'Average' - Body Image Pt 3

This is definitely something I've wanted to write about for a while- and it really, really has to be said, coming from a teenage girl, going through the time of life where appearance matters more than anything else. Ever since this came into the media, people have either loved or hated it, and just like always, this is my own opinion, and I'm not trying to force it on anybody. Fetch a cup of tea and a cookie- cos I won't shut up for ages, haha.


This is a Barbie doll. One way or another, us girls would have had a good few of these when we were young girls- to brush their waist-length natural blond hair, to stuff their little tiny hands into new pretty tight outfits, to guide them around our bedrooms that became their hottest shopping spots, to admire their undoubtedly beautiful faces, perfect makeup. I'm not going to lie, when I was in playschool, me and my friends would pretend we were Barbie dolls- we had Barbie diaries, Barbie watches, Barbie stationary, we would read Barbie magazine and wear pink clothes to death. Admittedly, we did want to be Barbies- but for crying out loud, we were 6 years old. I even had a 'Barbie' outfit- this consisted entirely of pink, and whenever I wore it I felt confident and pretty. Even today, wearing dresses and high heels gives me that very same feeling, but Barbie means not much to me now. I was a child, and I grew out of this phase, just like everyone else does at some stage.



This is a Lammily doll. This is rumoured to be the 'new' Barbie, and took the media by storm when the idea was first introduced. She is supposed to be the 'good' influence on young girls that play with this doll- she is based on the average height, weight, hair length+colour, and average shoe size of an American woman. She has a supposedly 'healthy' lifestyle, where she goes to work dressed professionally, keeps fit and loves animals. She wears minimal makeup and looks natural, dresses casually.





The Lammily doll was created using 'standard human body proportions', to avoid the increase of eating disorders and other body image related problems in tween to teenage girls. The Lammily slogan is 'Average is Beautiful', all in aid of making normal sized girls feel normal, they way they should. The Lammily doll is supposed to be their icon, the doll that revolutionizes the way girls think about their bodies.

Above are images of the ordinary Barbie and the Lammily doll, side by side. The Barbie doll is much more prettier than Lammily, undoubtedly- thin, fragile, tall body shape, long thick blond hair, beautifully made up face. Barbie has a sense of fashion and style, right from her minature shoes to the tailoring on her clothes, even to the colour of her tiny nails. Lammily, however, is much more curvier than Barbie, her clothes are simple, basic- her curves are much more clear, she has large feet, makeupless face and shoulder length brown hair.

Firstly, I 100% understand where the concept of the Lammily doll has come from. It makes perfect sence to me why it would be put in production, but I think the marketing scheme has been handled terribly. The Lammily doll is not the 'new' Barbie- it is simply a new doll put on the market, with a new idea and lots of talk about it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Barbie. Why not have a go at Bratz dolls then too? Their heads are larger, they are shorter, wear more makeup and are more into fashion than Barbie is- surely they're the partying, hardcore versions of Barbie, the ones we should be having a go at for being unrealistic. 

When the Lammily doll does come into production, no one is going to buy this doll. Regardless of the kind-hearted concept behind this doll, no 5 year old girl is going to stroll into Smyths, drool through shelves of pristine, perfect, pretty Barbies and Bratz dolls and whatever else and choose the Lammily doll. 'Simplicity is Beauty' - that may be the case, if you're Cara Delevingne. The Lammily doll isn't attractive- she isn't pretty, her clothes are not in fashion, she is chubby and short and does not compare to the gorgeousness of Barbie. Regardless of the marketing plots behing Lammily, a child would never be happy with this doll. When I was 6, I was superficial- just like everybody else my age. It wasn't substance for me, it was purely style. If it looked good, had some pink, it did the job- and Lammily is the opposite of that. In comparison to Barbie, she looses in every category.

However, the slogan annoys me so much. 'Average is Beautiful' - fair enough, but is that to say that if I'm over or under a certain 'average' height, shape or size, that Ii'm not normal? What even is average in today's society? There is no normal, and there never was and never will be! Thanks to body modifications, plastic surgery, and even clothes, people wear whatever they wear. And to excuse my language, I don't really give two craps whether my body or what I look like is average or not. Average is not beautiful- believing in yourself, achieving goals, having confidence and expressing yourself through clothing or by other means is beautiful.

