Traditionally comedy has been a male dominated industry. Sure, there’s never been a shortage of funny women, but their numbers in the biz were minimal. Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett showcased their talents through sitcoms and variety shows, and talk show hosts such as Ellen DeGeneres and Whoopi Goldberg have made their mark. But today, a new generation of funny, smart, and successful American women is taking over. This crop of talent is responsible for acting, performing stand-up, writing and directing—telling jokes with a side of sexy. They are the new female comic titans.

In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for women to be penalized for expressing themselves through sharp wit and sarcasm. The comedians of today are using their sex appeal to attract attention, and then hit it home with hilarity. Tina Fey, the former head writer of Saturday Night Live, writer of the film Mean Girls, and creator of the sitcom 30 Rock, is one of the most important figures in this new generation of comediennes. Fey has utilized her sexy librarian persona in all of her comedy sketches, which served to her advantage when she recently spoofed vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Take a look at Chelsea Handler, stand-up comedian, humorist, author, actress, and television host of Chelsea Lately. Every episode Handler walks out wearing stilettos, hiked up skirts, tight-fitting tops, and blown out blonde hair. Yes, sex sells—even in comedy.

It is significantly easier for women to make it on television than in movies. Most popular television series target women since female viewers outnumber men by approximately 30 percent during primetime. For that reason, television is a woman’s world. That’s part of the reason why there has been an explosion of female comedians on the small screen. Sarah Silverman, Tracy Ullman and Amy Sedaris are three of the top funny gals, each having their own comedy shows. Silverman stars and produces The Sarah Silverman Program, which has been a ratings success for Comedy Central. Ullman’s State of the Union on Showtime has garnered positive response and has been green lighted for a second season for 2009. Sedaris will be creating, writing and starring in her own sitcom for Fox TV. The ratings and rave reviews that their witty humor garners prove that being smart and funny is both profitable and marketable to the masses.

One of the biggest changes in the 21st century is that women are not just standing in front of the camera. More and more women are working as writers, directors, and producers. Tina Fey and the other comedians of the moment are breaking down barriers for other females and insisting that women be able to write their own jokes too. Who says women can’t be funny?

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Most of us at one time in our youthful histories delved into the fabulous, magical worlds of our mother’s closets, rummaging through colors and fabrics, trying on every piece of clothing. Pumps paired with floral dresses, pearls paired with shoulder padded blazers, colorful hoop earrings, patterned scarves and gaudy necklaces. We played until our hearts were content, our artwork covering our girly figures as we approved the creative results in the mirror. Over time, though, we became mainstream and less innovative, conforming to fashion trends and deeply leery of jeopardizing our social status through means of creative expression. For fashion designers that transition never took place. Choosing this career path takes guts and a lot of hard work. If you have the talent and strong desire, the rewards can be tremendous.

Contemplating a life in fashion design?  Consider the following:

Get a job in retail sales. Though far from glamorous, the experience and lessons you’ll learn are essential. You begin to learn and understand customers’ needs, concerns, and demands. As a fashion designer, you must have the ability to know what people want, and how to manufacture it. You’ll also learn store maintenance. With the ringing of impetuous customers, and over populated dressing rooms, you quickly gain understanding as to how important it is to keep a store clean.

“I can barely remember where any of my stuff is,” explains Linda Kitrell, the head designer of Kitrell’s Fashion Design Studio. “I need an assistant just to help me remember where my materials are.” In other words, organization is vital. When you work retail, you learn this first hand.

Another helpful component for becoming a fashion designer is attending fashion design schools. American Intercontinental University (AIU), the Art Institute of California, and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) are reputable schools that specialize in fashion careers. They offer classes in color analysis, fashion buying, fashion illustration and merchandising. These classes teach the importance of manufacturing garments, color scheming, and fashion trends. Going to school enables you to learn the significant aspects of making your own merchandise and how to market it.

“I feel that getting an education is beneficial for a student because as a student you get to explore your options and plan out your future in a strategic manner, a degree is an experience that no one can take away,” said Nancy Corrales, a student/stylist who is earning a Fashion Design and Merchandising Degree from Cal State Northridge. Fashion degrees aid in allowing people further their opportunities for growth in the fashion industry.

