Heads up! Etsy deal

If you have little fingers--size 5, to be exact--you can take advantage of an accidental order over at Nervous System. This ring, which is usually available in white plastic for 15 bucks or sterling silver for 95, is currently available (in only size 5) for 15 bucks in stainless steel. I bought one, and there are 3 left as I write, so if you want it, go go go. (And if I need to say it, I get nothing for shilling for Nervous System. I just have one of their beautiful necklaces and check their store a lot.)

Setsy: Morphologica

Geek out...

Outfit.

Edibly Etsy: Destroyed by Design

Destroyed by Design showed up on my Etsy grab-bag a few days ago with their kawaii T-Rex. Now, a few more adorbs pieces from them: a T-Rex in metal.

The cutest little rocketship you ever did see.

And, if that's not absurdly cute enough for you, a little plaid robot with a heart.

Link: The Magical Power of Intent

This is pretty good, if you want to think about something today.

Don't read the comments unless you want to have an aneurysm, though.

LuLu's: Grecian the Wheels

I just can't get over how in Grecian draping is right now. I mean, how many people does it actually look good on? Granted, it's versatile--that's probably a big part of its appeal--but jeez, there's a reason it took them so long to get dressed. Tunic-style dress.

Tunic-style... tunic?

Also, please, wear this with pants.

Modcloth: Homespun

Today I'm looking at pieces with a gritty air to them--a little bit Firefly, maybe. First up, military brass dress (that no one would really mistake for military).

A dress that belongs on a prairie. In space.

And a medal-style pin, for those of us who get ooked out about wearing real medals but like the look.

Rant: "Nude."

Dear fashion world:

I know. You don't like using models of color. You don't like admitting that people who are not white exist, can be beautiful, and can rock designer clothes.

But still, take a minute. Think about what it sounds like when you say "nude" to refer to a color that is, in fact, a light, low-saturation pink.

You are, in essence, saying the following: Not only do people who are not that color not get to be models in your magazines or on your runways (unless they're only pretending to be of color), but they don't even exist. Their skin is not skin. Their skin is something else, something less, that doesn't get a name. Why the hell do you get to call a color "nude" when it's not the color of nudity for most of the world's population? Why do you get a free pass when Crayola had to change the name of their peach "flesh" color?

With all the creative minds in the business, you couldn't come up with another name for light, low-saturation pink? Come on! You're the people who gave us everything from Chanel to Thierry Mugler, Dior to Rodarte! You could come up with a dozen new names for it before breakfast, if you wanted to. So why don't you? Would you rather avoid thinking about it, because it makes you uncomfortable, the way talking about the lack of racial representation on the catwalk makes you uncomfortable? Would you rather dismiss this concern--and concerns like it--as trivial? If it's so trivial, why not change it, satisfy those of us who care? Dismissing something doesn't make it go away for everyone. It only means that it's a concern you get to put down and walk away from because of your privilege.

I want you to think about it. I want you to have to think about it.

I want you to be better than this.

Sincerely,
Kristin

Ruche: Nicole Boots and Booties

Today I'm definitely in love with the Firefly-iest, steampunkiest boots/booties I've seen in a while. "Blessed," first up.

These strappy darlings are my favorite, I think. "Behave."

But these certainly have a sexy attitude. "Brisk."

Link: O.M.G. WANT.

Three-dimensionally printed shoes! Like nervoussystem's jewelry, BUT WITH FOOTWEAR. You gotta see this.

LuLu's: Battlelicious

Today I went with a couple of pieces that reminded me, however tangentially, of Battlestar Galactica. (I repeat: I have not finished watching that show yet. Don't tell me what happens. Yes, I know, it's been done for a while now, but I can't bear to watch it while I'm stressed out--it's like getting slapped half the time when I watch it: Oh, you cared about that character, did you? SUCKER!) Above, a tank top with some interesting details.

A beautiful dress with some crossing strap action.

Another lovely dress, this time with a great back detail.

Edibly Etsy: Roadkill

Today I'm enjoying some jewelry from Roadkill on Etsy, including this charming little two-headed deer. Mutants are always my favorites.

And what geek kid hasn't thought about inhalers? It's a classic component of the old stereotype.

And a big honking chain-and-antler necklace.

Forever 21: A Little Frontier

In all honesty, I'm getting tired of the 80's-inspired fashion. I mean, I dimly remember the 80s from the first time around (scary fact: people born in 1990 are now 20 years old), and I don't remember loving it then. So how about a little soft-and-fuzzy, antebellum space vibe? Military vest-print shirt.

Longsleeve crochet dress.

Tunic with embellishments.

