Girl Talk: Don't call me fat(uous)!

Girl Talk: Don't call me fat(uous)!

Last Sunday, I fell off the wagon. Spiritually bereft (I skipped church), morally out of step (I threw a tantrum) and a hundred dollars poorer (new tights, vintage Italian shoe-boots and a cute dress hastily stuffed into my handbag), I coerced Husband into a stop-over at a (cue soundtrack from Psycho)... mall.

My shopping appetite already sated with my market stash (sans the pink boucle jacket someone swiped before I could hand over my cash!), the moment I stepped into the place I felt ill. The material gluttony, the mass-produced goods, the wobbly trolleys and an unwelcome run-in with my former shopaholic self conspired to rob me of my carefully cultivated new fashiony self: the one who shops thoughtfully and thriftily.

I immediately resolved to plan a mission trip to some far off third-word country to make amends... or, at least, give stuff away (heck, I'd only orchestrated a swap party for charity a weekend ago!). Then I read Sam de Brito's 'Absolutely Fatuous' piece in the Sun-Herald (pictured) and felt utterly condemned (which I'm sure was his point).

"The more obsessed a woman is with clothes, shoes and handbags, the more utterly barren her interior life," he wrote in his column, aptly juxtaposed with pages of social pages piccies, celebrity gossip and sartorial tidbits. "This is not to suggest all fashionably dressed chicks are completely vacuous or that conspicuous consumers of women's clothing cannot be "spiritual"... But is it possible to have one's moral compass in working order and spend $2500 on a handbag or own 100 pairs of shoes?"

Taking a further stab at exactly the kind of lady who might peruse the pages of S on a Sunday morning (ah-hem), de Brito asked, "Can you make a worthwhile contribution to humankind if you waste half your life glomming over "what people are wearing" photo spreads and heeding the utterances of Anna Wintour or Garance Dore?"

Cushioning the blow somewhat for readers who adore Garance Dore, de Brito made a distinction: "there are many gals who know their designers and lead fruitful, productive lives, but I'm talking about the type of woman who actually believes owning a pair of hot pants and knee-high socks before anyone else will bring them happiness".

Having been schooled in consumerism in the 1990s and coming of shopping age in the big-spendy 2000s, like many young women I fell victim to the persuasions of shopping malls and glossy fashion magazines. I blame Clueless and Sex and the City (pop culture is a convenient scapegoat for stupidity!), insecurity and a poor appreciation for asset depreciation. But what could have amounted to a house deposit was deposited at French Connection and Witchery and Country Road.

This time of rampant consumerism in my life came to a head with an encounter with God (hooray, saved), a trip around Europe with a friend, during which time I plugged many wardrobe gaps with sensible, well-made things (for grown-up girls) like blazers and jeans and shoes, which I still rotate, followed by my engagement to a man whose income capacity was hindered by his life's calling and my subsequent departure from the world of full-time salary earning (ergo, money got tighter than a pair of supertube jeans).

Since this time, I have prided myself on being resourceful and creative and eco-friendly in my approach to fashion, trawling thrift stores for pieces to liven up my basics, repairing items that start to fray, stashing away money for good shoes, occasionally indulging in pieces bought from local boutiques (dressed up as doing my bit for the community) and hosting swap parties. Shopping has become something I delight in, occasionally, rather than mindlessly participate in... often.

But things could have turned out differently. Had God not intervened with his divine plan that I might learn to live a life of thrift, I could have been an Avis Cardella, whom de Brito takes aim at in his column and whose book, Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict, made me feel ill.

Cardella's is a 260-page cautionary tale for all the aspiring Carrie Bradshaws (or Gossip Girls) led astray by the notion that a girl can have her shoes (all 100 pairs and counting) without the financial and spiritual repercussions.

“How can a woman with a closet so full feel so empty inside?” asks Cardella, a New York model-turned-fashion-photography-critic whose penchant for spending turned into a shopping addiction fuelled by her deep insecurities, bouts of depression and the need to keep up appearances.

Her memoir is full of supporting evidence about shopping addiction, but the ruminations on her purchases, her mother's part in her negative self-image, her craving for her father's approval and her failed relationships make for a sorrowful tale about a girl who grew into a woman without getting the message that fabulous clothes do not a fulfilling life make.

After visiting the Valentino retrospective exhibition at GoMA this morning, accompanied by some of the gorgeous girls studying fashion through QUT's creative industries division, I was reminded that having an appreciation for fashion and for beautiful things needn't be concomitant with consuming fashion at a pace that befits Paris Hilton (or a certain fictional New York columnist), as rampant consuming is ultimately unsustainable and damaging for one's financial prospects and interior life.

While throwing a tantrum befitting of a three-year-old when the pink jacket was swiped from under my nose was the 'wake up and smell the ridiculousness' reminder this former shopaholic needed, when I paired my vintage Italian boots with a pair of new tights, an old dress and a tried-and-true trench this morning, my moral compass was left perfectly in tact (thank you very much, Sam).

