Badass Chick: Peaches

Now this was a hard choice between having decide between Lady Gaga or Peaches. They are both excellent musicians and badasses in their own right. I am more inclined towards Peaches though, because she's Canadian and her music is raunchy and awesome.

A woman like Peaches is hard to put into words. She's just... Peaches. An unapologetic master of subversion with albums such as "Fatherfucker" and "Impeach My Bush". She's not afraid to write explicitly about sex and gender roles. Peaches is not your typical female artist. She's no delicate flower, erasing the line between sexy and trashy. She makes trash look good.

A former schoolteacher, Peaches didn't achieve mainstream success until her early thirties with the release of "The Teaches of Peaches" in 2000. Her sound is hardcore, ass-kicking rock you can dance to. What more could you ask for?

Selected Listening:

"Operate"

"Boys Wanna Be Her"

"Operate"

"Kick It" - featuring Iggy Pop

With love and glow-sticks

-Cathryn

The Ill

I have a cold. Which is about as hardcore as it sounds. It's hard to kick down doors when all you want to do is lie in bed and watch movies or read. Especially when one has exams coming up, and really should be studying.

So I've been choking down cough syrup and drinking plenty of orange juice. Tomorrow I plan on handing out resumes and may or may not get a tattoo. It all depends. As long as I'm feeling better.

With love and Benylin

-Cathryn

Music Monday: April 12, 2010

"A.M. 180" - Granddaddy

"Trick Pony" - Charlotte Gainsbourg

"I'm So Glad" - Royal Wood

"Pursuit of Happiness" -Kid Cudi [Steve Aoki Remix]

"Hey" - Pixies

With love and bass guitar

Cathryn

The Badass Look

Now feel free to take this advice with a grain of salt. Whenever I read fashion wish-lists or must-haves, I always take a note thinking "I need this and this and this, or else my wardrobe is incomplete...". I almost never follow through or I end up buying something that I hardly ever wear, which does not fit with my "buy what you love" philosophy.

The key to the badass look is confidence. If you're not confident in what you're wearing than how are you going to feel invincible? I'm sure you've seen this before, so I'm not going to reiterate anymore.

The badass look doesn't require studs, or leather or skulls of that sort, unless that's what you're into. The important thing is to develop your own sense of style. You don't see people taking over the world in sweatpants, so one should try and put in an effort everyday to look put together.

Stylish items that I consider part of my badass look are:

-Dark denim skinny jeans

-A fitted blazer

-Aviator sunglasses

-Tall boots

-Converse

-A scarf

-Black

I'm a class act. Straight up.

-V-neck t-shirts

-Button down shirts

I suppose the list could go on and on. These are things I look and feel good in. Compared to others though, my style is relatively simple. I wear minimal patterns or textures and tend to shy away from uber-bright colours [except for red obviously]. When I do experiment, which I do from time to time, I like to go on a badass walk [with the playlist and aviators], just to give myself a lift, and not fall into my neurotic trap of self-doubt.

Now, you don't need to follow this particular list. If you're sense of style is more feminine and floral or androgynous or goth, that's fine of course. Although, I do think that people need to leave exercise clothes for working out. Nor are Crocs stylish or badass. But that's my opinion.

If you need help defining your personal style there are some great articles out there such as one posted on Charade recently. Inspiration boards or folders are a good start too.

Just remember that when you feel good, you look good and that's all the matters.

With love and fabric

Cathryn

Badass Chick: Lady Vengeance

I think it's important in this quest for badassitude [as well as in life] for one to have role models. Someone to admire and learn from.

The first on my list is Lady Vengeance, from the Korean film of the same name. Her kind of badassery is more subtle than a 'Beatrix Kiddo' or 'Charlie's Angel', although they are excellent examples.

Lady Vengeance tells the story of a young woman who is imprisoned for killing a child. However, she was taking the fall for someone else, and once she's out of prison 13 years later, she is intent on revenge. The film is not for the faint of heart, but it's not filled with catchphrases or wire-fu. Lady Vengeance works with a quiet determination. She is completely reserved, which creates a sense of mystery, but acts with a confidence that assures she knows what she is doing and has everything figured out. She is also not perfect, and those flaws make her more human.

Some action stars can kick ass and take names, but it's nice to see some genuine purpose and compassion between the blood and guts.

With love and red eyeshadow

Cathryn

Don't Over-think it.

Credit: Unknown

Don't worry too much. A badass doesn't concern herself with the consequences to the little things. I'm the kind of person that gets overly anxious over little things, like something I've never done before. I freak out that I'll do something wrong and I'll get into trouble somehow. However, over the past couple of months I've realized that instead of stopping myself over fear, I should just do it.

