THIS IS A LONG ONE, BUT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. I WISH THE SCREEN CAP WASN'T TRUMP BECAUSE THIS FILM IS MORE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENED TO CAPITALISM SINCE THE 1980S.
IF YOU HAVE TIME, GIVE 'ER A WATCH...
XOXO,
COCO
THIS NEEDS TO BE WATCHED.
THIS IS THE STORY OF MOST WOMEN MY AGE (STRAIGHT OR OTHERWISE), AS TOLD THROUGH THE LENS OF BIRTH CONTROL.
SO MANY WOMEN ARE TOLD THEY ARE CRAZY, OR MOODY, OR SNAPPY, OR CRANKY.... SO MANY WOMEN CRY MORE before their period. SOME WOMEN BATTLE WITH cyclical DEPRESSION.
SOME WOMEN ARE LUCKY AND DON'T HAVE PMS, BUT THEY DO HAVE CRAMPS. SOME WOMEN ARE REALLY UNLUCKY AND HAVE PMS PLUS CRAMPS. SOME WOMEN DENY THAT THEY HAVE PMS BUT ALL OTHER WOMEN CAN TELL WHEN SAID PMS DENIER IS ABOUT TO GET HER PERIOD. SOME WOMEN BLEED FOR MORE THAN 7 DAYS. SOME WOMEN BREAK OUT IN THEIR 30S. SOME WOMEN DON'T DON'T GET THEIR PERIODS REGULARLY AND DON'T KNOW WHY.
ALL WOMEN ARE TOLD THAT THESE VARIOUS ISSUES CAN BE SOLVED WITH BIRTH CONTROL. ALL WOMEN ARE ALSO TOLD THAT BIRTH CONTROL COULD BE THE CAUSE OF SOME OF THE ABOVE.
FOR SOME REASON THE VIDEO'S EFFICACY IN TELLING A VERY PERSONAL SIDE OF A TABOO THING MAKES ME BOTH ANGRY AND FEEL LIBERATED. MEN THINK THEY KNOW WHAT WE GO THROUGH BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT BIRTH CONTROL HAS SIDE EFFECTS. THEY HAVE NO IDEA.
MY ENTIRE LIFE (UNTIL I GOT MARRIED) I CALENDARED MY CYCLE TO THE POINT OF OBSESSION, AND EVERY WOMAN I KNOW HAS HER OWN VERSION OF THE STORY IN THIS VIDEO. I'VE PERSONALLY GONE THROUGH 5 TYPES OF BIRTH CONTROL IN MY LIFETIME IN A TRIAL AND ERROR TYPE OF DISCOVERY.
SELECTING BIRTH CONTROL IS ALWAYS SETTLING, IT'S LIKE CHOOSING THE LESSER EVIL. AND RIGHT NOW THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE VERY MUCH PROGRESS ON THIS. THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF OUR OPTIONS RADICALLY CHANGING ANY TIME SOON. EQUALITY FOR WOMEN IS CURRENTLY BEING ENGULFED BY INTERSECTIONALITY, AND STILL WE HAVE GENDER SPECIFIC ISSUES THAT SEEM TO BE LEFT OUT OF THE CONVERSATION... EXCEPT WHEN WE GET TO TALK ABOUT OUR PERIODS, THE ONE TOPIC EVERYONE ELSE WHO DOESN'T MENSTRUATE SEEMS TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE HEARING ABOUT.
SMDH. LE SIGH...
BARBARA KRUGER
If you're a shopper (or just follow brands on social media), you might notice that a lot of companies are having sales right now. Generally, companies do sales to move through the remainder of their inventory in preparation for the changing season. Most companies start to have new stock for Spring beginning in February. So, it makes sense that stores and brands want to get rid of as much as they can, especially considering some Fall/Winter items delivered to stores in August.
Bagtazo however, seldom does sales because my products are priced fairly from the start. Most stores who do deep cuts in prices started off with high sales margins so that even when they put items on sale, they're making money. So of course, this puts pressure on all brands to follow suit (even though they don't follow this high-markup model). Because of high early-season markups, this model works for places like J Crew, but does not for the little guy.
It takes a lot of work, raw materials (that we sometimes forget comes from natural resources on our lovely Planet Earth), human power, and so much energy to create products, so I'm saying no to the pressures from corporate, fast-fashion. Plus Bagtazo doesn't follow trends, so if I have stock on a rain hat in summer, it simply gets put away until the rainy season comes again. (And you know, half the world has their seasons inverted, so why should I deprive them of rain hats just because we're dying in the inferno that is the NY MTA)?
Now that's not to say you won't see an occasional sale – I did one on Black Friday weekend in 2017, for example, because I wanted to give customers an opportunity to buy Christmas presents without the headache of rushing orders out at the last minute. But I'm just sayin... I'm not into it as a regular business strategy.
