This Voice Inside My Head

Hello my loves!

I wrote a piece for the lovely blog Derriere Le Mirroir, which you can find here: http://www.derrierelemiroir.ca/on-blogue/cette-voix-dans-ma-tte-par-gabrielle-vachon/ , so I translated it for you:) Obviously it varies in little ways, typical bilingual problems, but I hope you enjoy the english version just the same.

This voice inside my head

There is a voice inside my head

Mine is different from yours, but we all have it just as well.

She points out all the wrongs on your body

Like the lack of space between your thighs

Or the enormous space between your eyes.

She asks why your clavicle isn’t prominent

Or why your stomach is so prominent

She builds a fort with your fixations

to keep you prisoner of your nonsense.

She fuels the fire of your obsessions with a dash of gasoline

So that when you look at your reflection, it’s all smoke and mirrors.

It feeds you your daily dose of humility,

so that you never recover from your poisonous lies.

There is a voice inside my head,

Stronger or weaker than yours, she speaks without end.

She fills your brain with images of pure fiction,

they deform your vision of your own body.

She whispers you insults from the time you get up in the morning to the time you go back to sleep,

They make your ears bleed and your heart weep.

And when someone compliments you, you don’t believe it for a second

This voice inside your head has become your reason.

But don’t forget that this voice is just in your head.

And it’s not a mountain of pills that will make her go quiet again.

You have to take down her prison, one fixation at a time,

So that you can finally be free of her shackles.

You have to put out your obsessions’ fire with a waterfall of truth,

So that your reflection can be clear of its smoky illusions.

You have to accept a dose of humility, but in moderation,

so that your brain can empty itself of her toxicity.

Close your eyes to what she wants you to see,

And open them to see beauty that transcends perfection.

Block your ears, shut out that tiring voice

And accept the kind words of your loved ones instead.

There was a voice inside my head,

But I made mine go quiet; will you let yours spread? 

xoxo

Gabby

Plastic Surgery Addiction?!

Hello my gorgeous fudgies :)


I have often been prompted to talk about the ever so controversial topic of PLASTIC SURGERY! 

Indeed, you are all apparently dying to hear my thoughts on this growing epidemic known as the cosmetic surgery fad. I do stress the use of the word cosmetic:  used or done superficially to make something look better, more attractive, or more impressive (dictionary.com), because the opinion I am about to promulgate is solely based on cosmetic, superficial alterations, therefore excluding procedures for burn or severe accident victims. 

Now. Let's dig in. 

Many people automatically assume I am staunchly opposed to plastic surgery, because I advocate self-acceptance, healthy body image and body positivity. And while I'm not exactly out on the streets preaching its benefits, I am not against it either. I happen to be incredibly liberal about these sorts of things: Doesn't affect me? Knock yourself out. 

The same theory applies to this particular subject, yet I still want to examine the causes behind this decision a little more closely, especially in relation to this idea of a plastic surgery addiction. 

I don't doubt that there are people who undergo these surgeries who are in it for all the right, healthy reasons: They are not getting it because:

1. They have been teased, bullied or pressured into it by peers

2. They think they can finally achieve perfection (LOL)

3. They think life will simply get easier (career, relationship, and self-esteem problems? POOF ALL GONE)

These people are likely to get the surgery, be content, and then that's that. 

But there is also an alarming percentage of cosmetic surgery undertakers for whom the outcome is completely different than the one formerly mentioned. 

Sure, they are happy with the surgery. For a while. 

But then it's not enough. They need something else fixed, plucked, smoothed, boosted, and plumped.

And then another, and another, until they are knee deep in silicone and debt. 

But the problem is not the surgeries themselves, we know they don't have to be that way.

What's really going on here?

The problem is not the crooked nose, or the flat chest. If they were, their alterations would have set the other person free.

The real problem is inside the person's head. It's a fixation he or she has created, constantly obsessing over this infinitely tiny portion of their whole. 

The obsession has nothing to do with the "flaw" itself. It is just a sublimation of the individual's deeply troubled body image and self-esteem. 

Completely unaware of this, he or she goes and gets the miracle surgery that will fix EVERYTHING. 

Right? As we know all too well, wrong, because it will satisfy them for a while, but the poor self esteem will creep back in, and find something else to be consumed by. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Those are my thoughts on the subject.
If you want to undergo a cosmetic surgery, I won't stand in your way. But think long and hard about your motives, and your relationship with yourself.

Personally, I wouldn't get one, because I know for a fact I won't ever be perfect, so why bother with fancy expensive surgeries when I can be perfectly happy with what I got?
Also, needles and scalps and chainsaws? (okay, maybe not the last one) DON'T THINK SO.

Whew that was a long one, but I was in need of a long scientific ramble.
Have a fantastic week my loves <3

xoxo
Gabby

Comparing Yourself, Hurting Yourself

Hello my darling fudgies!

 I have officially as of today graduated high school! So lots more posts coming your way this summer, on top of the weekly videos I am working on for the Fudge Perfection youtube channel, without forgetting my internship with ANEB Quebec.
(Wait, where did my life go? Oh wait hahaha I don't have one)

But in all seriousness, today's article is quite an important one. A few months ago I posted an article on how not to compare yourself to others, or at least doing so in a healthier way. Although I still agree with the general premise, I want to add some key elements I had left out (because maybe I just recently figured them out...MAYBE).

Here is what I want you to know about other people, comparing yourself to them, jealousy and insecurities:

There will always be, in this horrible and wonderful life that is ours, someone who is just a little bit better than us, or maybe a lot better than us.
Praised, and idolized, and put on a towering pedestal our nubby runner up fingers can never seem to reach.

We let it eat at us, gnaw at us, until we have successfully convinced ourselves that all we are is a series of failures, a slew of nothings, a perpetual state of unimportance.

But why should we?

As far as I know, there is no limited reserve of amazing, where one's gain is the inevitable loss of another. Do the experiment: when a friend aces a math exam, check your purse, wallet, and list of talents and qualities. Lost anything?

We are letting the people around us and their success take a piece of our worth, when in fact we should let them add to our goals, our inspirations. Don't let anybody steal your fire, let their light fuel it (I know, unbearingly self-help-y, don't judge me). 

A friend of yours is a skydiving adrenaline seeker? Don't let it make you feel weak, fragile and terrified. Give yourself a chance to do something you are afraid of (perhaps not jumping out of plane, YOU COULD NOT PAY ME ENOUGH, raising your hand in class or going up to a stranger will suffice)

Seen your sister accomplish her childhood dream? Don't let it make you feel lost, hopeless and far from your own dreams. Let it push you to take steps towards your goals, work harder, take risks!

Life is what we make of it, including the people who surround us. You will always be amidst a diverse range of flawed but enviable people, so make the best of your opportunity to grow.

And remember that there is someone out there that has envied you in some way (stop sassily raising your eyebrow, I know it to be true), which means you too are unimaginably worthy.

Have a lovely day, my dolls!
Xoxo
Gabby

Videos coming up:
1. Have a Friend With An Eating Disorder?
2. Self harm
3. Fudge Perfection: hall of fame
4. Gabby's Q&A

Songs I'm loving:
I Appear Missing, QOTSA
Loose Lips, Kimya Dawson

Blog/Article: giveyoualemon.blogspot.com