2012 in review

january

• looking like a forlorn flapper
• adjusting to the fact that all of my very close friends had moved away
• enjoying the harsh cold québécois winter

recommended reading

1. Instead of an interview with Xtra by Rae Spoon (Jan 3, 2012)
2. They is me by Ivan Coyote (Jan 10, 2012)
3. If the Clothes Fit: A Feminist Takes on Fashion by Minh-Ha T. Pham (January 17, 2012)
4. Homai Vyarawalla, Pioneering Indian Photojournalist, Dies at 98 by Haresh Pandya (January 28, 2012)
5. If the clothes fit by Arabelle Sicardi (January 31, 2012)

soundtrack:

february

• mastering the art of looking – and being – surly
• went to a phenomenal exhibition on fashion in Québécois art, did a short radio report on it

recommended reading

1. The Radical Camera: New York’s Photo League by Lawrence Lai (February 2, 2012)
2. Islamophobia in Canada: A Primer By Fathima Cader and Sumayya Kassamali (February 2, 2012)
3. Honor Codes and Dress Codes by Sharday Mosurinjohn (February 10, 2012)
4. Better Homes & Bloggers: Are lifestyle blogs a new way for women to compare themselves and come up short? by Holly Hilgenberg (February 18, 2012)
5. When Anger is all I have and why anger is my feminist stand by Flavia Dozan (February 22, 2012)
6. The Artists: Notes on a lost style of acting by David Denby (February 27, 2012)

soundtrack:

none of dem (robyn) covered by austra

march

• produced my first original radio documentary on photobooths
• spent a lot of time ranting on the internet

recommended reading

• Cultural Theft by Clem Bastow (March 2, 2012)
• what if I told you it was an accident? by jes sasche (March 15, 2012)
• Vogue’s Haute Mess Editorial: A Not-So-Subtle Swipe at Black Women by LJ Knight (March 12, 2012)
• The White Savior Industrial Complex by Teju Cole (March 21, 2012)

soundtrack:

april

• went out west for the very very first time to visit my best friend morgan
• visited toronto!
• celebrated james & rachel‘s wedding
• aforementioned radio documentary was rebroadcast nationally! on one of my favourite shows!
• read an awful lot, as proven below:

recommended reading:

1. She Told Us So: Nafissatou Diallo and Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s New Case by Valerie Jean-Charles (April 3, 2012)
2. Interview with Jenny Zhang at Chictopia (April 4, 2012)
3. Trying to understand a tragedy by Mary Burnet (April 23, 2012)
4. The Colour of the Student Movement – “Maîtres Chez Nous”  by Lee Way (April 23, 2012)
5. The changing face of beauty: the rise of make-up for darker skin by Anita Bhagwandas (April 24, 2012)
6. Carmen Miranda’s Ethnic Masquerade in The Gang’s All Here by ShienLee (Apr 25, 2012)
7. Femme Post III on [real] Cuntext (April 26, 2012)
8. Resistance is not violence: Putting property damage and economic disruption in perspective by Mona Luxion (April 28, 2012)

soundtrack:

may

• followed quebec politics incredibly closely
• reported on student strike protests and arrests in quebec city
• went to my little sister’s bachelorette party in a gorgeous cabin on the lake, went swimming in MAY!
• saw a Frida Kahlo self-portrait be unveiled, interviewed the man who travels with that painting

recommended reading

1. Femme: In Praise of Higher Expectations by Zoe Whittall (May 5, 2012)
2. What Fashion’s “Ethnic” Prints Are Really Called by Connie Wang (May 19, 2012)
3. Women Are Heroes: A Global Portrait of Strength in Hardship by French Guerrilla Artist-Activist JR by Maria Popova (May 24, 2012)

soundtrack

june

justyne, jasmine, julia and myriam. best wedding party ever.