A perfect example is the other day I was taking the train back to Toronto from home, and half way through I had to pee. I kept running it over in my mind "I'll go when we get back to the station instead of waiting to get home". Then I realized I was giving it too much thought, and just go in the washroom on the train. So I got up and went, and felt so much better. It sounds kind of silly, but I was exerting so much meaningless stress over a little thing and when you stop and do what needs to be done, you'll be thankful in the end.

Another example is a couple of months ago I had to photocopy something at the library. I'd never done that before, and I was convinced that I needed a friend to come with me for moral support. One time, I was close to getting it done with a friend, but it didn't work out for whatever reason. Finally, I got up my courage and did it myself. Let's just say I've never felt more invincible then I did after conquering this small fear.

The list could go on and on. I told a guy I liked him, and whether or not he shared those feelings, I felt amazing afterwards for just getting the feelings off of my chest. Just on top of the world. It's completely liberating

So, I want you guys to attempt something, you may have been too afraid to do before. Be a badass. It will pay off.

"Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience." -Victoria Holt

With love and dares

Cathryn

Music Monday: April 5, 2010

"Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" - The Velvet Underground

"Synthesizer" - Electric Six

"Sure Can Start" - Two Hours Traffic

"Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio

"Feeling Good" - Nina Simone

With love and sonic booms

Cathryn

Badass Music

I admit, I'm rather shy and quiet. I am content to hide in a corner with a friend then mingle or put myself out there. A part of this, I think, was that I wasn't really confident. I wasn't so debilitatingly introverted that I couldn't make friends, and once I made friends I'd become more outgoing, I just didn't start out that way.

Now there's nothing wrong with being quiet. In fact, it can add a bit of mystery to you, and I'd rather stay a little shy than throw myself into the other extreme and appear obnoxious, which is something I fear.

When I took a semester off of school, after my victory lap and before university, I worked at a grocery store, which involved taking public transit. So I started to develop a "Walking" playlist [because I make playlists for every conceivable event. Soundtrack to my life]. After awhile I realized that the songs would always put me in a good mood, because they just pumped me up as I walked to them.

Then I bought some aviator sunglasses and everything changed. Whenever I put them on and walked to work, I felt badass. I held my head up higher, straightened my back and walked like I owned the place. And once I noticed that, I made an effort to do it every time. As a result, I felt invincible.

So homework is for you to create a playlist with songs that make you feel good and pump you up. It can be whatever you like as long as it puts a smile on your face. My personal favourites include:

"Operate" - Peaches [Anything by Peaches is awesome for this]

"Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth

"22" - Magneta Lane

"Walking With A Ghost" - The White Stripes

"Chains of Love" - The Dirtbombs

"Dirge" - Death in Vegas

"Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio

"Cannonball" - The Breeders

[It should be noted that the best songs for this, are heavy on the guitar riffs, drums and bass, or ones that are kind of slow and sexy do the trick too. If you're having a hard time, think of movies with badass soundtracks. What plays during the fight scenes in Kill Bill or Charlie's Angels? And you can go from there.]

And the list goes on and on [seriously, I have 60 songs on this list and growing].

Next, get some sunglasses. They can be aviators if that's what you so choose, but it's more important that you like the way you look in them. Being self-conscious is not the point of this assignment.

Put on an outfit you feel good in, go out and walk around. Have this playlist going every time you're out and about. And if you do this, let me know how it goes. I want to hear about it.

What would be on our badass playlist?

With love and heavy beats

Cathryn

Badass Month

Credit: Unknown

So with my triumphant return to blogging, I'd like to kick off April as Badass month. I've been thinking about this for awhile actually. Not the whole badass month but the idea of making oneself badass, or cultivating ones inner badass. This doesn't mean going and robbing a liqour store or anything, it's basically a confidence thing. Something that I could use a little more of.

Urban Dictionary defines badass women as:

"The epitome of the American Women. she radiates confidence in everything she does, whether it's ordering a drink, buying a set of wheels, or dealing with men. she's slow to anger, brutally efficient when fighting back.

The badass carves her own path. She wears, drives, drinks, watches, and listens to what she chooses, when she chooses, where she chooses, uninfluenced by fads or advertising campaigns. Badass style is understated but instantly recognizable. Like a chopped Harley or a good pair of sunglasses: simple, direct, and functional."

So my project is to, little by little, realize my badass potential this month. And I invite others to join in too. Leave a comment and we can band together as the badass chicks we are! Leather jacket not necessary.

With love and attitude

Cathryn