have often let it.
Portia’s voice in Unbearable Lightness shares the most honest, candid account of the toll a tyrannical body image can exact. She articulates the thoughts and behaviours of someone battling an eating disorder in a raw and insightful way. Portia has said that she did not want to write the book from the perspective of a healthy person talking about their eating disorder in the past tense. Brutally honest and at times graphic, she says the book is written from the perspective of the sick person.
“I thought it was so important to be honest and to go so deeply…into the crazy part,” says Portia. “Even though I was kind of afraid to do it because I thought maybe everyone would think that I’m nuts. But I think it’s really valuable because there is a point where a diet becomes a disorder.”
I cried through many parts of this book, both because my heart broke for Portia and because it frightened me how much I could relate to some of her disordered patterns. I have spent a ridiculous amount of time in my life obsessing over food, eating, weight loss and my body. I have engaged in problematic food and weight behaviour off and on since I was about 12 years old. I’ve been on both ends of the weight spectrum- a size 16 at my heaviest and down to sickly, skin and bones at my thinnest. I know what it is to get into that mindset where you want to be thin more than anything else to the point where it’s all you can think about. I have gotten myself so thin that my face is drawn, my bones are showing and my family and friends are worried; but all I can focus on are the areas I don’t think are small enough . I have congratulated myself for being able to get through days of eating next to nothing and given myself pats on the back for putting in excruciating overtime at the gym.
Given my propensity to see my body in a critical light, I think that Unbearable Lightness was an important read for me because it reminded me of how damaging that kind of close scrutiny can be if you don’t get a handle on it. Portia wrote this book without holding back. It came from a very real place and she puts out some of her most devastating moments for everyone to see. It’s a brave move, and it will help a great many people who struggle with food, image, sexuality, self esteem, or feeling like an outsider. In other words, if you are human, you’ll be deeply impacted by this book.
Photo: People
This is Portia’s first book but I really hope she continues to write, because she definitely has an incredible gift.
Filed under: style | Tags: Kate Middleton, Prince William, Royal Family, Royal Tour
My love affair with the Royal Family began when I was a little girl. I can remember wanting to be just like Princess Diana when I grew up. She was beautiful, stylish and warm hearted; a true icon. These days little girls have a new Princess to look up to. Kate Middleton may not have made it to Vancouver while she was in Canada with her 40+ outfits in tow recently; however, I’ve certainly been fawning over everything she has been wearing. Kate is absolutely stunning and fits the bill for a princess to perfection.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge began their North American Tour on Thursday, June 30th. The Duchess has demonstrated her exquisite style at each stop. William and Kate are elegant, down to earth and very obviously head over heels in love. They are truly a breath of fresh air.
Here’s a look at some of my favourite outfits and photos of the couple over their recent days in North America.
Photos taken from various sources and are not property of Work In Progress.
Being a sports fan myself, ESPN anchor Erin Andrews has long been on my radar. Since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of covering NBA or NCAA basketball games from the sidelines, so I’ve always been envious of what Ms. Andrews gets to do for a living. Truth be told, after watching her run on Dancing With The Stars, and following her every tweet, I’m pretty convinced that we’re long lost BFFs. She’s my kind of girl.
Andrews joined ESPN in May 2004 as a reporter for the network’s National Hockey League coverage. Since the 2004 season, she has served as a reporter for the ESPN College Football Saturday telecast, the Saturday Primetime college basketball game and Big Ten college basketball coverage. In 2005, she added Major League Baseball sideline reporting to her duties. She also provides reports and features on Great Outdoor Games coverage.
I want to watch a game with Erin. Not only does she know her stuff, but she seems super nice. And fun! In short: she comes across accessible and friendly. She isn’t afraid to be a goof and she really loves sports.
Too many sports media types think it is all about displaying their overwhelming personality, the sound of their own voice — not realizing it is as off-putting as it is allegedly “brand-building.”
As a sideline reporter – and, now as a video game feature and NFL Draft fixture – Erin staked out a seat right in the middle of the action. Next to the players and coaches for sure, but equally important, next to the fans. High Visibility + Open Personality = Accessibility and ultimately, Popularity.
Sports media reflects the direction of the rest of the world. We have moved away from I-know-best shouting and moved into a world of connections, of “friending” and “following.” And we want to connect with people who we genuinely like – or who we think we would like. That’s Erin.