The Fashion Industry can become difficult with arduous consumers, rigorous deadlines, and sleepless nights. Mathematics, inductive reasoning, and time management are some of the unappealing abilities that you need to exercise daily in order to be successful in the fashion industry. Skills like written comprehension and operations analysis are not just for engineers and scientists, but are a part of a continual routine as a designer. However, the immense feeling of designing and creating a product of your own that is beneficial to someone else is unsurpassable. Being able to create and have an eye for something that sparks optimism in someone is a much valued craft. And front row V.I.P service at fashion shows, traveling around the world, and being able to produce your own clothes aren’t bad job factors either. If that little girl in you, twirling about in your mother’s clothes still beckons, this may indeed be the career for you.

For more information on how to become a fashion designer check out:
www.stylecareer.com/fashion_designer
www.allartschools.com/faqs/fashion-design-job.php
www.SchoolsInTheArts.com

photo by allerina and glen maclarty

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The pop culture phenomenon that is Twilight finally hits theaters this weekend.  I say finally because after witnessing the hysteria first-hand at Comic Con in July, I’m sure the last few months have seemed like an eternity for fans of Stephanie Meyer’s vastly popular series of books.  And I say “pop culture phenomenon” because that’s exactly what this frenzy has become…

Based on the first novel in the four-book saga, Twilight is a tormented love story between a mortal and a vampire.  Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, leaves Phoenix when her mother remarries and moves to the gloomy town of Forks, Washington to live with her father.  A shy and awkward 17-year old, Bella never quite fit in with the girls in Phoenix and she doesn’t expect Forks to be much different.  Of course, she never planned on meeting Edward Cullen (Robert Pattison) either.  Charming and inhumanly beautiful, Bella quickly falls head over heels for Edward, only to learn his mysterious secret – he is a vampire.  However, Edward and his family are not the typical fanged blood-sucking predators of myth. Instead they choose to live among humans and feed on animal blood to survive.  This is not to say that they are not tempted by human blood and the closer Edward and Bella grow, the more intense Edward’s internal struggle becomes as he tries to resist the blood of his soul mate.  Matters only become more complicated when an evil clan of vamps arrives in Forks and the Cullens are forced to fight against their own kind to protect the human they have welcomed into their family.

After finishing the Twilight book a few months ago, I was as excited as a 13-year old girl to see this movie.  While the novel certainly catered to a very young female audience, I fell in love with the awkward teenage girl, the charming vampire and the Romeo and Juliet-like story of their forbidden romance.  Like any “Twi-hard” (the coined term for die-hard Twilight fans,) I was absolutely ecstatic when I was able to score premiere tickets from a friend at the studio.  To read about the buzz over this film was one thing, but to push through the crowds of screaming girls to pick up my tickets at will call was quite another.  It is a rare occasion that a film can create such hype and usually this sort of anticipation is reserved for big-budget studio blockbusters like Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean.  Yet somehow, this low-budget film with no A-list talent was able to create a level of energy that I have rarely experienced in a theater.

While I can appreciate Twilight as a cultural phenomenon, applaud it for its ability to create frenzy among film-goers and predict its inevitable box office success, I just can’t in good faith advise people to see it.  As a film, Twilight is flawed in everything from the direction to the production value.  I am a huge supporter of small studios and think that they can generate amazingly successful films (ex. New Line’s Lord of the Rings trilogy,) but Twilight’s $37 million budget is very apparent onscreen.  The white make-up used to make the vampires appear pale, for example, looks cheap and far from naturally beautiful.  While the casting is fairly on point, director Catherine Hardwicke (The Nativity Story) is unable to pull genuine performances from her cast.  There is a decent amount of chemistry between Stewart and Pattison, but the passion portrayed in the novel is not conveyed onscreen and the two come off simply as awkward teens with a crush, instead of undeniable soul mates.

Screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg, seems to have done a fine job of keeping the film true to the novel in terms of plot, but she’s done little with the dialogue.  True, the dialogue in the book is somewhat cliché, but hearing the characters speak the corny lines onscreen inspires laughter in scenes that are not meant to be funny.  Most disappointing is the fact that the studio and the filmmakers have missed a huge opportunity.  The release of the film could have expanded the Twilight audience beyond simply fans of the novel, but the film is so poorly constructed that it is doubtful that anyone unfamiliar with the book will appreciate it.

That Girl says: “Leave It! I say this with much disappointment, but Twilight is nothing more than a poor film adaptation of a hit novel.  I appreciate the buzz the film has created and trust that “Twi-hards” will enjoy watching their beloved story unfold on screen, but the film’s poor execution will not impress anyone beyond devoted fans.  If you really want to appreciate the story of how ‘the lion fell in love with the lamb’ take a bite out of the book, not the movie.”

Release Date:  November 21st, 2008 (Wide Release)
Running Time:  122 minutes
Rated:  PG-13
Company:  Summit Entertainment
Cast:  Kristen Stewart – Bella Swan
Robert Pattinson – Edward Cullen
Billy Burke – Charlie Swan
Peter Facinelli – Dr. Carlisle Cullen
Elizabeth Reaser – Esme Cullen
Ashley Greene – Alice Cullen
Nikki Reed – Rosalie Hale
Jackson Rathbone – Jasper Hale
Kellan Lutz – Emmet Cullen
Cam Gigandet – James
Edi Gathegi – Laurent
Rachelle Lefevre – Victoria
Anna Kendrick – Jessica Stanley
Taylor Lautner – Jacob Black
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Official Site:  www.twilightthemovie.com

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I was laughing yesterday with one of my closest girlfriends about how we are such opposites. She is the most laid back, carefree, unscheduled, go-with-the-flow, non-worrier I have ever met. I, on the other hand, am an over-scheduled, perfectionist, over-achiever, to-do-lister queen. I actually scheduled my “hobbies” in for the week, and on Sunday night, she couldn’t tell me what her schedule looked like for Monday. I love to work, she loves to play. Yet the beauty of it and to breathe life into the old adage, “Opposites attract.” I’m finding myself dancing in a world of relaxation I have never known and she officially took on an entire week of boot camp with me.

I truly believe the point of relationships is to encourage you to grow in areas of your life where the runt gene may have interfered. While I think we are fully in control of our own ships, I think the wind to our sails and the gusts that move us from point A to point B are the people we surround ourselves with. I heard once, “You become what you tolerate” and my experiences have proven this statement more right than any of us would like to think. Maybe that is why our parents were so concerned with what crowd we were hanging out with. They know, in all their years of wisdom, how much that group of people will most likely influence us.

Now it’s easy to surround yourself with people who are exactly like you, who never challenge you and who don’t force you to grow; obviously, it’s comfortable. But we only have one life to live, why would we not reach for the highest, best, version of ourselves? It’s like you have ONE race, ONE game where you either get to shine and make your mark, or you let it pass you by. In my last high school soccer game, knowing I wasn’t going to play in college, “I left it all on the field,” as they say in sports. I gave my everything, every last ounce of strength I left on the Westlake High School soccer field.

All I know is that Emily challenges me; she doesn’t let me settle for less, she pushes me and rarely tells me what she thinks I want to hear. Her strengths are my weaknesses, she believes in me, sees a potential me I didn’t know existed and she forces me to look at areas of my life I’d much rather leave locked behind a door like the closet of dirty clothes when company comes over. She’s my biggest fan, my life cheerleader and one of my greatest sources of strength. Recently she said to me, “Alexis, if only you could see you through my eyes because to me, you are amazing. Regardless of your accomplishments, of your resume and all the other things you’ve done in your life, you’re amazing, just you.” I fought back the tears.

