Women Superhero Movies are Not as Successful

     I am going to geek out on you all for a minute and I am sorry. This is something that has been on my mind for a while, and with a Wonder Woman movie in the works, as well as a possible Black Widow movie from the Avengers, I need to say this.

     I read an article a while back where filmmakers and Stan Lee explain as to why they put a female superhero movie on hold. The reasons included getting more of the essential characters of the universe out there, creating a better back story, and that female starring action movies just don't do as good. In fact, movies for women are still considered a niche market. The latter reason made my head spin. So I started wondering, why would they think that? Two examples, Electra and Catwoman. TERRIBLE representations of awesome female characters.

You can read the original article here.
 
     I first want to share with you a lovely quote from Meagan Marie who is a phenomenal cosplayer and Crystal Dynamics employee who I feel worded it perfectly.

     "One of the problems I think female superheroes face is that because there are so few of them, they have an unfair onus put on them to represent "women" across the board, rather than a unique person. Essentially, they are painted as easy-to-digest stereotypes - a vixen, a damsel in distress, a motherly character, and so on. They tend to be less interesting as a result. With a slew of male characters to feature in any given movie, each has the opportunity to be nuanced." Meagan Marie

     That explained the reason why the characters are not as diverse, but there are amazing characters out there regardless of stereotypes, and I don't understand why anyone would think they would be less successful in film. So I sat down and watched some of the best, and my favorite strong female staring movies.

     For starters, I notice an over-saturation of  female stereotypes. In almost all female hero movies I have seen, frankly, the women characters are written differently than men. More specifically, I am targeting the dialog, interactions between characters, especially with the male ones. There is too much hip swaying, cheesy attempting-to-be-witty-and-seductive dialog, and over-sexualization of the female form. Sure, we all want to see an attractive actress portraying our favorite character, kicking some ass, and taking names, but what we don't want to see is our favorite characters painted up as bimbos in costume trying to be more sexy, versus standing up for the greater good.

     The other thing I noticed was the dialog. Women in some of these movies are more Coy, flirty, and sassy. When the women are giving the crappy dialog you lose both men and women. Your character and story lose substance. Even though it's not real, we want it to feel real, and let us be honest, most people don't talk like "that". What I am trying to say, is if you think about conversations between male and females in movies, the flirtatiousness, and the one-liners most of the time are cheesy, but also not necessary.

     The Next thing is the sexualizing the characters. Yes, men are the ones who primarily see the comic book and action based movies. Sure guys want to see sexy, but again there is a line that you don't have to cross, that is often crossed. With that being said the gap is closing and more women are seeing the same movies, so to us when you represent women as very sexy, or seductive, the women don't respect or take the character seriously because they are represented more like bimbos.

     The idea that female leading action movies don't do as good is false because we saw great success with the Selene character in Underworld, Princess Leia in Star Wars, as well as the Alice character in the Resident Evil movies. Why do they stand out so much from other female leads? Because they weren't written differently. Their conversations were solid, their actions were solid. They were not based or influenced by their gender or emotions, they were based on the story and relevant situations happening in the movie. Sure Selene was sexy in the corset and catsuit, but she also had brains, she was strong, and could handle herself.

     So in short, you want to see a successful female action based movie, then write them like you would write the men. The male dialog isn't dripping with excess testosterone, so the females don't need extra estrogen. Write Wonder Women like you wrote Man of Steel or Batman. Write Black Widow like you would any of the male Avengers. You can have witty, but Think Tony Stark Witty or Princess Leia witty, not Hallie Berry Catwoman cheesy.

     I truly feel it isn't the female aspect, or even the character aspect as to why female leading movies do poorly, I truly feel its how they are written, how they are represented, and how they talk. In short, we can clearly see a beautiful actress playing our favorite characters, we don't need the extras.