Fashion doesn't maketh the woman, but like a beautifully curated exhibition, a pared-back, thoughtful, occasionally updated wardrobe can help her define her sense of self.

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

Girl Talk: Kristy Fraser-Kirk's Sexual Harassment Precedent

Girl Talk: Kristy Fraser-Kirk's Sexual Harassment Precedent

How can it be that 30 years after Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin kicked the proverbial butt of their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" boss in Nine to Five that we are still talking about sexual harassment in the workplace... without irony (designer Alannah Hill's ill-conceived attempts at humour do not count)?

As has been widely reported, former David Jones junior publicist Kristy Fraser-Kirk, 27, launched legal action on the eve of the store's spring/summer showing this week (prime publicity time), claiming $37 million in damages against former CEO Mark McInnes, nine board members and the department store, while also setting a whopping new precedent for sexual harassment cases in Australia.

While SMH business reporter Elizabeth Knight untangles the legal detail here, several journalists, commentators, McInnes supporters and DJs loyalists have questioned Fraser-Kirk's motive – and the size of the claim – with the underlying theme: was that really necessary?

I think yes. Because $37 million big ones (equal to 5% of McInnes' salary and 5% of DJ's profits during the time he worked there) speaks loud and clear at a time when we are all too familiar with corporate excess (and have all felt the repercussions, globally) and when CEO salaries at the top 300 companies average $2.3 million a year (in 2009, McInnes took home salary of $1.78 million and a bonus of $2.68 million). Relatively speaking, it's big biccies for big business.

When, as Tory Magquire wrote for The Punch today, just 9% of Australian boards are made up of women and, as noted by marie claire this month, there is still a great disparity between men's and women's wages (just 82% of that of a man's), the picture of institutionalised disadvantage and sexist corporate culture becomes even clearer.

Writing on pay inequity for marie claire, Anna Saunders says, "It's not until they've been in the labour market for a few years...that many women realise they're getting a raw deal. Even then, the corporate "don't ask don't tell" attitude about pay cheques makes inequity hard to detect." This notion could apply equally to attitudes about misconduct.

While $37 million speaks loudly to every male-dominated industry, every company board, every woman in a workplace who might feel disempowered by her circumstances, every big shot who thinks he doesn't have to play by the rules of respectful conduct, and every whistle-blowing workman on a building site, most importantly it will speak to a generation of young women about integrity and standing up to bullies. "It is not just about me," said Fraser-Kirk in a prepared media statement. "I'm a young woman standing here today simply because I said it was not okay, because I said this should never happen to me or to anyone."

See also:
Damn domestic violence, support Wayne Cooper
Lara Bingle, Woman's Day, ACA

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

Glossy Talk: Frank by name, Frank by nature

Glossy Talk: Frank by name, frank by nature – marie claire Australia's formidable editor

On the publication of her magazine's 15th anniversary issue, all eyes are on Jackie Frank, the tenacious editor/publisher of marie claire Australia whose eccentric office behaviour (conducting meetings while on the treadmill) and fearsome management style are the stuff of industry folklore (and tears shed in the toilet cubicles by staff).

It takes a certain kind of girl (or bloke – the wonderful Matt Cosgrove is her current art director) to work for Frank (I hear being embedded in Afghanistan is safer). Not all survive with egos intact; glossy dreams have been realised and dashed under her watchful eye and some bear post-traumatic war wounds akin to Gulf War syndrome.

But those who do make it often go on to great things, like her former deputy Nicky Briger, who now edits Who and has penned a colourful profile of her former boss for marie claire's September issue, as well as her competitor at Madison, Lizzie Renkert (who's also run with Kylie on the cover this issue) and Kerry Parnell, assistant editor at The Sunday Telegraph.

Love her or loathe her, there's no mistaking that Frank presides over one of the industry's most lucrative and respected titles: it ranks third to The Australian Women's Weekly and Cosmopolitan in copy sales, boasts the sort of high-end advertising that makes shareholders salivate and was a key media facilitator for the paid maternity leave scheme.

Frank recently talked to James Manning of Mediaweek about her tenure at marie claire...

How do you keep the title fresh after 15 years as editor? You know what – the thing about marie claire is its breadth of content and that's what keeps you engaged. Our content goes from the fashion and the beauty to hard-hitting stories and issues that affect women. It enriches my life as a human being and I find it all just really stimulating. Sure, some parts of the job are repetitive, but I am so lucky to have a job I enjoy. The hardest part and the most rewarding part is working with the staff. I have lost some great people, which is sad, because I become very attached to high achievers and it is difficult to have to train new people to replace them.

Do you have special autonomy as editor and publisher? It's not autonomy... it just means more work.

Are you a good delegator? Hmm [thinks then yells across the office to colleagues]. They all said yes! I always say to people, this is your job, this is what you have to do. If you work here and you do your job well there's no limits to what you can get involved in.

Many dud decisions in 15 years? Putting a man on the cover was a big dud decision, and it only happened once. It was George Clooney photographed with Renee Zellweger and Renee was normally a good seller.