• chopped off my hair for the 1st time in ages, felt (and looked!) so good.
• went to europe for the 1st time as an adult, since i lived there as a kid
• met amazing people in pamplona, wasted hours in bookstores and art galleries and wandering along cobblestone streets
• rented a scooter and rode along the atlantic coast in france…
• headed back to canada in time to be a bridesmaid for the very first time, for my little sister jasmine!

recommended reading:

1. Une autre raison de s’indigner by Sophie Le-Phat Ho, Kevin Lo, Faiz Abhuani, Amber Berson, Dominique Desjardins, Gwenaëlle Denis, Farha Najah (June 1, 2012)
2. How To Be A Reverse-Racist: An Actual Step by Step List For Oppressing White People by A.D Song and Mia McKenzie (June 27, 2012)
3. Life, death and the meaning of a wedding dress by Laura Snelgrove (June 15, 2012)

soundtrack:

july

• interviewed olympic swimmers
• interviewed some of my favourite musicians
• had all kinds of wonderful people visit me – namely teresa & meg!
• went for lots of bike rides

recommended reading

1. Field Notes on Fashion and Occupy by Maryam Monalisa Gharavi (July 9, 2012)
2. Turbans on the Runway: What does it mean for Sikhs? by Sonny Singh Brooklynwala (July 10, 2012)
3. Be a fan, not a jerk at Untitled Teen Mag (July 17, 2012)
4. Doing Femme: Fiona Apple by iris (July 16, 2012)
5. Make up, my bane and saviour by Teresa (July 25, 2012)

soundtrack:

august

• celebrated my 5-year anniversary with simon
• covered an election campaign as a journalist for the first time ever (was particularly amused by this story)
• had a nice visit with carmelle
• did not spend enough time in the sun, did not spend enough time outdoors
• spent far too much time thinking about/working on election coverage
• struggled with how to deal with that stress, and how my body was manifesting it…

recommended reading:

1. How To Talk to People Who Are In Wheelchairs by Monica (August 2, 2012)
2. Hate Crimes Always Have A Logic: On The Oak Creek Gurudwara Shootings by Harsha Walia (August 6, 2012)
3. At Least Pussy Riot Won the West by Kriston Capps (August 16, 2012)
4. Manic Pixie Dream Dissidents: How the World Misunderstands Pussy Riot by Sarah Kendzior (August 20, 2012)

september

• went to visit my family in ottawa
• thought i was going to have some time off, struggled with the ups and downs of being a freelancer
• worked on some pitches and ideas

recommended reading

1. «Nous sommes tous responsables» de l’attentat du Métropolis par Catherine Lalonde (8 septembre 2012)
2. What can’t be published by Stacey May Fowles (September 14, 2012)
3. Special Victims by Elizabeth Greenwood (September 14, 2012)
4. Accessibility to fashion and the visibility of bloggers by GraceLizaBetty (September 18, 2012)
5. The Good Girls Revolt: The Untold Story of the 1970 Lawsuit That Changed the Modern Workplace by Maria Popova (September 19, 2012)
6. Ariel Pink And Beta Male Misogyny by Joe Kennedy (September 24, 2012)
7. I wrote this thing about Grimes’ “Genesis” and it never ran so here you go by Julianne Escobedo Shepherd (September 28, 2012)

soundtrack:

october

• got sick
• went for a hike in the woods
• thought/wrote a lot about feminism…

recommended reading

1. What the Girls spat on Twitter tells us about feminism by Bim Adewunmi at The Guardian (October 8th, 2012)
2. A problem that stubbornly refuses to budge by Reni Eddo-Lodge (October 8th, 2012)
3. Bullying: It’s not just for kids (October 6, 2012) sidenote: this was also the most popular thing i shared on tumblr this year, with over 7000 notes
4. Her Body Is Not Your Playground: Why the Photoshopped Frida Nudes Are Not Okay by Mia McKenzie (October 25, 2012)
5. Trolls and the spaces created by trolling by Nora Loreto (October 24, 2012)
6. Real Talk: Am I living radically? by Katie West (October 26th, 2012)

soundtrack:

november

• followed the american elections a bit too closely
• went to the vintage clothing fair in ottawa with steph
• spent some quality time with my sisters
• started working on a big project…
• took a week off and went on a mini road trip with simon

recommended reading:

1. Die Antwoord’s revival of blackface does South Africa no favours by Adam Haupt (November 2, 2012)
2. An Open Letter to the AGO About Frida Kahlo’s Unibrow by Sarah Mortimer at Shameless Magazine (November 6, 2012)
3. An Unedited Rant About Looking Into Fatshion’s Navel by Natalie (November 11, 2012)
4. Doing Antiracism Wrong at Jezebel at Postbourgie (November 12, 2012)
5. Are we becoming cyborgs?

soundtrack:

december

• visited and interviewed my grandparents in valleyfield
• caught up with karina
• put together Threads: Fur, fabric and fashion in Quebec for CBC Radio
• celebrated my 27th birthday!
• got a really fucking good haircut, as pictured above

recommended reading:

1. The Natives are restless: Wondering why? by âpihtawikosisân (December 11, 2012)
2. For the last time, stop conflating violence & mental illness by s.e. smith (Dec 17, 2012)
3. Foreign Tokens: The Blackamoor Brooch by Rama Musa (Dec 17, 2012)
4. Parsing the online comments on #IdleNoMore: How Canadians are failing a tolerance test by David Newland (December 20, 2012)
5. White Men are Not in Decline by Sarah Jane Glynn (December 20, 2012)

soundtrack:

all in all, not too shabby!

currently: recommended reading on feminism

these days, you are far more likely to find me trawling the internet for incisive articles about feminist issues as opposed to seeing me decked out to the nines and taking photos to share with you. so as i was scratching my head wondering about what i should post next here, it came to me: i write about fashion all the time, mention feminism in passing, but hardly ever talk ABOUT feminism. and today, there is no shortage of things to talk about when it comes to the vibrant movement. i’ve been sharing links left right and centre on social media, but i thought it might be helpful to my readers to share some of the best articles here to tide you over as you patiently await a new post about fashion from a feminist perspective. for the most part, these recommended reads omit the “fashion” and focus on the feminism, but i think they will tickle your fancy.

Dear Patriarchy, Fuck Off by Midge Belickis

lately i’ve been thinking a lot of some of the conversations i come across online or in real life about their perspectives on the voices or faces of feminism. it almost always makes me feel quite uncomfortable, and always gets me thinking: who are my modern day feminist heroes, who i admire and aspire to be like? why are they never in the limelight the same way the “flavour of the moment” famous feminists are? why do i feel so uncomfortable with the idea of feminist figureheads, instead of a vision of an engaged larger group? why do i feel the need to bite my tongue before criticizing aforementioned feminist figures for fear of feeding into internalized misogyny or girl-hate? and last but not least, how do i find a balance between the urge to reject the “feminist” label, since these mainstream feminist figures do not even come clos to representing my beliefs or the feminists i know, and the empowerment and perspective i often get from the very same movement?

“Viva El Feminismo” circa 1936

luckily, i’m not alone in these discomforts. lately, formerly highly-lauded self-identified feminists, such as Naomi Wolf and Caitlin Moran, are finding themselves in hot water over head-scratching comments or publications. instead of steeping in their discomfort, many writers and thinkers have been articulating their frustrations in fantastic ways.

Sheila Sampath over at Shameless wrote this fantastic article entitled “The future of feminism?” (October 7, 2012)

I think there is an important conversation to be had around how patriarchy functions in divisive ways, and how this often results in a culture of competition among women and girls. One of the first things I felt I had to do as a self-identified feminist was acknowledge and challenge this tactic in an attempt to overcome it. But without context and analysis, all a statement like that does is say that Wolf isn’t accountable to her feminist community for the things that she says. It’s insulting to critics like Jacklyn Friedman and Laurie Penny, it perpetuates the very beauty myths Wolf herself once wrote about, and it assumes that all of us want to look like able-bodied, femme-identified, zaftig white women. Trust me: we don’t.