Erin Andrews has become the queen of sports media because she has made herself accessible on the arena sideline and in your living room.
Note: Photos are not property of Work in Progress. They have been taken from various sources.
The fabulous Chloe of This Girl’s City bestowed upon me the honour of receiving The Versatile Blogger Award. I was extra touched because I heart Chloe’s blog and her tweets. I also took it as the swift kick in the butt I needed to finally make me post something on here. (I didn’t post any entries in March! Who am I? I was busy getting my ducks in a row!)
For my part, I’m to share seven random facts about myself…so here we go:
- I have a crazy memory for detail. Often, I am teased by my friends about my ability to pull out random facts or recount detailed happenings and direct quotes from the past. I can probably tell you what outfit I was wearing to every single event that I have ever attended. I’m not kidding.
- As a kid, I was obsessed with repeats of the ’60s television show The Monkees. I owned tapes of all their music and I wanted to marry Davy Jones.
- I am a master at the game 21 and can out shoot all of the best basketballin’ boys and girls I know…even when I’m wearing a dress and heels.
- I am addicted to buying magazines; fashion, sports, music, tabloids, you name it. For years, I kept them all and housed a massive collection in my bedroom. It got to the point where my parents forced me to purge most of them, for fear that the floor of my room would cave in. I am currently in recovery for this addiction. The only magazines that I usually still buy monthly are Nylon and Vogue. And I read magazines from back to front, always- never front to back.
- I sing at the top of my lungs when I’m alone in my car; my favourites to sing along to? Matt Good and Alanis Morissette. Occasionally I pump up the Britney. I actually prefer to drive places alone because I love to sing in my car and won’t do it if I have a passenger.
- The Montreal Canadiens were my favourite hockey team growing up. I was head over heels in love with Patrick Roy. At age 10, I could be seen walking around fully decked out in Habs gear. I had it all, including boxer shorts (which I wore hanging down underneath my Umbros) plus an array of t-shirts, hoodies, hats and track pants. I even owned Habs socks and running shoes.
- I often compare situations in life to episodes of Friends. I have been known to insert random Friends quotes into regular conversation. (This happens more frequently when Smith is around.) I tend to speak about Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe as if they’re my real friends.
Now I get to pay this prestigious honour forward. I want to know seven random facts about these babes:
Photos: Zimbio
Fearne Cotton is currently tops on my list of style muses. I’ve blogged about this beauty before but I couldn’t resist calling her out once again for her most recent fabulous outfits. The British belle who presents BBC Radio 1‘s weekday mid-morning programme is photographed daily as she walks to work and enters the studio. Her street style constantly impresses me and I find myself regularly dying over her amazing ensembles, which are put together and accessorized to perfection.
I dream of hijacking Fearne’s closet. It’s true.
Photo: Ramblefish
Rumours are flying. They are the kind of rumours that make my heart beat fast, put insta-butterflies in my stomach and make me giddy like a school girl. It seems there’s a real possibility that Vancouver could get a second chance with the NBA. I’ve been singing about this from my soap box for years (seriously, check my archives. I’m like a broken record)… but I’m not giving up yet.
Vancouver was robbed of our NBA team in 2001. As fans of a team and a sport we love, we were heart broken and felt utterly ripped off when the Grizz booted it to Memphis. Dear David Stern, please give us another chance at the rodeo.
Here’s why I truly believe that we can make an NBA team work in Vancouver this time around:
1) The Canadian dollar wasn’t even close to measuring up against the American dollar when the Grizzlies came into the NBA. Now, it’s as close to par as you can get and it doesn’t look like there’s much chance it will falter again soon. We have money in this city. In fact, many of us would like to spend it on NBA tickets. I swear. Give me a team and take my money. The financial situation in Vancouver is much more viable now than it was during the Grizzlies era.
2) There’s never been a shortage of fan support or game attendance here. Vancouver loves basketball. Even when the Grizzlies had the worst record in the league, the building was packed for every game. Lately, I’ve been watching games being played in places like Milwaukee and Memphis, where the arenas are pretty much empty every night. It’s sad. In Vancouver, we sell out pre-season games. We did it before the Grizzlies in the early ’90s when the Seattle Super Sonics came up to play and we have done it in recent years with Steve Nash’s Phoenix Suns giving us an opportunity to watch some live NBA action.