Have you employed many people who never worked out? Of course I have. The longer you stay in a job, the more enemies you create. There's always someone who is disgruntled and that number adds up the longer you are around.

Career highlights? I absolutely loved the "What Women Want" seminars. We brought a women's magazine to the forefront and brought it to life. It started with around 200 women and it went all the way to a TV show on Network 10. The other was our eight-year campaign for paid maternity eave. When the bill went through, we were contacted by Canberra to congratulate us. It's great to have a woman prime minister, but we still need to fight for better child care and equal pay. It was great to be named MPA Magazine of the Year [2001] and then I later won editor of the year. [Frank finally got the award after five successive years as a nominee.]

What do you like most about editing? I love sitting behind the art director. We have a new art director – Matt Cosgrove – and he's incredibly creative. I love sitting there and watching the layouts being done. That's part of the process I really enjoy.

Do you have a dummy book made up prior to finishing an issue? Yes we do [laughs], but it doesn't get delivered to my house as it was in Anna Wintour's house in the movie about US Vogue, The September Issue.

How many ways do you annoy your staff? [Frank asks her colleagues.] How long have you got? [Laughs]. I'm impatient, I can take up a meeting and get bored quickly or I can keep it going for way too long. [A staffer then prompts her]. I like everything to be shiny and new, which is hard when you have a three-month lead time. I change things all the time – I think I'm working on a weekly, I don't realise that marie claire is a monthly.

What are your annual trips? Every two years we have a marie claire international conference, and they are fun. Twice a year to Paris and Milan for the collections.

Do you argue much with management? I fight for what I think is right for the brand. I see myself as the marie claire brand champion. To be honest, sometimes I even fight with the French. I love the relationship I have with marie claire international, they are incredible. The former publisher, Matt Handbury, was very much about the product and he really ingrained the need for service journalism into us and how the journalism, marketing and advertising had to work together. When we moved to Pacific Magazines, [CEO] Nick Chan is a very different person to Matt, but I have learnt business skills more at Pacific. I feel so lucky to have two different CEOs with two different strengths.

Is there really a story about you in [the September issue of] the magazine? I only agreed on the condition that Nicky Briger [editor of Who] wrote the story. She said yes, but on the condition that I wasn't allowed to edit it! [Laughs} Nicky didn't interview me, but spoke with people who have worked on the magazine. There is also a reportage feature on behind-the-scenes on marie claire.

Are you happy with Nicky's story? I laughed!

Q&A republished with permission from Mediaweek.

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

Glossy Talk: The Weekly cuts to the chase on Gillard coverage

Glossy Talk: No shilly-shallying, The Weekly cuts to the chase on Gillard coverage

The Australian Women's Weekly's editor Helen McCabe makes it clear there was no shilly-shallying around when it came to presenting Julia Gillard on her cover. Not for The Weekly suggestions that the glossy might play a part in Labor electoral propaganda with the insinuation that a (deputy) Gillard cover was in the bag before the leadership spill: "it is a coincidence that Julia Gillard is on our cover during what will be a tightly fought campaign. Our cover is not intended to be an endorsement of her or her government... It is not The Weekly's role to back a leader, but it is our job to ask questions and to bring you the stories about the people who shape this nation."

We are also reminded that The Weekly ran a feature on opposition leader Tony Abbott in February (but not that Gillard also featured in December), that Gillard was faced with equally tough questioning (on God, on abortion, on childlessness, on marriage, on her alleged affair with Craig Emerson) and that the photographs of Gillard are mostly true-to-life: "We have not changed Ms Gillard's hair or removed one wrinkle. These pictures are beautiful because of great lighting and a talented photographer, makeup artist, hairdresser and stylist, and that is how Ms Gillard looked on the day."

So there.

Of course, things got interesting when The Weekly went on sale the very day that Gillard had to face rumours about her 'real' (un-Photoshopped) opinions on paid parental leave and the pension increase. In a timely fashion, a trip to Gillard's hometown in Adelaide was organised, during which time she dismissed the cabinet leak as "just a bit of silly carry-on", had a coffee with a local pollie and greeted prideful old ladies in the street (one who said, "I saw your pictures in The Weekly, they're lovely").

Gillard's immaculate transformation from hard-looking, tough-talking deputy with a barren fruitbowl to the groomed, poised, attractive lady we see in The Weekly's pages is nothing short of a PR miracle. You might think Gillard would look disconcertingly out of context amongst the pages of recipes and advice on family, menial and house-wifely matters, but she doesn't. Perhaps that is testament to good styling, flattering lighting or crafty PR. Or her deftness in the communication department. Hopefully, it is more about respecting a woman's right to choose her own path and look a-bit-alright regardless of your political (or religious) persuasions. Lucy Brook shares some of her thoughts on the issue...

