Latina Gangsta Style: Chola

Sunday 2 December 2012


This style is the epitome of everything I love; Massive hoops, giant hair, and overly exaggerated red lips. It's like taking the traditional 1950's housewife and giving her an attitude and real sex appeal. I can't imagine a style more perfect!

I have always been drawn to Latina fashion and makeup. It's the ethnicity people mostly, mistakenly, identify me as-
(I am half English and half Pakistani, just to clear up any confusion). I remember first seeing it in JLo's video featuring Nas- 'I'm Gonna Be Alright'. What 10 yr old girl can't resist an Adidas Sweater Dress?! It's off the shoulder!!


 
Not gonna lie... still kinda want this

She looked so amazing in this video, with her tanned skin, big hoops and masses of sex appeal. I wanted to be her!.. but I was 10, so I looked less like this:


... and more like this:

I wouldn't even have looked this good in a hat.

But anywayz, luckily the Gods looked favorably upon me and I grew up with a better understanding of fashion, and somehow my face morphed its self into a better one than my 10-15yr old one, (seriously no one needs to see those pictures).
This is when chola style found me. It had looks of the 1950s, but mixed it with the Latina style I had loved previously. Here is Stevie Ryan as her chola alter-ego 'LittleLoca':


I did a few pictures just to show the makeup and hair, just incase anyone wants to try it at home!
The eyes consist of a vanilla eyeshadow on the lid, a smokey brown in the crease and a white highlight on the inner corners and brow bone. The eyeliner is just a normal 50s flicked cat-eye, with kohl pencil lining the inner and out rim:


And the lips are a dark, ruby red, with black liner (yes I did say black haha!) around the edge, and smudged in the corner. You can also add gloss on top just to exaggerate it a little more:


The hair is just back combed to the extremmeeeee, with a bandana tied round.
And this is the end result!



Just don't forget those hoops

xxx

Whores, Sluts, and Hoe-Bags: Nudity and Sexuality in Society

Thursday 28 June 2012


Nudity, for one reason or another, is a problem in today's society. It is an arrestable offence to 'expose yourself' in public, and many would deem an uncovered body 'vulgar' or 'crude'. A woman who decides to expose (or even hint at) certain parts of her anatomy, ie. her breasts, thighs, ass, or even stomach, could expect to be called a range of derogatory names... most of which infer that she mayyyyybeee has sex for money.
I am not going to lie. I have, far too many times, tarred girls with the 'whore' or 'slut' brush, and I promise wholeheartedly that I really try not to anymore. I suppose I was never trying to suggest that it was wrong for these girls to be advocating sex, or even looking like they want sex; I am all for that! It was mostly the hideous fashion faux-pas they made while trying to advocate this sexual liberation they had found. 

I'm going to be a bitch here, but I cannot take this as sexual liberation:  

If I was at a party and I saw someone wearing this I would think 'C'mon, let's be a little more adventurous shall we? Pre-packaged, crappy quality fancy dress outfits have been done a million times before. And, chances are, you are probably going to meet at least 15 other people at the party who have also typed 'sexy fancy dress outfit' into Google, and have turned up in exactly the same (or a skimpier version) of the dress you are wearing. 

Now if I saw a girl come in something like this...:



I would think 'Hey. You. Me. We would be awesome together. Best friends. Now.'

The second picture probably has more nudity in it than the first. However, I would definitely be quicker to think less of the first girl's fashion choices over the second's. The first outfit is pulling the "Oh I just went to Ann Summers and picked the first thing that made my breasts look larger and had the least material on it" look, which is usually matched with the words, "No way am I looking for sex. Nope not me. Sex is bad... wrong... disgusting! In fact I hate sex! OMG look at that girl over there in practically exactly the same costume, except in green, claiming she's Robin Hood. What a slut..". The second outfit, however, is pretty much advocating sex in its most obvious 'slutty' form. This outfit has been well thought out though, and carefully put together. It is also important to note that the wearer would  have to be pretty proud of their sexuality and 'hoe-bag'-ness, to even think of wearing a black leather corselette (a fabric which is often associated with sexy times and bdsm).

Now there is NOTHING wrong with wearing a Red Riding Hood outfit, or any other kind of fancy dress. However, if there are going to be 50,000 other girls wearing exactly the same kind of outfit, then I don't understand why you wouldn't try and make your own original outfit. They can all depict sex; that is not the problem! I have seen a girl wear nothing but tape around her breasts and nether regions to a fetish theme party, and to that I say "hurrah!". She is comfortable with her body, she doesn't give a fuck, and she likes it. Yayy!!

Angelina's rockin' the tapey nips look too

The problem then comes with the argument: are girls unveiling their bodies for their love of sex, or for the approval of men? It is sad to say that many will do it for the approval of a young man. They want men to be sexually aroused by them and, from that, feel as though they have gained some kind of power. However, as men are mean and fickle creatures... :p, they will gladly give the girls the sexual power they desire, but then take it away after the actual deed is done, and the girl's use has been determined. She had power, but only for a short while, and now she has given the goods she promised (in wearing the provocative dress), she is now no longer special and has no further power in any other area of the man's life. After all, although a man may do anything for the promise of sex, he does not want a woman who is desperate for approval, through sex, in his life.

However the woman who wears sex on her sleeve (if that can even be a phrase...), is saying loud and proud that sex is OKAY. She is putting her cards on the table. 

And to think, all of this can be determined by an outfit. The sad truth.
But hey, if you aren't walking around in a white virginal sheet with eye-holes, then yeah sorry, you are probs a massive slut. 
BUT. Who gives a fuck? Love yourself, and love sexuality. 



xxx




Lana Del Rey - Style Icon for Today

Wednesday 21 March 2012

I haven't blogged in over a year, I can't believe it has been that long! I suppose I did not have much inspiration; but this is where this young lady comes in. 


It seemed when I was in desperate need of a new fashion icon, she was there like a call from the heavens, to help me renew my love for style and perk up my wardrobe.
It's no secret that I adore the 1940s and 50s, however, dressing in that style does not really give room for  in my other love of hoop earrings and gold jewellery.
But as it is plain to see, Lana embodies all of these style points effortlessly into her own look. Hoop earrings never looked so elegant!


She even has the killer nails.
 I had always admired these when looking into female Japanese fashion styles (especially around the 'Gal' and lolita trends), but never dared to wear. 


If you think those are adorned you should see the dedicated nail-lovers' work...

(side note: although I do think the above nails are incredibly cute, the logical part of my brain luckily steers me away from thinking that they are anywhere near the realms of normality, not to mention practicality...)

Anyway back to Lana. Her nails have taken inspiration from this, and still give her the air of 'trashy-elegant-chic', if that sort of paradox can exist. If she can actually pick things up, however, remains an ever present mystery. 


I think overall what that really stands out for me, when it comes to Lana and fashion, is how seamlessly she has incorporated elegance, sex, cheap-chic, and lolita into one style; and incorporated it, ultimately,  as one person. She fully embodies those four traits into her mannerisms, music and fashion, and its what gives her the mystery and seductive nature she so successfully puts across to her audience. 
The sexual themes she presents do not appear in a crude, obvious way, as they so often do with a lot of celebrities (*coughcough* Rihanna).
But instead they give her a lolita style intrigue, whilst also giving her the opportunity to flaunt ideas of submission and dominance within her fashion and work.


As we can see, there is such a thing as subtlety when it comes to submission and dominance style fashion, or S&M fashion if you will. Rihanna doesn't seem to have mastered it, 
But Lana has, first time...


xxx