I Love Being A Girl

Cervical Cancer Prevention Week

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 21:34:00 +0000

Dears!

Do you know that worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under the age of 44 after breast cancer. In Europe, approximately 60,000 women are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year and 30,000 women die from the disease. In Ireland, approximately 300 women are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year and over 90 women die from the disease. The cervix is the lower tubular part of the uterus that opens into the vagina. Cervical cancer accounts for nearly 20 percent of cancer related deaths in women in India. It is usually caused by an infection of the human papilloma virus (HPV). The virus spreads through sexual contact. The infection sometimes disappears on its own. In other cases, it causes changes in the cervical cells that could lead to cancer.

Regular screening is the most effective way to prevent cervical cancer. Though this test may not be 100% accurate, it helps to detect early changes in the cervix which can be easily treated. Cervical screening involves a simple test, known as a smear test, to detect changes to the cells of the cervix which could develop into cancer. A sample of cells are taken from the cervix and sent to a lab to be examined for any abnormalities.

Different countries have different cervical cancer screening recommendations. According to the 2010 European guidelines for cervical cancer screening, the age at which to commence screening ranges between 20–30 years of age, "but preferentially not before age 25 or 30 years", depending on burden of the disease in the population and the available resources. Currently most European countries suggest or offer screening between the ages of 25-64. Screening is typically (and in England) offered every 3 years form ages 25–49, every 5 years from ages 50–64 and in women 65+ only in those who have not been screening since age 50 or had recent abnormal results.
This screening frequency is not possible in most low-resource settings. In these countries, decisions regarding screening frequency must be made based upon available resources. The greatest impact on cervical cancer reduction appears to result from screening women aged 30 to 39 years.

History

The test was invented by and named after the prominent Greek doctor Georgios Papanikolaou who started his research in 1923. Aurel Babeş of Romania independently made similar discoveries in 1927. However, it should be noted that Babeş method was radically different from Papanicolaou's. Papanicolaou's name was repeatedly submitted to the Nobel Committee and rejected every time. The Nobel Committee delegated the in-depth investigation of Papanicolaou's merits and demerits to the late Professor Santesson, who was at that time the head of pathology at the Stockholm Cancer Institute (the Radiumhemmet). The investigator discovered Babeş' contributions that had never been cited by Papanicolaou and duly reported this fact to the Committee, which then rejected Papanicolaou's Nobel award.

Important:

When should screening for cervical cancer with Pap smear be started?

Screening for cervical cancer should start three years after the first sexual intercourse or after the age of 21, whichever is earlier.

How frequently should Pap smear be done?

Pap smear should be repeated every 1 to 3 years till the age of 65 years. Following this, the doctor will decide whether you still need the test based on whether you are sexually active or if your previous tests were abnormal.

What are the various screening procedures for cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer screening is usually done by obtaining a Pap smear. In this procedure, some cervical cells are obtained with a swab from the cervix and sent to the laboratory to check for cancerous changes. Other new techniques for cervical cancer screening include visual interpretation with acetic acid (VIA) and human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA testing. VIA allows immediate diagnosis and treatment. Thus, the patient does not need to be recalled to collect the report once the test is done. It also required minimal training of the paramedical staff to carry out this test. HPV is often associated with cervical cancer, thus detecting HPV DNA helps in finding women at increased risk for cervical cancer.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine

The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine prevents infection caused by human papilloma virus associated with the development of cervical cancer. Gardasil and Cervarix are the two HPV vaccines which are currently available on the market. In many countries HPV vaccination is approved for use in males.

#sharethewisdom
Through CervicalCheck, women aged 25 to 60 can avail of free regular smear tests from over 4,700 registered practitioners of their choice in Ireland. The Pearl of Wisdom campaign that was created in Ireland highlights these important messages and encourages women to check when their next free smear test is due, or avail of their first test if they have not yet done so.
The Pearl of Wisdom pin is the European symbol of cervical cancer prevention. During the Pearl of Wisdom campaign, the IFPA and CervicalCheck distribute 20,000 pins to women across Ireland through local health promotion networks. They ask women to wear a pin during the campaign week to to show their solidarity with women affected by cervical cancer and to highlight the importance of regular cervical screening.
The Pearl of Wisdom campaign 2016 takes place from Sunday 24th to Saturday 30th January and will be officially launched on Monday 25th January.
To read more about this campaign here: http://www.ifpa.ie/Cervical-Cancer/Pearl-of-Wisdom-Campaign

Take care of yourself! Be healthy! Everything is in our hands!

Women of the Year Award

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 12:09:00 +0000

Due to the 25. Anniversary of the Women of the Year Awards, Glamour announces a big event to honor “trailblazers and newsmakers from across the worlds of entertainment, fashion, politics, business, and more”. Today it will take place in the Carnegie Hall in New York City.

I would like to introduce you to the honorees:

Reese Witherspoon
When Reese Witherspoon met with seven Hollywood studio execs a few years ago, she was stunned to learn just one was developing a film with a woman in the lead. So she cofounded a production company, Pacific Standard, and began buying up books and scripts with female protagonists. Wild and Gone Girl, its first two films, earned stars Rosamund Pike, Laura Dern, and, yes, Witherspoon herself Oscar nominations—and the films banked more than $400 million at the box office. Now she’s breaking into a full-on sprint toward equality: Pacific Standard has 32 projects in the works that put women front and center. With her producing business booming, Witherspoon felt that she could take on another challenge this year: a fashion brand. She launched Draper James, a Southern-inspired clothing and home line, with a flagship store in Nashville.

Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham’s hard work and meticulous design have turned her first collection of 10 dresses into a fashion empire. The silhouettes of her collections are so classic and flattering that just about every celeb in Hollywood—from Oprah to Jennifer Lawrence—has a VB dress in her closet. The mother of four brings her work ethic to giving back too. As an international goodwill ambassador for UNAIDS, she has raised millions to benefit HIV and AIDS charities including amfAR, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Mothers 2 Mothers.

Misty Copeland
In June, Misty Copeland was promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, the first African American ballerina to reach that level in the elite classical ballet company’s 75-year history. Her memoir, Life in Motion, made the New York Times best-seller list; her “I Will What I Want” commercial for Under Armour went viral; and she’s doing all she can to reach communities with little exposure to ballet.

Elizabeth Holmes
At 20, Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford University to devote every waking moment to her fledgling business. Its goal? Both to revolutionize ordinary blood tests, and to change the control average citizens have over their health. Today, Holmes, 31, is the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world.

Caitlyn Jenner
A year ago Caitlyn Jenner did not have a name. The Olympic hero turned reality star patriarch was still living a phantom existence, her changing appearance igniting a tabloid frenzy around the rumor she’d run from for most of her 66 years: that she was transgender. But after years of feeling she had to hide who she is at all costs, she is determined to be relentlessly open. And today, she’s finding new meaning in her life. She helped launch I Am Cait, the docuseries meant to educate the public and, crucially, herself; the show has featured advocates addressing important issues like suicide—a tragic 41 percent of trans or gender-nonconforming Americans have attempted to take their own life.

Team USA
Every summer has an anthem, a song that captures the cultural mood of that moment in time. This year it was the galvanizing chant—“I believe that we will win!”—of the U.S. national team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The team didn’t just win; they dominated. And the fight they’re fighting isn’t just about soccer—it’s about equality. Many of the players are outspoken about their sport’s historical tendency to shortchange women.

Charleston Strong: The Peacemakers
Even in a violent year, a year that brought an average of at least one mass shooting a day and saw protests flooding the streets over racial injustices, the massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, stunned the nation. But for Alana Simmons, 26, Nadine Collier, 47, Bethane Middleton-Brown, 45, Felicia Sanders, 58, and Polly Sheppard, 71, the shooting wasn’t just another headline. It was an act of hatred that took the lives of their loved ones and, for two of them, nearly their own. Today, these women are teaching the world by example the healing strength of peace and unity: from starting social media movements, to advocating for gun control, to asking how we can raise our children to better appreciate differences.

But in my opinion the most remarkable honoree is Cecile Richards.

It is a big signal to the society of the USA and the politicians that the work of Planned Parenthood and Cecile Richards is a big contribution to women's right to decide and to a equal society. Women and families in America need PP and the governement should continue supporting them:

One in five women will use Planned Parenthood services during their lifetime—for sexually transmitted infections, breast and cervical cancer screenings, birth control, emergency contraception, and more. In 2015, controversy around these issues reached fever pitch, and some in Congress called to defund Planned Parenthood—a move that would mean nearly 700,000 people could lose access to their only source of health care. But Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, won’t back down.