The Gillard Cover Spread

The 4000-word Weekly profile by Associate Editor Bryce Corbett, which, as Sally Jackson reported in Monday’s Australian, includes an exclusive photo shoot that “will give Ms Gillard and Labor free national exposure to more than two million readers, almost all of them women voters”, is a pleasing behind-the-scenes package, complete with candid snaps and some lovely description (Gillard, snug in a pink hoodie with her feet propped up on a coffee table, gets grilled about marriage: gold) that’s unlikely to minimise the frenzy sparked by the latest leaks.

Several excerpts from the interview are making their way around the 'net, but this segue from Corbett is loaded: "It could be argued that Tim – for whom there is no doubt she cares deeply – is nice to have around, but he's not strictly necessary. Julia is a lone wolf, unweakened by association or ties. There's no way she can be let down by a philandering husband because she doesn't have one. There's no possibility of being embarrassed by a wayward child because she doesn't have any."

This bothers me. Are they the only choices women have? Be in an (implied: non-committal, unnecessary) de-facto partnership or be married to a "philandering husband"? Be a "lone wolf" or be "embarrassed"? Sorry to do be a nit-picky feminist, but no one sits around suggesting that Oprah is on shaky ground because she is unmarried and childless. No one implies that because of that, Oprah might do a crap job on her show, or for her charities. Or that her partner is disposable because they haven't officially tied the knot.

Elsewhere... The Good Bits

• Heralding the arrival of the Industry Code of Conduct on Body Image, Helen McCabe’s editor’s letter includes a frank disclosure of The Weekly’s use of Photoshop – “We do use these techniques because we want to bring you the best possible magazine. We smooth out skin tones, reduce imperfections and often alter ill-fitting clothing... In the interest of transparency, from this month we will acknowledge whenever a picture prwoduced (sic.) by The Weekly has been digitally altered.” Bravo.

• Flip a page over and The Weekly asks, "Who are Australia's most influential women?" in anticipation of the November issue, which will "pay tribute" to five women from spheres of influence including food, books, film, fashion, politics and media. Looking forward to it!

• Continuing this week's post-MasterChef foodie momentum, Maggie Beer, Stephanie Alexander and Margaret Fulton get feisty in ‘The Original MasterChefs’, featuring gorgeous images of Australia’s three (female) cooking powerhouses.

• ‘Punished for Love’ - Jordan Baker relates Darwin beauty Angelita Pires’ fight for justice after she was falsely accused by East Timor’s Government of plotting to assassinate the president, Jose Ramos-Horta. Compelling stuff. Don’t loose your marbles if you can’t find the continued copy on page 294 – it doesn’t exist, and should say 274.

• Aussie freelancer Jenny Cooney Carrollo talks motherhood, movies and dressing like a man with Angelina Jolie in ‘Earth Goddess’, a refreshing Q&A with sublime Patrick Demarchelier shots (which are possibly very, very Photoshopped. Since the images aren’t produced by The Weekly, we aren’t privy to the details) of the 35-year-old Salt star.

• Yearning for a sense of community? ‘Confessions of a Housewife’ delves deep into the blogosphere, where women come together to “bare their souls, vent their frustrations and ask shameful or embarrassing questions.” Uber-blogger Mia Freedman and The Australian’s Caroline Overington offer their social networking wisdom.

The Not-So-Good Bits

• Natalie Imbruglia... She's gorgeous, of course, but this is a seriously boring profile akin to YEARS of the same old Kylie profiles (are you clucky? Are you seeing anyone special? Isn’t it great that you were once on Neighbours?!).

• It would be unfair to take aim at the poor WAGS themselves, as they're real people (most with accomplishments beyond perfecting fake tanning), but I don't see how the photographic portfolio of these 20-something glamazons and their burly men would appeal to The Weekly's demo without making references to cougar-eye-candy.

Pretty Pages

• Photographer Robyn Beeche, 65, is both inspiring and elegant in 'Women we admire'.

• City Homicide star Nadine Garner captures spunky elegance in ‘Black and White Magic’.

• ‘It’s a Classic’ is cramped with cropped capris, timeless trenches, Breton stripes, little black dresses, pencil skirts and pearls - a chic spread that would no doubt garner the Hepburn (Audrey and Katherine) seal of approval.

• ‘A Country Table’ beautifully showcases Kayanba (in Western Australia’s) wide open spaces, and some tasty tucker (white chocolate, macadamia and raspberry blondie anyone?)

The GWAS Verdict... Is this a glossy you should spend your pocket money on?












Yours truly,
Lucy & Erica @ Girl With a Satchel

Pop: All the foodie ladies

Pop: All the foodie ladies (put a napkin ring on it)

Over the past decade, pop culture has given us the supermodel, the waif, the slashie celebrity, the tween icon, the pop princess, the socialite, the reality TV star, the WAG and the funny lady (dabbling in fashionistas, rock-star progeny, crafty types and super-star stylists on the side) but the latest group of women to be pop-cultrified for mass consumption have one hand in a mixing bowl and the other on a MacBook. They are the female foodie heroines; the objects of male lust and female envy and marketing campaigns targeting your iPhone and your hip pocket.