Now I’m an early bird and she’s a night owl. She’s Jewish and I’m Christian. I have long sandy blond hair and she has black, Shirley Temple hair. I LOVE scheduling my life down to the minute, she doesn’t believe in alarm clocks. I love to read, she could dance to reggae music till the sun comes up. She drives, I’m the car DJ. She cooks, I do the dishes. Simon Cowell lives in my head, Paula lives in hers. I plan, she laughs. There are so many differences someone might wonder how we spend every waking moment together, yet we do. We do because we respect one another so much and find the value in the lifestyle the other one leads. I take a step towards her, she takes a step towards me and we are creating a world somewhere in between that is better than either of our worlds prior. It’s simple, yes, we are opposites, but like yin and yang, we are better together, period.

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Most of you know by this point, but I started a boot camp with celebrity trainer, Islean Kirker, some time back. He tailor made a 90 day boot camp for me that included 6 days a week of work outs, 3 days on top of that of yoga, daily journaling, meditation/prayer and removed alcohol, sweets, refined sugars/fake sugars, and red meat from my diet. I am so happy to announce that today is day 45 and I am officially half way through the program. It’s hard to believe honestly. It seems like it was yesterday that I began and yet, I have gone a month and a half without quitting or breaking any of the rigorous “rules.”

I remember the first week and how difficult it was to deny myself the chocolate “sin” cake at my friend’s birthday party, and the frustration with waking up every morning in order to be in the gym by six. My muscles were sore, my body ached, my stomach craved chocolate and pizza and all the other things I was used to eating. I was miserable that first week. As Illy warned, “It’s not just a program Alexis; it’s a lifestyle you’re taking on and it’s harder than anything you can imagine.” He was right. That first week I wanted to quit, I wanted to throw in the towel because nobody else was living to these standards, so why should I?

Then I read over my “why?” Illy made me write out an entire page on why I was doing this program, why I wanted it and more importantly why I wasn’t going to quit when it got hard. I think I read that paper at least twenty times in that first week. I must have read it about fifteen the second week, ten the next and so on. It occurred to me today as I reflect on this past month and a half, that I haven’t read it in several weeks. I realized that I don’t have to be “reminded” why I’m doing what I’m doing any more. It has become entrenched in who I am, not just something I’m doing. I guess he was right; it has simply become my lifestyle.

I made a commitment to myself, to honor my body, my mind and to prioritize my faith. I wanted to exercise and strengthen my discipline, my dedication and my resilience. I wanted to prove to myself that food is but fuel for my body, but not my emotional baby blanket. I wanted to take every crutch out of my life and learn to walk on my own two feet, build the strength of my own legs and have the faith and courage to face my obstacles face on, knowing I can and will gracefully handle any situation. This boot camp has been one of the most difficult things I have ever taken on for more reasons than I can name. It’s challenged me physically, mentally and spiritually every day.

One thing that Illy said to me the Sunday night before I began this program was, “Alexis, look at yourself once more in the mirror and I don’t mean just your body. Look deep into your eyes because when you complete the next 90 days, you will change so drastically, you will not recognize the woman looking back at you.” I am beginning to see that transformation. On one hand, I’m in the best shape physically I have ever been and that’s the most obvious difference, but far more inspiring and far more powerful is the woman, not little girl who stares back at me now. She is beautiful because she is strong, determined, unwavering, inspired and continuing to build an authentic confidence based on the intangibles deep within. I am more beautiful than I have ever been and it has absolutely nothing to do with the physical reflection I see in a mirror.

What’s incredible is I’m only half way there.  It’s hard to fathom whose brown eyes will stare back in the next 45 days.

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Slumdog Millionaire escapes the slums and arrives in theaters this week.  Brilliantly directed by British auteur, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting), the film tells the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the streets of Mumbai who finds himself on the Indian version of the television show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”  Jamal is just a single question away from winning the grand prize of 20 million rupees when the show breaks for the evening and police arrest him on suspicion of cheating.  After all, how could an un-educated slum kid possibly know the answer to every question the host presented?

