Plus is Equal

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Have you met Ashley Graham? She is definitely my crush for this month! This beauty is an American model from Nebraska and also a "body activist" who is trying to change the way the fashion industry works. 

I've heard of Ashley the first  when she staged a plus size show in the latest New York  Fashion Week, which showcased her lingerie designs for plus size retailer Addition Elle. 

First of all: the lingerie was a-ma-zing.

Secondly: she absolutely rocked it! I mean.. After all, there's a reason why the hashtag was #IamSizeSexy! I loved everything, but most of all, I love that she has what most women lack the most: confidence.

It's time for people to understand that sexy doesn't have to be skinny and all body types are equally beautiful and deserve to be loved. It's not the first time I post about this subject, as I feel that women are still being judged and put into boxes of skinny/beautiful or fat/ugly based on their weight and this is extremely unfair and unreal. 

Again, I believe that at the end of the day we should be worried, not about the number on the scale, but about the fact that we're striving for a healthy lifestyle based on real standards that show us gorgeous women.  

Your TopCrusher,

Daniela 

Caitlyn Jenner's story and why all women must love Jon Stewart

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You know what ladies? Jon Stewart just gets it! Perfectly. 

As we all know Vanity Fair's photos of Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce, hit the media this week and they all had something to say. Although in general everyone seems to be accepting her gender transition, Jon Stewart brilliantly saw something that no one else noticed: media and sexism.

"It's really heartening to see that everyone is willing to not only accept Caitlyn Jenner as a woman, but to waste no time in treating her like a woman."

The way Caitlyn looks was everything they were talking about. Should we take a minute to reflect? I did... And that's it, the moment you become a women, you must be defined by your beauty, your boobs and your ass - and that's really sad.

And then, the worst part comes, comparison, or as Jon says "comparative fuckability": 

"Is she hotter than Kris? Does she have a better body  than Kim?" Wtf people? Hey, where's the message that every woman should focus on herself instead of going crazy comparing her body to the ones they see on the runways? Nowhere.

So, thank you Jon for bringing up the important issues here, it's nice to see someone on TV still has a brain.

You can watch the full video below:

Nailed it, right?

Your TopCrusher,

Daniela

10 reasons why it is awesome to be a woman

Today it is March 8th, the International Women's Day. We have fought hard to be free, to be able to express our opinions, to be taken seriously, to be equal, and we still have a long way to go. Because I am a woman and I believe I am blessed to be one, here are the reasons why being a woman is truly and absolutely awesome:

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1. Gentleness. Yes, we are gentle, we are soft, we smell good and we like pretty shiny things. I'm proud to be feminine.
2. Power. Is there a great woman behind every great man? I believe that it might be the opposite. 
3. Taste. We are sweet, we are the sugar spoon in a world full of sour. 
4. Flirt. If you can flirt, you can do pretty much everything and convince everyone. 
5. Children. I haven't figured this one out yet, but my mom tells me we have the fantastic ability to give birth to a human being, so I will believe her. 
6. Beauty. I love the way we embellish the room when we arrive. We add value to the common places. 
7. Free stuff. Paying for my own drinks? I would, but since everyone is offering...
8. Short skirts, high heels. Come on, do I really have to explain this one? Looking in the mirror and loving what you see is such a good feeling.. Every woman deserves that!
9. Other women. Our mothers, our grandmothers, our friends, our sisters: we have to love and appreciate each other. 
10. Society. I believe that society is treating woman better nowadays. Our fight for equality isn't over, but we have to admit that we have conquered a lot, so this day is a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy the outcome. 

Happy Women's Day!

Your TopCrusher,

Daniela 

Before and After Beauty

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I am a woman. I am twenty six years old. I try to eat well, sleep well, I do some exercise when I have the time. I can't complaint for now, everything seems to be in the right place, my hair is still all black and shiny, my skin is still soft.. but I know, and all women know, that a time will come when all these things will start failing. It's called aging and there's nothing we can do about it. 

This Renee Zellweger controversy made me think about how far we go to look young, even if we know that we aren't on our 20's anymore. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against plastic surgery, I believe that it is a great solution to many health and aesthetic problems and it should always be a personal choice. However, Renee is such a beautiful woman that it's hard to think she would need so many surgeries, she ended up looking like someone else. 

Zellweger apart, I believe that we should see beauty in all ages, in all shapes, in all colors. Only when we stop acting like it is possible to be 20 forever, we will accept the fact that we are beautiful no matter what. Living by unreachable standards will raise our frustration, anger, and disappointment with our bodies and with ourselves.

Maybe the solution here is to focus on feeling forever young, instead of looking like something we're not. 

Your TopCrusher,

Daniela 

8 Things About the Portuguese Woman

I believe that every woman is a singular and peculiar human being. However, when I try to analyze the Portuguese, there are certain characteristics that are common to all of us. Here are some of the things you should know about our women:

Beauty is confidence
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1. We are tough. Look at our history, we watched our fathers, husbands and sons sail away for unknown waters centuries ago to discover the world. That’s why we have a word that no other language has, “saudade”, that means missing a person or a place that you love. But we got through it like the strong women we are. 

2. We like to eat. I’m not only talking about our great traditional Portuguese food, we love sushi, we love Italian, we love to taste new things. And, of course, we love to drink accordingly, if you know what I mean. 

3. We are good drivers. I mentioned all the reasons on a previous post. Women are awesome drivers: they just have more personality when it comes to steering a vehicle that reaches high speed. A woman has the same attitude driving around in her car as she has in life: we are always right. So... Just don’t.

4. We are learning new ways of living. Our mothers were raised to find a husband and have a nice family with a nice house. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with that, I want it too. But nowadays, if you don’t want it, it is also acceptable in our minds to travel the world, to have a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, or just to have friends, or to be alone. As long as you are happy, you do your own choices. 

5. We are beautiful. We are mostly not the “win worldwide beauty pageants” type. We have dark hair, tanned skin and great attitude. We are confident, we own the place. We hold our heads up high, and for me, that’s beauty.

6. We are great students. After the 80’s, college started to be a possibility for women in Portugal (previously men ruled the place). These days we are more and better. The numbers do the talking. We are great students and consequently, great professionals and great leaders.

7. We are loyal. The sad thing about Portugal’s statistics is that we have one of the highest divorce percentages of the world. I believe this means that we are loyal to ourselves. We know how to love and we want to be happy and to make our families happy too. 

8. We forgive but we don’t forget. Don’t mess with the Portuguese girl. We have kind hearts and we are raised with great values, but enough is enough. We might forgive after some time, we might try to overcome after a heartfelt apology but we won’t forget. Just try to be nice around us, so we won’t have to show our fangs. 

If you are a Portuguese woman and you read this text, I really hope you enjoyed it and you seen at least a little bit of yourself in my description.

Your TopCrusher,
Daniela