These are women who campaign for themselves and for others. With their work they support millions of women and they point out the situations of many. I hope they are an inspiration for girls and women to stand up. The truth is: We all are women of the year!

Beautiful and healthy #1 : Products that will increase your metabolism and will keep you healthy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:01:00 +0000

It is said that we are what we eat. But what should we eat if we want to be healthy and good-looking? I would like to share with you a list of some products that scientist agree on their good effect. I was trying to find some new science researches on that so let’s take a look on that and maybe you will decide to add some of these products to your daily nutrition.

1. Onion. Did you know that in onion peel you can find a substance called quercetin that has been known to have anticholesterol, antithrombotic and insulin-sensitizing properties? These days’ studies investigated the effect of quercetin-rich onion peel extract on antioxidants amount and weight loss for obese women too. Results showed that onion consumption significantly reduced waist and hip circumference for obese women. To add more, dangerous active oxygen forms were reduced, so it proved that onion can be used as an effective antioxidant.

2. Grapefruit. In the last study, consumption of grapefruit was associated with higher intakes of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber, and improved diet quality. Grapefruit may provide a healthful option for adults striving to meet fruit recommendations.

3. Polygonum minus or locally known in Malaysia, as "kesum" is rich in micronutrients and natural antioxidants. However, its beneficial effect on outcome associates with oxidative stress including cognitive function is yet to be discovered. But supplementation of kesum is safe to be consumed for 6 weeks, with potential benefits to attention, short-term memory, improved quality of life, and mood, as well as IQ.

4. Yogurt. There is a latest research that was investigating effects of high-protein vs. high- fat snacks on appetite control The purpose of this study was to determine whether a high-protein afternoon yogurt snack improves appetite control, satiety, and reduces subsequent food intake compared to other commonly-consumed, energy dense, high-fat snacks. These data suggest that, when compared to high-fat snacks, eating less energy dense, high-protein snacks like yogurt improves appetite control, satiety, and reduces subsequent food intake in healthy women. So probably it could be a good choice for those who want to reduce their daily calorie intake.

5. Cocoa! Chocolate and other cocoa products are not all alike. They differ between themselves in term of nutrients, calories, and bioactive constituents. Therefore, some of them are unhealthy foods, whereas others do not affect health and still others are healthy foods. If you decide to eat chocolate, you should prefer to choose this one with bigger amount of cocoa, because it has less fatty calories and also it can even make your metabolism work faster and reduce harmful oxygen forms amount in the blood.

6. Calcium is known to have a good impact on bones (so for a good posture as well), but there are also some evidences that calcium supplementation may decrease blood pressure and consequently cardiovascular disease.

7. Decreased appetite and the improvement of the quality of sleep could have a significant impact on the nutritional status. There is such thing as melatonin supplementation that has a beneficial effect on the quality of sleep and reduction of body weight. It may be stated that the results of the studies of many researchers indicate that melatonin can be safely and permanently used in combined treatment of obesity in postmenopausal women.

8. Fruits and vegetables! The benefits in researches were greater for fruits compared to vegetables and strongest for berries, apples/pears, tofu/soy, cauliflower, and cruciferous and green leafy vegetables. A stronger association were found between increased intakes of higher fiber, lower glycemic index (lower carbohydrate quality) vegetables and weight change, consistent with experimental evidence suggesting an influence of these factors on satiety, fat storage and energy expenditure. Many vegetables were inversely associated with weight change, but starchy vegetables such as peas, potatoes, and corn had the opposite association in which increased intake was associated with weight gain. Although these vegetables have nutritional value (potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B₆, iron, fiber, and protein), they have a higher glycemic index that could explain their positive association with weight change.

No matter what we will choose to eat, the most important thing is to listen to our body.

You have some questions? Doubts? Experience to share? You need to find more healthy products that will improve your life quality or other topics on beauty/health/nutrition you want to read about? Please, feel free to write some comments below.

How can you become a successful leader?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 23:00:00 +0000

The most successful people in this world maintain and master good habits. They understand what they do and where they have to direct their energy. But the sad news is that most people don’t have very good habits. And the great news is if you are unhappy where you are and what you are you can change it! If you will decide to try to be successful, to achieve high levels of success, probably you will have to start to develop the habits that can bring you that. I would like to introduce you with summary of lots advices how to be successful. Mostly of them are from leaders that are successful at life, business and family.

Firstly, if you want to be successful, you need to have a positive mental attitude, you need to continually feed your mind with positive thoughts. All negative thoughts can’t made you leader, because, a great percentage of successful people have all experienced some sort of setback or failure and they could have just stopped their journey right there and called it quits. But it won’t lead anywhere. Instead, they had a positive mental attitude about themselves and their abilities, which gave them the power needed to continue along and reach their goals. Creating this sort of attitude could be one of your most important habits that you end up incorporating on a daily basis. Psychologist Angela Duckworth has spent years studying kids and adults, and found that one characteristic is a significant predictor of success: grit. "Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint." So you should demonstrate your passion for what you are doing. And remember that everyone has fears. But successful people don’t allow their fears to limit or define them. Fear inevitably keeps you in the same position and stunts your growth. Recognize your fears and seek ways to overcome them. Interview someone you admire and ask that person how he or she overcame a fear or pick up an autobiography and take notes.

Secondly, engage in self-improvement daily! Successful people are always looking for ways to improve themselves. They read every day and are students of their profession. They don’t spend their time on activities that don't bring them closer to their goals. Though they are a great start, you must continue to educate yourself. Take part in seminars, read everything, surf the net. Even when you think you've got it, press on. Many successful people read 30 minutes or more every day. Reading can increase your knowledge and know-how. When you read, often you are seeking to improve yourself. This automatically sets you apart from your counterparts. Did you know that many successful people limit the amount their TV time to one hour or less a day? How much time do you lose in front of the television that you could be spending doing something more productive?

Thirdly, invest in relationships! People who are successful are other-people focused. They take time out of their day to strengthen the bonds of friendship and form long-lasting relationships with others. Networking is something they do all the time. They reach out to their contacts and look for ways to help them with no expectation of in return. There's a saying that goes, “Show me who your friends are and I’ll show you who you are.” People are only as successful as those they choose to surround themselves with. Good associations can help you more quickly achieve your goals. According to research conducted by University of California Santa Barbara economist Catherine Weinberger, the most successful business people excel in both cognitive ability and social skills, something that hasn't always been true. She crunched data linking adolescent skills in 1972 and 1992 with adult outcomes, and found that in 1980, having both skills didn't correlate with better success, whereas today the combination does. "The people who are both smart and socially adept earn more in today's work force than similarly endowed workers in 1980," she says.

I would like to finish with the classic Marshmallow Experiment of 1972 involved placing a marshmallow in front of a young child, with the promise of a second marshmallow if he or she could refrain from eating the squishy blob while a researcher stepped out of the room for 15 minutes. Follow-up studies over the next 40 years found that the children who were able to resist the temptation to eat the marshmallow grew up to be people with better social skills, higher test scores, and lower incidence of substance abuse. They also turned out to be less obese and better able to deal with stress.

No matter where you are in life, there is always more to reach for. When you constantly strive to become a better person, refine your skill set and invest in your future daily, you become more as an individual. When you become more as an individual, your value increases. The more your value increases, the more successful you will become. And of course- don't give up when the going gets tough. You may have to change your direction, but keep moving forward.

You are interesting in some tips and tricks on how to start everything? You need some advices how to reach these goals that were mentioned? Or you would like to read some examples of building/investing/starting? Just show me your interest by writing it in the comments below and l will do my best by writing another one post on this topic here!

Feminist pirate song

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 12:54:00 +0000

Here I have a little funny video from Key & Peele for your amusement. Pirates can be feminists too. Enjoy :)

Call for Submissions: Stories by and Experiences of Young Women and Adolescent Girls Living with HIV

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 13:54:00 +0000

Dear girls,

Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YCSRR), in cooperation with Women Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), the International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW) and members of the More Than Our Status Campaign, is pleased to welcome submissions from young and passionate activists to raise awareness about the experiences of young women and girls living with HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights in their communities.

We invite young people (12-29 years old) to submit original writing and artwork to our Watchdog publication on the theme of “Stories by and experiences of young women and adolescent girls* living with HIV”.

*Please note: all youth who identify as women, transgender, transfeminine, gender-variant, and genderqueer are invited to submit.

This Watchdog will focus on the experiences and lives of young women and adolescents from diverse parts of the world who face discrimination, but also experiences of every kind, in relation to their everyday lives living with HIV. The Watchdog will be launched on World AIDS Day on 1^st of December 2015.