They are about making the idea of cooking palatable and aspirational for everyday women and appeal to both men's stomachs and their appreciation of the female form. Not only can you have the luscious former literary editor Nigella Lawson on your TV screen, you can also keep her in your pocket with an "app that makes your cooking life easier", aptly named the Nigella Quick Collection, for your iPhone or iPod touch. Then there's the equally lovely Sophie Dahl, author of Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights, and maligned TV presenter (The Delicious Miss Dahl), who is as handy with prose as she is with a spatula. And now joining the British ranks of glamorous foodies is Gwyneth "GOOP-lady" Paltrow, who's said good-bye to her macrobiotic diet and hello to a book deal, with My Father's Daughter, her collection of recipes due out later this year.

Scoff as the serious chefs and epicurean pundits might at this likely fleeting female foodie obsession, I for one am happy to direct my girl-crush affections and pocket money towards women who make food preparation look fun and glamorous. For too long we have worshipped at the feet of women who want to suck the joy out of eating by whipping our bodies into submission, while male foodies (chefs, cooks and critics) have topped the celebrity media mantle. Poh to that!

Locally, we have MasterChef's female finalists, Poh Ling Yeow and Julie Goodwin, as well as industry stalwarts like Donna Hay, Kylie Kwong and Margaret Fulton, and comedienne Jane Kennedy (author of Fabulous Food, Minus the Boombah) and former Playschool host Monica Trapaga (author of She's Leaving Home) making a name for themselves as cooks women love. Save for Poh's Kitchen, where are the TV deals? I'd personally sooner watch Sarah Murdoch whip up a pavlova than oversee the next batch of bitchy top models any day. As these feminine foodies show, you can have a nice booty and bake your biscuits, too.

See also:
GWAS' Book Shelf selection of cookbooks
Reality TV? Chefs still masters in most restaurants by Helen Greenwood @ SMH

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

Glossy Talk: Girlfriend magazine's friendlier new image

Glossy Talk: Girlfriend gets a new, girl-friendlier image in light of Voluntary Industry Code of Conduct on Body Image

Girlfriend magazine editor Sarah Cornish is walking the talk on body image with a relaunch of her teen title to coincide with the Voluntary Industry Code of Conduct launched by Minister for Youth Kate Ellis in June.

Cornish was a part of the National Advisory Group on Body Image and also front and centre at the press call for the launch of the resulting initiatives which "encourage media, fashion and advertising industries to promote more positive body image messages" through support for the Voluntary Industry Code of Conduct.

In addition to a refreshed masthead, the re-design of sections, layouts and fonts and a new cover-mount strategy, Girlfriend aims to comply with the Code of Conduct with a strict new body image policy covering everything from the selection of models published within the magazine to retouching guidelines. These include:

- The removal of images of models modelling catwalk (runway) from the pages of
Girlfriend;
- Banning the Photo-shopping of body shape, size, hair colour or permanent marks
(moles, freckles, scars, lines, tattoos);
- An ongoing commitment to using more real girls as models;
- And the promotion of positive role models and banning of celebrities who readers
identify as having poor body image.

Additionally, the new-look August issue out on Wednesday will give purchasers the option of an "I am beautiful" or "I am strong" necklace, which signifies the first of a series of girl-positive gifts to be cover-mounted over successive issues to tie in with the magazine's "I Am Beautiful" body image campaign.

In a press release, Cornish states, "The youth market has always valued innovation, and we’re excited to deliver Girlfriend readers a fresh, creative product which, more than ever, offers greater editorial substance and real understanding of the teen issues of today."

I'm in two minds about the "banning of celebrities with poor body image": by all means, present teens with healthy role models, and subtly omit celebs who might influence girls negatively, but what constitutes/measures poor body image exactly and what does it say to girls about accepting each other, and themselves, if these celebrities are singled out and shunned?

Still, all credit to Girlfriend for getting a jump start on the Voluntary Industry Code, which comes into play later this year and will allocate the body-image friendly symbol to compliant media through an awards scheme overseen by Mia Freedman. Big tick!

See also:
ACP's Australian Beauty Awards + Industry Code of Conduct on Body Image
Kate Ellis' launch speech

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

Pop: Pop culture power women – take two!

Pop Culture: Women of pop culture & the unashamed use of cutesy clichés!

After experiencing some minor audiovisual issues (during which time I had a little jokey internal monologue with Tina Fey about the "computer sticky thingy") and giving my introductory lecture on feature writing on Monday, I opened up the opportunity for questions.

"Are you going to be referencing Sex and the City every lecture?" deadpanned one male student channeling Daria. Touché!

I actually hadn't intended to make reference to the show (in fact, I genuinely try to curb such things, knowing how tiresome it can sound), but sometimes a pop culture reference comes to mind that fits the occasion aptly enough to illustrate a point and simply must be voiced (cue the scene in Sex and the City when Candice Burgen, playing Carrie's Vogue editor, returns her piece on shoes dripping with red ink).