In an effort to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the Police Inspector his life story and reveals with every chapter an experience that answers one of the show’s questions.  It is through these flashbacks that the audience is introduced to Jamal’s tumultuous childhood, his adventures with his brother, Salim, and his relationship with Latika, the love of his life.  As Jamal’s tale continues to unravel, the Police Inspector realizes that the young man seems to have no interest in monetary gain and his true motive for appearing on the game show is much more profound.  In front of sixty million viewers, Jamal shows an entire nation the great risk a man will take in the name of love.

Put simply, Slumdog Millionaire is beautiful and brilliant.  From the script to the direction, the performances to the editing, this film is a triumph to the art of filmmaking.  Full of vibrant color and enchanting music, its mix of originality and a simple Dickensian love story are sure to please film- goers and Academy voters alike.  In the hands of the studio that made Little Miss Sunshine and Juno household names, Slumdog Millionaire is destined to become this year’s break out hit.  Likewise, its young stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto are both a breath of fresh air in a time where celebrity is no longer indicative of talent.  Among the film’s strongest components is the theme that wealth does not equate to happiness, a message that is certainly relevant in our current economic climate.

That Girl says: Love It!  One of the year’s best films, Slumdog Millionaire instantly takes its place among my Top 10 of 2008. Charming and unforgettable, it grabs a hold of your heart and emphasizes not only the power of love, but also the power of great filmmaking.  Its brilliance and beauty reminded me why I fell in love with cinema in the first place and made me fall in love all over again.

Release Date:  November 12th, 2008 (Limited Release)
Running Time:  120 minutes
Rated:  R
Company:  Fox Searchlight
Cast:  Dev Patel – Jamal Malik
Irfan Khan – Police Inspector
Anil Kapoor – Prem Kumar
Madhur Mittal – Salim
Freida Pinto – Latika
Director:  Danny Boyle
Official Site:  www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire

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I’m in New York at the moment for a big charity event and had the incredble opportunity to meet Armondo, not only a huge Survivor fan, but now a dear friend. I actually met him a few weeks back at a Survivor event in Houston and he was placed on my tribe for the reenactment of several challenges. One of the perks to all the charity events we do are the dimonds in the rough, the Armando’s of the world. I guess this would transcend the “Survivor” world and could be said for life in general. When you come across lovely people who give you a greater appreciation for something they are the chocolate chip cookies of life’s buffet.

My Poppa always told me the true challenge of life is the ability and more, the willingness to not only walk in the shoes of someone else, but their pants, shirt, hat and jacket as well. It’s so easy to avoid compassion because it requires an authentic selflessness and yet Armando granted me that opportunity. There are so many things we take for granted in this world, some of the most fundamental things such our health, food, a roof over our head, etc. One of the most precious insights I found through my Survivor experience was how blessed I was to have the bare minimum of food, water and shelter. Armando on the other hand gave me an appreciation for something else, genuine connection with people. Armando wears hearing aids and because our communication is not particularly easy, I was forced to watch his every movement and be fully invested in our conversation. I had to talk slower, watch his lips, expressions and hand movements. Believe it or not, I had to actually be present with him. It’s so easy to give people, five, ten percent of our attention as we are thinking of a million other things, while we pretend to have a conversation with them.

I couldn’t fake it with Armando and I loved it. I loved that he watched me so intently and he patiently worked with me until I fully understood what he was trying to say and vice versa. I think we take for granted how easy “communication” can be for us and in doing so, we have lost the art of what it was meant to be in the first place. It’s meant to connect two people so they can share their life experiences and to have their souls dance on a stream of syllables. It presents the opportunity to delve into our deepest sense of compassion and provides the chance to validate someone. Sometimes I think our “words” can be a distraction and excuse for not being authentically present in conversation.

While we can strive for efficiency with things, we must focus on effectiveness with people. It’s ironic that it takes someone who can’t hear me to really “hear” me. Thank you Armando for that lesson. May I show he same diligence and compassion to my conversations with others, as you have shown to me.