Nightmares of Craiglist

PLEASE REMEMBER: Lots of jobs post listings on websites like craiglist.com, however, so do lots of scam artist, if they don't post a company name, list a website, or give a phone number, don't trust it. Always try to research the company listing by finding a website, or looking on Google maps to make sure the place exist. NEVER give out your social security number, or banking information over email, or phone.

Today I am going to talk about my experience with applying for jobs on craigslist. This can, and does tie into my other two job hunting posts.

I am looking for a second job and I decided to look up some craigslist postings. Now I know and have always been aware of the dangers out there so I have been fairly smart about my replies and postings. I wanted to share some of my tips with you.

If the company doesn't give a name, number, or any official information, (which sometimes companies don't like too) I won't attach my full resume or give any sensitive information in the reply. I politely state I do have a cover letter and detailed resume available, but because of the dangers I wait until I get an official response. Sometimes I don't attach anything at all, but I sent a short email that I am interested but cautious.

Well last week I did just that to three different companies. No resume, cover letter, or sensitive information in any reply and they all returned my emails...

Scenario One:  One responded with a very well written response about how they understand, a little about their company, job description, pay, and so on, but at the end they had a link that I was supposed to click, to go to an external site, put in my sensitive information and buy a credit report. RED FLAG and NO THANKS.

Why this is bad: Sometimes companies do look at credit reports for jobs, however they will do it themselves. I have never heard of, or had a legit company ask me to purchase my own credit report. So be cautious of this. I did examine the site, and it was a shady site.

On a side note, If you go to websites where you need to put in information, like banking, or card info via online shopping, make sure in the address bar, the first few letters are https: (With the S) this means the site is secure, if its not, then beware!

Scenario Two: The next two responses was someone with a decently written auto reply like the last but with some loopholes. They said "after careful examination of my resume" or something like that, I was perfect for the job and went on about my duties and such. One said that the job I applied for was no longer avail, but after reviewing my resume, they think I would be prefect for a different job, with pay and such that sounded to good to be true.

This is a red flag: because the posting has no official information in it I did NOT send them my resume or cover letter, so them by stating they looked over my resume, I knew they were fake, (or at least automated). One response wanted me to call, and other wanted me to show up at a location for "open interviews". So sadly these also were most likely scams. Potentially dangerous ones too.

So be safe when hunting for jobs online. Try to stick to websites like Monster, LinkedIn, Indeed.com or Care.com.

If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is, and if they don't have any company information in the listing, be vary.

Safe Hunting, leave experiences below.
Jessi

Your Body: Made of Cells!

Hello!

     I wanted to write a short blog about something we talked about when I was still in school for nursing. We were speaking about the basic of the human bodies make up. Specifically, cells.

     We all know that our bodies are made up of billions of cells, and each cell has a life span. As cells die they are replaced with new ones, but sometimes they have deformities, which can lead to aging, wrinkles, and other changes in our bodies, including health changes. Well, our cells are created and thrive off of what we put in our body. Cells need vitamins, minerals, and hydration to thrive. If our bodies lack adequate nutrition, we can exasperate this process.

     It is no surprise, that people who have adequate exercise and good eating habits, look younger, healthier, and more vibrant. Your body is a vessel, and what we consume is our fuel. When people talk about benefits of eating healthy, they talk about how it makes your skin more clear, you feel better, etc, but no one ever says why you get those result. So now you know.

     So as a recap, you need high quality fuel, because you body is made up of cells that use what you put in your body to rejuvenate. Sometimes those cells have deformities. To keep aging and other changes at bay its important to make sure your body and cells are getting everything they need to produce a fine product.

Hope this helps, or offers perspective,
Jessi Harm

Muscle vs. Fat:

Hello Bloggers,

     If you have been to my Pinterest page and looked at my Health and Fitness board, you probably knew that this entry was coming. Even though there have been many articles posted about not relying on the scale, and focusing more on measurements, and inches, people still flock to the scale to track their fitness progress. This is a huge mistake. The reason why is because muscle takes up substantially less space, but weighs more, and I wanted to take this opportunity to put this in perspective.