Though more "serious journalists" prefer witty literary/historical/political references and high-brow in-jokes, I love a good pop culture reference in a feature; preferably if it's Gen-Y nostalgic. It says, "you speak my language". Gillard and Abbott (or, rather, their speech writers) should really think about throwing some random Simpsons/Mad Men quotes into the mix (okay, as duly noted by Liz, it didn't work for Joe Hockey).

Give me Seinfeld, give me slinkys, give me scrunchies, give me The Goonies and Gilmore Girls and I'm yours. As Elle Woods once said, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy." So does good pop-culture (and puppies). And Ellen DeGeneres.

So who better to inspire the writer's muse – that voice that sits upon your shoulder like trusty Tinkerbell – than some of the feisty and fabulous gals you pointed to in response to the pop popularity poll? Make like Buffy Summers who, said one of you, "slew all manner of demons and even had breath to spare for puns and quips".

Pic by Sophie.

Pic credits: Tinkerbell (fotos.imagensporfavor.com); Tina Fey (harpersbazaar.com); Elle Woods (fashionmagazine.com); Ellen DeGeneres (images.starpulse.com); Lorelai Gilmore (images.eonline.com); Rory Gilmore (gilmorenews.com); Daria (techpin.com); Buffy (sundaypaper.com)

See also: Pop Popularity Poll: Chicks who kick butt

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

Guest Girl Talk: Pop culture, politics or both?

Guest Girl Talk: Can a girl have her pop culture Coco Pops and her political Corn Flakes, too?

When a prime-time TV cooking show has the power to shift a national political debate to nanna-dinner-hour, a girl's got good reason to question her politics. Here, Gen-Y writer and ABC Online intern Liz Burke ponders whether passion for pop culture and politics need be mutually exclusive.

I had a polarising proposition put to me this week that I just couldn’t pick: political passionate or pop culture junkie? (Today’s post is brought to you by the letter ‘P’). If you had asked me five weeks ago, I probably would have paused to close a few Firefox tabs full of celeb gossip and fashion blogs, waited for the TV screen to be engulfed by the MasterChef fireball ad-omen, and finished flicking through whichever glossy had arrived in my mailbox that week before considering my answer.

But, to be honest, lately I’ve been more interested in the musings of Annabel Crabb than Anna Wintour; Crikey over Grazia.

With so much going on in both public interest categories, it’s hard to keep up even with one, let alone deal with clashes and overlaps. It’s easy to feel the pressure to keep up with policy talk and election commentary, which can leave you craving some lighter news. I don't think I'm the only one in the nation facing this dilemma. (Just look at the hits garnered by the Miranda and Orlando love story).

Even our prospective leaders are struggling to accommodate the current affairs/culture clash. We saw pop culture prevail when the upcoming political pressure test, the leaders’ debate, was bumped to accommodate viewers of the other big decider of 2010: appointing Australia’s next MasterChef.

The groans of respected political commentators and dining devotees alike were heard loudly on Tuesday when the clash was announced. Compromises like channel surfing suggestions and SatchelGirl's Twitter idea to have Matt Preston adjudicate the Abbott/Gillard debate proved the public’s need to satisfy their hunger for both democratic debate and dinner ideas (in reply the witty MattsCravat tweeted: "Nice but I prefer Gillard and Abbott in a pressure test - followed by George & Gary debating home, economic & foreign policies").

Delightfully, pop culture won out in the end and the PM had to cave.

In not-so-well-received campaign developments, outspoken shadow treasurer Joe Hockey called on celebrity references to insult Wayne Swan and probably also to show the kids he is “down”, likening the Treasurer’s spending style to Paris Hilton’s celibacy.

Wednesday night’s cringe-worthy display of pop-cultural convergence by Tony Abbott in his appearance alongside Kylie on Hey Hey It's Saturday's judging panel, I thought, was taking it a little too far. But it did raise the question, or rather the idea of the importance of entertainment-integration in political campaigning.

I think, and I’ll never say this again... it might be time to take a leaf out of Tony Abbott’s book (shudder) and combine the two (in a less tacky and slightly more respectable manner, please). We can’t always be all over everything, and it can’t hurt to be entertained as well as informed. Maybe this discussion doesn’t need to end with a decider, or even a preferential vote. Stay informed, people, but don’t feel bad for flicking to the social pages before brushing up on the broadsheets’ campaign diaries.

*Last night's ABC 24 launch went up against MasterChef... we’ll see how that pans out.

Yours truly,
Liz Burke @ Girl With a Satchel

CHICTIONARY by Clare Press

(I speak, you speak, we all speak...FASHION)

F’row Word of the Moment

Fashion fatigue. (fash-on fateeg) n. General malaise prompted by fear of falling for yet another catwalk trend. Style system overload. Need to reboot (but please no more new boots, not yet, not until I’ve checked in – and out – of runway rehab).

The condition: The frenetic pace of fashion activity can lead to what’s been dubbed Fashion Fatigue Syndrome (FFS) in those who’ve been overexposed to too many trends and mood altering editorial images. If left untreated, FFS can lead to extreme and destabilising trend apathy, and ultimately – bad style. Yikes.