Barbie is a doll, a fantasy, a figment of someone else's imagination. She was created to be admired, to be called pretty, to look delicate as she sat poised on your shelf, not be striven to be. She is the perfect unrealistic version of a girl, created to be admired and looked at, not held as an icon, not idolised. If girls wanted to look like a Barbie doll, peroxide would never last for more than 2 minutes on a shop shelf. The Lammily doll sets the law for what is average and normal- and if we stick to what is average and normal, then creativity, self expression and other means of art will never thrive.

Remember this is only my own opinion :)

Thanks for reading!
My Twitter- @gabysayshey



Gaby x

Body Image - Feeling 'Fat'

A good few months ago I wrote a blog post about Body Image, which was actually one of my first blog posts. I always felt that body image, body weight and looking 'good' is a touchy topic, especially when it comes to weight- especially when it comes to being thin.

I started this blog because I felt I had a lot of knowledge in regards to all things beauty and fashion- especially makeup, which products to use and which to not, my small hauls and the things I wear, because they're topics I'm passionate about. Obviously, I'm only 15 years old so I haven't been educated on any of these things, but I am interested in them and I do follow fashion trends.

There is things people can and can't wear, if they want to look good in it, stat. It applies to everyone- not everyone will look amazing in a bodycon dress and not everyone will look amazing in a skater dress, but that's just the way it is. It is life, for crying out loud- not everyone is A+ in a particular subject, and not everyone can run the fastest- it's the exact same with clothes.

Unfortunately, the minute something doesn't look good on someone, they burst out with the only conclusion that seems reasonable to them- 'I'm fat.' This is madness, oh my goodness- short shorts can't suit everyone, it doesn't matter what the scales say- your weight is irrelevant. People are different, their body shapes are different- and just because a leather skirt looks good on you, doesn't mean it will look good on me. Just because wedges look good on Mary down the street, doesn't mean they will look good on her friend who is the exact same weight.

There are body shapes, and magazines refer them to things like 'Apple, Carrot, Pear' and if you want to categorize yourself under those categories, it is completely fine. Reality is, that 'Pears' will not look as good with some clothes on as 'Carrots' do, and that's completely fine too. Some items of clothing don't suit some body types- for example, being tall and thin, with a dress that doesn't have a cinched-in waist, the dress will look like it's hanging off a hanger when I put it on. 

Being a girl that complaints about her weight, every now and again- because it is too low, keep it in mind- I'm addressing this too all girls that consider themselves 'fat'. If you feel you are overweight, then do something about it- eat a balanced, healthy diet, go to the gym more often- but hearing you complain bitterly about your weight and how 'fat' you look when wearing a tight dress is exhausting. Some shops make mistakes of catering clothes that will suit thin girls only, and that's a mistake too. Shop around and look for clothes that you love and feel confident and beautiful in- embrace your body type, and show as much flesh as you want to, as long as you're not giving out about your weight. Be realistic about things that suit you and things that don't - even though a lot of people tell me I have a so-called 'perfect' body type, there is still types of clothes I would never wear.

Remember, confidence shines through- and just because you feel you look overweight in a certain top, doesn't mean you actually are- and most of the girls that say they're 'fat', most of the time aren't. Your confidence is the most important thing, so wear whatever makes you happy- looks aren't everything- and that's coming from a fashion and beauty blogger :)


Thanks for reading!
My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Gaby x

Matty Healy

Oh Matty, Matty, Matty. Matty Healy is the lead singer of the indie rock band the 1975, to which everyone who is anyone is listening to at the moment. They're flawless, their music is raw, liquid gold and I have been loving them since about November/October, ever since I discovered Chocolate. I downloaded a few other 'popular' songs of theirs and then I got addicted and now boom! I'm obsessed.

