Food For Thought: Aging

Consider this thought.

"Any fear of aging, I think it is simply vanity. Because what comes with age is so many wonderful things: wisdom, understanding." -Leighton Meester

Brigette Bardot in her "glory days" as a young woman.

At some point we begin to think about ourselves aging past this stage of "youth" into mature adulthood, to middle age, and finally to elderly. When we are young, and people ask us what we want to become in life, we answer matter-of-factly with responses such as a policewoman, or a teacher. We live in that state of eternal youth where life seems to stretch into infinite days where life is defined simply. Yet, at one point we all realize the inevitable: parents die, siblings die, pet dogs die, and we, too, will eventually die.

I think this is where the fear of aging comes from. We are afraid of ourselves changing: our youthful, "beautiful" appearances change, and our souls wisen yet our bodies age and devolve. We are vain, yes, but personally I believe that this fear comes from our fears of dying, such as: what are we missing out on once we are dead? What will happen to us? Yet, there is nothing we can do to slow the process. We can remove our wrinkles through injections, get daily facials, or dye our hair to its original state, yet we are still going to age. 

Simply, society is the problem. Society is the root of so many problems. Problems with our body image, our clothing, our looks. Society does not find many elderly women attractive. Why, today I heard this girl talking about Brigette Bardot. "She was so pretty in her twenties," she said, "But now she is ugly. She's like, old. Like, 80 old. How attractive can 80 year old women be?" In my mind, I feel her perceptions are all wrong.
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Brigette Bardot today.

Yes, she may not be the world renowned beauty she used to be, but she is still beautiful. We simply need to look for the beauty inside ourselves. Finding that beauty, I believe, is the key to our problems. Once we realize our self worth on the inside, corny as it may seem, aging does not seem as scary. Look forward to the day where you can relax after a lifetime of good work and realize you have accomplished and learned so much. Look forward to the day where you will be 80 and still see yourself as beautiful as you were when you were 20. If we can see in ourselves today, can we not make a better tomorrow for us all?

What's your opinion? Comment!

Review: Trendy Magazine

Dear readers,

I must confess I am a bit late to the party, but here goes my belated commentary for Trendy Magazine. Trendy is setting the industry standard as of now, created by two of Stardoll's contemporary "elites." Whether or not Trendy will match the best of the best will be determined on here, on my scale. Remember that in a magazine, instead of putting the page numbers, I will use brackets. The cover is [1/34]. This magazine contains 34 pages.

Click HERE to view Trendy in a new window to follow along with me.

Graphic Design: 10/10 Trendy is eye catching from the start: SEXY, SEXY, SEXY! It's not blatantly, or overtly so, however, and I love it. It's simple but the headdress on the cover makes the cover dazzling. The hair is pure disarray and the color is fantastic. I love the simple but not overstated theme, especially with the headdresses right off the bat [4/34] and the Christian Louboutin graphics [14/34]. Oh, sweet seduction! I could gasp over these gorgeous graphics all day but I must move on: I'll leave you with two words. Elie Saab [20/34].

Fashion Editorial: 7/10 It saddens me to give the editorial these marks, but although the graphic design is close to perfection, the editorial is far from so. There's no fluidity, no theme [19-25/34] and there is nothing that is an indicator to what the editors are looking for. No curated pieces are shown, and in the photo where she is topless [25/34], she looks great, but what's her purpose? Why is she topless? Important questions.

Trends Shown: 9.5/10 The trends from Paris Fashion Week were great [6-11/34]. I loved the editors picked their favorites and displayed them. This is what it means to be trend setting! Points off for no real explanation though, and as with the editorial, no fluidity. I loved the "Must Haves" section [15/34] and the casual trendy looks that are so ideal for Spring [16-17/34].

Creativity: 6/10 As magazines go, this wasn't cutting edge. It was alright. However, as magazines go today, this was one of the better ones. Though the creativity wasn't mind blowing, the darker overall theme did entice me and was one of the magazine's best assets.

Writing Style: 4/10 It is here Trendy falls into a trap. We see yet another magazine with little to no writing, thinking they can make up for it with pretty pictures. Words provide sustenance. The interview with Manolo. DiCicco was good [28-30/34], something that has not been done for awhile. Otherwise, the grammar and writing style was fine, I just really wish there was more.

How did this magazine score?

 36.5 out of 50 points, at 70% or C

My Final Comments: Trendy was a good magazine. The graphics were great but a magazine's worth does not directly stem from good graphics. They are important, but other areas were lagging. Writing, for example, should be essential. I feel so many magazines, as a general consensus, lack the adequate amount of writing necessary for it to be a true publication, not just a high fashion catalog. That was my main complaint. Last time I reviewed Trendy, it seems the magazine's editors haven't taken my words to heart. The score hasn't changed. I am looking forward to giving Trendy higher scores in the future.

