Mentions: chloemetzger

Feminist Friday: I Wanted a Boob Job Once

Leave a comment

female-832266_1280

I am proud to call myself a feminist. I’m proud to fight for equality and the right for women to do what they like to their bodies. When I was younger, I wanted a boob job, or at least I thought I did. Let me back-track, it’s a little embarrassing, don’t say I didn’t warn you. When I was little I thought that the Glamour models on page three were some of the prettiest ladies I’d ever seen. I picked up a copy of the paper they were in and told my parent I wanted to do that when I grew up. My Mum laughed, my Dad not so much, it was a strange announcement for a 3-year-old.

How do you feel about that? Shocked? Angry? Upset? I could easily blame the media and rage, but I don’t. Do I think there should be a topless model in a newspaper? Ask me a few years ago I would have said yeah, sure. Now though, not so much. I don’t understand why there are topless women on the third page of a national newspaper. I honestly believe that was my first instance of thinking that makeup and big boobs could make you happy.

When I was a pre-teen Katie Price (also known as Jordan) was all over the media, she’d started her romance with Peter Andre and she wanted to be an empire. Some part of me fell for it. I had about a year where I thought modelling and glamour something I wanted and that big boobs were what you needed. I met her, I thought she was really nice, friendly and talented. As I got older I realised that it was all an illusion and that after puberty showing off my body was the last thing I wanted to do.

I don’t think there are problems with people having cosmetic surgery if it is going to make them happier or feel more confident in themselves. I do think, however, that their state of mind, intentions and full understanding of major surgery. The fact that there are places in the world where doctors don’t think twice about giving people these procedures is wrong.

As an educated adult I can see the problems that a little girl couldn’t. That Katie Price has a lot of problems and what appears to be a front to make people believe she is an ‘it girl’. To some extent, I’m glad that I’m not comfortable showing my whole body, that I don’t feel comfortable in makeup and heels. I’m pleased that I value my mind and my achievements more than my body. For some, they are caught up in this world, they let these ideas of beauty define them.

We don’t need feminism to tell women they can’t wear makeup or heels. We don’t need to judge others. We do need so that women and girls can make informed decisions and know that there isn’t one acceptable way to look. That’s the issue here, the lack of diversity, the lack of education. Less people would be striving for cosmetic surgery if all body shapes were represented.

What do you think? Join the conversation below or tweet me @chloemetzger

Feminist Friday: Born or Becoming a Woman?

2 Comments

www-chloemetzger-com

If you’ve ever studied Feminism or Women’s writing you’ll know the quote I’m thinking of when I started to write this post. It started in France with one of the greatest feminist writers of all time; ‘one is not born, but rather becomes a woman’ Simone de Beauvior argued and how right she was. There’s a lot of debate in feminism about what feminism means to each and every one of us. I enjoy debate, it’s healthy in an intelligent society as long as we are willing to listen to each other.

I truly believe that no one is born into a gender. I wrote essay after essay in university about how gender is socially constructed, it’s not in our DNA. I loved those classes, because I really passionately believed in de Beauvior, in Judith Butler etc, I also wanted to apply it to a modern problem. Something that many wanted to ignore. I 100% believe we need to include Transgender women in the fight for equality and feminism. A few years ago Germaine Greer made very unfair and uneducated assumptions about Trans women.

While I myself am I white Cis female, I care very strongly about the LGBTQ community. I truly believe that all women, no matter what, have a right to equality. There’s no one shape for a woman, no one idea, that’s what feminism is about! Being ourselves and being respected. In each culture there is an idea of what a man is supposed to be and what a woman is supposed to be, it’s not hard-wired because of our genitals. It’s who we feel we are.

If someone goes through the experience of living in the wrong body, having to tell that to the people they love in the fear of rejection and then try to fit in with other women then, damn, they’ve tried harder than me. If they are not a woman then I am certainly not. I have my own struggles, problems and issues, we all do but to be insulted after all that and be told you’re still not accepted? I don’t believe in it, to me it goes against everything feminism stands for. We are what is in our hearts, not our pants.

We each become who we are, who we feel we are inside. Some become women, some become men. We, hopefully, become who we are inside.

I’d love to open up a conversation with you all in the comments below or on Twitter about this! If I have any trans readers who maybe want to talk privately DM me (@chloemetzger) or drop me an email on chloefmetzger@gmail.com, as always I’d love to hear from you all!