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Waking up from a bad dream is about the worst feeling in the world. You wake up panic stricken, sweating and out of breath only to realize you’re safely in the comfort of your bed and luckily your horrible dream couldn’t break free from the imaginary fortress that is your head. I had four last night. Yes, FOUR. I rarely have bad dreams and yet the same one plagued me all night until 5:30 this morning when my alarm broke me free from my own mental asphyxiation. Immediately, I popped out of bed frustrated by not only the lack of sleep I had, but from the memories seared into my mind. It’s interesting how despite them being dreams, and being well aware of the fact that it was not an actual experience, you are left with this mental imprint as though you did in fact experience it. Like movies, depending on your level of compassion, you can authentically attach emotions to what you saw as if you were really there.

So yes, I know I’m 25, far from being a child, but bad dreams affect us all the same and I woke up wanting my mother. What is it about us that when we feel vulnerable, scared or sick we want to run, screaming to our mothers? Okay, maybe that’s just me:) Anyhow, after I realized that I was okay and my dream was in fact a “dream” and not real life, I had a choice. Will I allow this atomic bomb dropped on me during my most vulnerable state of closed eye slumber affect my entire day? My resounding decision, no.

I took a few deep breaths and decided this was an opportunity to exercise the mental discipline I am working so hard to cultivate. At the end of the day, I am the ONLY one in control of my thoughts and which ones I allow to dock in the bay of my mind. While I may not be able to control which ships sail by, I am the only one who can grant them the ability to drop down their anchor into my harbor. While this is a very empowering notion, it requires the utmost responsibility on our part. Instead of pointing fingers, slumping into the “victim” role or ignorantly turning my head to my circumstances, I have to accept that every emotion, thought or feeling I experience, I chose.

Given, I did not choose those dreams, I also didn’t choose waiting in line for 25 minutes in Best Buy yesterday or recent gossip I heard about me, but I can choose what I think, and more importantly, what I CHOOSE to think about. Some thoughts are so vicious that they swirl around our brains like a tornado and they leave our little cottage of emotions complete destroyed. Worse we can create the same storm day after day and until we are so emotionally exhausted that we can’t fathom putting our energy into anything else. I recently decided that I have too much on my plate, too many amazing things to think about that certain thoughts are simply a waste of my time.

Bad dreams, gossip, long lines and all the other uncontrollable circumstances life will present are but opportunities to make a choice about whether we humor the thought, or acknowledge and simply send them on their way. We need to remember that we are the Port Masters of our minds and we determine who comes and who is kindly escorted elsewhere else. If our thoughts create our action and our action in turn determines our destiny, we should think more carefully.

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How well do you know the woman in the mirror?  Does she tend to eclipse the woman that you really are?  Every day, women obsess over appearance and the result of this restrictive obsession is the loss of our emotional well-being and mental freedom.

Objectification, which has long been a social problem, occurs when a woman is perceived as a sexual object.  In a landmark study on this topic, Barbara L. Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann Roberts explain that “although sexual objectification is but one form of gender oppression, it is one that factors into– and perhaps enables– a host of other oppressions women face, ranging from employment discrimination and sexual violence to the trivialization of women’s work and accomplishments.”  Self-objectification theory takes this idea one step further, placing the notion of objectification within the minds of women.

Dianne Quinn, who has done multiple studies on self-objectification, explains this chronic internal focus on bodily appearance.  “The person stops what they are doing and thinks ‘How do I appear to that other person (or people)?  What does my body look like to them?’”  In an article on the topic, Christy Greanleaf explains how this thought process develops:  “Women are negatively impacted by the constant onslaught of cultural messages that imply that the female body is a public domain for all to evaluate and ‘consume.’”

Quinn admits that this happens to both genders frequently.  “This is a relatively common occurrence,” she says.  “However, because women are socialized in a culture that puts chronic focus on their appearance and holds them to quite stringent appearance standards, self-objectification happens more frequently and with more negative outcomes for women than for men.”  Our culture places a heavy focus on appearance for both genders, but for women this message is much stronger.  Magazines push stories on slimming bodies down, advertisements use sexy models to sell, and film and TV showcase only the most picturesque of bodies.  And these are just a few facets of the social pressure women experience.

