"Trafficking in women plagues the United States as much as it does underdeveloped nations."

Trafficking Women in the United States is actually happening? When I started this paper I thought I would be talking about Europe mostly. That's the only location I knew was having these types of issues. Then when I found out it was happening here I was in complete shock. On the CATW (Coalition Against Trafficking in Women) website they say that women that are trafficked in America are forced to sleep with 400-500 men to pay of debt to live here. Just think how it could danger these women, like sexually transmitted diseases. So far Bill Clinton met with Romano Prodi (Italian Prime Minister), and together made a group to deal with these problems. Is that enough though? In my opinion there needs be a bill passed on Trafficking Women and Prostitution. On this website they also talk about Mail Order Brides, and the regulations the gov't has passed. When it comes to this topic it makes me sick. It is not even close to as bad as Trafficking Women, but it is something else that should be checked into. I think it is just a way for women to get into the United States. That is just my opinion though.

This week we decided what regions we wanted to cover in our paper. Which are the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. So hopefully the next blog will be about a different region then the United States.
bye :)

Trafficking Women

So what does Trafficking Women have to do with beauty? Two weeks ago I was given an assignment in my college writing class. It was a research assignment, and I had to work in a group. The research paper had to be on a global issue. Once my group was chosen we had to think of a topic that related to all three of our topics. Tayler was in my group, and her topic is How to be a Lady. Then Tyler was the other girl in the group, and her topic was stereotypes. We went into the lab and started researching. We decided as a group to do Woman's Rights. Then we talked it over with our teacher; she told us it was too broad of a topic. Then we search for a the next couple days. Tayler came across Trafficking Women. At first, I was kinda iffy about it and didn't think it would be that interesting. Then I started to read articles, and it started to pull me in. I thought, at first, it only happened in the Middle-East and Europe. Then Tayler found an article that said 50,000 women are trafficked in and out of America each year! (I can't find the article but when I do, I will post it.)The definition of Human Trafficking is the practice of people being tricked, lured, coerced or otherwise removed from their home or country, and then compelled to work with no or low payment or on terms which are highly exploitative(Wikipedia). SO, as of now this is all I know about Trafficking Women. From now till the end of the assignment I will be posting about Trafficking Women globally. This is all for now. Bye :)

Miss Plastic Surgery

Since when is it ok to judge people on their plastic surgery? Britta introduced me to this website. In Budapest, Hungary they have this pageant to "promote the benefits" of plastic surgery. At first I was not quite sure what I think of this situation. On of the judges said, "Hungarians used to laugh about plastic surgery but it's time for Hungarian women to care more about their appearance. They are the most beautiful in Europe." I just don't understand how getting plastic surgery is beautiful. I definetely think that there are some good causes of plastic surgery. For example: if you have nose problems, getting your airway opened more. That is a good way to use plastic surgery, but getting plastic surgery to show off in a pageant that's crazy! Just think if this story was leaked to American teenage girls. They already have enough negative images of body image. We need to let these teenage girls know that beauty should be all natural and healthy. Some of the girls in the Miss Plastic Hungary pageant were 18 years old. Just think when they turn 50 they could look like Joan Rivers. There is a positive aspect of this article, it shows how beauty is viewed in other countries. I'm very interested in other opinions of beauty. Don't get me wrong though this isn't something to be proud of. I don't think they should judge girls on how good their plastic surgery looks. Overall, I think this pageant is wrong and should be reconsidered.

Photo is on the website.

Real Models Have Curves

Did you ever think the day was going to come when you would see normal sized women in magazines? My very first blog I ever wrote was about Anorexic models. I got a really great response from Elizabeth. She told me a great book to check into which I am still in the process of doing. :) Then she told me to check out a article about Brigitte magazine. Brigitte is the best selling German magazine; which starting in 2010 they are using real, normal women for their magazine. The editor in chief, Andreas Lebert, said they were “fed-up” with retouching underweight models. They said it’s hard to make these models look like normal women. Lebert says, “We're looking for women who have their own identity, whether it be the 18-year-old A-level student, the company chairwoman, the musician, or the footballer." Some claim Brigitte magazine was trying to save money. In my opinion they are taking a stand which should have occurred long before now. I’m just glad with taking baby steps, and hopefully it will have a domino effect. I would one day love to see someone healthy and beautiful women on the cover of every magazine. Someone everyone can look up too and it would be a positive influence. I can’t wait till 2010 to see the first issue of Brigitte, even if I can’t read it. I would really like to thank Elizabeth for showing me this article. Till next time… :)

How can I keep my hair moisturized dring winter?

