My Religion is Not A Fashion Statement

As I'm sure many of you know, the annual Met Gala is happening tonight. It's a fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Basically, a bunch of celebrities and rich people get together to parade around in ridiculous, fancy clothes and raise money for the museum. This year's theme is Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. 

Yes, the Catholic Church has contributed a lot in the way of art. However, some of the outfits seen on the carpet tonight are just plain sacrilegious, especially considering most of these people are not practicing Catholics. Rihanna was seen dressed as the pope, wearing a short, jeweled dress and a papal mitre (tall hat that the pope wears). Chadwick Boseman and Jared Leto were wearing some priest-like attire. Many others appeared wearing dresses, suits, and accessories showing various crosses and Catholic imagery. 

Here's what really gets me about this whole thing, if any white person wears anything of a non-white culture (i.e. that one girl's Chinese prom dress and various Halloween costumes that get "banned" every year) it is considered cultural appropriation and everyone loses their minds over it. Yet, here we have a bunch of non-Catholic people wearing a bunch of Catholic outfits and images, some of which are very sacrilegious and not okay, and they're being praised for it. It doesn't make sense. How much more hypocritical can Hollywood and the media get? 

We need to make a choice. Is "cultural appropriation" okay or isn't it? It can't be okay for some people and not for others. That's not how this works. If you're going to tell a teenager she can't wear a dress she finds beautiful to prom because she's not Chinese, or tell little girls they can't dress as Moana or Pocahontas for Halloween because they're not Polynesian or Native American, you shouldn't praise celebrities for turning the Catholic faith into a fashion statement. 

Your culture can't be my Halloween costume, so my religion can't be your fashion statement. Simple as that.

Mark Salling, Making Mistakes, and Mental Health

WARNING: This post discusses suicide, pornography, and mental health issues, which may be sensitive topics for some readers.
As most of you probably know, Glee actor Mark Salling was found dead on Tuesday after an apparent suicide. He was only 35 years old. In March, Salling was set to receive sentencing on child pornography charges.
Having watched Glee for almost the entirety of its TV run, this news was devastating to me. I was a band and theatre nerd, and that show was not only right up my alley subject wise, but it made me feel like being an arts nerd was kind of cool.
Anyway, one thing that's really been bothering me about Mark's death, obviously aside from the fact that the man is dead, is that many people have been practically celebrating his death. Yes, he did a terrible thing having all of that child pornography, but he didn't deserve to die. We should never celebrate someone's death, no matter what they did or how much we may dislike them.
I am in no way excusing or defending Salling's actions. What he did was terrible. However, think of how his friends and family must feel right now. Do we really want to worsen their pain by celebrating the death of their loved one? Would you want someone to do that if your loved one died?
Some people have been calling him a coward for committing suicide instead of facing his sentence. The thing is, we don't know the exact reason(s) he did it. Suicide is an extremely complex issue. Maybe he was scared of his sentence and what would happen to him in prison. Maybe he felt guilty for what he did. Or maybe there were other underlying mental health issues that were never publicly discussed, or may have gone completely undiagnosed.
While we're on the subject of mental health, I would like to point out that pedophilia or "pedophilic disorder" is an actual mental disorder in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Let that sink in. You would think with there being so much emphasis on the need for better mental health care, more people would be aware of that.
We have all made mistakes and done things we're not proud of, so let's stop passing judgement on others and show a little more compassion.
If you or someone you know is struggling and contemplating suicide, call 1-800-273-8255.

Joy Villa's Pro-Life Dress

Photo Source

At Sunday night's Grammy Awards, singer Joy Villa walked the red carpet wearing a white dress with what appears to be an unborn baby in a rainbow-colored womb while carrying a purse with the words "Choose Life" painted on it. Many people were shocked by this display, not just because it's rare to see in Hollywood, but because Villa is a Scientologist.

According to Scientology.org, this so-called "church" leaves matters of family planning up to individuals and doesn't advocate abortion. However, one former member said in Leah Remini's documentary on the cult that she, and other women, were forced to have abortions and "were met with grave consequences if they refused" because "leaders feared pregnancies meant women were trying to leave the church (source)."
For all we know, Villa herself may actually be pro-life. Unless you know her personally, you really can't judge, not that anyone should be judging anyone anyway. Let's just appreciate the fact that someone in Hollywood stood up and made a bold pro-life statement. Who knows? Maybe someone considering abortion saw that dress and changed her mind. Even the smallest of signs can change a heart.

Hollywood Hypocrisy Part 2: Award Shows and Sex

Read Hollywood Hypocrisy Part 1 here.

(Photo source: https://www.surreynowleader.com/entertainment/timesup-stars-don-all-black-on-the-golden-globes-red-carpet/)

The Golden Globes, a lovely little award show where Hollywood's biggest stars get all dressed up and gather to celebrate each other, themselves, and all of their hard work. It's glamorous and fun...well it was, until they turned it into a political spectacle.
On this year's Golden Globes many stars in attendance wore black to protest all the sexual harassment/assault that has recently been brought to light in Hollywood. Many others took to Instagram and Twitter to post selfies with #TimesUp and #WhyWeWearBlack. Protesting sexual abuse and harassment is definitely a good thing to do, don't get me wrong. However, this whole thing seems rather hypocritical for multiple reasons.
1. Someone had to have known. Many of the stars who wore black to the Golden Globes, such as Oprah and Meryl Streep, worked closely with Harvey Weinstein, one of the many accused Hollywood sexual abusers, for years. There's no way they were completely unaware of what was happening, and yet they were silent.
2. Fifty Shades Freed. The latest movie in the Fifty Shades franchise comes out in about a month. Countless women, many of which may have posted #TimesUp selfies, will flock to movie theaters everywhere to see the newest film in this borderline-pornographic series.
3. Hollywood created this culture. For decades, Hollywood has condoned and encouraged sexually deviant behavior, and the Fifty Shades franchise is only one example among countless others. In music, movies, television, and other forms of media, we are constantly bombarded with various sexual references and images. Countless TV shows and movies glamorize the hook-up culture. Why is everyone so shocked to learn that there's sexual abuse in this industry?
As a society, we act as if we have no moral compass and then are surprised when people act in such inappropriate ways. This needs to stop.
I sincerely hope that anyone who has experienced sexual abuse/harassment, on either the giving or receiving end, gets the help they need. For a full list of resources available to those seeking help, visit https://www.nsvrc.org/organizations.

Hollywood Hypocrisy Part 1: Ginuwine's Right to Choose

According to BET, R&B star Ginuwine recently declined to kiss a fellow housemate on Celebrity Big Brother UK. Normally, this kind of thing would probably not be a huge deal. However, this particular housemate, India Willoughby, is a trans woman. This little detail is why many are now accusing Ginuwine of being trans-phobic.
I'm going to be totally honest, I'm not really into R&B music or reality TV, so a controversy like this is not something I would usually pay attention to or care about. The only reason I'm posting about this is because I am tired of Hollywood, liberals, and all of their hypocrisy.
The people that are currently calling out Ginuwine for his so-called "transphobia" are the same ones constantly yelling about choice and consent. There is constant talk about how people should be allowed to do whatever they want with their bodies. When it comes to sexual behaviors/activities, yes, consent is extremely important. So why was it so horrible for Ginuwine to refuse to kiss someone he wasn't comfortable kissing?
What makes this debate especially interesting is the fact that Ginuwine told Willoughby he would not date her BEFORE she tried to kiss him. Isn't that considered some form of harassment? In light of all the recent sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood, and the #metoo movement, you would think more people would be upset about Willoughby's behavior than Ginuwine's.
I think it's important for us to analyze situations a little bit more before we take to Twitter to react.
Feel free to leave a comment or send me email and share your thoughts on this.

Dear Miley Cyrus

Dear Miley Cyrus,
When I was about 11 years old, I discovered this cool little show called Hannah Montana. From the moment I started watching, I was hooked, not only on the show, but also on you...ok, that sounds creepier than I meant it to. What I mean is that, I thought you were just the coolest. You could sing, dance, and act. You were a brown-haired, goofy, southern girl, not much different from me (except you were way cooler than me). I really enjoyed watching you grow, and feeling like I was growing up with you.
Before I knew it, you had taken off the wig, revealed to the world that Miley Stewart was in fact Hannah Montana, and the show was over. Then, things changed, and not really in a good way. You started wearing less clothing, smoking more weed, and just generally acting very weird. So many people had said that this kind of thing would happen as you got older. I, and many others who were just as naive, defended you endlessly, but it happened. I get that you were trying to shed the Disney girl image, but I'm not going to lie, I was really starting to worry about you.
However, recently, it seems like things have been changing again. You're back with your love, you've stopped smoking, and you've been showing a little less skin. It's nice. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard Malibu for the first time. It's a simpler, cleaner song than some we've heard from you the last few years. I actually really like it.
I hope that you keep on this cleaner, healthier path. You've come a long way, and I'm proud of you. Keep it up!