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OMG! My baby sister is 16!

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16 years ago, I woke up to the news that I had a baby sister. I danced around her kitchen, before asking if I could go to school just to tell my teacher, then go meet her. Instead, I went to meet this teeny tiny baby that was going to change my life. Now she’s sunning herself in Cyprus at the age of 16. I watched her first steps, walked her to her first day of school and saw her on her last. This isn’t going to be a long post but just to acknowledge the most amazing, kick ass, funny, loving and smart person my baby sister is growing to be. She makes me want to be better, be brave and be more like her. I can’t wait to see where this crazy little one goes next and what we’ll be doing in another 16 years!

I love you, Squidge.

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Winter is here…

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The time has come and Winter is here! Tomorrow the eagerly anticipated 7th season on Game of Thrones starts and I could not be more excited, even though I only started watching this year. I know, I know! I’m so late to the party! I only started watching early in the year and watched about 2 seasons a month for 3 months…Oops.

There’s something about Game of Thrones, although I have tried to read the book and found it a little challenging just because it is so long and so dense. That said I want to give it a go again because it’s an incredible world to have fallen in love with and it’s so rich in imagination. Just like my love for Harry Potter and Star Wars, Game of Thrones has become an addiction. I want to know as much information as possible about the character, I think about it so much before the next installment it drives me insane.

My predicted deaths for this season are; Cersei Lannister – at the hands of one of her brothers, Little Finger – although I think this is more wishful thinking on my part and many others and finally I have a horrible feeling that Gilly isn’t going to make it but I’m really, really hoping that I’m wrong on this one.

What are your predictions for this season? Let me know in the comments below!

Feminist Friday: Summer Reading List

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It’s been a few year since I embarked on my own summer of Feminist books. That said, I wanted to share with you some great reads for the summer if you want to get started or just find some new reads.

 

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If you haven’t started reading Holly Bourne’s incredible Spinster Club trilogy this is where to start. Novels about friendship, love and feminism, there’s nothing better! Review here.

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Personally, I see this as a classic for modern feminists. Caitlin is funny, loud but gives a great view on feminism today. This was what I started with and I read it within 24 hours. Caitlin also has a range of other books about feminism too so you’re sure to find something you like. Review here.

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Have you ever felt pressured by magazines or the media? What about the whole ‘beach body’ thing? Then you’ve found the book for you. A fresh look at women, the media and how we react to it. Review here.

 

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You might have already read Laura’s first book Everday Sexism, this is her second and my favourite so far. There’s more intelligent thought and there’s also dancing vaginas, you’re welcome. Read my review here.

What would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!

June Favourites!

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Books 

This month was a good one for books! It started with me picking up three new ones; The Gender Games by Juno Dawson, the Gryffindor edition of Philosophers Stone, Nutshell by Ian McEwan (SO GOOD), The Girl Who Beat ISIS by Farida Khalaf, The Wicked + The Divine vol 5 (finally!) and The New Girl by Rhyannon Styles. It’s been a really varied and awesome reading month, I’m really proud of myself.

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Watching 

I have become OBSESSED with Tyler and his show. Now I do hope there is more after life and just love watching the show.

Fashion & Beauty 

I didn’t catch many super summery outfits from the heatwave! That said, in the top corner are two of my work outfits for the rain and next up my gym outfit! That’s right I got back in the gym this month too with a new sports bra and top on top of that I’ve been drinking LOTS of vitamin water. In the bottom two pictures, there are two new outfits on the left an outfit from my Mum and the right from my grandparents.

 

Home 

When I got offered my new job I found this mug and it just spoke to me. I was also able to find the Harry Potter bedding for our bed! I’m lucky enough that Ali loved it too!

General

There have been so many great general favourites this month! I’ve hit 500 subscribers on this blog so thank you to every single one of you who take the time to read. It’s also been a great month for socials I’ve been to my second book club, had my friend Joe to visit and had my baby sister finish school! On top of that I was so thrilled by the amount of young people who voted in the General Election, even if it wasn’t the result I was hoping for. I also finally received my Harry Potter pop vinyls I ordered at Christmas (in time for Harry Potter’s 20th Anniversary)! They’re incredibly adorable and I still have so many to collect! I couldn’t not mention the extreme heat we’ve been having this month, it got up to an amazing 36 degrees, that said I’m not great in the heat! I also wanted to sneak in my favourite chocolate at the moment Raspberry Intense Dark Chocolate. So, so, good.