 

 

Coping With January Blues

Leave a comment

coping-with-january-blues

Now that we’re into the second week of January, I’ve heard a few people mention the January Blues. Who can blame them? It’s a little while until payday and the weather is less than wonderful right now. I can personally vouch that things feel a little less than rosy right now. When you combine the usual January blues with depression it can make life extremely hard, even the smallest things can feel like a chore. And when you’re faced with getting up in the dark (and in my case sometimes arriving at work in the dark) and coming home from work in the dark it can make you feel a little trapped.

So, how do we go about trying to help ourselves? How do we fight through the next 3 weeks of this month? I thought I’d come up with a little list of things that can be done to get ourselves through when the time of year isn’t exactly helping.

Remember that the days can only get longer 

Good news, we’ve now had the longest day so from this point on the days can only get shorter from here. It may be a long way off but Spring will come sooner rather than later.

If you want to eat, eat. 

It’s cold, it’s dark. If you want to eat classic winter meals like stew, Sheppard’s pie, general pie and lots of potatoes then do it. Starving yourself for a diet when

Try and get outside a little. 

I’m the worst for this but if you can go out and get a little walk when it’s not raining it can help. Being cooped up in a house or in the office the whole time can make you feel a lot worse, even if it is a really struggle to motivate yourself to go out there.

Know that it’s ok to struggle. 

I know a lot of people struggle with the feelings that they should be happy. There’s a big problem with the would should. I’ve felt like this recently that I should be happy, which is easy to say. Hearing that other people are having a bit of a wobble too makes me feel better. It’s definitely ok to struggle this time of year.

Don’t feel pressured by New Years Resolutions 

I don’t make them because I think it’s a terrible time to say you’re going to change all of these things. I don’t know about you but warmth and clear skies do a lot more for my motivation than cold and rain. Don’t feel pressured by others to do them! I work on things I want to do when I’m most motivated, which for me is in the Spring when things are actually new and generally nicer to look at.

Look After Yourself 

Self-care isn’t selfish. Say it with me, SELF-CARE ISN’T SELFISH. You can’t help anyone if you don’t help yourself. Make life easier for yourself and make sure that you look after number one, because you need to rely on yourself.

What are your top tips for coping with the January Blues? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me – @chloemetzger.

2017 on chloemetzger.com!

1 Comment

coming-up-on-chloemetzger-com

A new year and more blogs to write and plan for you all to read. I really had trouble tonight thinking of what I wanted to write, what direction I wanted to go. A few nights ago I asked those of you who follow me on twitter (@chloemetzger) who you would like to see more of on my blog and if you’d like me to write two book reviews a week (!!). The majority of you did want two book reviews a week, which is something I’m working on doing in this years planning. In terms of what you’d like to see you asked for more mental health related posts and more general lifestyle posts. I am more than happy to give the people what they want!

So far I post Book Reviews on a Thursday, Feminist Friday’s and Sunday Seven. Three regular slots that my lovely subscribers and Twitter followers know are coming. After hearing back from some of you I’m also hoping to add a weekly mental health post and more general lifestyle in between. Basically, I want to get a more regular schedule together for the blog and make 2017 really productive and positive year for the blog.

I’m really proud of how it’s evolved and how many of you that I get to talk to and interact with online. It’s because of all of this and the positivity I have felt from you guys I’m taking active steps to write my book. Yep, I’m not calling it a resolution for this year because I know that it could take years before I’m happy with it and I also know that there’s a chance it will never get published, but what the hell.  This blogs in its fourth year now and I know I can write long pieces from my dreaded dissertation, so why not?

Is there anything else you want to see or maybe that you’re excited about? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me!

10 Free Apps I Use Every Day

Leave a comment

Now, don’t try and tell me you’re not addicted to your phone. I think almost all of us (especially bloggers) are tapped into our phones for more time than we’d like to admit, I know I am. I ALWAYS get family and friends teasing me that I use my phone for oxygen. So what are 10 free apps I use every day ? I thought I’d share them with you!

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.22.24

Facebook 

99% of people I know are on Facebook, constantly talking, sharing, commenting. I like having Facebook on my phone partly because I’m nosy and because it’s a way of keeping in contact without giving out your number.