As well as being considered for inclusion in the upcoming YCSRR Watchdog, selected submissions may be featured on the YCSRR website and/or used during the YCSRR social media campaign during World AIDS Day. Please send your submissions to watchdog@youthcoalition.org with the subject line “HIV Watchdog Submission” no later than November 1st, 2015.

Please see the full call for submissions for further details.

September 28: Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 09:16:00 +0000

Today is the Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion, a day to promote universal access to safe, legal abortion as a women’s health and human rights issue.

Before 2011 this day has been a campaign for decriminalisation of abortion in Latin America and Caribbean for nearly twenty years before being taken on by SRHR activists all over the world.

Of course there are many countries, especially the developed countries, where abortion is legal and women have a save access to abortion. But let me tell you a few numbers, which show you the worldwide rate:

21.6 million women experience an unsafe abortion worldwide each year; 18.5 million of these occur in developing countries

Each year, 6.9 million women in developing countries are treated for complications from unsafe abortion.

Nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe, and nearly all unsafe abortions (98%) occur in developing countries. In the developing world, 56% of all abortions are unsafe, compared with just 6% in the developed world.

The proportion of abortions worldwide that take place in the developing world increased between 1995 and 2008 from 78% to 86%, in part because the proportion of all women who live in the developing world increased during this period.

Since 2003, the number of abortions fell by 600,000 in the developed world but increased by 2.8 million in the developing world. In 2008, six million abortions were performed in developed countries and 38 million in developing countries, a disparity that largely reflects population distribution.

Source: Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization: Unsafe abortion: global and regional estimates of incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality in 2008. à Karte UN Worldmap

Highly restrictive abortion laws are not associated with lower abortion rates. For example, the abortion rate is 29 per 1,000 women of childbearing age in Africa and 32 per 1,000 in Latin America—regions in which abortion is illegal under most circumstances in the majority of countries. The rate is 12 per 1,000 in Western Europe, where abortion is generally permitted on broad grounds.

Where abortion is permitted on broad legal grounds, it is generally safe, and where it is highly restricted, it is typically unsafe. In developing countries, relatively liberal abortion laws are associated with fewer negative health consequences from unsafe abortion than are highly restrictive laws.

In 2008, more than 97% of abortions in Africa were unsafe. Southern Africa is the subregion with the lowest proportion of unsafe abortions (58%). Close to 90% of women in the subregion live in South Africa, where abortion was liberalized in 1997

In Latin America, 95% of abortions were unsafe, a proportion that did not change between 1995 and 2008. Nearly all safe abortions occurred in the Caribbean, primarily in Cuba and several other countries where the law is liberal and safe abortions are accessible.

The estimated annual number of deaths from unsafe abortion declined from 56,000 in 2003 to 47,000 in 2008. Complications from unsafe abortion accounted for an estimated 13% of all maternal deaths worldwide in both years

Almost all abortion-related deaths occur in developing countries, with the highest number occurring in Africa.

Unsafe abortion has significant negative consequences beyond its immediate effects on women’s health. For example, complications from unsafe abortion may reduce women’s productivity, increasing the economic burden on poor families; cause maternal deaths that leave children motherless; cause long-term health problems, such as infertility; and result in considerable costs to already struggling public health systems.

Reducing unmet need for modern contraception is an effective way to prevent unintended pregnancies, abortions and unplanned births.

(Sources: WHO; Guttmacher (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_IAW.html); Sedgh G et al., Induced abortion worldwide in 2008: levels and trends)

There are also many abortion myths, in developing and developed countries, which lead to wrong information and act and they have influence on public opinions, which also lead to stigmatization. For example: “it causes cancer”, “it is dangerous”, “it is traumatic and causes mental suffering”.

But the truth is:

Abortion isn’t dangerous in safe and legal settings

No evidence supports the existence of “Post-Abortions-Syndrome”.

Recent studies on women seeking abortions showed that women who were able to obtain an abortion, 95% reported that they were relieved.

Abortion is not immoral. Access to safe and legal abortion is a human right and a moral good.

Criminalizing abortion doesn’t stop abortions: It only stops safe abortion

Those myths spread because of limited access to information or by people opposed to abortion and the myths are repeated often. Unfortunately they have a strong impact on women, society and politicians. People are forced to have unwanted pregnancies, there is no access to safe and legal abortions and abortion carries stigma and discrimination. So women won’t speak about it and fear the act. This is why such high numbers arise and the myths have an effect on women’s health, rights and lives.

So this day is a call for action to fight the myths, discrimination and stigmatization.

What can you do?

Inform your community, friends and family members, point it out to your environment in your country or just be there if a friend needs you in times before, during or after an abortion without stigmatizing her.

Spread your thoughts on the internet: Use #BustTheMyths or #AbortionStigma

Here you can find more information and materials: http://www.september28.org/

Without those myths, with sex education and awareness we can help women to gain access to safe and legal abortion.

Beauty tips and tricks at home!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 20:01:00 +0000

Lots of women are buying expensive cosmetic products in case to control, hide and minimize wrinkles, sore feet, thinning hair, and other common signs of aging and fatigue. BUT you don’t need to spend lots of money, you can also try to use some simple ingredients from nature (usually even can be found by us in the kitchen) ! Let me introduce with some really easy tricks:

1. FACE. Potato starch is one of effective thing that can make your skin smooth and fresh. It is useful, because:

a) It contains Vitamin C, which reproduce damaged skin cells, protects from lesion, destroying free-radicals and ensures that regenerating cells will be health and elastic.

b) It contains Vitamin PP (known as Niacin) which is very important for oxidation-reduction reactions, it energising cells that are in state of calm.

c) There are choline in it which regulates processes of oil-glands.

d) Iron helps to provide cells with oxygen by participation in the blood system.

e) Lots of carbohydrates ensure vitality and shine of skin.

Face masks protecting from aging sign are recommended almost for all women because it can solve problems such as: first signs of aging, dry or oily skin, normal or mix skin, sensitive and problematic skin. It is said that there are no such effective help for your skin as potato starch. So why we shouldn’t use it? All of us want to have beautiful, healthy and smooth skin. There are no needs of special care cautions because starch is not an allergen. Still it should be avoided when there are some open wounds or big area of inflammation on skin. There are some recipe for face mask:

1 spoon of potato starch dissolve in 120 ml cool boiled water. Pour over the same amount of boiled or filtrated water and heat it until it will condense. After that to add 5-7 spoon of fresh carrot juice and 1 spoon of sour cream. To mix everything and apply to your skin by thin layer on clean face. Leave it for 20-30 minutes, after that wash it, if needed apply some face cream. This mask reduce small and deeper wrinkles, moisturizes very dry skin.
1 spoon of potato starch mix with spoon of fresh milk and small spoon of peach nucleus oil. Apply to skin by thin layer on well cleansed face skin. Leave it for 20-30 minutes, after that wash it. This mask stiffen skin and is appropriate even for very sensitive skin
1 spoon of potato starch dissolve in 120 ml cool boiled water. Pour over the same amount of boiled or filtrated water and heat it until it will condense. Mass shake together with white of the egg and fresh lemon juice. Again apply it by thin layer on well cleansed face skin, leave it for 30-40 minutes. Wash it. This mask is very useful for oily skin.

2. BODY. The very best spas tend to make their own scrubs using natural ingredients. You, too, can make a scrub!

You will need three main ingredients: honey, oil, sugar. Here is how to do it:

Warm a jar of honey (in water bath, microwave or oven) until it becomes runny but not too hot to the touch.
Pour about 1/4 cup of the honey (eyeball it) into a bowl.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of your favorite oil. You can use coconut oil, sweet almond oil or even baby oil. In a pinch, you could even use olive oil, which is also great for the skin.
Add about a 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix well.
Step in the shower and turn on the water. Get completely wet and apply the scrub you made! Enjoy the rinse, have some relaxation and after that rinse off in the shower.

3. FOOT. Detox baths are great for helping you to look and feel healthier. Foot detox is also a great idea to help revive tired feet. You can head to the spa for a foot detox or simply make one yourself at home.

There are really easy recipes out that contain essential ingredients that will help your feet to look and feel great. One recipe uses:

1 cup of Epsom salt – this is a common ingredient found in detox baths.
1 cup of sea salt.
2 cups of baking soda.

Just mix this together and store in an airtight container. When you are ready to detox your feet, put ¼ cup of the mixture in a foot basin and fill with water as hot as you can stand it. You can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to make the detox bath and your feet smell great. Just soak your feet for about half an hour. The salts work with the hot water to draw toxins out of your system and to help your feet feel refreshed.