 

What were YOUR favourites this month? Let me know in the comments below!

Remembering the Pulse Victims.

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A year ago, 49 lives were lost in a horrendous and cowardly attack on an LGBTQ nightclub, a safe space. I don’t have much to write about, but it’s been weighing heavily on my heart today. Instead of ranting about the hate, instead, I want to focus on the love around us. Because love will win and love means not forgetting them.

We won’t forget their names:

  • Stanley Almodovar III, age 23
  • Amanda Alvear, 25
  • Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26
  • Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33
  • Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21
  • Martin Benitez Torres, 33
  • Antonio D. Brown, 30
  • Darryl R. Burt II, 29
  • Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24
  • Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28
  • Simon A. Carrillo Fernandez, 31
  • Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25
  • Luis D. Conde, 39
  • Cory J. Connell, 21
  • Tevin E. Crosby, 25
  • Franky J. Dejesus Velazquez, 50
  • Deonka D. Drayton, 32
  • Mercedez M. Flores, 26
  • Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22
  • Juan R. Guerrero, 22
  • Paul T. Henry, 41
  • Frank Hernandez, 27
  • Miguel A. Honorato, 30
  • Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40
  • Jason B. Josaphat, 19
  • Eddie J. Justice, 30
  • Anthony L. Laureano Disla, 25
  • Christopher A. Leinonen, 32
  • Brenda L. Marquez McCool, 49
  • Jean C. Mendez Perez, 35
  • Akyra Monet Murray, 18
  • Kimberly Morris, 37
  • Jean C. Nieves Rodriguez, 27
  • Luis O. Ocasio-Capo, 20
  • Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25
  • Eric I. Ortiz-Rivera, 36
  • Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32
  • Enrique L. Rios Jr., 25
  • Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37
  • Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24
  • Christopher J. Sanfeliz, 24
  • Xavier E. Serrano Rosado, 35
  • Gilberto R. Silva Menendez, 25
  • Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34
  • Shane E. Tomlinson, 33
  • Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25
  • Luis S. Vielma, 22
  • Luis D. Wilson-Leon, 37
  • Jerald A. Wright, 31

Rest in Peace.

 

7 Ways to look after your skin in the summer months

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I have incredibly pale skin and red hair, some natural, some enhanced. It’s because of both of these things that I have to really look after my skin as it’s prone to burning. I wanted to share with you just some of the things that I do to help protect my skin in the summer time!

Don’t underestimate the level of suncream you need.  

I groan every time I need to pick up a factor 30 or factor 50. That said, it’s important to make sure you do use the right factor for you.

Cover up or stay in the shade!  

It’s easy to be tempted to strip off in the summer (I often do), but if it is super hot and super sunny then covering up is an option. If, like me, you don’t cope well with heat, staying in the shade is a great alternative, you’ll often find me hiding on holiday.

Drink plenty of water  

Water is great for the skin, I’m lucky that I love drinking water but if you’re not you can pick up bottles with fruit infusers to give it some more taste.

Hats may be annoying, but they’re necessary 

Yep, yep and yep. I hate wearing hats but if I’m not going to be able to stay in the shade then I don’t have a choice.

Reapply, reapply, reapply! 

One lot of sun cream isn’t enough, keep reapplying as much as you feel you need to. If I can feel the heat on my skin directly, I’ll reapply.

If you do get burnt, use some moisturising after-sun lotion

It sucks when you get burnt and I get caught out every year no matter how careful I am. In that case, I make sure I use an after-sun lotion to moisturise my skin.

Get to know your skin 

I’m covered in freckles and moles, I know where they are and what they look like. It’s good to get to know your skin so you can check for any abnormalities, you can find out more about that here.

 

 

 

Manchester

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I didn’t know if I was going to write this post. Watching and listening to the news has been heartbreaking because innocence was targeted. I don’t understand it and I don’t think I ever will. It’s hard to put into words the sadness at the loss of life. So many others feel this way too, not knowing what to do or say.

This wasn’t a monument or a political rally, this was a concert full of young people enjoying their lives. My sister and I have been going to concerts since we were 4 years old. We go to arena shows just the two of us, or with our Mum a few times a year. Seeing these poor young ladies, the same age as my baby sister, killed doing something they love hurts beyond belief.