3) Vancouver was able to showcase itself as a world-class city during the 2010 Olympic Games last February. This must have impressed the NBA. I’d like to think that even dinks like Steve Francis would be happy to play here now that we’ve shown the world what we’ve got. Let’s find some players who want to be here. I guarantee you there are lots of them now. Plus, David Stern has said that he regrets what happened with the Grizzlies in Vancouver deeply, calling it his largest regret in 27 years as commissioner. He has even been quoted as saying that, “the worst trade in NBA history is Vancouver to Memphis.” I couldn’t agree more.
4) The Griffiths family, who worked so hard to bring the Grizzlies to Vancouver, had to turn it over to Seattle businessman John McCaw because of their financial struggles. This time, the group interested in bringing the NBA to Vancouver is led by successful businessman and Canucks owner, Francesco Aquilini. He obviously understands what it takes to run a successful franchise in this city. Rumour has it that the current wait for Canucks seasons tickets is seven years. Games are consistently sold out. Unlike the Griffiths family or John McCaw, who sold the team to (the evil) Michael Heisley, who then promised to make the franchise work in Vancouver but ultimately moved the team to Memphis; Aquilini, being a Vancouver local with a successful NHL franchise to his name, would provide stable ownership for a new NBA team. This is something that the Grizzlies (obviously) never had.
5) I guess you could say that the way the Grizzlies were run from top to bottom could be used as the manual for “How NOT To Run An NBA Team.” The same mistakes will not be made again. It’s all been done wrong once resulting in lessons learned. A good president and general manager are essential. Smart draft picks and strategic trading will be key. (Let’s not re-play the Big Country fiasco, please- or Antonio Daniels, for that matter). They will need to have a plan with regards to how to be competitive from the get-go. With the right management team in place, which I don’t believe Aquilini would move forward without, they will be capable of putting together a basketball team that provides a strong on court product. The Vancouver fan base will just continue to grow if we can cultivate a team that achieves success on the court. How can we even truly gauge this city’s potential passion for the sport when we haven’t been given the a fair shake at the real NBA experience?
Tell me what you think. Would you support the return of an NBA team to our fair city? Do you miss the live squeak of sneakers on the hardwood and the swish of the basketball going into the net as much as I do?
Photo: We Heart It
In in the grand scheme of things, Valentine’s Day might be pretty high on the cheese scale; however, I happen to think that any day where the theme is love is worth celebrating. I’m more old school though. Expensive gifts, overpriced roses and extravagant nights out with sky high expectations and pressure are not necessary. And while I do think that love should be expressed on the regular as opposed to just one day a year designated by Hallmark, why not take an extra moment today to tell the important people in your life that you appreciate them?
In honour of St.Valentine, I present to you a little tribute in photos to my favourite, adorable celebrity couples.
Spread the love! Happy Valentine’s Day, friends.
Photos taken from various sources and are not property of Work in Progress.
Photo: People
Gwynnie sounded amazing and looked smokin’ hot during her performance tonight with Cee-Lo Green at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. What struck me most however, were the stunning booties on her feet. She was rocking the Futura multi-coloured stiletto ankle booties from Christian Louboutin‘s Spring 2011 collection. Let us ooh and ahhh over these babies for a moment, please. I die. Fabulous. And good night.
Photo: Louboutin
Photo: We Heart It
I am moving in big steps-
along paths
rushing into books and words.
I am finding (and re-finding) music that makes me feel it again.
Music that appears in front of me
and my mind goes “ohhhh”….
Like I get it, like it’s a reality.
Like when you realize you are looking into
someone’s eyes and you should politely look away,
but you can’t.
There are people you meet
stumble upon,
happen upon,
chance upon
and suddenly you notice that you
know more than you knew before-
you understand.
Without the past they’ve known
or the past you’ve known-
it’s an understanding of NOW. Of this.
I’ve been reading Rilke.
Rilke wrote that people
should find solitude in one another,
stand guard over that solitude in each other;
find companionship
but not dependence- not giving up, or giving in…
Not lessening oneself to create a pair…
but see the distances, the differences,
the pureness, and the unbroken…
Two people must see each other whole
and against a wide sky.