Matty really pulls the band together, but he wouldn't really make it out on his own. He writes all the lyrics to the songs, and yes, he does get occasionally high, which explains why some lyrics make -0.78% sense. Nevertheless, he is absolutely gorgeous as he whips his thick, dark locks in front of the 1975 logo at his gigs as his little pale hands brush the expensive guitar strings for 'Girls'. He drinks a lot, and is tired a lot, but it all adds up to his tired, Doc Marten-wearing, ripped jeans image. His black leather jackets killed me- and after my beloved green one was unfortunately stolen, I went out and bought a black leather one, which I cannot- cannot - live without. 

One of my favourite things about Matty is his interviews- especially the way he talks. It's not just some junkie, tired and run down rubbish no one can understand- no, Matty talks like a wise man, the way he phrases his sentences, bases his experiences on the band and puts it all into perspective. He doesn't lie, when a journalist asked him how the singles first came out, he replied, 'We had nothing. All we had was a laptop, and my bedroom. We got our shit together, we started releasing records. We had nothing, we stole everything else.' I think that's something really admirable. It's not necessary to go out and steal things, obviously, but if you really want it, and think you can get it, then go for it. 

My favourite songs include Chocolate (obvs), Girls, Settle Down, 102, HNSCC, Head.Cars.Bending, She Way Out, Sex, Menswear, You and The City.

Matty gets often asked of how the band name came along. He always explains how when he was 17, he got given some poetry notebooks and a diary of a mad, suicidal man, who dated his entries with the year 'the 1975'. This caught Matty's attention, and well, the rest is history. I think it's amazing you still have some genuinely creative people left, and not wannabe personalities. Matty was already reading poetry books at 17, writing his own lyrics. As of today, his band is 10 years old, and Matty is only 24. Truth be told, they didn't graft tirelessly for those 10 years, he says they only 'got our shit together and started making records' recently. Creative talent shines through so early, and I think it's amazing Matty has been doing his own thing his entire life, even during the tender years of teenagehood.

Their best-known song, Chocolate, is a love letter to the police is Manchester. Matty may have 300 non- stop gigs this year, but he was a rebellious, carefree teenager who made fun of the cops as they 'had nothing better to do but chase us down for smoking'. This rebellious side of his reflects in his songs, and his fans mean the world to him- and he definitely means the world to us, too.

Thank you so much for reading!

Shoutout to my best babe Siobhan <3

My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Gaby x

Bel Air

Today, I want to share with you another one of my written 'short stories'- and this one was inspired by a dream I had, late February last year, that motivated me to deal with problems I had at the time. It motivated me, and pushed me- but I wrote this a month or so ago, for school, originally. I decided to put it on here as well, just to let you guys know what I do in my spare time. Hope you like! 

My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Bel air

‘Back in my Bel Air days, before I got married and left the States, I underwent a lot of pressure, stress and anxiety in my everyday life, due to general unorginasation and craziness. I would strut to meetings in high heels during the weekdays and spend the weekends in dark and hazy bohemian bars, with new beautiful friends every week, in flourishes of peroxide and cologne. By the time the end of the month approached, the city fumes and the hot sweat, compiled with my never-ending headaches, eventually got the better of me, and one weekend, I threw myself into a random train, an overnight bag beside me, and let it bring me anywhere, and I luckily discovered the loneliest part of Bel Air.

I came across it by accident, and returned to it once every few months, to clear my head, inhale the fresh cold air, right up until we moved.

The train would drop me off and I would hire a bright red 97’ Chevrolet at the station- similar to my very own one- and drive until I found it. This consisted of 2-3 hours of darting around the town, zig-zagging, turning and driving monotonously to and fro, until the place would appear, until the little gravel road would find me.

In all simplesness, it was really just an abandoned large cottage in the middle of a field of crisp grass, surrounded by a few bare young deciduous trees, standing lonely around the cottage, like they were keeping the house’s company, reassuring its loneliness.

