Ayesha Curry and Shaming Women into Modesty

Before this weekend I might have taken Steph Curry's wife's advice on fashion, raising adorable children, and finding hunky awesome men, but thanks to her tweet on Sunday, that has all changed. 

 @ayeshacurry "Everyone's into barely wearing clothes these days huh? Not my style. I like to keep the good stuff covered up for the one who matters *crying laughing emoji*"

and later

"Regardless of if you like my 'style of clothes' or not (which I don't care) please do not tear down and degrade women... not cool peeps"

Here's the thing, you just tore down and degraded women, check yourself before you wreck yourself.

 

Statements like this always frustrate me, but for a long time I had trouble articulating why. So I'm going to try to explain with the "modesty movement" is a load of misogynistic crap designed to get women to fight each other, rather than fighting The Man.

First, by saying this, people are also basically saying that a women's body is always on display and the way you dress is an representation of what you want members of the opposite sex to do to you. And it's not a far leap from there to say "did you see how she way dressed? she was asking for it".

Now don't get me wrong, some clothing does have specific purposes,(ski jackets, cleats, yard work gloves) but they don't relate to how anyone should treat you. Women who wear short dresses do not want to engage in sexual activities with every person that sees them in that dress. And to suggest so is just dumb. Men don't have this pressure to constantly be "on point" so that society will value them, so why are we doing this to women?

 

Second, my body is not for consumption by someone else. Why would you say that your body is for "the one that matters"? Isn't your body for yourself? A container made of flesh and bones to carry your soul through life? My body isn't here to serve anyone's purpose but my own.

 

Third, basically this says that a woman's best qualities are her tits and ass. Are you covering up your ambition? your compassion? your ability to inspire and motivate those around you with your blazer and scarf? No. Personally I think that is truly the "good stuff".

 

So basically I want to say, dress modestly if that's what makes you comfortable, but you shouldn't have to dress modestly because of what man (or other judgmental women) may think of you.  And if you happen to find yourself being a judgmental fart, take a step back and remind yourself that you have probably worn something that someone else didn't like and that doesn't make you any less of a human.  These are your sisters, so stop judging, start listening and Smash the Patriarchy.

Nudity in Nature

Pretending to be a tree nymph

     I was going to write about San Diego Pride today, but with the storm I only got one good photo and we were at the event for a mere 20 minutes before we were freezing. So instead we're gonna talk about a shoot I did about a month ago!

     Being a model I've gotten tons of offers to to nude or implied nude shots, and until this point, I've said no. But after working with this fantastic Make Up artist twice in 3 weeks, I decided to take a leap and take a step outside my comfort zone. And I loved every second of it.

     Hair and Makeup began at 3:30 in the morning. We shot at sunrise at a secret place in Southern California (no I'm not telling you where). The other wonderful women worked together seamlessly to create a gorgeous styled shoot. By the end of our time together I was dirty, exhausted, and incredibly comfortable in my own skin.

    This experience led me to the brilliant conclusion: Everyone should feel fantastic being naked.

   

     I'm not saying that everyone should whip off their clothes and jump in front of a camera, but you should experience your body unencumbered by clothes. I've always liked having less boundaries between me and my environment, whether that involved walking in the woods barefoot or finding a good place in a tree to curl up. But this adventure was beyond any of those. There were no jeans riding up, no t-shirts twisting into my armpits, no socks slowly bunching up around the arch of my foot. I was able to become fully aware of my body and how it connects to the earth around me.

     So go for it! Clean your room in your underwear, make a sandwich in the nude, don't huddle in a towel while you wait for the water to warm up. (But maybe make sure your blinds are closed before doing any of these things). 

     I'm so grateful that I was able to have this experience with some wonderful humans, and I hope every person on earth can feel the same about their body at some point in their life.

Photographer: The Heart's Haven

Hair, Makeup& Styling: Thorne Artistry

Rocksbox: Gems for Rent

     A little while ago I got a chance to work with an awesome company out of San Francisco called Rocksbox. Basically they let to rent out 3 pieces of designer jewelry at a time for a flat monthly rate. It gets delivered to your door in this adorable little box and you have some fab pieces to wear for as long as you want! And since you're hearing about it from me you can try a month for FREE by using the code beckapalterxoxo.

     Wanna know more?
      When you sign up you fill out a personal style quiz so you can let them know if you have strict jewelry preferences, or a specific event coming up or anything like that.  Then you can browse their giant collection of gorgeous gems to see if there's any specific pieces you're dying to have.  You can even connect them with your instagram so so you just comment #wishlist on a photo and it pops right into your list! Once you've done all that you get assigned a personal stylist so that you are sure to get the personal experience you deserve and get gems that are perfectly suited to you.

    You may be saying: I don't wear fancy jewelry, how can they match my style, blah blah blah.
    Here's the thing.  We all deserve a treat, and wouldn't it be awesome if that was treat was free, and came wrapped up in an adorable bow and you got to show it off for a whole month!? I don't wear fancy jewelry either, and I loved rocking these simple gorgeous pieces.  I've got quite an eclectic style and they still work with my wardrobe, and since I'm not making a huge monetary investment, I'm not worried about them matching with every outfit. 

Hexagons are my favorite shape :]

     And if you end up loving a piece, you can keep it.  They even give you 10$ a month in Shine Cash to put towards any piece (which are already on an insider's discount). 

Basically it's a no lose situation. But if you've got any questions, ask me, or check out their page.  And try them for free by using code: beckapalterxoxo

Your friendly neighborhood Food, Health, Style Blogger

     For a while people have been asking me to create a blog but I never got started because I couldn't decide how to narrow down a topic to write about.  But then I realized, I don't have to.  I've never tied myself to a stereotype, and because of that I have a lot of diverse interests. 

     A bit about me: I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area.  I graduated with my BA in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience in 2013 from an awesome little university in Tacoma.  And I now live in San Diego.  I work part time at a large children's hospital, volunteer with a cat rescue, model and wander around with my camera. Through modeling I have met some amazing artists and gotten to explore some great places in and around San Diego.  "The Industry" is not always the most welcoming place, but if you search a bit and are choosey about who you work with, you can find some real gems.

     Over the last 5 years I have done a bunch of medical tests to try to figure out why I have had tummy trouble my whole life, and eventually got diagnosed with a functional intestinal disorder (basically things don't work quite the way they should but we don't know why).  So as a result I also spend quite a bit of time coming up with creative food that doesn't hurt my stomach, but still tastes good.

     So here you go, what this blog will be about:

• Shopping small.  I love connecting with people that truly believe in the product they create, and one of the best ways to do this is by shopping small.
• How to make your digestive track healthy.  Whether it's a yummy recipe or other ways to keep yourself balanced, I'm all about it. I have yet to find a place where young women talk openly about their digestive difficulties and I would like to give us a voice.
• Exploring.  Every corner of this world is incredible, I'll share the places I find, what I do, and other things I love.

     I'm not going to tell you how to "get a bikini bod" or  "trends from the latest magazines", but I will share a bit of my world with you.  If you have any questions you'd like me to address in a post, or want to collaborate with me, feel free to contact me!


Well, here goes nothing.