“Girls learn at a very early age — often as toddlers– that they are continually judged on their appearance,” Quinn points out.  “Comments early in life come from family members and teachers.  These are followed by peers and media saturation.”  As a result of these subtle yet inescapable messages, women internalize such judgments and begin valuing their appearance above other characteristics.

A study by Amy Slater and Marika Tiggeman, which examined this issue in adolescent girls, points out that social experience often determines how strong these internalizations become.  “Objectification will not affect all individuals equally,” the study says. “Certain situations that accentuate women’s awareness of observers’ perspectives on their bodies are likely to enhance self-objectification.”

The effects of this subconscious practice are severe.  In fact, Quinn’s studies suggest that many issues women face today– eating disorders, higher levels of depression than their male counterparts and repeated dissatisfaction with their bodies- are linked to self-objectification.  In one study, girls were put into a state of self-objectification by way of bikini– the subjects wore either swimsuits or sweaters while participating in an attention task.  “We reasoned that one consequence of women self-objectifying, is they were spending time thinking about how they look, how others are judging them, wondering if they meet appearance standards,” Quinn explains.  “All that thinking takes attentional resources.  If that is the case, it should interfere with any task that requires focused attention.  That is exactly what we found.”  Women in swimsuits performed consistently worse on the attention task

Quinn suggests that the problem must be squashed at its root if we really wish to eradicate self-objectification: “A reduction in self-objectification will occur when girls are valued and appreciated for all of their talents, not their looks.”  So while we may not be able to eradicate the causes of this problem without radical change, if women personally strive to define themselves as more than objects and work at understanding their negative body thoughts, we can at least regain control over our minds.

photo by scarleth blanco

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Red carpet events, movie premieres, and celebrity interviews—just an ordinary day for entertainment and lifestyle maven, Kela Walker. At the young age of 28, the media savvy television personality is the producer and host of NYC TV’s, Kela On The Karpet and entertainment video blog, Apple Juice. But behind all the glitz and glamour, the self-proclaimed homebody shares how she’s achieved her success—pointing out that there’s more to her job than holding a microphone and looking pretty.

Before schmoozing with the A-list, this young talent always knew what she wanted to do but wasn’t exactly sure of what it entailed. “I knew I loved fashion and that I wanted to do something on TV. I had no idea what that meant—no clue at all.” It wasn’t until she joined an after school program, where a mentor suggested she pursue a career in TV. The encouragement motivated Walker to get involved in TV and media entities inside and outside of school. Every summer, she interned for media companies and TV networks. “My first internship was with a small regional media network. It was very much hands on and that’s where I got to see what producing actually entailed.” But it was her internship at A&E where she blossomed. “I volunteered on my free time. I always offered my help, and after hours I assisted on shoots and lent my services.”

Working her way up, Walker never lost hope of her dream and started temping for companies that specialized in entertainment. In 2003, she got a job at a new media company and television network called NYC TV. She has been working there ever since. She says, “I started there as the general manager’s assistant but even with that I was never really just an ‘assistant.’ One of my first projects was to produce a show on New York fashion week. It comes back to doing all the things I wanted to do: fashion and television.”

Kela is a firm believer in being in the right place at the right time. She started with NYC TV when there was new management. The station was undergoing revamping and they sought fresh, new talent. With no producing or hosting background, Kela was given the opportunity to cover the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival. It was a lot of responsibility for the newcomer who quickly learned that her position in the company allowed her to wear many hats. Walker recalls, “The beginning was not so glamorous. There was no structure. I was just feeling my way through it. I learned by watching people and being aware of my surroundings. You’re never just an intern or a host. You’re never just a producer. Everyone does their own part here.”

Walker’s advice for aspiring young women is to find your passion and do whatever it takes to achieve it. Don’t just set out to do it but actually do it. She stresses the importance of getting your name out there, continuously learning and growing, never giving up and never staying content. Always strive for more and continue to push yourself. Kela advises, “Remember it’s all about working your way up, having tenacity, making contacts, marketing yourself, having skills, and offering more. Be more than just a pretty face. Set yourself apart from others.” Most importantly, “Be open to criticism and don’t be locked up in a box. Be patient, diligent and give it your best.”

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