4. LIPS. Here is a way to create a natural, inexpensive lip care that moisturizes, exfoliates, and plumps at the same time. It's super easy, and relies on cinnamon as a key ingredient. Start with a little cinnamon and Vaseline. Smooth the Vaseline over your lips, totally but not outside the lines. Pat the cinnamon on top, and rub it around. The cinnamon mildly irritates the skin on your lips, causing them to redden and swell slightly. If you put too much and rub it too hard, however, your lips might sting.

Leave the mixture on for a few minutes, and rub it around. Then wipe it off. You don't want ingest too much cinnamon (especially by itself like that) as it can irritate your throat. Apply a little more Vaseline, and let it soak in. Enjoy your fuller, plumper lips. Warnings: Don't do this if you have chapped lips. The cinnamon will get into the minor cuts on your lips and burn.

Now l hope you are ready to shine and radiate your beauty! Have a beautiful, smooth and vital skin!

The International Day of Peace 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 10:00:00 +0000

Dear kindness people,

Most of us know a lot of trivia, dates and facts about war and conflict, but do we know the same about peace? Did you now that today is The International Day of Peace? Let me introduce you to some information about PEACE and International Day of Peace.

PEACE is recognized as both an innate state of Being, and a dynamic evolutionary process wherein constructive growth can occur and the children of this and future generations may gain hope for a better world to inherit. If you will try to look for some synonyms for this word, you will find lots of them: noun harmony, agreement; accord , friendship , love , reconciliation , truce , unity, amity, armistice, cessation , conciliation, concord, neutrality , order , pacification , pacifism , treaty, unanimity, union. As much as synonyms, you can find lots of quotes about peace said by celebrities or written in books. Let me get you inspired by some of them:

1. “Make peace with silence, and remind yourself that it is in this space that you'll come to remember your spirit. When you're able to transcend an aversion to silence, you'll also transcend many other miseries. And it is in this silence that the remembrance of God will be activated.”

― Wayne W. Dyer

2. “The person who hurt you--who raped you or killed your family--is also here. If you are still angry at that person, if you haven't been able to forgive, you are chained to him. Everyone could feel the emotional truth of that: When someone offends you and you haven't let go, every time you see him, you grow breathless or your heart skips a beat. If the trauma was really severe, you dream of revenge. Above you, is the Mountain of Peace and Prosperity where we all want to go. But when you try to climb that hill, the person you haven't forgiven weighs you down. It's a personal choice whether or not to let go. No one can tell you how long to mourn a death or rage over a rape. But you can't move forward until you break that chain.”

― Leymah Gbowee, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War

3. “What if guns shot clouds, rather than bullets? Then they’d not only be peaceful, but they’d be delayed water guns. Is there a Nobel Farm Prize?”

― Jarod Kintz, How to put out forest fires with your naked body

4. “Never give a person a piece of your mind when all you really wanted to do was give them a piece of your heart.”

― Shannon L. Alder

5. “It seems like the rebellions never stop, in the city, in the compound, anywhere. There are just breaths between them, and foolishly, we call those breaths “peace".”

― Veronica Roth, Allegiant

Now, if you already know enough about this tiny/immense word, let’s read some facts about The International Day of Peace:

1. International Day of Peace seeks to promote peace among nations and peoples.

2. It was established by the United Nations in 1981.

3. Jeremy Gilley founded Peace One Day, a non-profit organisation in 2001.

4. Peace One Day’s efforts were rewarded when the member states of the United Nations unanimously adopted the first ever annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on 21 September – Peace Day. The United Nations and associated agencies and staff have received the Nobel Peace Prize 10 times in the last 60 years.

5. In 2002, the United Nations declared it a permanent holiday.

6. The theme of the 2015 International Day of Peace is "Partnerships for Peace - Dignity for All".

If now you are motivated by this day, there are Top Events and Things to Do on International Day of Peace:

• Plant a peace tree.

• Light a candle at dusk in support of world peace.

• Practice peaceful resolution and problem solving skills in your daily interpersonal interactions.

• Attend a peace rally.

And finally, don’t forget:

I ♥ Being a Girl people, Alissa

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 22:09:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

my name is Alissa and I’m from Germany.

Since September 2015 I have joined I <3 being a Girl and I hope with our group we can inspire you and fascinate you about our themes.

For two years I have been studying social work. During my internship at pro familia, a non-governmental service and consumer organization for sexual and reproductive health and rights in Germany, I worked in the field of pregnancy counselling, which also includes counselling in conflict situations.

In this time I learned a lot about women/mother/family rights in Germany on the one hand and on the other hand I started thinking about the importance of sex education and the freedom of decision. Those topics were always important to me, especially in connection of the influence of media and religion in our society, but during my internship I had the chance to realise the reality of SRHR in Germany.

I got in contact with themes of SRHR and I started to reflect about the female role in society. This time strengthened my opinion that women and girls can decide how they want to live their life and that there still is a need of support.

So those are the reasons I’m writing here but now more about me :)

3 Things you enjoy doing?

mussels in Brussels

Traveling - I love to travel and getting around. Thereby you have the chance to get to know other cultures, other people, amazing landscapes and different food. Which leads me to my next thing I enjoy doing:

I like to try new dishes - Either I cook and try new recipes or I like to eat out at a restaurant.

Reading a good book or watching a good movie – For me “good” means that, afterwards, you start thinking about the story and meaning you saw/read. You are touched by the occurrence, the words and the people and it feels like it is real. Especially with a book you can understand a whole generation or historical facts if it is well written.

What makes you continue? Why are you still doing it?

Now, after half a year of internship, I noticed that I want to stay active in the fields of women rights. I had the chance to listen to many lectures and strong women and I could form my own opinion. I would like other women and girls to have the opportunity to form this too and thereby they can decide on their own, how they want to live.

The world would be a better place if everybody would:

Listen to the story of a person.

Watch “The Hours”: The movie is about three women, living in different generations, interconnected by the novel “Mrs Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf

Read “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. An amazing novel about childhood, racism and inequality.

Try regularly something new to broaden one’s horizon.

Future: before you're 80, you'd like to...

See all the countries of the world. Ok that’s a lot but there are quite a few places I’d like to visit. For example Corvo, an small island of the Azores archipelago.

Next to my travel plans I hope I can say that my work as a social worker had an impact on other people and decision makers. Maybe it was my little input to make the world a better place by helping people and by pointing out that special groups have a need for help and therefore they need other options in their lives. These options require to be enabled or we should support these groups to help themselves.

I ♥ Being a Girl people, Julita

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 20:37:00 +0000

Dears!

I am Julita and I am from Lithuania.

At this moment I am medical student, but my story started in the school when l realised that I really care about peoples. That’s the reason why l decided to join Medical student association of Lithuania, where I was participating in some projects such as ‘Prevention of breast cancer’, ‘Prevention of testicles cancer’, educational programme about healthy diet for pupils, free testing for HIV on AIDS day. Than I realised that there are lots of things that needs to be improved or changed on sexual health because of stereotypes and stigmas, especially for youth. And that’s how I found Family planning and sexual health association of Lithuania year ago. It is said, that life isn’t about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself. And l really enjoying that myself, who I am during activities in this association. Here I understood what SRHR really means for the first time, what it is to advocate and to fight for the better place to live. After getting lots of new and useful information, some local projects, I started to led a lessons of sexual education in the schools. And these lessons (or the time with youth, their private questions and lots of good words and thanksgiving after lessons, request to come back here with more information) really turned me on and I wanted to do even more. I became ASTRA Youth member; on July I were attending advocacy and communication training of YSAFE, after which I decided to join it and of course to become a part of wonderful I <3 being a girl working group. I hope, that before I am 80 years old lady, I won’t become that person who is angry at all the world, at all systems, but still doing it in silent near the TV and doing nothing to change it. I hope, that the world after me will be a better place to live, without any discrimination, any violence.

Despite these activities, l also enjoying my free time : I am crazy about coffee times (when I can have a peaceful time with my minds or my wonderful friends to get ready for activities of day), time in nature ( because I can forget about stress and have some relax and thoughts that we are here just for a little time so there are no reason to have a war, violence or discrimination), reading books (to create my personality!) and of course, I <3 being a girl!

I really believe that everyone is a kind person in a heart. And there are some things, that really can help you to get inspired to believe, that you are the best. You must:

1. See the movie ‘My name is Khan’.

If you already saw it, you should look at the sky in the dark night and catch the falling star to make a wish ‘No discrimination’.

2. Read Victor Hugo ‘Notre-Dame de Paris’. If you think that you should change it to better end, please, just do it! Just use your imagination, always read your kindness minds!