The symptoms: For healthy citizens of Planet Fashion, a glimpse of Louis Vuitton’s new ladylike look brings on a deep desire to go forth and purchase a new full skirt. This, you will recognise, is the normal reaction. But those afflicted by FFS appear unable to distinguish a natural, healthy yearning for fabulosity from rabid, unacceptable greed and stupidity. Sufferers report increasing down-in-the-dumps, woe-is-me feelings on exposure to new heel shapes or panels of ruched velvet. I spy Vuitton? “Time to scream and run!” say they. For the fashion fatigue victim, the September issues are simply too, too tiring.

Treatment: There are currently no drugs available to tackle this dangerous virus. The best way to beat it is to go cold turkey in a controlled environment. Then, when your system is out of shock, gradually reintroduce it to its past passions via short trips to Gucci in the CBD and controlled flicking through Grazia. In time, most victims can be successfully rehabilitated into the fashion fraternity, although the stigma surrounding the illness persists. Do what you can to spread the word – knowledge is power.

GWAS Note: Mrs. Press is a busy lady (book writing, fashion designing, blogging; you know how it is), so shall be dropping by GWAS sporadically to impart her words of fashion wisdom.

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

GWAS: Lessons in The Elements of Style #2 (Quotations)

GWAS: Lessons in The Elements of Style #2 (Quotations)

Quotations. Formal quotations cited as documentary evidence are introduced by a colon and enclosed quotation marks.

The United States Coast Pilot has this to say of the place: "Bracy Cove, 0.5 mile eastward of Bear Island, is exposed to southeast winds, has a rocky and uneven bottom, and is unfit for anchorage."

A quotation grammatically in apposition or the direct object of a verb is preceded by a comma and enclosed in quotation marks.

I am reminded of the advice of my neighbour, "Never worry about your heart till it stops beating."

Mark Twain says, "A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read."

When a quotation is followed by an attributive phrase, the comma is enclosed within the quotation marks.

"I can't attend," she said.

Typographical usage dictates that the comma be inside the marks, though logically it often seems not to belong there.

"The Fish," "Poetry," and "The Monkeys" are in Marianne Moore's Selected Poems.

When quotations of an entire line, or more, of either verse or prose are to be distinguished typographically from text matter, as are the quotations in the book, begin on a fresh line and indent. Quotation marks should not be used unless they appear in the original, as in dialogue.

Wordsworth's enthusiasm for the French revolution was at first unbounded:
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to be young was very heaven!

Quotations introduced by that are indirect discourse and not enclosed in quotation marks.

Keats declares that beauty is truth, truth beauty.
Dickinson states that a coffin is a small domain.

Proverbial expressions and familiar phrases of literary origin require no quotation marks.

These are the times that try men's souls.
He lives far from the madding crowd.

Edited extract from The Elements of Style (Illustrated), Strunk, White, Kalman, $19.95, Penguin

See also: Lessons in The Elements of Style #1 (Omit needless words)

Your truly,
Girl With a Satchel

Pop: Brooke Satchwell cleans up on stage

Pop: Brooke Satchwell cleans up on stage

I have a soft spot for Brooke Satchwell, and not just because her ex was a douche bag (can't we all relate to that?) who apparently treated her like a punching bag (lest we forget, given the Australia entertainment industry's unusual penchant for elevating men of dubious character to glory by giving them plum jobs in the TV industry... but that's another post).

Then, to top that whole experience off poor Brooke (a Neighbours and Play School alumni) got caught up in the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks of 2008 (which earned her the tag: "the girl that was in the cupboard"). The girl's had a rough trot of it. Yet in public she is all grace. Clean, shiny hair (she was a Pantene girl), luminous skin and lovely manners. Plus, she's a big believer in supporting good causes, like Jon Dee's "Do Something". If there were a Nice Girls magazine, she'd be a covergirl.

A few years ago, she took some time out, telling Women's Health magazine, "When your confidence is low, you feel the need for validation. Over the last couple of years, I became a little introverted - I was getting stage fright on set and I think that's because I was uncertain about where I was going. In day-to-day life I was keeping really positive and being the person people knew me as, which then made it very difficult to do my job and disappear into another character, because in my life I was already playing a role. I got stressed that I wasn't living up to my responsibilities. That's why I took 18 months out, to investigate different paths, see what else I could do."

Satchwell's latest acting gig is in the stage show The Clean House, which is in-season in Brisbane (until July 31), described as "a comedy about clean homes and messy lives... a heart-warming story of love, loss and how laughter can heal almost everything."

I love it when homegrown TV/movie actresses take to the stage and share their talents with the public at grass-roots level (I saw Rose Byrne perform in a small play directed by her then-boyfriend Brendan Cowell in Sydney a while back... she was mesmerising and I could almost touch her!). Not too big for her boots, Satchwell is a girl-with-a-satchel kind of gal. I am definitely booking tickets (qldtheatreco.com.au) to show my support. X-Factor that.