***I would like to note, that there are some cases where using the scale is appropriate and can be a wonderful tool, but its shouldn't be your only tool.***

     This is a photo taken from Pinterest, (as are all of mine) that puts the space difference that each takes up into perspective. You can see that the Tangerines representing muscle, takes up less space than the grapefruit representing fat, and both are supposed to weight about 5 pounds.
You can see how this could be misleading if you used the scale to track progress. Especially if you are trying to track subtle changes. Let me put it into a prospective scenario for you...

Your pants feel more comfortable, and you think your belly is a little flatter, or maybe your thighs aren't scraping together (like mine do), so out of excitement you jump on the scale to see where you're at, and it hasn't moved, or you have gained weight. Now you are confused, upset or discouraged. However, if you had used a tape measure and tracked inches, you would have had a better, more accurate, and encouraging result.


     This second picture I like quite a bit because you can see how the body changes as it builds muscle in comparison to the scale. The girl was not big to start off with, in fact, before her mission to tone up and build some muscle, her weight was at its lowest. When she was at her smallest and most athletic, her weight was at its highest. Again, this gives more perspective as to how much space fat takes up, and how dense muscle is.

     So the final point I would like to make to my amazing readers, and I pray you pass this message along, is that fat takes up more room than muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. Putting a number on skinny is counter productive and ironic. So as you go through your fitness journey, and have discouraging days where you "Only lost one pound", remember that one pound of fat, is about the size of a medium apple, and you should be ecstatic. The best, most accurate way to track your progress is by following your BMI, taking measurements, and being realistic about your goals, and progress.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY... listen to your body. If you feel better, healthier, and notice subtle changes in some areas, do you really need a machine that spits out a number to verify that for you? You know your body better than anyone. Pay attention to it, and if you must use the scale, make sure you are tracking your body mass index, and measuring too, so you have a good solid idea of where you're at.

I hope this helped,
Yours truly,
Jessi Harm

Inner Thigh Gap, The Unrealistic Expectation

Hello Everyone,

     I am seeing lots of people obsessed with, and repining how to guides on the inner thigh gap. I don't get the obsession. But I also find a lot of the repins very misleading. So I am going to talk to you about realistic expectations, and why things like the thigh gap, or tiny waist goals may just lead to disappointment.

     In the last blog, we talked about your body being unique, and you should set goals for yourself, and not base them around others. This is very true. The shape of your body is determined by many factors, including bone density, height, and genetics. That is why if you took two people and put them on the exact same diet and workout plan, they would achieve different results. To say that you want to work out to look like someone else is going to set you up for failure. You need to understand this. There is no set definition of what a beautiful body is, except for what you say it is. You need to have confidence and know your body well. You may not have an hourglass shape, you may not have wide hips, you may not have the v cut in your abs. All bodies are unique. Look at the difference in bodies from Jessica Biel, Pink, Gwen Stefanie, and Salma Hayek. All are beautiful, but no two are alike.

     The inner thigh gap is one of those things that is not realistic for everyone. Let's play with this logically for a second. If you were to look at lots of the inner thigh gap photos, most of these women are very skinny (like in the photo taken from Pinterest. I don't think it looks good at all), and or have wide hips. In some photos, you can even see that the model doesn't have the inner thigh gap at all, it's just the way she posed. So what happens when you set something like the gap as your goal and don't achieve it. Well you think it's your fault, you train and diet harder, stress out, get upset, or your get discouraged and quit. There are beautiful women out there who are toned and healthy without a thigh gap, like Jessica Biel, she is a female fitness inspiration to many women, and she has no gap.

Now that's not to say that you shouldn't try and work out all areas of your body, but it has been proven you can not just spot treat areas of your body, to lose weight. To tone evenly you need to work your body all over. Try adding one or a few Squat Jumps, alternating lunge jumps, side squats, Bulgarian squats, calf raises, or burpees, to your current routine.