Melissa Shoes: For Summer

I have to say, the VW Wing is one of the more interesting sandals I've seen lately.

I very much like the Coral--it's got an almost ethereal appeal.

And the Night Galactic had to go in, because of the name. Also, so pretty!

Link: Why the Girlfriend Lifehack Never Works

Hth does a much better job than I ever have of explaining (by and for the geek community) why "nice guys" generally aren't.

Sure, there are guys who are actually nice. Who are respectful to other people, regardless of gender. But those aren't the nice guys I'm talking about. I'm talking about "nice guys." Guys who figure that they have some right to sex, because they're nice guys, and it's somehow the fault of women everywhere that they aren't getting it.

Because if a guy figures women owe him sex because he's so nice--if our desires, or lack thereof, aren't even part of his equation--then what, exactly, is the difference between a "nice guy" and a rapist, who figures women just plain owe him sex?

Since I was a teenager I've said, "The guy who traps you at a party, explaining all about what a nice fucking guy he is, and how he just doesn't understand why women won't sleep with him, but women must not like nice guys--if a guy has to tell you what a nice guy he is, he isn't a nice guy."

And a guy who has to tell himself (and you) that women don't like nice guys? Is a guy who wants to tell himself that it's okay not to be nice to women. That it's okay to use women, to coerce women, because they want it. They deserve it. They're asking for it, those bitches.

If it thinks like a rapist and quacks like a rapist, how the hell does it expect women to feel comfortable enough around it to get naked?

Etsy Grab-Bag: Dinosaurs

Today on Etsy I'm enjoying a few darling dinos. First up, Trudy the Triceratops.

This guy--tiny pandas and all--is the cutest Mr. T-Rex I've seen lately.

And you can also get in on some origami earrings.

Sock Dreams: Shining Eyes

Some more gems from Sock Dreams: Leonardo da Vinci socks! Come on, haven't you always wanted a little more Vitruvian Man action in your life? (We have a big hanging from IKEA, but it's just not the same since Rose and I moved in with our respective boyfriends. When I lived in the old apartment with Rose, we put the hanging, which is pretty much... uncensored, in our giant, front, second-story window. It's basically translucent, so when light came through it night, there'd be some glowing, inappropriate, man-bits. We said we'd take it down when we got a complaint. Two years later, we never had. And my man and I never found a good place here to hang it up.)

And eyeball socks! Extra-creepy! Get 'em now, avoid the Halloween rush!

And, if you want to class it up a little: some Night Sky Mine-esque (see what I'm doing there? I'm enjoying the fact that it's a sci-fi novel title, and also descriptive) rhinestone-studded leggings. Just to reiterate: leggings are not pants. Tights are not pants. If you're wearing a long tunic shirt with either tights or leggings as pants, ask yourself: when I bend over in bright sunlight, can strangers see my butt crack? If the answer is yes, then please, save yourself. Get some freaking pants.

Irregular Choice: Sneakers for Superfreaks

Guys, seriously, these shoes are... are they cool? I just can't tell. They're... I want to get them and run around in them and make airplane noises?

Anyway, Electrokill, in red and blue.

Kill Nemesis, one badass boot.

And a little more Electrokill, in cotton-candy-killer colors.

There's more. I'm just... I'm afraid my eyes might bleed, or my brain might explode from the awesome/awful/awesome.

Space Princess Fantasy!

I have started collecting data for my master's thesis, and let me tell you, it's no fun when the doorknob falls off the inside of the soundproof participant booth. The participant got out, but I... uh... also just realized I failed to e-mail the building supervisor about it. Right.

OK, took care of that. So, the point is, I am in the mood to pretend I am a pretty pretty space princess. Beautiful dress! Beautiful shoes!

Haute Hippie sequined tulle gown.

Dolce and Gabbana platform pump. Now with 50% more Medici!

And a pretty tiara, because if I'm a princess, I want shiny sparklies. (Yes, I'm assuming a gendered monarchy. Whatevs. Pretty!)

Link: Some things that are wrong with us.

A 15-year-old model recently described asking for, and getting, a flesh-tone bra to wear under a see-through shirt on a shoot for W magazine; now, there's pictures of her on the runway wearing a see-through shirt with no underlayer. (Click the link for the whole story.)

Things That Are Wrong With Us:

1. Why the hell do we have 15-year-old models? Seriously, what the fuck? We should never make anyone have to choose between their careers and inadvertently creating what meets a legal definition of child porn. Not to mention that being an adult human being is beautiful in its own right.