3. Listen to the song ‘Christophe Willem - Someone New’.

After preparing yourself for good emotions, everyone should listen for whisper to their ear ‘I love you’.

4. If still you didn’t get inspired and you are sad about injustice, please, just TRY to by some new shoes!

At the end, l want to remember for everyone, that everything, what you think of yourself is much more important than what people think of you. Just don’t be afraid to be more crazier than everyone else, take a risk and do it ! <3

How to define beauty?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 17:44:00 +0000

If we will search a definition of Beauty, we will find that it ‘is the quality of being pleasing, especially to look at, or someone or something that gives great pleasure, especially when looking at it.’ And Girls, did you know that only 2 percent of women would describe themselves as beautiful?Are you in that small sampling? The Dove Campaign asked women and found that:

Seventy-seven percent strongly agree that beauty can be achieved through attitude, spirit, and other attributes that have nothing to do with physical appearance.
Eighty-nine percent strongly agree that a woman can be beautiful at any age.
Eighty-five percent state that every woman has something about her that is beautiful.

Interestingly, the study found that two-thirds of women strongly agree that physical attractiveness is about how one looks, whereas beauty includes much more of who a person is.

Anyway, if you don’t like something in your appearance, you can change it just by using some make-up, but you can’t change yours inside beauty so quickly!

Let me introduce with some of history facts related with beauty tricks!

1. You are not enjoying being in the sun? But still you are doing that because EVERYONE has a tan?! Don’t worry about it anymore. Probably you are a ‘blue blood’ girl. During the human history there was a period that people believed in pale skin as in wealthy elite person. People tried to be so pale that you could see the blue blood veins on their face. If they still had to work outside and got some tan, they just tried to pale themselves by using poisonous titanium paint and colour dye to paint the blue veins.

2. In order to get the femme fatales and ingenues of the early silent screen to not look washed out under the lights and cameras, people started exaggerating their eyes and lips with make-up. And the rest of America followed suit. Hollywood make-up guru Max Factor turned his work on the set into a massive industry. So the father of make-up – Max Factor!

3. Red lipstick is on a top again? Why not?! Even nurses in World War 2 were made to wear red lipstick, to remind them that they are females before soldiers, and to CALM DOWN male casualties. Although it's since been proven that red lipstick might have the opposite effect.

4. Do you know what is the story of eyebrows fashion?! A new eyebrow era also started during early films in America. Before, eyebrows had usually been left to the forces of nature. But the straight thin eyebrows of "It" girl, Clara Bow launched brows into the fashion mainstream of the 20th century as flapper chic. Anyway, we are lucky now: we can choose the best style for it by ourselves and we have a big variety of opportunities that also will look pretty.

We are beautiful as we are. Don’t think about negative things in you, just enjoy the life and be a little bit of crazy to reach a fullness of life. To get some inspiration, just watch a video here and let’s start to love ourselves as we are!

TOP 7 exercises to strengthen your body

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 08:00:00 +0000

Dear girls,

It’s workout time tonight!

Let’s see what we can do and what exercises are considered to be the best for us.

Here you are TOP 7 exercises to strengthen your body.

Obviously, any exercise program depends on the underlying health status of the participant. Be certain that your health is appropriate for exercise prior to attempting a new program.

1. Interval training: This refers to doing almost any type of exercise at a variable pace. For example, if you are walking or doing push-ups, vary the pace of the exercise. You can walk normally for a minute or so, and then speed up a bit, and then return to normal speed several times. For exercises like push-ups, do a few slowly and do others more quickly and, like walking, repeat these faster and slower intervals several times. Interval training helps the body to adjust its aerobic system (heart rate, breathing, and metabolism) to burn more calories to lose weight and strengthen muscles. While some purists may say interval training is not an exercise, others say yes it is because it is a mind over matter exercise that makes you aware that the body can adapt to increased physical demands that will be required to reach your goals.

2. Walking: A walk is one of the best exercises to begin with in any exercise program. Men and women can do this together as a calorie-burning cardiovascular exercise. One hour of interval walking can burn about 500 or more calories; it takes about 3500 calories to lose a pound so you could lose a pound for every week you walk for an hour. A word of caution: Beginners should start walking about 5 to 10 minutes at a time and slowly increase their times by about 5-minute intervals to allow the cardiovascular system and muscles time to adapt to the new demands.

3. Squats: This exercise is an excellent calorie burner because squats use the largest muscle groups in the body (quadriceps and hamstrings or the thigh muscles and the gluteals or buttocks). Squats are exercises that consist of an up and down motion of the body that resembles the motion of getting out of a chair. In fact, some trainers suggest that a person new to trying to do squats can practice by getting up and down from a chair. The proper way to begin is to keep your back straight, feet spread apart about shoulder length with both arms extended, knees over the ankles and then go downward with your butt just touching the chair; then return to your original standing position. Eventually, stop using the chair and you'll be doing effective squats. Some people with knee discomfort may be concerned about doing squats; they should check with their doctor or orthopedist but some knee problems result from quadriceps problems and squats may help resolve them. Also, avoid bending your knees to 90 degrees or less.

4. Lunges: Lunges work the same large muscle groups as the squats, but can work additional leg muscles and improve balance. Lunges are done by taking a big enough step forward that the knee forms about a 90-degree angle. However, you must to keep your spine in a neutral position (upright position, no bending forward). Your trailing leg, at the same time, should have its knee come close to the floor and have the toes accept significant body weight. Then, return to a standing position and repeat with the other leg. After you master the lunge, you can vary the exercise by placing the advanced leg to the right or left to mimic more variable movement, such as the angles you might encounter during a nature hike.

5. Push-ups: The basic push-up is the classic exercise to strengthen the upper body (chest, shoulders, and triceps) and core (abdominal muscles). Beginners can first do push-ups by spreading their fully extended arms slightly more than shoulder width apart with their hands against an unmovable object like the edge of a kitchen countertop. Then bend your elbows until your chest almost touches the edge of the counter op, allowing only your toes to bend and keeping your back and legs in a straight line. Then push your body away from the countertop until your arms are again fully extended. As you progress, you should use lower stationary objects (for example, a stationary bench) and eventually do the push-up with your hands on the floor.

6. Abdominal crunches: The standard abdominal crunch is an excellent way to strengthen and define those abdominal muscles (commonly termed a “six pack” but not so commonly seen in many men and women!). There are two ways to start; either with you lying on the floor or on a non-slip rug with your hands placed lightly behind your head (never pull your head up with your hands or arms) and with your knees bent so your feet are flat on the floor. Other experts suggest doing the same with your knees bent and your feet not touching the floor. When you keep your feet off of the floor, it helps you avoid arching your back, a problem that can actually weaken the abdominal muscles. The “crunch” is done by not arching the back. The lower back is pushed downward and then contracting the abdominal muscles and tucking in your chin slightly, lift your neck, shoulders, and back off of the floor. Some experts suggest you hold the raised position for a second or so before returning slowly to the starting position. A variation to strengthen and define the oblique abdominal muscles uses the same technique except you must twist your abdomen to the right or left before lifting the head, shoulders, and back. Although many people think the way to lose belly fat is to do crunches, it is not. Belly fat that covers up those “six packs” is reduced by burning more calories than you take in, so, paradoxically, if you want that “six pack” to show, the fluid six packs (beer) must go, along with other caloric foods.

7. Bent-over row: This exercise can give the last groups of muscles (back and biceps) a good workout. Beginners can start by sitting on a bench, but the exercise is usually done while standing. You should stand with your feet shoulder-length apart, with knees bent, and hips flexed forward at hip level. Tilt the pelvis forward slightly, contract the abdominal muscles, and extend (straighten) the upper back. Hold your hands straight down beneath your shoulders and make a fist. Then flex your elbows so that your forearms and hands come all the way up and in toward your body. Pause for about a second or two, and return your flexed arms to their previously extended position. People soon add small weights instead of just making a fist. However, you don't have to buy anything, just find two similar shaped items that weigh the same (for example, two books or two bottles of a sports drink) and there you have the weights you need!

We wish you good luck during workouts!

International Youth Day 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 06:00:00 +0000

“In this landmark year, as leaders prepare to adopt a bold new vision for sustainable development, the engagement of youth is more valuable than ever. At this critical moment in history, I call on young people to demand and foster the dramatic progress so urgently needed in our world.”

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

IHBG invites you to praise youth everyday but especially today, on 12th of August, when we can unite for celebration across the globe on International Youth Day! This day was endorsed by UN in 1999 after the proposal in the World Conference of Ministers Rosponsible for Youth, Lisbon in 1998

Each year the International Youth Day has a theme and 2015 is all about youth and civic engagement. This topic is very important because in most of the places all over the world young people are either not encouraged or not able to participate in political, economical and social activities. Especially young women.