By the time I would find that secluded area, peripheral from the rest of Bel Air, sheltered and hidden, the sunset would be hitting that point where it just gets unmistakably gorgeous: a bright, deep, crimson sun with orange cirrus clouds accompanying it, as if protecting it from harmful eyes. Flakes of orange were woven in-between the clouds, shades of yellow were flaked into the white light, like something out of a Technicolor 1970’s movie. Stars had just begun to show, desperate to get a peek of the extraordinary sight, peeping in, always from the left side of the sky, bringing darkness and a full cold moon with them.

Even though night time would be fast approaching, as the heat cooled and temperature fell, the birds awakened, became alive, and a mockingjay’s song was always very clear and shrill, but I could never spot any mockingjays themselves. Starlings and sparrows treated the colourful sky like a playground:  they darted in and out of the clouds, formed clusters and geometrical shapes, flapping their dark wings excitedly, chattering amongst themselves as darkness fell.

The sky was busy, but so was the ground, the field that held the lonely cottage. Long, uncut blades of grass brushed and tingled my sins as I strode through them, and the bed of greenery was a home to wild field flowers; sunshine coloured daffodils, the biggest petals I had ever seen. The green sea also held daisies, not tiny little flowers, no, large proper heads of daisies on which you could predict your love life on- ‘he loves me, he loves me not…’. The flowers had the most wonderful scents- sweet, delicate aromas that washed over you, combined with the fresh smell of grass and freedom, relaxed my tensions. I used to wish it could’ve been possible for me to somehow store all of the scents in a flask, and bring it back to the city, to use as a tool for releasing any anxieties whenever I wished, but unfortunately it wasn't to be.

Bare trees complemented the cottage, with their stiff, thick, rugged bark and thin branches that made a ‘snap!’ when broken. Thick low clouds seemed imprisoned in those branches, thick pink candyfloss clouds, dense with precipitation.

Dirty, beige paint chipped off the walls of the house, and cherry trees stood tall, mighty and proud, in all of their glory, at the back of the house, in what would've been the garden. They always had cherries that weighed down the branches- ripe sparkling fruit on green stems, but I discovered that around 1 in a dozen cherries, there was only one sweet and sickly- the other eleven lying sisters were sour like lemons. Regardless, I always kept coming back for more, picking and tasting until I hit the jackpot.

That field, those daisies and starlings and dusty windows were my home in a foreign land, my own private piece of paradise, here for me whenever I wished. The place had a taste of mystery around it- whose house was it, who had lived here, why had they left? I never researched, and I never really cared, all I knew was that Heaven was available, exclusively to me, whenever I wished to visit.’

Thanks for reading!

Gaby x

An Update

Hello all my sweeties!

As you may, or may not have noticed I've been leaving this little blog a little abandoned recently, and well I can only blame the Junior Cert. It's really my little baby that never stops crying- there's always something to do, like projects or fixing things or learning things. Unfortunately, I only finish this stupid year in June, so things are going to be a little slow for a while.

I'm going to try my best with the blog posts, just as usual, but to tell the truth, I've been demotivated and lazy. It sucks because I do love my blog, and won't be stopping it any time soon- it's just that there is more important things to be taken care of at the moment. So I'm just saying I'm sorry things have been a little behind recently!

Saw this is Next ahaha

I need you to comment below or tweet me or DM me (@gabysayshey ) things that you want to see on this blog- whatever it is. More life-related posts, OOTDs, or more photography posts? Whatever it is, let me know! :)

Anyway, I've been spending most of my time playing Candy Crush (level 310 wooo), drooling over pictures of Matty Healy, melting into The 1975's songs, watching Matty Healy's interviews and listening to how amazingly he talks, looks and thinks. I've been baking blueberry muffins and mac and cheese more or less every weekend, and since a few days ago, being tormented by a cold. I loved the Brits this year- fell back in love with Alex Turner after that speech, I mean who didn't. All in all, I'm okay- and I'm happy this stupid winter is nearly over, I can't wait to start wearing denim and leather jackets over Nirvana t-shirts and shorts. 

Matty, being happy

Matty, in his natural habitat and monochrome

I don't care if Alex is 28 now, I'll love him forever

New life motto

Oh Tom Daley 

dat hair tho

So that's me today! I'm off now to finish some stupid homework- whyyyy would you give us homework after the mocks I don't even- and make mac and cheese. Thanks so much for reading!