Do yourself a favour and take the time to read the whole thing. If you want to read a real take-down of Wolf’s latest book, I think Zoe Whittall puts it best here:

sad to see what one of the first feminist writers you really connected with has come to producing. but! moving on…

another more recent feminist figurehead is Caitlin Moran. a colleague recommended i read her book “How to be a Woman”, and i’ve been seeing more of her words (and face) these days (like in this article i disliked quite a bit). then, she tweeted some stupid shit. many, many times. over the course of a few hours. i try as hard as i can to stay away from twitter shit shows, primarily because i don’t think it is possible to have civil discussions with strangers in short 140-characters-or-less statements, try as we might. but luckily for people like me, there are fantastic plugged-in writers like Bim Adewunmi who offer us insightful rundowns on the situation. What the Girls spat on Twitter tells us about feminism (October 7th, 2012) is one of the best things i have read about the way white feminists often have their head in the sand (or worse) when it comes to questions from women of colour about which women get represented in pop culture:

When we have “heroes”, we look up to them, and feel it especially keenly when they mess up. But even with all of my affection for the series, the omission of black and brown people in non-stereotypical roles was glaring. Is it unfair to ask Dunham to represent all of womanhood onscreen? Of course it is. But here’s the thing: no one did. We merely asked that she take a step back and question the underlying reason for why Girls looks the way it does.

Read the whole thing! Reni Eddo-Lodge tackles the very same question in her article A problem that stubbornly refuses to budge (October 8th, 2012). This sentence says it all:

When feminists can see the problem with all male panels but can’t see the problem with all white television programmes, it’s worth questioning who they’re really fighting for.

I Won’t Stand for Gossip.

last but not least, if reading all these posts is getting you feeling like i’m feeding into negative shit-talking gossip, i recommend one last read: On Shit-Talking Your Way Through Life by Michelle over at The Untitled Teen Mag.

My feminism, believe it or not, is wrapped up in shit-talking. The two are intertwined. In one hand, I carry my ideas and aspirations for me and mine; and in the other, a big-ass stick. While I’m working to create new and better spaces for those who are left behind, I’m making sure that those who opt out of helping me and others in our quest will never live it down. My feminism is vicious for those who cannot be. It is loud and ugly and it will laugh in your face if you give it excuses. It will keep your name in its mouth. It will never have a problem with keeping you on your toes where you belong.

let me know what you think! have you read this articles already? what resonates with you the most?

Une garçonne sur la Garonne

photo by pierre planchenault at festival chahuts, bordeaux. june 18th, 2012.

obligatory blogger apologizing for not blogging intro phrase.

just kidding! i earned some well-deserved time off this month. time off from my job, from my beautiful neighbourhood that is populated with one too many jackhammers, time off from “the real world.”

june has been good to me. i hopped across the atlantic into the arms of my love who was all the way in bordeaux, france. simon was presenting some of productions rhizome‘s work at festival chahuts, and we decided to take time for some adventures of our own, too. we met some amazing people while admiring the sights in pamplona, bilbao & la baie d’archachon. i impressed people with my comfort in french and english, prompting many people to make all kinds of wrong guesses on where i’m from. spanish? italian? cosmopolitan globetrotter? one french parent and one canadian parent? nah, just your regular québécois-abénaki-military brat mess of a person with francophile leanings.

photo of simon and julia in bordeaux by annie lafleur

little snapshots of my daily life here were captured on film, by new friends digital cameras and scribbled handwriting onpostcards. i’ve been letting the digital aspects of my life fall more and more to the wayside these days, and i must admit it’s been doing me some good. this is due, in part, to the death of my laptop (ironically timed just after i wrote the line “i’ve had this image saved on the three computers i’ve owned over the course of the past decade” in my last post) but also to the fun of getting wrapped up in the real world. i’m not yet a member of the constantly-connected cell phone brigade, but just the feeling of being disconnected from my cumbersome laptop has changed the way i spend my days. [sidenote: back in may i even made a tiny zine about attempting to change my internet habits, so it was nice to put those things into practice in a more concrete way.]

some of the postcards i sent off to friends and family while in bordeaux.