Young people are energetic and full of ideas and solutions when taken seriously. There are many examples on how young people can contribute to their community and improve life quality to many. One of the brightest examples is Malala Yousafzai that is known worldwide for her work and achievements and she only recently turned 18, Pakistani girl that is not only political and women's right activist but also a proof on what youth is capable of. There are countless other not so famous stories of young people who are improving life of many, fighting poverty and bringing their community towards sustainable development all across the globe. Our task is to create awareness and let young people know that they can be part of a positive change.
The change can be big or it can be small but it is still worth to create it. You can start to build something right here and right now. Just like this blog, few young activists wanted to empower girls and women all over the world to be proud of who they are and they created this blog five years ago and it keeps running, growing and changing because this is what young people do!

Here is a heart touching and inspiration story from South Africa that shows how life can be changed when there is given encouragement and opportunity to a young person.

Inspirational International Youth Day,
Always yours,

IHBG

How to have a beach body?

noreply@blogger.com (Alissa) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 12:48:00 +0000

Another heatwave is coming to Central Europe and many people survive those hot days by going to the beach, swimming-pool or lake. And every year, starting from the first spring day until the last warm day of the year, girls and women (also boys and men) ask themselves: “How to have a beach body?” or “How to get a beach body in just a few days/weeks?”. There is this pressure by media and society to show the perfect body at the beach. In every TV show, in social medias or in magazines you can learn what to do, what to eat and what to buy (especially those expensive training programs who promote themselves with “perfect” looking bodies). People talk and judge about celebrities and their bodies (“Oh she gained weight”, “Oh she looks too skinny”...) and many girls are influenced by such gossip.

But it can be easy to have a beach body. There are just two simple rules:

1. Have a body

2. Go to the beach

So girls, in the middle of summer, enjoy yourselves and enjoy your life. You don’t go to the beach to show your body and to expect other people to talk about it. You go there to relax, have fun and cool off. The most important thing is: feel comfortable :)

Friendship is The Answer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 07:00:00 +0000

Since 2011, 30 of September is the International Day of Friendship. This day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

"On this International Day of Friendship, let us cultivate warm ties that strengthen our common humanity and promote the well-being of the human family. "

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

We can find countless stories that are turned into poems, books, movies, series, pictures, drawings and paintings about all kind of friendships. Friendship is something very primitive and relatable to most of the people in all cultures, ages and layers of the society. I know what is friendship, you know what is friendship and a person from another continent who comes from rural village also knows what is friendship. It has a power to unite and it is a very strong tool to encourage other people. A single friendship between two people can be life changing for many.
Instead of cultivating prejudices and hate towards new and unknown by hiding under the words "hate" and "enemies" we should want to understand and befriend it - either people, views or beliefs. Same advice works for individuals as well as conflicts in the world.
Friendship can be used as a great tool for women empowerment worldwide. Instead of connecting to other women and telling them what to do we should simply be supporting, understanding friends who give good advice. A good friend can help to become more confident and self conscious more than an inspiring article or video online. All we have to do is to take good care of the girls and women around us instead of criticizing each for our looks or behavior.
We are very diverse in the world and activists in some cultures want to appear as superior when it comes to feminism and gender equality. These activists are strongly convinced and are trying to convince the rest of the world that "we are right and you have to follow our example". Confidence is awesome and these actions are mostly driven by good intentions but it tends to patronize and discriminate activists from developing countries with the same views. And it is discouraging. That's why it is so important to have friends that are coming from different backgrounds, cultures and religions so we can unite and fight the real problems not each other!

Talking about good friendships...look IHBG team is growing, changing and moving around! Recently we met in Brussels, had amazing days together to refresh our knowledge and learn more about sexual and reproductive health and rights, communication, advocacy and plan new activities! Meantime we found few new and amazing friends so keep tuned to find out more!

And don't forget:
Happiness is only real when shared
J. Krauker

Happy International Day of Friendship!
Always yours,
IHBG

Girls, let's get inspired!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 16:41:00 +0000

Weekend comes to the end, we need to get inspired for the next week!

Share these quotes with your friends because we deserve nothing less but the BEST!

More quotes here.

women and wanderlust

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 14:14:00 +0000

In northern hemisphere summer has come. During this season many people are taking the vacations and heading off the road. Either it's to take "All Inclusive" and relax at five star hotel or to hitchhike and Couchsurf it will be an adventure!
There are many ways of how to travel and one of them is solo traveling. Many people choose this way to challenge themselves and explore unknown and why not to, we know so little about ourselves!
Although in recent years the number of women solo travelers have increased it is still considered to be more difficult and dangerous for female than male wanderers. It's a pity how fears of unknown can stop us from so many life changing experiences but does the fear always tell us the truth?
Unfortunately the women who can enjoy traveling and wandering are not the majority of women. The world is rich in cultural diversity that we want to see and learn about but sadly cultures have created conditions that restrict women from traveling. It can be based on economical point of view or to patriarchal "ethics". Some women can feel relieved and be thankful for the ability to travel while other can't but at the same time not really. The same conditions will also apply to any other person who wants to enter this kind of culture. For example, in Saudi Arabia it's made almost impossible for young and unmarried women to enter the country without a male assistance. The government simply won't issue the visa. Similar situation is in UAE and Qatar if you are planning a longer stay. In Lebanon female travelers can apply for the visa on arrival if they can prove that they formerly have not taken job as an artists. Ridiculous truth and there are many more countries that are very skeptical to issue visas for young women, especially the ones who travel alone.
Women face many gender-based restrictions during their life-time but the fact that you can not exit or enter a country hits very hard. It's a horrible feeling and it feels very wrong.
Not so long time ago we could never imagine a women traveling alone. Now there are many woman out there that are having nomad life style and it's beautiful that they can fulfill their dream. We have to keep traveling and fight to open borders and give this chance to evryone. It's still not 100% safe to travel as a female but it also applies for men. While female are facing to be beaten up in the same situation a male is in a danger to be killed. While majority of woman are risking to get raped only few men are. It's always a risk and it's a choice. Not everyone is made to sing and not everyone is made to travel but the same as singing traveling should be gender neutral.

TINY TIPS TO TRAVEL SAFE

Overly Helpful Stranger Danger
You have to trust yourself to be able to learn how to trust others. First and foremost important rule is to follow your inner feeling. It works! If you have even the tiniest suspicion do not accept the help from a stranger and do not feel guilty about saying no. By connecting to strangers you will learn how many amazing, kind and openhearted people are in the world!
Periods
If you are healthy and not pregnant you will get them anyway so why not on the way? If you are usually suffering from very uncomfortable moments during the menstruation maybe it's time to change the environment, it can help! You can still use your favorite hygienic products or to try out menstrual cup which is reusable and more environment friendly. Just one golden rule - hygiene is the priority. In case you do not have the access to clean water intim area wipes can be a solution
Rape Danger
When you will start to travel you will realize that not every person wants to rape you. Yes, there are dangerous people and dangerous situations. Yes, we need to be concerned and aware but the media always is giving us the negative image of everything and it sticks to our minds. In fact, there are much more amazing people who want to help you than the ones who wants to harm and benefit from you.
Eyes Open
Always be in charge of your own stuff. Pack light so you don't need assistance to put on or carry your bags. Don't forget to look around you to see what is happening. Either you are in a big city, rural village or forest make sure that you have the control over the situation. When you are in a public transport try to memorize people around you and see if there is someone who seems interested in you. It can be great start of friendship or a way to escape. Never brag around about traveling alone and don't be afraid to tell that your friend is somewhere near even if it is not. Also, do a regular check-ups with family or friends so they know how are you , where are you and that they need to react if you are not giving any news.
Money and Documents
Don't keep your money in one place but spread it along your stuff. Put them at the least money-keeping places but don't forget where you put them. Have an emergency money. Always have copies of your passport and other travel documents. Hard copies, saved in memory stick and some internet storage you can access from any computer. Other than that make sure that your documents won't get wet either it rains or your bag falls into the water.
Hitchhiking
If your friends and family are trying to scare you with horrible hitchhiker stories take them as lessons and thank them for caring but don't let it scare you off. In fact, to be a woman hitchhiker sometimes it is easier than to be a man. Also drivers are people that can be scared of strangers and woman might seem less harmful, just like female drivers might seem. It's sexist and it's a reality that female can get help much easier than male.

I ♥ Being a Girl people, Viktoria

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 May 2015 15:10:00 +0000

Greetings to everyone!