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.22.34

Instagram 

All hail Instagram. Now, I’m not a wizz with a stunningly beautiful page but I love seeing the world through other people’s lenses. There are some seriously talented people on Instagram and their photos are breathtaking so that’s always a way to spend 10 minutes of your lunch break.

Follow @chloemetz_ for my pictures

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.22.51

Whatsapp 

I don’t really use this for talking but I usually get sent a lot of pictures and videos of the cat and dog from my Mum. Yes, daily photos and videos.

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.23.20

Twitter 

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Twitter, mainly because I get to connect with thousands of people that I otherwise wouldn’t. I’ve gotten to speak with some of my favourite authors thanks to Twitter.

Follow me on @chloemetzger on Twitter!

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.25.23

Canva 

I’ll let you into a little secret, this is the favourite tool for thousands of bloggers. Canva lets you edit pictures using shapes, text, transparency.Sometimes I’ll do it through their website (www.canva.com) just to see how it’s going to fit.  It makes it easy to make headers, images and inspirational posts.

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.25.59

Comic Geeks 

This is just for fellow comic lovers. The app lets me know what’s coming out this week. I can search by lots of different filters and add in what I want to look out for and it will let me know as well as emailing me every wednesday.

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.26.35

Fitbit 

I’ve been big on fitness in my spine recovery which meant I picked up a fitbit. It works with my fitbit to track exercise, sleep patterns and food and it’s SO much easier to use rather than the website dashboard.

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.28.58

Layout 

This is an app for creating collages of photos which you can then post onto Instagram and Facebook, or just save to your phone. I mostly use this for pet collages or to show all the photos I’ve taken on a day out.

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.27.05

Google Authenticator 

Now I’m working in Cyber Security I’m super aware of being secure online. This helps me set up two step authentication, meaning to log in I need a password and then a code too. I’m online so much this was vital to keeping my information safe online.

Screen Shot 2016-08-10 at 14.27.33

BBC News 

I like knowing about any breaking news and what’s going on in the world, I always make sure my news app is active.

What are some of your favourite apps or some that I should try? Let me know in the comments below!

Get Noticed with Solopress

Leave a comment

IMG_5036

A while ago I was contacted about a really exciting opportunity to work with Solopress on their new competition So we know that right now it’s hard for young people to get noticed and Solopress have come up with their own idea on how to get people noticed. So how about your own billboard? That would get you noticed right? So Solopress are running this competition where you can have your idea to publicise yourself! Sound good? All you need is a Twitter account and a reason that you should be noticed! For all the info click here (competition has now ended, link disabled) and I’d love to hear from you all too, because I think all my followers are awesome.

I got sent some really cool stuff for being a part of this and I’m really excited. I got some pencils with my name on, some business cards and a hand stitched business card holder. I’m really happy with these and thankful that my blog was appreciated. I didn’t even know the pencils were available so it was good to know and it’s a pretty cool thing to have in your pencil case.
IMG_5032

I’ve also been asked to put forward my idea for a billboard. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, so here we go. I want to be noticed for my blog, for my writing. My blog for me is a place to share my experiences with all of you and all of us breaking boundaries together. For my idea I want to be stood with a crumbling wall around me, sledgehammer slung over my shoulder. On different bricks are different barriers to be broken woman, mental health, university, etc. In big letters, Barriers are meant to be broken – chloemetzger.com. I thought it was pretty cool and something that would inspire other people, even if I don’t get the billboard I want to carry on this message throughout my blog.

IMG_5035

I hope you enjoyed this blog! I really enjoyed writing it and getting given the opportunity to think about how I want to get noticed and what for, so thank you Solopress! I’d love to see any of your tweets and ideas so let me know on @chloemetzger!

Mental Health awareness week!

16 Comments

Hello everyone!

This week is Mental Health Awareness week, although I haven’t been really on it this week (I’m sure you’ll all forgive me). So I’ve been thinking all day about what I wanted to write about this year, I’m still not sure. I’m sure that it’s not you guys that need educating, I know I have a lot of loyal followers who understand what’s going on. SO on that note I want to ask all of you to reach out to the people around you can just talk about mental health, it doesn’t have to be about anything personal just bring it into a conversation. The more we talk about mental health the better our lives are going to be!