that said, i was still constantly thinking about the stories and ideas i wanted to share with my readers. scrawled in my tiny travel notebook are notes like, “how wierd is it to fit in, style wise, in a city i’ve never been to before, thousands of miles from where i was born and raised?” it’s funny how, with the exact same wardrobe, haircut, and body one can stand out so much in your hometown and blend in in a city you’ve never been to before. another note, scrawled in all caps was “interview old french men about why they are so much more dapper and stylish than north american men!!!” unfortunately i didn’t interview anyone (journalist on vacation!),  but i did admire men in tweed biking around the cobblestone streets of bordeaux. i’d be lying if i said i didn’t find it tempting to make sweeping generalizations about French people based on my ten days in Europe, though.

my vacation wasn’t entirely spent people watching and idea percolating – i did end up reading for pleasure more than i have in years. while waiting in airport lounges, i read my fair share of tattered copies of french newspapers but was also quite happy to have good books and magazines with me along the way.

recommended reading:

Mythologies by Roland Barthes, specifically “The Writer on Holiday” essay:

What proves the wonderful singularity of the writer, is that during the holiday in question, which he takes alongside factory workers and shop assistants, he unlike them does not stop, if not actually working, at least producing. So that he is a false worker, and a false holiday-maker as well. One is writing his memoris, another is correcting proofs, yet another is preparing his next book. And he who does nothing confesses it as truly paradoxical behaviour, an avant-garde exploit, which only someone of exceptional independence can afford to flaunt. One then realizes, thanks to this kind of boast, that it is quite ‘natural’ that the writer should write all the time and in all sorts of situations. First, this treats literary production as a sort of involuntary secretion, which is taboo, since it escapes human determinations: to speak more decorously, the writer is the prey of an inner god who speaks at all times, without bothering, tyrant that he is, with the holidays of his medium. Writers are on holiday, but their Muse is awake, and gives birth non-stop.

Causette – a sassy French magazine that’s similar to Bitch Magazine here in North America. i had to buy it after browsing it at a friend’s house and reading a shocking article about how France has repealed sexual harrassment laws. terrifying to say the least. on a nicer note, how refreshing it to buy a magazine that says “le poids des femmes” (the weight of women) but isn’t talking about pounds or fat, but instead political clout? can i get a fuck yeah?

i also finished a few fiction books i had on the go, namely oryx & crake by margaret atwood. if you’re interested in what i’ve been reading, i’ve been sharing a lot on goodreads these days. i’ve also spent the last week catching up on great articles published during my downtime. if you’ve seen (or written) anything you think is up my alley, please leave links in the comments.

i’ve got lots of other stories and suggestions to share from my time overseas, but i hope that satiates your appetites for now!

knowledge, power and “feminist” fashion blogs

Gloria Swanson photographed by Edward Steichen for Vanity Fair, 1924

these days i’ve been spending a lot of times with books. fiction, non-fiction, zines, and gorgeous picture books. re-reading ones that have been on my shelf for years, and starting ones i’ve been meaning to get to for longer than i’d like to admit. this weekend while visiting my friend marika‘s place, i poured over the copy of Objectif Mode, 1850 a nos jours she had taken out of the library. myself, ainslie, cat and simon turned the pages together, pointing out our favourites. the chapter for the 1920s began with a cropped version of one of my favourite photographs. i gasped, and said, “swanson! steichen! how glorious.” it didn’t have a caption on that page, so my friends were kind of surprised.

“how do you know that?” cat asked.

i laughed it off, mumbled something or other about how it’s just a random bit of knowledge tucked away in my brain somewhere… but how? and why?

i know it because i love it, is the short version.

i know it because i’ll always remember this image. because there’s something about early photography that pairs decadence, decay, the jazz age, art, fashion that will always be compelling to me.

i know it because i’ve seen many other photographers try to emulate what it is about this photograph that draws you in so much. is it steichen’s talent as a photographer? is it swanson’s gaze? is it both?