My name is Viktoria Derkach, I am from

Ukraine

Since April 2015 I have joined I <3 Being a Girl Community and I’m very excited and highly motivated to take part in all the activities of the Working Group!

In my life firstly I enjoy life! That I’m alive, can breathe, see, hear, feel, love, walk etc.

Secondly, I enjoy traveling. I’ve already been to more than 13 countries and I’m not going to stop, cause it’s a great opportunity to discover the world, meet new people, cultures and traditions, learn new languages and see different sights.

Thirdly, I enjoy helping people. It concerns different fields: work, study, volunteering, everyday life. It makes me happy when I can as minimum give an advice as maximum do something for a person.

As for my work with SRHR, it started not long ago. I started volunteering in Women Health and Family Planning Foundation only this February from participation in the process of planning and conduction of the event, dedicated to the International Contraception Day and St. Valentine’s Day. Before (till now) I was working in Kiev branch of "All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV" in Project RESPECT "Tolerant attitude towards people living with HIV and most-at-risk groups from health workers from pilot health facilities in Kiev" as an assistant manager of projects and programs; was a volunteer in Left Bank center for HIV – positive children and teens and provided lectures for teenagers (clients of the Centre) on different topics, like hygiene, relations with opposite sex, reproductive health etc; also took part in a Project of cultural exchange “Summer Camp” at the school for smart pupils “Lycée pilote de Sousse” in Tunisia, where I was teaching English to students aged 14-18 years, holding discussions, debates, presentations and creating projects on different topics, like feelings, health, future plans, relations, friendship, love etc; also was a volunteer in NGO “AIDs Healthcare Foundation”, where I organized a flashmob, dated to Valentine's Day and HIV / AIDS topic with the slogan "Protect your love!", during which we performed dances, distributed condoms and brochures about love and sex, contraception, health etc. But I’m really interested in the SRHR area and happy that I can do my first steps as I <3 Being a Girl working group member.

I think the world would be a better place if everybody would:
- see not only their needs and interests, but also of the person near;
- listen not only to the opinion of society, mass media and celebrities, but always have your own opinion;
- read biographies and success stories of well-known people in history for self-motivation and for knowing what to strive for;
- try to set unrealistic targets and don’t stop on reached. so there are no unrealistic goals, there are only ones that need more time and efforts.

Before I'm 80, I'd like to know that all my achievements and vital actions brought, bring or will bring benefit not only to me but also to my loved ones, family, friends, and humanity in general. That is what will make me happy and I’ll know that life is lived not in vain.

I ♥ Being a Girl people, Julia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 May 2015 12:21:00 +0000

Dear awesome people,

My name is Julia Danyltsova and I am from Ukraine.

Since March 2015 I have joined I <3 Being a Girl Community and will be happy to inspire and get inspired within the Working Group!

A bit about myself in this article. :-)

Long-long time ago... (September 2012)... I have been doing my internship at Women Health and Family Planning Foundation. This is where I learned what SRHR is, where I have done my first steps in advocacy. I became a volunteer and member of youth group after finishing the internship. This experience totally changes the life. I have started volunteering on international level by joining YSAFE network. Just a year ago I became ASTRA-youth member and I’m constantly developing my skills in advocacy by taking actions on national, regional and international levels. Now I am YSAFE Steering Committee Member and I <3 Being a Girl working group member which are challenges for me.

The world would be a better place if everybody would:

see: at least 5 countries different to their motherland
listen: to their hearts
read: a love-letter from a person they love
try: to do things which make them happy and to avoid everything which disappoints them

Before I am 80, I’d like to know that this world is safe and happy place for my children, grandchildren and grand-grandchildren.

I enjoy:

Travelling
Getting acquainted with new people / countries / cultures
Spending time with my friends

Let's get acquainted!

Music: fun vs treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 May 2015 10:57:00 +0000

It's Friday and many of us are planning week-ends. Check out some intersting facts about music!

Listening to the music is something we do all the time: in the transport, at the office, with friends, during workouts and at the parties.

What music to listen to benefit twice?

Music can make you cry, laugh, feel excited or angry. It’s a powerful medium that can be used as a tool if we know how to use it. Experts say music can improve our mood and even change behavior.

It all starts when the music goes in our ears and right to our brain, lighting up all different parts.

“You’re seeing areas involved (in the brain) with movement, memory, emotion, planning, taking action,” says Bob Miller, a music therapist at Western Psychiatric Institute of UMPC.

He says music can affect us emotionally and physically, even reducing stress.

“It can affect our heart rate a little bit. It can affect our breathing rate,” Miller says. “It can help to even participate in singing, and music can help reduce stress hormones and to increase levels of hormones like dopamine or serotonin that can really help us feel better.”

Music can also change your mood.

If you want to relax, pick the right music — something that has a slower tempo, repetition — either in the melody or the background or beat. That helps us disengage so we don’t have to pay attention to it.

And if there are words, it helps to find something in another language so you are not thinking about what the words are saying. If you had a hard day, you can choose music to help you work through that on your drive home.

Miller says you could start with angry or intense music to get out any negative energy and then use other music to bring you to whatever state of mind you’re looking for — relaxed, upbeat.

Music can even be used as medicine. Trained occupational therapists use music to help kids with special needs, like autism and developmental delays. Jami Dantry and Amy Demi use “The Listening Program” with children at schools in Follansbee, West Virginia.

Let music be the only medecine you'll ever need! :-)

I <3 being a girl! What about you? ;-)

Experiment: To shave or not to shave?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 May 2015 13:28:00 +0000

Isn't that a little bit ridiculous that we are thought to feel ashamed of our own bodies? Either those are body parts, sounds or smells which are considered as simply gross and unwelcome. Their existence is ignored. Even if body shaming is taught for both genders, woman are still more restricted than man. In most of the times women are told that they should feel ashamed for being proud of their body and exposing it in its natural state. As a punishment to "rebels" for being themselves they are often the black sheep among the peers or even in surrounded society. People always want to be accepted and to belong, that's why in most of the times we take the choice to go against yourself than majority of the people. It appears in all societies and in all levels. Either it's the way of speaking, behavior, choices, priorities or general body appearance.
One of them, very generalized and stigmatized, is women and body hair. True that lately this topic is reaching the tops and is discussed not only in private and secret meetings but also in media, conferences and even we can hear it in public transport as a chit-chat between two people, which is great!

Few days ago I watched this BuzzFedd video where several women and a man took a 30 day challenge to not shave any of their body hair. How it went for them you can see in a video but also me, member of the IHBG, took a bit longer challenge several months ago for a personal research reasons without any intention to share but this video encouraged me to talk about it and where else if not here!?

Motivation: I wanted to know how it feels to let it go! I have been born and raised in Eastern Europe and in my culture it is taken for granted that women have to get rid of their body hair. Since puberty I have been spending time and resources for it. I remember that I was disgusted to see a woman with hairy legs and armpits. Meanwhile, I was also bothered by my own reaction to a females natural state (considered as unattractive and aggressive) but not males. And I just simply wanted to know how it looks and feels like.

Feelings during the experiment: at first I felt very, very uncomfortable. Whenever I saw my body hair it felt like it does not belong there, that it's not part of me, it's not natural. I was checking it out whenever I had a chance and I had to make sure that no one else notices my little experiment. First couple of weeks I was anxious, always long sleeves and trousers. Just like for the BuzzFeed people, my biggest problem were armpits.

Time went by and eventually I got used to different self. My body hair did not bother me anymore and at the end I was happy that for the first time I had a chance to see how I actually look! T-shirts and tank tops were not problem any more.

author: Bula Anarbekova

Conclusion: This experiment made me more confident and less judgmental. As soon as I stopped to bother about my own body hair also I stopped to care what are the choices by other women. Even if I don't mind body hair at all my choice is to keep it off because it is less hot (I really felt a difference) and because hairy armpits and quick showers don't work (even with deodorant). It always took more extra time in shower and still, at the end of the day, my clothes were more smelly than before. I could never wear the same shirt the next day. Too much work.
But now I really don't bother to shave one or two days later than I would do before this experiment, usually people don't even notice and even if they do, no one cares that much. It's in our mind.
Stereotypes disproved: I didn't turn my feminism into aggressive one, I did not change my sexual orientation, I did not become less of a woman than before.
All I did was that I got to know myself more and broke my own prejudices.

After doing little research I found out that historically the body hair (in some societies) have been considered unattractive to men and women because of the medical reasons. Although the hair purpose is to protect, the lack of proper hygiene in armpits and pubic area made suitable environment (warm and mild) for vermin and diseases to develop, eventually people noticed that and realized that no hair means no problems.

Nowadays, when we are aware of hygiene body hair are still not accepted. Nowadays we are victims of very stigmatized social construct which shames women, especially young women, defining them primitive and aggressive. Unfortunately persuasion of aggressiveness as a quality for a men but not suitable for a women is still very strong in our society. That is why the stereotype of being a real men includes wild body hair. Although it's slowly changing and for many men hair removal is a trend which is a choice while for women it's still a must.

Anyhow, I don't want to generalize hair removal as a worldwide trend because there are many other cultures (besides Western culture) who do not empathize hair removal as a necessity to fit in the cultural norms. Couple of years ago, while visiting India, I was travelling with another friend and a Indian companion who noticed that I have a razor in my bag. He was very surprised and did not know that any woman in the world ever uses a razor and that it is even a common thing. We had a very interesting conversation for both of us. At that time I was surprised by his reaction but now, when I realize that Western culture does not define the world, I think that it was pretty amazing experience to have!

P.S. I suggest every single woman to leave that razor away for 30 days! Not to prove something to someone but for yourself, to get to know yourself better! And we would love if you could share it with IHBG!

Feminist Eco Village "Herland"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 18:59:00 +0000

IHBG has been introduced to a Feminist Ecovillage project called Herland. The idea is based on the novel by the Charlotte Perkins Gilman who was not only an author but also an anthropologist and sociologist. One of the project members have agreed to tell us what Herland is all about!

The Herland Intentional Community is an organization to design, create and build a new way of life in the form of an intentional community of the ecovillage form. With the express intention of being sustainable both ecologically and socially for the foreseeable future. You may be wondering what an intentional community is let alone an ecovillage. The intentional community movement is about creating a village or town with a purpose. Each community has certain ideals but most center on creating something more community oriented than the current system offers, hence the name. An ecovillage is a community which is designed with sustainability in mind so that humanity can continue into the future working with the environment as a system rather than attempting to conquer it.

Ecovillages are designed to be positive spaces both for the members and the planet in general. They acknowledge that mainstream society does not work for the needs of everyone and should not be the solution to protecting the environment. Typically in ecovillages you will see that houses are built using simple techniques and from local materials so that the craft of house building can be passed down easily from generation to generation ensuring that important skills that support nature are not lost. In contrast Intentional communities that are not ecovillages often use existing buildings often modernizing them by adding solar panels and water collection units, this does have it's advantages as reform means that members don't need to build from scratch however there are obvious disadvantages.

More and more as time goes on the current civilization is changing, inequality increases and this problem is only going to get worse as pointed out by historian Sir Glubb. This results in humanity working longer and longer hours only to be paid less and less, causing a never ending decline in living standards. (Not that the conservative alternative is any better, as it asks women to enslave them selves as both domestic servants and sex slaves aka housewife's). The situation has gotten so bad in fact that people today work longer hours then at any other point in human history, thus in terms of enslavement it can be legitimately be argued that the current system is the worst in history. Not only is this unsustainable from a sociological perspective but also from an environmental one as the current society destroys the planet which it needs to sustain itself, even NASA has been forced to point out that civilization will end relatively soon in catastrophic manner. It is out of these political conditions that ecovillages are born, the desire to protect the environment while also finding more long term safety and security, so that members can live happy and secure lives. As a result Ecovillages tend to be very positive and safe spaces which are ideal for creative and intellectual development as basic needs are dealt with, without the need to slave away in the daily grind known as work.

So what makes the Herland ecovillage unique compared to other ecovillages and intentional communities? Well, the Herland ecovillage is based on the values demonstrated in the novel Herland by Feminist and Sociologist Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1915). In the story she outlines a society based in a combination of cooperation and meritocracy, where the long term benefit is always seen as favorable rather than merely short term gain. Other factors that make this community so unique is not just the fact that it is a secular organization with anthropology and intersectional feminism at its core. But also the fact that it is a community for people in the LGBT community (including the T), serving as a much needed refuge, as 40% of homeless youth are LGBT. By including a wide range of people including LGBT people of color, those who are autistic, some who suffer from PTSD, all of whom are particularly vulnerable, the outreach of the Herland community is particularly impressive.

Herland is an independent housing village, each member having their private home available to them. While at the same time there is a community center so members can eat and play together to build on the community spirit. This design maximizes the ability to cooperate and accomplish things together while also providing for everyone's need for space and privacy. While the community encourages interpersonal relationships it does not require the members to be in any kind of relationship and so even those who are asexual will not feel any pressure to be in a sexual relationship if they don't want to. Basic housing is provided by the community however members are both allowed to and encouraged to experiment with different forms of architecture, from tree houses to earthships and every thing in between.

Herland is using permaculture to build a food forest for the members rather than using modern monoculture agricultural methods. This will help it blend into and heal the environment rather than mining the soil and causing harm as is currently done by mainstream society. This is diametrically opposed to modern methods which mine the soil and lead to desertification. It is also another example of looking towards the long term, as over a life time food produced from permaculture requires very low amounts of labor to maintain without pesticides, all while producing more food on less land and minimizing the negative impact on the environment. Even though the term permaculture was coined after the writing of Herland the agriculture seen in the novel closely resembles permaculture, as both have the same core values of protecting the earth and providing good lives for the people not just today but also moving forward for the foreseeable future and beyond.

The location of Herland is also currently unoccupied and so no indigenous people will be harmed and the area will be preserved for posterity. In fact it is the indigenous people who chose the location of herland specifically because they value the project. The location will be in the rainforests of south america in an english speaking location, high above sea level in the mountains. The area is rocky and the soils are poor. Locals are keen to see if permaculture can prove to be a productive system for what considered to be land that is too rugged and poor for most human activity.

While the Herland community is designed to be ecologically friendly and sustainable it is not about primitivism (it is not about returning to the stone age or stifling advancement at all). Members of the Herland community are well networked in the open source world (both software and hardware), working to create the worlds first feminist crypto currency and developing software that will help spread internet access to the poorest people so that more people will have the opportunity to learn from and contribute to the giant library known as the internet. All of this means that Herland is not just a community that offers a refuge for a few but also offers an example to show that women can work together in a practical way to build a better life that is in tune with nature, while also helping to improve the world for the 99%.

As a result of all of this I am sure we can all agree that whether we want to join the Herland Ecovillage or not it is a project of which we can all benefit from in some way shape or form. And as you can imagine there have been a number of people who have tried to stop the Herland Ecovillage and prevent it from forming. MRA's have tried trolling them and conservative Christians have tried demonising them. But the ones who have done the most to try and harm them have been Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists who are both envious of the project but also hate it as it supports Trans women, as a result Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists have tried bullying the trans members taking some transwomen near the brink of suicide. So supporting the Herland ecovillage is not just about supporting humanity, it is also about supporting trans rights.

If you would like to support Herland, the best thing you can do is visit their website  www.jungle2jungle.org   and follow them on their various social networks. However if you would like to join them then the best way is to join their facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/herlandcommune/

attribution: Shania Foley

Sunday is for Horizons: Barbie alternatives FTW!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 16:55:00 +0000

The world might be becoming a better place as I've seen alternatives for barbies (or fashion-dolls as they are called not to offend Mattel) coming up in news and posts. Here you have 3 different approaches each dealing with one of the problematic aspects of fashion dolls:

1) The oversexualized and over-adult looks of the typical fashion doll leads us to taking the make-up off the Bratz dolls. The results are adorable. More here.

2) The unrealistic body proportions of the fashion dolls gets us to the Lammily, the doll that looks like an average teenager.

3) The ubiquity of whiteness among fashion dolls is such that the fact that in Nigeria the local barbie alternative - Queens of Africa - outsell the pink-obsessed blonde.

Friday is the (Inspirational) Movie Night: The Little Mermaid (1989)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 16:00:00 +0000

#inspirationalmovies

It has been some time since we claimed that a classical piece (almost) nobody viewed as feminist masterpiece.... actually was one! (Remember the explosion in both your and our brain caused by the idea that Dirty Dancing (1987) was a feminist gem?)

So here comes another one in the you-would-have-never-called-it-feminist-until-now series*. The Little Mermaid (1989). Yes, the Disney sea-princess garbage where a young girl gives up her family, friends and talents in order to pursue a man she has seen once. Meh... or at least we thought so.

Well, read this paper written by Stephanie Stott, a student in Kim Magowan’s gothic lit class at Mills College called The Little Mermaid: Our Favorite Gothic Villain and you just might want to give Ariel another try. Or at least know how to reframe the story in order to minimize the damage if young girls around you suddenly want to emulate the little mermaid.

* That's of course not actually true as somebody has analyzed these movies as such and hence we are reporting. But the great majority...