Worst Dressed Lists | Harmless fun or a backstep for feminism?

As we wave goodbye to another awards season you'll, like me, have been over saturated of late with the latest and greatest fashion has to offer, with best dressed lists appearing in magazines, online and of course on fashion blogs all over the world, but today I want to talk about the flip side of our best dressed idols, today I take a stand and make a case against the worst dressed lists of the world.

Since the dawn of fashion we have had an ranking system of fabulous and faux pas and throughout the years I will hold my hands up and admit they have been my guilty pleasure. Spare 5 minutes on a lunch break I'm flicking through a magazine looking at the latest and greatest of the fashion industry but I'm also looking at the supposedly shoddy statements the fashion and particularly celebrity world has to offer, and this year I feel the internet in particular has been rife with negativity surrounding this subject recently and I just want to say today, it's not okay!

Put yourself in their position for a moment if you will, you're off for a night on the town to celebrate a year of hard work and dedication to your craft (I suppose it's much like our office Christmas parties minus the pressure) You've had a look on your mind for some time now, your hair, make up and outfit have undoubtedly been a year in the making, you put on your glad rags feeling like a million bucks and you're off for a night of fun, frolics and glamour. Except you're not and that is never made more evident than when looking online, in the newspapers and in magazines of the coming months. instead what you're really in for is an evening of being picked apart by strangers, cameras flashed in your face when you least expect it and god forbid, what if you need to scratch your nose when you're there?! But I digress, you flick open the pages of your favourite magazine and lo and behold there you are shamed and slated for the very outfit you have been planning for months, heartbreaking is the only way that can be described.

In a world where feminism now reigns supreme. in magazines, online and in day to day life, how can it be justified for one woman to so publicly name and shame another for their appearance, dress sense or style? Surely this is a counterproductive method of sharing in girl and lady power alike, and not to mention in poor taste! Are we scraping the barrel so much so in the journalism and writing world that all we have left to talk about are the fashion faux pas of the rich and famous surely not!? As a suggestion (which I highly doubt anybody will heed but it must be said) why not simply celebrate the diversity in fashion and celebrity culture we have today? And if you dislike a look just don't include it, this appears to me to be a basic pre schooler lesson, 'If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all,'

But of course as some of you will be screaming out at me through your screens we are reaching somewhat of a turning point in the fashion world, with journalists (good ones anyway) ranking actors and actresses in particular on their craft and talent over  'who they're wearing' or 'how long it took to get styled' and with campaigns such as 'Ask her more' reigning supreme on our television screens, and of course the imminent descent of shows such as Fashion Police I feel we are only paving the way for bigger and better things in both the fashion world and world of film, music and celebrity.

Style for me, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder and with personal tastes as varied as ever I think this is a time where we can learn from one another as opposed to criticizing each others choices. Let me know what your guys opinions of the 'Worst Dressed' lists circulating the internet are, do you perhaps agree with them? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments box below or come Tweet them at me and as always if you'd like to keep up with the latest Granite City Girl posts you can follow me on Bloglovin'

Until next time folks, I'm going to rock my 'worst dressed' frock.

H.Elizabeth x

Weighing in | 50 Shades of Grey





It has been about a week and a half since I, like the majority of the world, dipped my toe in, bit the bullet and dove straight in to see 50 Shades of Grey at my local cinema. As a film buff I see most of the films that come out, and I have to say the hype surrounding this particular novel (if you can call it that) to film adaptation, in fact my local newspaper (The Evening Express) estimated that around 15,000 Aberdonians were set to flock to the cinemas on opening weekend to see it (which I of course avoided at all costs due to my intense hatred of crowds!) Since then I have seen various reviews, rants and general posts about the '50 Shades Experience' mainly revolving around issues of consent, domestic violence and feminism all of which have been very interesting to read, the world would be a very boring place if everyone were the same wouldn't it? So today I thought I would leap on the bandwagon and share my own views on this phenomenon that has men and women a like up in arms, going gaga and flocking to the cinemas!
 

First let's start with the film. The film itself? I didn't hate it. Of course being Oscar season it doesn't exactly fit in to the typical melodramas we have been saturated with and it was sort of a refreshing change of pace. The dialogue was cheesy, given it was taken directly from the book the majority of the time I really expected nothing but, the acting wasn't fantastic (I guess some of those scenes would have been pretty difficult to film so...solid effort I suppose) and the storyline itself is a basic Mills and Boon / Twilight crossover and so I'm not entirely sure where the success of this particular piece of smut came from but ho hum the public are mysterious creatures sometimes. If you are swithering about whether or not to see it, I wouldn't waste a tenner on it (if like me you have an Unlimited card go for it) as I do feel it is rather pricey. On a little side note I feel the cinemas have missed a trick here, give 50 Shades book owners a discount? Or free Ann Summers discount voucher with every ticket purchased? That's just the PR lady in me though I suppose.
 

With all of the comments of domestic violence circulating the blogosphere, internet and world given its popularity, I went in fully expecting to come out with my feminist hat on bemused at how such a violent film could be made in this day and age yet be so wildly popular with women in particular but it is here where we enter a rather grey area (HA!) The film and the book a like cover themselves incredibly well from revolving around an abusive relationship, and despite the naivety of the central female character I have to say that this is not a violent tale. Everything in the film is consensual, and when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING (in fact there was even an incredibly in depth contract read, reread and then agreed to) and it really comes down to a case of sexual experimentation, taste and character development, something we would never criticize people in the real world for (each to their own and all that jazz) As a feminist, I applaud the central character for being open minded enough to give everything a go and despite the overpowering and at times intense male presence in the film I think she held her own incredibly well, she ruled out everything she was uncomfortable with, did not run to his beck and call and was able to maintain her individual identity throughout the course of their relationship (brief I may add)

 

Even though there are sighs, hos and hums from the film critics and publics all over the world it appears this saga is here to stay (having signed on for another 2 films, and why not it's a money making machine?!) and I for one am excited to see the characters develop and delve ever deeper into the realms of female sexuality, experimentation and BDSM which as a nation we are quick to brush off and shy away from (I am also looking forward to seeing how much Ann Summers sales upsurge in!)
 

Until next time folks, feminism hat is well and truly on!

 

H.Elizabeth xx

Lady Power | Femtellectual

Hello everyone, I just wanted to share a little bit with you about a website that Granite City Girl also features on that I think deserves a bit of light and attention shed on it and that is the lady driven blogging / magazine platform of Femtellectual.

 

I have been writing for Femtellectual quite regularly for the last couple of months and I have been loving every minute. We are basically a collection of ladies who write about anything and everything from politics to pedicures, feminism to film and everything in between. We are a community of women from all over the UK who support equal opportunities and rights for women, identify as both intelligent and 'girly' and reserve the right to share our views, opinions and general goings on with the world.

 

So ladies and gents if you enjoy witty, intelligent conversation, debate and reviews be sure to pop over to the website, or visit the Twitter page and check out some pretty clever ladies and their musings on life!

 

Until next time folks, feeling fem.

 

H.Elizabeth x