TTT, what did you think? Agree or disagree? Comment!

Now Magazine Spoiler

Now Magazine is the newest in the strand of magazines coming out in our hypothetical "Dollywood" and is probably one of the better spoilers I've seen around. Of course, I cannot vouch for the quality of work that will be presented to me. The graphics aren't the clearest, but it is evident the magazine's team is looking at a more dreamlike version, fantasy, if you will, of Stardoll. It remains to be seen if they can pull it off or not. The color scheme is good, there needs to be more of a contrast between the foreground and the background, but overall I have nothing more to say.

Click HERE to visit Now Magazine!

TTT, what did you think? Agree or disagree? Comment!

Review: Allure Magazine

Welcome back, TTT readers,

Happy V-Day everybody! I hope you got a kiss from that special someone, and if you didn't, I hope you got some chocolate kisses! And, to complete your Valentine's Day, without further adieu, here's my delicious review of the newly released Allure Magazine. And, I must say, there could not be a more auspicious time to publish a magazine: kudos to the Allure team! Bonus points awarded (just kidding, I don't do bonus points). Well, enough rambling, let's get down to business.

Allure's first issue is the quality of a fledgling magazine, which is no more than I truly expect for a first issue. It was not a smashing success, or a complete failure, but somewhere along the lines of ok, and moving upwards on the ladder. The Allure team has a lot going for them, however: Allure is also a daily blog, which I must give commend to: it is really hard to run a blog and a magazine at the same time! As always, to prevent from making this post too boring, I will put page numbers in brackets. For example, since this magazine has 25 pages, the cover would be [1/25]. It makes it easier for all of us.

Click HERE to view the magazine in a new window to follow along.

Graphic Design: 7/10 The graphics are not too bad, and actually get progressively better from the cover on. The hair on the model is too choppy and quite frankly too large for her face, but her face is beautifully sculptured. I like the "peek-a-boo" nudity risks that the magazine takes: it is daring for a first issue, but well composed and while does tread a fine line between art and porn, does not cross it [5/25]. Impressive. The editorial picture does look a bit awkward, however, as the models look like little girls caught in a child's pose [10/25], but maybe that's the photographer's job to work on the poses a little better: think refined- Coco Rocha! I like the daring chances the team took, however, for example, Lindsay Lohan smoking the cigarette [21/25]. Well done, but it needs work and refinement.

Fashion Editorial: 4/10 The editorial was 2 pages long. And a 4/10 is me being generous. Well curated fashion magazines have a spread of fashion usually: and this is the best time to have one! We are nearing Spring and the magazine could have easily, easily incorporated more clothing. But what I do like are the floral crowns [10/25], always a good trend, yet the girl with the wolf confuses me. This seems more along the lines of a fall edition, no?

Trends Shown: 8/10 What this magazine excelled at was trends. Huge commendation for the specific article on trends. I really liked how specific the writers were [6-9/25] and the clue-ins. Ombre hair is truly hard to do yourself- appealing to the "everyday girl" that is your reader is absolutely important! Yet, there were no pictures on hand to show what the final style should look like, and that's where the points came off.

Creativity: 6/10 This magazine had nothing out of the normal. Yes, it is edgy, but we can also say Wooldoor's Monster is edgy. My point is, it's not the only one out there. The points come from the "Playlist" article [13-15/25], where there is something new. Music has not been a topic yet explored by any magazine, and I am impressed the team has thought of it. I love that the author puts her own opinion into it, and why it means so much. This article made me really, really, happy. Overall, though, the magazine needs to follow this concept of originality.

Writing Style: 7/10 The writing style and grammar were good all around. Yet, I am upset that there was no real article. Where is the substance! Yes, fashion and style is important, but there are also tons of issues your readers could be more informed about. A new art exhibit? Fashion week? Politics? Looming issues such as melanoma and the use of tanning beds? Food for thought.

How did this magazine score?

32 out of 50 points, at 64% or D-

My Final Comments: Allure has done very well, although many fans and the team may think I was a bit unfair. This scale is one created for magazines that have run for many seasons, for improvement, and for people to read magazines with a more critical eye and get the most they can out of every issue. I don't believe I was unfair, and I believe Allure has a lot of improvement ahead but it has started at a very positive place. I look forward to awarding Allure with high marks in the near future!

Run Magazine Spoiler

So, today, Run Magazine has released Spoiler #3 to their upcoming magazine. And, well, looking at the spoiler, it kind of makes me want to run... In the other direction. No offense or anything, but personally I think the Run Magazine team should lay off on the hallucinogens and give their magazine a good look before publishing it... Remember, first impressions are everything... And I'm sensing an F on my scale. Please let me know when the house of horrors has passed through, since Run has given me QUITE the Stardoll scare that I haven't experienced since the first edition of Stardoll "Playboy," which- believe me, was terrifying in its own right. I am sensing a dark, cutting/suicidal version of Lana del Rey. That has quite the bad taste on my mouth. On that note, I'm bidding you all a happy Tuesday!!

What do you think Run Magazine will look like? Do you agree, or disagree with me? Comment!

Click HERE to visit Run Magazine.

Also, personal question: how is everybody liking New York Fashion Week?? 

 

Fashion lovers, tell me all! As a native New Yorker, I love seeing models out and about on the streets!! So style smart & chic, and gorgeous! Last year I met Karlie Kloss, my idol. Who would you like to meet at NYFW? If I get an autograph, I might give it away...

Review: Trendy Magazine

Hi Today's Top Trends!

I'm Sierra, or otherwise known as iswim19 on Stardoll. I'm the new magazine reviewer, and I'll be bringing you unbiased, factual reviews. If you have a magazine that you feel should be reviewed, message me or leave it in the comments and I'll be sure to get to it! In this magazine, there are 19 pages, so if I say page [4/20], then flip to page 4 to see my meaning. Thank you guys for understanding!

Trendy Magazine editor-in-chief Pau.Cam.Arena has sent out a smashing first edition, and here at Today's Top Trends we just want to make it better. Here at TTT I will break down the magazine and offer constructive criticism, totaling a final score out of 50 points to see what grade Trendy will get.

Click HERE to go to Trendy Magazine to follow along with my review.

Graphic Design: 9/10 The graphics were beautiful and well done, as well as showing a constant consistency throughout the magazine. Though they could be more realistic, it is extremely good and articulate. I love the detail in the Lanvin photoshoot [3/19] and fell for the cream colored editorial [11/19] along with the minimalistic prints shown throughout the magazine [12/19]. I found this well done for the winter-spring transition and the festive lights on the cover just simply seal the deal for me. Excellent graphics for a first issue, I'm expecting big things!

Fashion Editorial: 6/10 The clothing is fabulous, and well curated, and that is the only place the 5 points came from. I found that there is no explanation for why the clothing is chosen, and no theme for the entire magazine. There is nothing on the cover, and nothing throughout the editorial [11-14/19]. Pretty clothes aren't enough. I need to know why and the meaning. This is a magazine, not a catalog, right?

Trends Shown: 8/10 I like that the "Trend Zone" [4/19] is clearly marked in a magazine: but is it not too blatantly obvious? The point is to integrate the readers' mind with the purpose of your magazine, not to bludgeon it into their brain. Tread lighter next time. The background and the strange text makes it a bit difficult to read, yet the gold, black, and army colors are just right for the season [5-8/19], and I simply cannot fault that. There must be improvements made, but I'm not disappointed.

Creativity: 7/10 One or two years ago, Trendy Magazine would simply be another average magazine on Stardoll, but since then the quality of work has rapidly declined. Today, Trendy Magazine is one of the best. I'm not saying they ever would be considered bad: it's just that it is not as good as Eternity or Fierce, but yet few can compare to Mary and Alice, which is why they are forever immortalized, correct? I simply do not see anything really new, but I am ready to give points where points are deserved.

Writing Style: 5/10 I basically had nothing to critique, except for maybe a description of Burberry's history [17/19]... Am I supposed to look at the historical accuracy? There's nothing that is debatable, questionable, or with true sustenance. It looks hastily written, and, by the way, the last word is missing a period. I noticed that Trendy wants to create a new magazine every month: may I suggest to make it every 2-3 months? To add more sustenance to your blog. Vogue may appear every month, but Vogue has a full team that works full time, around the clock, to bring you the glossy magazine, while I am sure Trendy does not. Take your time. Make it perfect.

How did this magazine score?

35 out of 50 total points, at 70% or C

My Final Comments: I was a bit disappointed this magazine scored so low, but if anybody knows anything about my critiques, they tend to be much harsher than most, and I believe the highest score I've ever given out was around an 86%. I hold magazines to an extremely high standard matched by few so the improvements will be great. I hope the owner of this magazine takes this to heart, and works on the improvements I have suggested. This magazine is still young, in its' baby years, and as it matures I can see really great things someday. Best of luck, Trendy, and do not give up! 

TTT, I want to know what you think! Leave your comments below and I'll be reading them all!

The Defenders Premiere Party

From the production company that brought you Chronicles of Cora,
Legend Productions first ever movie, The Defenders.

Actors include: AislinVictory, Nojarama, BrunoExclusive, Juciimami827, Tapstar321, Fashionngirl, Becki123, Tylerisbold, 4Mariam, iswim19 and Madworld.

Visit Legend Productions for information on The Defenders, Premiere party best dressed list and how to RSVP.