If you’re in the UK you’ll be aware that mental health has seen some drastic budget cuts and that could get a lot worse. So it’s important that now we speak up, stand together and be there for one another, because this is when we’ll need it most. Sometimes when you’re at your lowest it’s not a doctor you need, it’s just people around you that respect how you feel and try to understand. I won’t stop campaigning and spreading the message so the government understand how vital mental health is in our society and so that we all get support. In myself I have been struggling lately, the spine things put major stress on me and I get quite isolated. I’m lucky though because I have this outlet and many people don’t have that.

So all I ask of you is to spread the word, talk to people about mental health and little by little we’re going to get rid of stigma and make sure everyone who is in need of it gets help!

I’m not giving up.

Leave a comment

d19631d4ef3585ce9a892f7c79584249

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking for the past few days and it’s not always been positive. Being stuck indoors and not allowed to even clean when I feel like it has been getting me down, as has being in pain whenever I get up or go for a walk. I mean I’m human, those kinds of things would make most people fed up.

I haven’t slept much since yesterday and my painkillers are definitely kicking in because I’m sleepy as I write this (hooray!). I’ve been trying to get on with things as much as possible and without realising it I’ve gotten quite a lot done today, going for a walk to get parts of Eleanor’s leaving present, submitting my final assignments (yay!) and reading over a quarter of another book.

It’s weird knowing that I have 6 weeks of recovery and not doing too much, 6 weeks of living with this and not being able to go at a million miles per hour like I normally do, it’s going to take a bit of getting used to. I promised I’d be honest, I’ve been really low at times since this happened and cried a lot, mostly out of frustration. I feel slowed down and tired and I just want to do everything like normal. Ali says just think of it as a little holiday, do things I want to do and relax, I suppose he’s right to some extent.

I started reading Katie Piper’s Beautiful Ever After, she’s cheered me up once again. I was meant to meet Katie at the KU Talent Awards this year, she was supposed to be hosting but got rushed to hospital instead. I was gutted not to meet her but obviously glad that she was going to be ok, I’m hoping she’ll still come and visit Kingston because she’s an inspiration to me. So I’ve just sat reading the book and it’s made me smile and not feel so low. It’s also inspired me to use these 6 weeks to do something. I just want to write at the moment, I might take a crack at the novel again, write the blog and add more of my experiences and do some mental health work. I can use my recovery time to do some good through my laptop 🙂

In short, I’m not giving up. I’m not silly enough to believe that writing this post is going to magically change my mindset and there will be no more tears or frustrations, there will because I’m human. I just hope that I can start something good while I’m stuck with not a lot to do.

Please, please, please use the comments section below! I’d love to use this time to chat to you guys! Or drop me a tweet @chloemetzger 🙂

Image from Pinterest

My love for the Twittersphere

Leave a comment

There was once a time when I had Twitter and deleted it, oh silly, silly me. This was years ago when Twitter was mostly for celebrities, businesses, people with something to say. I on the other hand was about 16, had no idea what I wanted to say and didn’t understand the character limit. 

Let’s fastforward to 2014, I have 250 followers, I’ve spoken to my favourite author and met her due to Twitter (Jodi Picoult KNEW who I was, still fangirling, obviously), I’ve build a lot of worldwide relationships, had hundreds of people read my work as well as having a load of support. Twitter has become to me something quite special. Thousands upon thousands of strangers can share your interests, wish you well and in fact build on your career. There are so many different online ways to connect with people and it doesn’t scare me, it makes me feel alive.

One day I hope I can work in Social Media if I can’t become a writer or a musician because I love being able to interact with people in this way. Don’t get me wrong I’ve had my own issues with SM, I’ve had people create fake accounts and pretend to be me. When I was younger I was a victim of cyber bullying in various forms, msn messenger and Bebo were what we used when I was in my early teens and I’m sure a lot of you remember!  

That said, I love being online and today Twitter was my best friend. I got to speak to so many interesting people and got some great feedback about the blog. Sometimes people are hesitant to comment on my actual blog posts but will tweet me instead. I’ve been told the blog is helpful and insightful which is all I ever wanted it to be. I also get in contact with great writers, today it was R.S Pateman (who I consider a good twitter friend now), a great man for advice, Julie Cohen who is lovely and always replies and Alwyn Ash who helped me gain my 250th follower. 

The internet is the future and hopefully a big part of mine. Yes it’s scary and vulnerable people need to be protected online but what you can gain from the internet? I wouldn’t shy away from it and I intend to full embrace the Twittersphere! 

So come follow me! @chloemetzger