Gertrud Arndt, « Maskenselbstbildnis Nr. 16 », 1930

i also know these things because i am smart. because i am not just a passive consumer of photography, art, and fashion – i’m a fan. i take the time to inform myself, to remember details.

after finishing the book, i must admit i felt slightly disappointed. curious choices for images to define over a century of style. in the end, what i personally disliked about it was that it did not present the picture of fashion that i know and love. it presented the typical vision of fashion as one occupied by those who can afford to indulge in high-end couture, with more photos of runway models and movie stars than your average joe. a model can wear a dress, that is their job at the end of the day, but i’ve always been more interested in why someone might choose to wear certain garments, and how they wear them.

this reminded me yet again why i often feel alienated by the “fashion” world.

this leads to other things i’ve been asking myself about these days: what makes a fashion blog feminist. perhaps it’s because someone pointed out to me that when you google “feminist fashion blog,” my blog is on the first page of results. perhaps it’s because i’ve come across more than a few fashion blogs that describe themselves as feminist, yet i see very little/no explicit political content or discussion. or worse, a very second-wave version of what it means to be feminist.

one of the more specific reasons this question has been on my mind is because of last week’s extravagant fashion event. i wanted to see what people wore to the met ball last week. briefly: the met ball is when the top of the top get decked out to the nines in incredibly lavish clothing. here’s a more detailed description from the Atlantic‘s may 2007 article “Why Fashion Deserves its Place in Art Museums:”

Once inside, the 700 guests—actors and models, designers and socialites—will dine and dance and preview the museum’s newest exhibition. The occasion is the “party of the year,” the Met’s Costume Institute Benefit Gala. Co-chaired annually by Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour, the party is not just a chance to wear and admire beautiful clothes; it’s a lavish and efficient fund-raising machine. Tickets start at $6,500 per person, with tables for 10 running as high as $100,000. Last year’s gala raised $4.5 million for the museum’s fashion department.

obviously, it’s one of my few typical “Fashion Elite” moments of awe. i generally click through a handful of fashion week shit, but it’s generally kinda low on my radar. the met ball, on the other hand? pure fantasy through and through, and i shamelessly love gawking at it. this year in particular featured an exhibition that is right up my alley: Schiaparelli & Prada (and wrote a bit about back in march). in my hunt for more photos of the dresses people wore, i visited sites i tend to avoid… and was reminded of why. i found myself rolling my eyes at the comments, and asking myself, really?

the comments on jezebel‘s “good/bad/ugly” met gala review are more about how skinny a model is, how much someone looks like a “drag queen” (as if that’s a bad thing?), and how slutty a woman’s dress is than about, say, whether or not it was an appropriate choice for a gala that lauds designer known for collaborations with surrealist artists, or how the theme of the gala this year was explicitly focused around conversations about feminist women.

the overall tone i got from the four or five websites i visited was one fraught with body policing (variations of the she’s too thin to show that much skin/she’s too fat to wear that dress/that colour/that style, usually coded in words like “flattering”) and left me headdesking. why so much vitriol when there were so many other potential things of substance to discuss? who chose to wear schiaparelli’s signature shocking pink? what worked, the over the top designs or the more demure ones? the hommages: well-done or too hokey?

i took to twitter and of course discovered i’m not alone in wanting to consume fashion (at least visually) without having to confront body hate and mean-spirited comments everywhere i turn. jenny zhang was briefly the fashion commentator at jezebel, and talked about her own struggles with facilitating that environment, as someone who identifies as feminist:

For a while, I was writing red carpet commentary for Jezebel, and I always felt too mean or not mean enough or not quippy enough or not discerning enough or too judgmental. It’s hard to write meaningfully about fashion! At least it is for me.

and i hear her. we fall into the trappings of “oh my god, she wore THAT?!” partly because it’s so effortless, but also because it’s so pervasive. it’s everywhere we turn. not only that, it’s ridiculous gendered, almost always heteronormative, often racist (if not completely whitewashed) – and overall unproductive and boring in my eyes. if you missed it, i wrote an article mapping out my feelings around those issues last year.

it’s so easy for me to feel as though i’m the one in the wrong, because i feel as though i’m in the minority. it’s easy to feel as though i should just accept that catty rude comments about people’s bodies are par for the course when it comes to talking about fashion. that i’ll always have to start conversations about my interest in fashion and art by defending that fashion can be art, since most people’s perception of the word “fashion” is a vacuous and mean-spirited one.