Winter is unfortunately right around the corner. For me, winter is the worst time for my hair. My hair becomes extremely dry, and my ends seem to break easily. So I thought I would research some ways to keep hair moisturized. I found a website by the name of eHow. It gives you five different ways to keep hair healthy during the cold season. I'm just going to talk about the ideas I think would work the best. Getting a trim in mid-autumn is a very good tip. They explain that getting all the summer damage off is a good start to keeping hair healthy. Just think of all the damage sun can do to hair. The next step is to use a heat protector before you use any heat source on hair. A cheap heat protector can be purchased at any drug store. I found a cheap product at Walgreen's for just $5.99. This can really help hair from staying dry, and breakable. The idea of leave-in conditioner is amazing. I’ve been using leave-in conditioner for a while, and trust me it works wonders. It keeps my hair from frizzing and becoming dry. Apply it after getting out of the shower, but make sure just to use a small amount. It can cause hair to become greasy if too much is applied. Hopefully these tips will help hair from becoming dry and damaged.

Picture by: Cozy Wallet

How Can You Save Money on Dances?

Every girl wants to feel beautiful, special, and outstanding at their school dance. Sometimes though being beautiful at a dance also means spending more money then you need to. The dress, shoes, accessories, hair, and possibly tanning are adding up too fast. I will admit when it comes to dances I go overboard. This year I decided I needed to save money. I decided to set my budget at $80 or less. I tried researching how much girls spend on high school dances, and I could not come up with a statistic. So I will research, and hopefully get back to you on that.
So my first step in saving money: pick ONE thing to go a little overboard on. I would think either the dress or shoes. I picked the dress from the Dillard's catalog. It was $58, and was my only expensive purchase. Also a good place to find dresses, and save money is TJ Maxx. I've found a lot of really nice dresses, name brand or not, all under $20. I'm sure you have also looked at a dress your friend has worn and loved it. So girls switch dresses, maybe add a bow or two so no one notices. :)
My shoes were not new or my first pick. They were flats, that at the time were not so impressive. So I decided to clean them up by just washing them. They looked ten times better and it shinned them up. I was really happy with the outcome of the shoes. Tip: If you have a dress or shoes that are outdated add your own flair to them. For example, adding sequins, glitter, etc. It saves money and you're most likely the only one with it. :)
Next Accessories, you can go out and purchase some at Claire's, or you can re-use. I decided on using some old earring, and I put them in hot soapy water to make them sparkle. Another good idea is asking relatives to look at their jewelry. Every style makes a come back sometime, so I guarantee that there is something of theirs that will catch your eye. Another good idea is making some jewelry. Find some cool string and beads, or just maybe some random objects that coordinate well with your outfit. Make it a "to do" on your list of things when the girls come over. It will be something you and your friends can enjoy.
Hair is the make or break of the whole wardrobe. Well at least in my case it is. My hair is thick and wavy to the extreme. I usually have a stylist , which is my Aunt, fix my hair and make it amazing. I got the bad news of her being out of town for the dance and freaked!! Then my friend Tayler told me that she had a Cross Country meet and wouldn't have time to get her hair done. We decided on doing our hair together. It saved me $45, and our hair ended up looking really good.
The only other purchase I had was tanning. I'm not saying at all that you have to be tan. I just wanted some color, sun kissed perhaps. There are a lot of things you can do to get a summer glow without spending a fortune. I went to my local Walgreens, and spent $9.99 on L'Oreal Body Expertise Sublime Bronze Tinted Self-Tanning Lotion. It left me streak free, and sun kissed.
So my grand total for my outfit ,plus hair and tanning, was $67.99. I had a lot of fun spending time with my friends getting ready. We helped each other out with all the little steps, and saved a lot of money. You do not have to spend over $100 to feel and look beautiful at your school dance.

How can you improve your skin?

Most people sometime in there life deal with blemishs of the skin. Sometimes it's not that noticeable, and other times the blemish scream, "Hey, look at me!" I personally have had issues with blemishes for quite sometime. I've tried everything that has appeared on the television, from Neutrogena, Clean and Clear, to even ProActiv. None of these products made my blemishes go away. I'm not saying that these products won't work, but these did not improve my skin. Not everyone's skin is similar, so don't get upset if a product works for someone else and not you.

So I decided to look up some home remedies and try them out. It took me a while to find some good ideas, and I found Ultimate-Cosmetics. They give some good tips for helping out on blemishes. For example, if you have a little blemish rub some tooth paste on it overnight and in the moring it should swell down. Another good home remedy for oily skin is using salt water twice a day. For all around skin care they say to drinking water should help alot of skin problems. I personally find the tooth paste to be the best remedy for treating my blemishes. Blemishes shouldn't have to cost you a fortune to remove. At home remedies will save you time and money.