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

Glossy Talk: Dearly disenchanted

Glossy Talk: Dearly disenchanted

"I've been an avid Sunday Life reader for some years; however, in recent months the tone makes a contented Sunday morning almost impossible. Happily married? Soon your spouse will be unfaithful and you will put up with this. Or, this week ("For Better Not Worse", July 4), you need to spend more time working on your marriage. Enjoy one or two glasses of wine with your dinner? You are on the path to alcoholism. Got kids? You'll need to subjugate yourself in every way to do this properly. The aim seems to be to feed every type of guilt, insecurity and doubt imaginable." - Belinda Prakhoff, Vic*

On the phone to a freelance writer friend the other night, she told me that she'd bought Cosmo, read it through and feel wretched about herself. As someone of considerable intelligence, she almost surprised herself with the ease at which she imbibed the content along with its subliminal messages about the vast gap between Who You Are and Who You Should Be.

This is not deliberate. Glossy editors genuinely don't sit in editorial meetings scheming away at how they can make their readers feel inadequate enough to buy stuff they don't need to fill the aching void of discontent. But they are indoctrinated in the culture; y'know, the one that sees everything through the looking glass. Which is why it scares me when I hear that some titles are producing all their content in-house.

In her "Open Letter to Seventeen Magazine" (a teen magazine which equates flat abs with "Major Confidence" and taking drugs with bring "Fat & Ugly"), teen blogger Tavi writes: "By trying to discourage the use of drugs with the threats that it will make someone fat and ugly, you're saying the worst thing that can happen to your average reader, a teenage girl, as a result of drug use, is not that she will have any damage done to her brain or become unhappy, but that her appearance will suffer (again, being fat does not mean bad appearance, but that is what you imply.) Notice anything wrong with this picture?"

Yes, all shades of wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. And my cynical self immediately thinks, what a cheap way to attract teens with sensationalised coverlines that feed their physical insecurities: Seventeen should really know better. In an interview earlier this year, Seventeen editor Ann Sholket said: "I feel a tremendous responsibility to help these girls grow up to be smart, amazing, self-actualized, fulfilled women. And you know that responsibility is, like, every day. What do these girls need now, so they can walk into any situation and feel confident?"

Ah-hem.

When you work in magazines, you are so busy compiling references to take to meetings, shooting, writing copy, attending launches, etc., that the greater ideological/philosophical ideas about how what you are producing might affect your readers plays second fiddle. Eager features writers come to meetings with bags full of clippings and notes on their real-life experiences which are then bandied about until the perfect angle is decided. (Remember the editorial meeting scene in How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days? It's like that.)

Yes, you will have momentary attacks of "I can't believe I'm participating in this vacuous delusion" (I certainly did as a beauty editor) but mostly you are just Trying To Do Your Job. Which is to create pages for the magazine you are employed by. It's only when you start operating outside the glossy-sphere that things start to add up. What, normal people aren't all a size six? People don't wear six-inch heels and power-shoulder jackets? People actually eat carbs after 6pm? Some women are happy and content in their lives?!!! OMG!

Like a sort of glossy Stockholm Syndrome, you don't realise what adverse affects they have on your pysche until some of their more sinister elements have seeped into your consciousness (see here), like breaking up with an awful boyfriend who treated you like crap but whose disapproving words stick to you like glue. Glossy fatigue has long been a hazard of this blogger's beat (and this blogger's beat), but the above published (pilfered, whatever) reader of Sunday Life magazine articulates a wider disenchantment with the genre.

In 2007, I wrote this about ELLE magazine: "I felt all depressed after reading "After age 25, hair starts to lose pigment, which makes it appear flat and dull even if it's not grey yet" in 'Out With the Old'. In fact, the whole feature has got me obsessing over flaws I didn't know I had. Used to be your 30s were the time to start getting paranoid about wrinkles – now we twentysomethings have to be on hyper-alert for dehydration and pigmentation. In skincare, 20 is the new 30. But don't worry, there are a bunch of super-expensive ways to combat premature ageing: radio frequency waves for sagging arms, hyaluronic-acid-filler injections for jowls, Botox for those fine mouth lines, and shock therapy for frown lines! So much for old-fashioned diet, exercise, SPF, Dove beauty bars and age-acceptance."

While critical thought and shared life experiences are a valuable mainstay of glossy women's media, the negative-gearing of many features – let alone the imagery, advertising, etc. – is not a healthy thing for women to participate in. And it's seeping into online content, too. And now magazines are feeding off online, it's a vicious cycle we're participating in and perpetuating – how is any woman to be content while buying in?

You need to develop self-love, not buns, of steel and a healthy appreciation for the business of gloss. Best not to define your hopes, dreams and aspirations by glossy standards. Between you and me, no matter how well meaning, they will never quite make you feel like you are good enough... if you allow them to. The sooner more glossies start producing content to make women feel good – in mind, spirit and body – the better.

*Ironically, I go to church on Sundays to restore what the glossies deplete through the week!

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." 1 Corinthians 13:1

Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel