She says that people should be happy whatever body shape they have, yet she moans about her height (5’7 is NOT short!) idolizes mary-kate olsen and tracey anderson and goes on about how wonderful the raw food diet is when it involves barely eating anything. She once posted a picture of a model (who looked like a famine victim) and said she was beautiful then deleted my comment when I said she looked emaciated and ill and maybe wasn’t the most appropriate image to put on a supposedly body positive blog. Not to mention writing for Cosmopolitan which to me, is a magazine that encourages women to be sex objects.

She also speaks of being content without material things (but constantly brags about the stuff she can buy) and being a “conscious consumer” but promotes estee lauder (which allegedly uses cancer causing chemicals in their products) and numerous cosmetics that are tested on animals and that most people can’t actually afford.

she posted an article called “for god’s sake don’t sleep with him” which basically said that women who don’t have one night stands have low self esteem then posted (which I think is pretty ridiculous) then later posted XXX Time saying that sex is better when your in a reationship!

Sorry for the essay! Just a few things that I’ve been thinking about and want to see if anyone else agrees. Like I said, there’s a lot of good, useful advice on her blog but I can’t have much admiration for someone who doesn’t practice anything she preaches.

Any well read writer in the fashion business receives tons of samples. Even some of the smallest blogs I read get free samples of hair irons and such on a regular basis.

Anyways, I got a pair of glitter/sequin shoes at target for $12 and they make me happy every time I look down at them. Her advice isn’t half bad. If I spend within my means to pamper myself now and then out of love for myself without going into debt or harming others, why not?!

I think the number one thing I take away from Gala on a weekly basis is: no guilt about normal healthy behaviors! No guilt about self love, no guilt about pride in your achievements, no guilt about pursuing your dreams.

She also models healthy eating without restrictions. She still eats cake and pizza but most of the time she eats very healthy, raw foods and such. She models exercising in fun ways. She models so much beauty, even though she is kind homely actually, she just shines beauty and after reading her for years upon years I think she is gorgeous.

I read a lot of fashion blogs, by a lot of different women from all walks of life (in developed countries, I mean they are fashion blogs, so I gotta be real here). And I think fashion blogging is a way of subverting fashion magazine messages. Lovely women of all sorts dressing in wardrobes of all sizes (there is even one lady who wore the same dress for a year!) . Gala is one of the earliest, and hers was the first fashion blog I followed. That lead me to reading a few dozen and getting so many perspectives.

Alex is right, not everyone’s values are the same, and the more we can appreciate each other for the great things we do, rather than criticise for the things that might be different to how we would be, the better!

Of course not everyone’s values are the same, so I shouldn’t project, but it would be nice to see her have a little more concern for living modestly for a greater purpose.