Remember you results and experience may vary, and that is okay.

Yours Truly,
Jessi Harm

Fitspiration, Good or bad?

Hello All,

     So a topic of discussion that has been making waves is whether or not fitspiration is more damaging than good. For those who don't know, or maybe know it by a different term, its when there is a picture of someone athletic or healthy (sometimes just skinny) often followed by a motivational quote. Such as "It took more than a day to gain it, it will take more than a day to lose it."

     The argument is that it can be misleading, or even discouraging. I personally find them motivating, and love them. I feel the people who first started to complain about fitspiration are the lazy people who have excuses, or are looking for the easy ways to get fit, and not getting results by sitting on the couch. However, I can understand how they can be damaging too. I am seeing more photos of skinny models, then toned, Normal,  healthy bodies. 

So, I would like to talk about how to use fitspiration... 

• Fitspiration is positive
• Fitspiration should be motivating
• Fitspiration should encourage you. 
• Fitspiration models should be healthy 
• Fitspiration is NOT super skinny, or unhealthy
• Fitspiration should help you achieve your goals, not MOLD your goals
• Fitspiration is a tool to use, NOT a standard or expectation

     You need to understand that every body is unique. It is unique in how you gain weight, and will be unique in how you lose weight. Your body is also unique in how you tone and build muscle. Your body is unique in its needs and wants and you need to fully understand this. If you choose to set goals and expectations off of another success, you WILL be sadly disappointed. Every body is unique. I can't stress this enough. 

Remember that motivation and encouragement is good, but pulling it from bad sources or for wrong reasons can be damaging to your success.

Yours Truly, 

Jessi Harm

Dealing With Baby-Fine Hair

     I wasn't blessed with thick full strands of hair. I have very baby fine hair, I have a good amount of it, but it doesn't matter how many strands are on your head when it’s as fine as mine. So what does having fine hair mean in terms of management, and styling? Well, it’s a whole different ball game. Fine hair is prone to getting oily faster, falling flat easier, breaking easier, not holding styles, and sometimes needing special products. So here are a few different tips and trick I have acquired over the years, through talking to a stylist, as well as my own trial and error.

     First, let’s talk about shampoo and conditioner, as well as how often you should wash. Lots of shampoos have certain chemicals that not only strip your own natural oils but leave behind a chemical build up in their place. If you look at the list of chemicals in shampoo, chances are there are several ingredients you don’t understand what they are or what they mean. I generally feel, if I don’t understand the majority of the ingredient list when I purchase products, it can’t be all that good for you. So asking around, I found that good shampoos to look for when you have fine hair are sulfate and paraben free. We are going to see more and more shampoos that are sulfate and paraben free as more and more people realize how bad it is for you. I use The Honest Co Shampoo and body wash combo, which you can find at www.honest.com and I also use Chii Luxe Thirst Relief, however, there are many shelf brands that are sulfate and paraben free as well. The Thing is… sulfate free shampoos don’t lather up as well, so be conscious of this when using. You will be tempted to use more of the product, but you don’t need to, just use the same amount you regularly do and work it in, if you're concerned you didn't get it good enough, rinse and repeat. I love the Honest Co shampoo, but it hardly lathers at all, which was discouraging, until it started drying, and my hair felt weightless. To avoid unnecessary damage or wear on your ends, apply and focus the shampoo at your roots, and length of the hair, and avoid really working into the ends. Your ends will get all the shampoo treatment they need as you rinse.

    Many people say if you have fine hair to skip or use very little conditioner. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Conditioning is a very important part of your hair care routine, you just need to know how to use it right. Best thing to do is use conditioner primarily for your ends. That is the oldest part of the hair, the most weathered part, which means it needs some TLC. Avoid applying it toward the roots, as it will weigh down your hair. I like to comb my conditioner through my hair in the shower, and I rinse it out, pretty quickly after I apply it. You don’t really need to let it sit there.