So there you have it. More about my principals. (Those damn things I have for better or for worse). But ultimately, I see it as good for the planet and the consumer. And I don't throw shade on wanting to get a deal, I def shop at Whole Foods based on sales.
🎈🎈🎈
#slowfashionforever
PAUL OUTERBRIDGE, "BEACH EQUIPMENT," 1936
Dear Diary,
I feel the need to share my disdain for some aspects of the fashion industry. From magazines to Instagram posts, the fashion industry is often telling us what we want and how to be. Even independent companies are guilty of this kind of marketing. I have always had an aversion to this type of message and for this reason, I never read teen magazines, or garbage celebrity gossip, or let the beauty and fashion industries tell me that my 5' 1" body, my frizzy, curly hair, and my resting bitch face don't fit the mold.
In the age of the image in which we are living, I feel the need to speak out against the narcissism this message creates. Love THY selfie, sure... but also, get over yourself. Humans all have warm blood and complex emotions. We all have beating hearts and internal dialogue. AND YET, THE AGE OF THE IMAGE has HELPED create the "me" generation - and I think this generation is one that for the first time, defies age. Women my age and older participate as much as young women do. And there may not be as many man selfies out there, but today, all people are guilty. Plus, it's not just selfies, it's how we perceive ourselves and the messages we send out through media. And today, most messages seem to be, "I'm so special."
Individualism is a farce, none of us are any different from each other in the end. We have different world views based on how we grew up and what we were attracted to, but nothing is unique in the realm of human emotion. Nothing separates us from each other beyond our own self image.
I am constantly experiencing an internal struggle, I make $300 hats and $350 brooches. And yet I want fashion to be accessible. I ask consumers to not shop at Forever21 or H&M, but not everyone can afford Bagtazo. And it's not like Bagtazo is making a huge mark up. The things I sell are high costs because I work with US factories and the workers are paid a fair living wage, and the US dollar value is such that my costs end up higher than if I produced overseas (even with fair wages paid). But I often think if nothing else, maybe my work will inspire others to do something. To work hard and to never betray your taste.
In my perfect world, fashion bloggers aren't just photogenic girls who liked to shop and then started getting free stuff because they had a "good following." They're voices for women who inspire each other to have dreams and work hard. In my perfect world, media from brands DON'T make someone feel like they're doing it wrong if they don't have that product. And I certainly would want luxury brands to create an air of inspiration rather than the sense of exclusion. Not sure if I'm successfully getting this message across from Bagtazo's public outlets, but this is my goal.
Maybe my west coast native idealism is showing, but I do know that I am sick of what I see everyday. I love social media - Instagram and Facebook are how I unwind, how I stay connected to friends and how I get a large majority of information. Tumblr is my guilty pleasure of visual beauty. I'll never knock social media. I will however, hold people responsible for what they put out there, and how they express themselves and the messages of their companies. I am so sick of being told what I want. I am so tired of seeing the same brands at all the 'cool' boutiques. Homogeneity sold as individualism is the name of the game today. And yuck. Just yuck.
The lifestyles sold in media are often shallow and uninspiring. They can make people face what they don't have in their own lives, and thus consumerism is born. And if expensive things can't be afforded, then of course, inexpensive copies will do, because the message we are all getting is that we need these things in order to live whatever lives we're trying to live.
But what we really need is fulfillment, and that doesn't come from having nice clothes, or cool nail art or amazing pottery. It doesn't come from having a lot of followers on Instagram, or going to Europe and Tulum. It comes from finding something you love to do, and dedicating yourself to it. It comes from loving yourself, and sharing love with others. And I also want to go to Tulum and have nice pottery, but WITH ALL THIS "WHAT YOU NEED" GARBAGE FROM MEDIA, I have to remind myself that these are not the things that actually matter FROM TIME TO TIME. They just elaborate my life, but they do not make my life.
I'm not sure how to really end this rant, but I do feel I needed to say it.
I work in the fashion industry and yet, I can't stand major elements that are common place within the industry. I guess I just wanted you to know, if you care to dig deeper than a picture on Instagram, that you're not alone. That there are people in this industry who are really like you, and just want to live their lives and wear things that make them feel good. I make things because I think they're pretty, AND THROUGH MY WORK, I FIND LOVE AND FULFILLMENT, WHICH IS SOMETHING SPECIAL I CAN SHARE WITH THE WORLD.
AND PROBABLY, YOU'VE HEARD EVERYTHING I JUST SAID BEFORE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO REMIND MYSELF AND ANYONE WHO STUMBLES UPON THIS, THAT What makeS us unique is how we express ourselves, but this doesn't come from the BS homogeneity the fashion industry is trying to sell as individualism. It comes from what we say and how we say it.
Down with individualism. Yes to love and meaningful experiences. WE'RE ALL SMART ENOUGH TO NOT FALL FOR 'WHAT WE NEED.'