2. Why do we ever pretend that fashion like that--see-through-shirt fashion--isn't about sex? Hell, 90% of fashion is about sex, whether that's what we're consciously thinking about or not; when we talk about "flattering your figure," we're talking about making you more sexually attractive. Will you have sex with everyone you see? No. Is it still about sex? Yes. I'm research psych, first and foremost, and once you take a few classes in behaviorism, it becomes pretty much impossible to ignore the part where reproduction is the driving force behind life itself. Life exists for the sole reason that we are all, across species, obsessed with reproduction. And yet in fashion this is somehow supposed to be separated; it's supposed to be OK to see an underage model's breasts because it's "art," and therefore sanitized. Ask models who've been pressured to trade sexual favors for career consideration just how separate art and sex are. We know it's not separate, we know it's about titillation, but we put a 15-year-old up there anyway.

3. Just how mature do we think a 15-year-old can be? One inevitable, dusty argument is that the models are mature enough to make these decisions for themselves. Bullshit. For a variety of reasons: first, I call your attention to you as a 15-year-old. Just how mature were you? Really? Second, if people are of differing levels of maturity at age 15, how are we going to decide who has special rights above and beyond the average 15-year-old (who isn't allowed to be naked or partially naked in public) and who doesn't? If it comes down to who we'd like fuck, that's a problem. And the people who get to be models are beautiful people, and beauty is defined by--wait for it!--who we'd like to fuck.

The whole thing is bullshit. People under 18 shouldn't be models; we shouldn't be stripping people who are legally children and sending them down runways for the enjoyment of a much older audience (think back to pictures you've seen of fashion show audiences--how many 15-year-olds are out there?). You really think none of the 40-year-old men in the audience, who are in positions of power in the fashion industry, abuse their power over underage models? You think they aren't enjoying the show in exactly the way a consumer of Barely Legal (who can't, let's remember, legally see the breasts of people under 18) would?

The industry would like to pretend that this is different than, this is morally superior somehow to, porn. Bull. Shit. The world runs on porn, it runs on the expectation of nudity and sex, because that's how human beings are wired. Take all of the nudity off the airwaves and we'd still be obsessed with it. Porn isn't the problem; double-standards are the problem. Fashion is just one step removed from porn, it's deeply sexualized, and we should not, under any circumstances, be putting minors in these untenable positions. I don't care if the minors say they love their careers. They're teenagers, and teenagers haven't finished growing their brains yet. (Scientific fact! Frontal dopaminergic pathways responsible for impulse control don't finish growing in until the early to mid 20s.) That's why they're not legally adults, why we don't send them to adult prison, why we don't let them drive without a responsible adult in the car.

Fashion has let itself become known for the ruthless exploitation of youth, and it disgusts me.

No one owns another human being. Not a model, not a child, not a prostitute. We're all people, with basic, inalienable rights. The fashion industry treats models as if they own the models, and that is wrong. This is a case where the right thing to do is obvious--get the girl a bra, for Christ's sake, if you're going to be stupid and callous enough to work with teenagers--and it was not done.

I'm not claiming that 15-year-olds don't experience sexuality. I'm saying there's a right and a wrong way to go about dealing with that. Right: Comprehensive sex ed and doing your best to make sure they aren't doing anything really stupid, like having unprotected sex. Wrong: Putting them up on a runway.

Edibly Etsy: Picobaby

You want to see some tiny adorable robot charms? I'm liking the bitty cuties from Picobaby on Etsy. Our first little guy is the Mini Captain.

Followed by the Mini King.

And the Fairy.

Link: Happy Valentine's Pug.

If you want a megasuperultracute valentine, see here.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Eject shoes

If it's going well: enjoy.

If it's not: watch some Mythbusters. Or bust out your BSG, and get your 6 on.

Herve Leger bandage dress

Shoe Grab-Bag: All Sewn Up

Today, I'm indulging in a little fantasy: what if I could afford to drop $200 on a pair of shoes? (I really, really can't. The $40 sale-but-they're-always-on-sale JUMP boots I ordered last week are a luxury.) If I could, I might get these reminiscent-of-the-Galaxy-shoes boots.

Or these laced-up heels.

Or these freaking ridiculously awesome over-the-top studded to Hell and back sandals. Yeah?

Design Detours: Plastic Land Pretties

Today, some things for the home from Plastic Land. Art deco bookends.

Black rubber lace coasters. At first I thought these were cake-sized, and I got incredibly excited, but I guess they're cool as coasters, too. Just not as cool. Where are the accessories for gothy bakers? Seriously, if you know, please tell me.

And some charming fake-old mirrors. I think, taken together, today's picks would give an impression of crazed Victorian-turned-sugar-mama-to-flappers spinster-kinkster.