     Now really with all hair types you should NOT wash it every single day. Any stylist will tell you this, and honestly the day after a shampoo day is usually your best styling day. You should wash your hair every other shower, or less frequently if you can get away with it. (Fine hair unfortunately can’t go to long before we need it.) One hair stylist I went to, who had fine hair as well said on her between shampoo days, she just wets it, runs some conditioner through it real quick, and go. She said her between days are her best days. She also rinses out her conditioner quickly after she applies it. You hair really needs its natural oils, and a break for harsh stripping shampoos, styling products and heat.

     Which brings me to my next point. Styling. TAKE IT EASY LADIES! Guys really don’t care about our fancy styles. Most can’t tell the difference between braids or twist. Have fun crazy hair styles for you, but keep the abuse on your hair to a minimum. With fine hair, you need to use low heat with your curling iron, flat irons, and hair dryers. It’s tempting to turn it all the way up and go, but it damages our already fragile hair so much faster. Also all hair type should keep the heat off your ends. When curling your hair, straightening or blow drying never apply to heat source directly on your ends. There are different curling techniques that start at the middle of your strands, or look into using the wands. If you have time, its best you let your hair, air dry as long as you can before you blow drying. This is less time, with less heat J

     Other hair care tips for fine hair is making sure you get you ends trimmed. You don’t need to do it every six weeks, your hair will tell you when it needs to be tended to. When it won’t hold style, when it falls flat, when the ends feel dry and course are good indicators. Talk to your stylist or salons you frequent to see what treatments they have to get rid of buildup. Just remember, your hair isn't like skin, it doesn't heal itself when it gets burned or damaged. Once the damage is done, it’s done. There is no shame in skipping a style, and subbing a cute ponytail, or skipping a wash or two, and pulling it back, or doing a braid. So many times, I have has friends or classmates complain that their hair is oily, and you can’t even tell. Moderation in the key in all aspects of life. 

I hope these generalized tips help people who struggle with fine hair like I do. 

Truly yours

Jessi Harm

"The Honest Life" by Jessica Alba review.

     I am so excited to do this review for you. I have done several books and DVD reviews, but this one I am most excited about because it’s a product that promotes something I believe in. The book is beautiful. There are several lovely colored family photos, beautiful text, and graphic designs. The book is 250 pages long and as graceful as its writer.

Here is my review of the book. At the bottom are links to where you can by the book, as well as Jessica Alba's company web page and more.

     "In The honest Life, actress, activist, and entrepreneur Jessica Alba inspires readers to make affordable healthy, nontoxic choices for themselves and their family- from the food they eat to the products they put on their skin, and the materials they use in their home- without sacrificing style."

     "The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True To You" by Jessica Alba is an extremely informative collection of tips, tricks, facts and life lessons. She promotes the idea of living a healthy and natural lifestyle, without feeling like a lecture. She brings her own past and experiences to the table, as well as several hours of research, working with some of the best in the fields of natural health.

     Jessica Alba asks why anyone should have to choose between nontoxic, eco-friendly, and pure products, or affordability and style. That is why she got inspired to get informed, and start her own company, where healthy natural decisions didn't have to be boring anymore. Where natural and pure products didn't have to be expensive and lack performance.

     Jessica Alba talks about everything. It covers hygiene products, beauty products, cleaning products, food, hobbies, affordability of organic living, (or at times, the lack thereof) and so much more. She talks about key harmful agents in many household items, such as but not limited too, Formaldehyde, Mercury, Parabens, Petrochemicals, and Lead. Products that we use every day could be causing hormonal or even  minor nerve damage over long term exposure. She talks about where the chemicals are found, why they are bad, and how to work around them. There is even an easy to understand reference guide in the back of the book.