for me, framing my blog as a “critical take on fashion culture” is the most direct way i can challenge these notions. people know if they come to my blog they won’t see me writing about fashion in that way.

i’m trying to remember why i write here. why i’ve been trying to create this space and foster dialogue around feminism and fashion for years. even though there are more and more of us these days, we still have to defend the very basic premise that you can be interested in fashion AND be a feminist. i’m really looking forward for the day we can put those conversations to bed, and move forward.

i should pride myself on my extensive knowledge of fashion and art, not laugh it off.  if i’m less worried that people will interpret my interest and affection for fashion as frivolous or anti-feminist, than maybe i can finally get to that point. let’s trade in shame for pride, stop being belittled and start being empowered. i’m done with the defenses. let’s keep talking about how to challenge oppressive ideologies we see operating in the fashion world we are already a part of.

recommended reading:

• why we need feminist fashion blogs by me (October 14, 2009)
• the feminist fashion police by s.e. smith (December 2010)
• Fashion is a Feminist Issue by Greta Christensen (September 2012)
• If the Clothes Fit: A Feminist Takes on Fashion by Minh-Ha T. Pham  (January 17, 2012)
• If the Clothes Fit by arabelle ( January 31st, 2012)

2011 in review

for those of you who have been following my adventures via livejournal for the past decade, you know i’m quite fond of taking the time to look back and reflect on the last year this time of year. it’s not so much about “the new year” for me, but moreso about taking stock of what i’ve accomplished in my private life in semi-public ways… my birthday is on the 26th of december, and one of the (few) advantages is that i feel more like i’m reflecting on my year than a compulsory calendar year pros/cons list, you know? i usually do that in friends-locked posts on livejournal, but this time around i thought i’d make a more “public” version.

on top of that, i’m also finding that as social media grows and changes, in the era of endless scrolling and constant connectivity, it’s really hard to find links you’ve shared over the year. so this is a combination of a personal archive for me and a best of the year for you! get ready! it’s a doozy. i’ve tried to keep it as fashion focused as possible, but you should know by now how all of my interests run into and over each other. enjoy!

january

• my best femme iris came to visit ❤
• delicious food and fun craft nights with sarah
• celebrated my belated birthday with some of my all-time favourite people
• went to visit simon’s aunt and uncle in their beautiful home in the country, walks in the woods

recommended reading:

1. What is Glitter Politic? by Majestic Legay (january 11th, 2011)

february

• tried lots of winter survival tips, like writing letters and making mulled wine
• had my fantastic family come visit for carnaval in quebec city
• participated in fa(t)shion february

recommended reading:

1. fa(t)shion february and unfashionability by j. bee at sassyfrass circus (February 1st, 2011)
2. living single at crunk feminist collective (February 7th, 2011)

march

• played with the new 35 mm holga camera karina gave me (as pictured above and in april, may, june, july photos)
• went to the sugar shack!
• really really wanted to chop all my hair off
• read a whole lots of zines

recommended reading:

1. Helpful tips: How not to be a boorish body-policing jerk by Leslie Kinzel (March 22nd, 2011)

april

• torn between my desire to devote myself entirely to writing and journalism… and being paid a living wage.
• bike rides and visits to lévis to see sarah
• thinking a lot about apartment renovations
• working really hard!

recommended reading:

1. On Punk Pants: Duration, Devotion and Distinction by mimi thi nguyen at Threadbared (april 4th, 2011)
2. passive aggressive status updates: a fine example of girl hate by amber forrester at fight boredom! (april 27th, 2011)
3. I was here then i wasn’t here then i went somewhere then i came back then i went away then i came back and now i’m going again to paris to read books and be alone by Jenny Zhang at Fashion for Writers (April 27th, 2011)

may

• visited my sisters in ottawa
• saw austra and bumped into an old friend from 8th grade! isabelle!
• met amber at slutwalk in montreal
• hahaha “planked”

recommended reading:

1. The Faux Vintage Photograph by Nathan Jungerson at The Society Pages (May 11th, 2011) *** this may be my favourite piece of non-fiction writing of the year****
2. Slutwalk March or not march by Harsha Walia at Rabble (May 18th, 2011)
3. Things to do if you are a hustling class artist or other person with no trust fund or much of an economic safety net by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (May 23rd, 2011)

june

• launched three major projects i had been helping work on since the fall
• fell in love with biking once again
• was kind of bummed about sarah leaving, but decided to make the best of it
• took so many rolls of film!
• spent a lot of time thinking about and planning a certain incredible event

recommended reading:

1. Pointing out small-scale problems at better living through beyoncé (June 3rd, 2011)
2. Understanding Vancouver’s Hockey Riot by Dave Zirin at the Nation (June 16th, 2011)
3. Communities of care, organizations for liberation by Yashna Maya Padamsee (June 19th, 2011)
4. wedding day as a celebration of love, not of coupledom by me at simon et julia (June 21st, 2011)

july

• left my job at exmuro feeling satisfied and accomplished
• chopped off and donated 14 inches of my hair
• made my very first radio documentary on that very subject
• had dinner with and was reinspired by neil bissoondath

recommended reading:

1. Sustainable Style Series via jesse anne o (july 26th, 2011)

august

• had the most incredible party of my life aka got married!
• saw so many wonderful people, morgan, my sisters, everyone
• slow danced with nicole brossard
• went for a roadtrip in the eastern townships

recommended reading:

1. Moving toward the ugly: a politic beyond desirability by Mia Mingus at Leaving Evidence (August 22nd, 2011)

september

• started working nearly full time in radio + loved it
• beginning of my weekly writing dates with karina at librarie st-jean
• biked 60 km with simon!
• went without power for nearly eleven days (!!!) after post tropical storm irene

recommended reading:

1. An Open Letter to my local Hipstersby Sarah Hunt at Media Indigena (September 20th, 2011)
2. Urban Outfitters is obsessed with Navajos by Adrienne Keene at Native Appropriations (September 23rd, 2011)
3. Unintentionally Eating the Other by Minh-Ha T. Pham at Threadbared (September 12, 2011)
4. Antifeminist Frills by Eline at A Fluffy Blog (September 22, 2011)
5. Fashion is a feminist issue by Greta Christina (September 2nd, 2011)

october

• celebrated karina’s birthday
• first halloween in ages i didn’t dress up (i was sick & busy)

recommended reading:

1. Occupy Together in the age of conspiracy by Syed Hussan at Rabble (October 13th, 2011)
2. Fauxgress Watch: “Born this way” by Rachel at Social Justice League (October 10th, 2011)
3. An Open Letter to Urban Outfitters on Columbus Day by Sasha Houston Brown at Racialicious (October 10th, 2011)
4. Fat babes illustrated by Natalie at Definatalie (October 23, 2011)

november

• enjoyed the very mild weather
• had a fantastic house show featuring nick ferrio & his feelings + tin vespers
• had a few friend crushes
• did a short radio series on food in the north

recommended reading:

1. Not every girl is a riot grrrl by Lindsay Zoladz (November 16th, 2011)

december

• visited trenton for the first time of the year
• took a lot of time for myself
• said goodbye to my best friend karina as she headed off to sudbury
• celebrated my champagne birthday with lots of sequins and glamour and fun

recommended reading:

1. Why the “Native” Fashion Trend is pissing off real Native Americans by Lisa Hix at Collector’s Weekly (December 1st, 2011)
2. Make your own stuff by Maranda Elizabeth (December 3rd, 2011)
3. “Hello, I Love you” or “Why Fashion Blogging Smells like Raw Fish” by isabel at hipster musings (December 23rd, 2011)

phew! what a year. a new pair of glasses, three haircuts, tons of babes and incredible amounts of personal challenges and accomplishments. it took me way longer than anticipated to put that together. i’ll be sharing my favourite music of the year elsewhere in the next month or so, and best things i’ve read/seen in 2011 but i think those articles should sate your palates for the time being.

what were some of the best things you read or saw this year? i love lists! share yours with me. here’s one of my all-time favourites:

Woody Guthrie’s 1943 “New Years Rulin’s.” Found in one of his journals dated January 31st, 1942.

goodbye 2011! hello 2012!