My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Gaby x

Ardell Demi Wispies Review

To say I've heard a lot about these lashes is an understatement. They're everywhere, everyone has just bought them, or everyone is loving them, the entire time. I've wanted these ever since the queen Zoella wore them, and that's when I started noticing them- the Pixiwoo's raving about them, Michelle Phan trimming them in a tutorial, Kandee Johnson using them, and other bloggers 'hauling' them or simply loving them. I was dyinggg to get these lashes, until I noticed the price tag- 8e for some eyelashes? Thankfully, my lovely sister got them for me for Christmas, and well, I have a few things to say.

The lashes come packed pretty basic and simple, and for Ardell, I really thing a make-over is due, if they really are 'America's Leading Lashes' as I barely spotted them in Boots. However, the simple basic packaging makes them look classy and elegant, but the lashes themselves aren't. 

I wouldn't call these 'day time' lashes- these are definitely party lashes. Thick, bold, with lots volume and length, I wouldn't wear them as casual everyday lashes. They are quite noticable as they are dramatic, and it's quite obvious you're wearing full on lashes. They are long too- perfect for nights out and dramatic make up looks, but I would need a bit more bravery to wear them during the day.

I love how the lashes are longer and curved towards the outer end- it gives a retro, winged look and look so pretty when you're looking down or your eyes are closed. For these to be daytime lashes, I would prefer if they were much shorter, but I wouldn't cut them as they are just the lashes to have for the nighttime. The lash band is clear, except for the parts where the lashes are attached- check the photos below.

Overall, I do like these lashes- they are good to have for nights out, full-on makeup looks, and if I was to wear them during the day, it would be with bare lids and just these lashes. They come with a little tube of adhesive, but I find it dries too quick and is too sore to remove as it sticks pretty firmly, so I just use my 16hr Lash Adhesive. They are pretty easy to apply, but of course practise is essential. Because of their length, they're not as light as they could be and when wearing them, I do notice they are there, which doesn't happen with most 'natural wear lashes'. I would give them a 7/10, mainly because they are too long for daytime wear.

Thank you for reading! Have you tried these lashes? What did you think?

My Twitter- @gabysayshey

Gaby x

Shaun Ross

I'm not going to lie- I had no idea who Shaun was before the promotional posters for Lana Del Rey's Tropico came out, but ever since they did, I fell right in love with this amazing unique model. Shaun is the first ever male albino model, and his work includes being featured in Beyonce's and Katy Perry's music videos, Lana's short film, and being in on the cover of Africa's Vogue. I love inspirational, beautiful people like him- it just shows that really, society doesn't care what you look like.

InMySkinIWin- Shaun's favourite and most popular hashtag. He's the African-American version of an albino, meaning he has afro-like hair, a wide nose, full lips. He's absolutely gorgeous- I love his pale skin, dark eyes, giving him an unusual, but gorgeous appearance. He battled with haters, calling him names like 'Powder' and 'Casper' but today he inspires and motivated people worldwide to fight bullying, and fight until you win.

Shaun started modelling at the tender age of 15, he got signed in a day- and all because of Youtube. He put up a video of him 'vogue' 'ing and an agent spotted him, told him to come down town and Shaun got signed. As his roots are embedded in the Bronx, New York, he has seen things and done things and heard things- the city gave him so many oppurtunities, and as he took them, it's where he is today.

I think it's so important to be working for your dreams, working towards your goals- because if you have them, it's probably more than likely that you will achieve them, if you work for them. Shaun is an inspiration, and he might be just a model, but he is a model that is getting picked for a reason- that being unique, different, having that spark will always make you stand out, for all the right reasons. I included some of his photographs here and obviously I take no credit for any of them, but you can clearly see he knows what he's doing when he's in front of the camera- he will capture your attention any day.



I hope you enjoyed this post! I haven't written in a while- the mocks are a bitch to study/revise for. I will get back on track after this whole Junior Cert is over, but please bear with me :) Thanks so much for reading!

my twitter- @gabysayshey



Gaby x