     The book is filled with many uplifting stories, tons of inspiration for beauty, fashion, dinner parties and hobbies. It has lots of natural recipes for product alternatives, plus some of her personal food recipes.

It truly is a fun read, a very informative read, and an inspiring read.

     There are even a few chapters for parents or expecting parents. However, you do not need to have children to get the benefit of this book, the majority of the information is based on a clean, healthy, day to day lifestyle. She was inspired to write, and start her journey during her pregnancy, but she primarily promotes keeping harmful things out of your life and bringing in safe effective alternatives.

     Jessica Alba "The Honest Life" is truly something that everyone needs to read. It’s an eye opener. However, there is no judgment in the book. She doesn't beat into the reader how 'horrible our current lifestyle is, and if you continue to use it you are a bad person'. Jessica simply shares her experiences, what she has learned, and how she avoids or works around these issues. She lays the information out for you to take it or leave it. Her true desires and passions are simply to get the information out there so everyone at least has the chance to be informed. PLUS, it’s written in a way that is extremely easy to understand. It's not over-saturated in science or medical terminology like other books I have read on similar subjects.

     This book is backed by her personal experiences and tons of research conducted by her and countless professionals in the specific fields. She didn't write a book on opinions, Jessica really did lots of research of the issues she talks about in the book and worked with many different specialists to make sure she is bringing you the most accurate and current information possible.

     I truly love and stand behind this book 100%. Please check is out. Again it’s called "The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True To You" by Jessica Alba. I have linked it several different times throughout this blog. I Love www.rodalebook.com, and that is where I purchased mine, so that is where I linked all of you, However, I am not paid or endorsed to do so, but I love so many of their products, I hope you take a look around and find other inspiring works.

     Here is a link to Jessica Alba’s company website. She has started a company that sales and promotes, affordable, safe, CLEAN formula products for everyday living. They have sample packs, so you can try sets of multiple products, all you have to pay is shipping and handling. It is only ($5.95) which I highly suggest.

https://www.honest.com/.

Questions or Comments please leave them below!

Jessi Harm

The Spartacus Workout

I recently made a purchase from Women's Health which I love and I am so excited to share it with you. It was originally promoted by Men's Health Magazine, and then Women's Health. It's The Spartacus workout. 

I recently Purchased The Spartacus Workout 2 DVD Set, and The Spartacus Workout 20-minute Body Fat Torchers. I absolutely love them. I felt wonderful today after I did The Gladiator Gauntlet. I look forward to alternating between the 20 min circuits and the main workout. I felt fatigued but confident in my workout. The host is motivating, and there are several people doing the workouts with you, who are performing different move alternatives and at personal speeds. So no matter what level you follow at, there is someone to go along with. 

I loved it. I felt wonderful during, and after. It challenged me and my body was shaking, but it moves at a wonderful pace. It keeps you moving. It's a little different from other workouts that I have done, as, in each circuit, you increase your effort. It's very accumulative. the first round is a very basic warm up round, and the last round is in full swing. I was discouraged at first when I skipped through to see what to expect and I saw more rest times than I am used to, but MY GOSH you will need them. You will sweat.

The DVDs are compiled of a few different workouts, all High-Intensity Interval training, and circuit training. Some require equipment but show you alternatives for body weight, or kettle-ball vs dumbbells. There really is no excuse, when some of the circuits are 15-20 minutes long, and you don't have to go out and purchase equipment.

I like how they make you feel confident no matter your level, pushing proper form and alignment over quantity and speed. They encourage you to be aware and resituate yourself if needed. I am used to other DVDs that push you to go as fast as you can and push out as many as you can, and almost guilt you into pushing yourself. This DVD MOTIVATES you to keep pushing yourself. 

I hope this helps, any questions please feel free to ask.

I was not paid to review this product, this is something I found and bought on me own. I have purchased many things from Women's Health and Rodale, and I have not been disappointed yet.

Yours Truly,
Jessi Harm