In the face of horror Manchester has shown itself to be a city of hope and resilience. People have come together in their grief to support and love one another. You cannot fault the emergency services in this because they make our country proud.

We won’t forget those who were lost, we won’t let terror divide us.

We are with you Manchester, now and forever

Mental Health, my story so far

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So, to kick start Mental Health Awareness Week I thought I would share with you my own personal mental health journey. I’ve written a lot on this blog about how I live with my mental health, what helps me and some of the not so great times.

If you don’t know me or my blog hello and welcome! I’m Chloe, a 22-year-old blogger, graduate, writer, musician and mental health campaigner. I’ve been living with Depression and Anxiety diagnosed since I was 18 but undiagnosed from around 15 (it took a long time to get a diagnosis).

I’ve had quite a lot of time to think about myself and the fact that I am more than an illness, more than a diagnosis. I struggled throughout my teenage years for a lot of reasons, I was bullied a lot which definitely kick started my illness. I spent a lot of time isolated and desperately unhappy, with no professional help. That was pretty shit. Moving on to college I was slightly better with a new start but still struggling with my mental health, I did have some councilling at the time and sought out my diagnoses, which I got at the age of 18.

Little after that, I went to university after starting my first trial of medication, freaking out and not taking it (not something I’d recommend). I spent my first year pretty sick and being incredibly unhealthy with my mental health, I’d spend days locked in the dark of my room alone, not eating and avoiding people. Towards the end of that year I went back on medication because I was at a really low point, where everyone had noticed.

For my second and third year I was better with the help of my mentor who I had talking therapy with once a week for 3 years. I also started to speak out more about my mental health and working towards educating others, I was also lucky enough to make a speech (watch here) which made my passion even stronger.

I will admit I’ve had a really rough time in the past year since graduating with figuring out who I am, getting used to not having the professional support I had at uni, trying to work on being a graduate and getting used to new doctors (not my fave).

So, that’s a little bit about me. My illness is a part of me, but not all of me. I’m hoping you’re going to enjoy this week. If you have any questions for me drop me a comment below, email me at chloefmetzger@gmail.com, or tweet me @chloemetzger. I can’t wait to hear from you all!

Welcome to Mental Health Awareness Week on chloemetzger.com

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Welcome, welcome, welcome! It’s Mental Health Awareness week which I absolutely love because it’s a chance to educate people, share stories and just generally start the conversation. So, because of this I will be posting every day with the theme of mental health, my experiences, the experiences of others and more.

So here it is, Mental Health Awareness Week 2017!

Enjoy!

Book Review: The Vagenda – Holly Baxter & Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

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Two women take on the media, welcome to The Vagenda.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you know that I love a good non-fiction book, I was not disappointed by The Vagenda. Holly and Rhiannon had spent years surrounded by media that told them they were supposed to look, dress and act a certain way when they decided enough is enough. This is one of the books I wish I had growing up because by the end Holly and Rhiannon felt like two cool older sisters.

Now, I can understand people having a little apprehension about this but I can promise you it’s not a damning ‘we should hate everything and everyone’. Far from it, after finishing this book I felt more educated and stronger as a woman. Rhiannon and Holly don’t tell you how to live your life, they merely give their observations and how they’ve felt. Personally, I used to read a lot of magazines and it made me realise the impact it was having on me.

From being a teenager reading those magazines, moving on the celebrity gossip occasionally and then on to the big leagues of Cosmo, Glamour, Elle and Vogue, I was absorbing this. It was until I thought about my sister (who’s seven years younger) and started university I realised I didn’t have to like or agree with this stuff. Why is there less focus on female empowerment and intelligence rather than bikini waxes and blowjobs?

Nothing is off limits in this book from body politics to working women, from the idea of sex that magazines put in our heads and idealised beauty. Holly and Rhiannon have clearly done their research on the rise of magazine and beauty culture while incorporating the feelings and facts about how these impact real women.

The best thing though? This book will make you laugh. I absolutely howled at parts because of the ridiculousness of some of the marketing campaigns used, some of the wording choices. At the same time it made me really think about what I was taking in and the impact it had on my own thoughts and feelings. I rarely buy women’s glossy’s anymore because it doesn’t interest me. I read blogs about things I want to read about and embrace my shape and size.

This got a 5-star rating and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. It’s a body positive, female positive look at an industry that tried to magnify our imperfections. Holly and Rhiannon, I salute you.