Wake Up, Vogue Italia - Pro-Ana Blogs Are Not the Enemy

First of all, let's make a couple of things clear:

1. I think Franca Sozzani is a skilled professional and have a TON of respect for her. This post does not mean to attack her as a professional, but to express strictly personal points of view on this particular project.

2. I read Vogue Italia quite rarely, but I recognize the power this magazine has on the international fashion scene.

3. I think pro-ana and pro-mia blogs are horrible and find it wrong to endorse anything that might be linked to eating disorders in any kind of way.

...having said this, I'll get to the point: I can't take anymore of Vogue Italia's "anti-pro-ana-and-mia" campaign.

Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzani has taken it upon herself to launch an attack on pro-ana and pro-mia blogs (for those of you lucky enough not to know what those are - ana is anorexia and mia is bulimia. Those blogs, written and created by sick teenage girls, promote eating disorders as a lifestyle and spur each other on in their dieting with tips on how to get rid of hunger or how to vomit, and "thinspiration" pictures of ridiculously thin models) campaigning for them to be shut down.

If you run a blog like this, be warned: Franca Sozzani is coming to get you. She's blogging about this, has a petition, and is now encouraging readers to get involved in the "fight" against pro-ana and pro-mia blogs.

If I Could Talk to 16-Year-Old Me

As you may know, I'm going through a bit of a life change now. Quitting your job and going freelance is one of those things that make you think about your choices overall in life. I often ask myself if I've ended up where I wanted to end up as a kid. The obvious answer is "no, I wanted to be a millionaire actress with at least two Oscars and three platinum-selling albums under my belt", but, you know. With a bit of perspective.


If I could talk to Sascha, 16 years old, here's what I'd tell her:


Do whatever you want. Ignore completely anything that comes out of your parents' and your teachers' mouths. Especially that crap about studying to be an interpreter. You want to be an actress? Be an actress.

Stop looking at that very hot, yet quite immature drummer guy from your music class that you think you LOVE. Trust me, there's another musician out there that will make you happy.

...oh yeah, and casting a "spell" with scented candles won't make him fall in love with you. Just saying.

If you want to move to LA, just go. As soon as high school is over, just pack a bag and run for it. And whatever you do, don't come back.

She's All That is just a movie. In real life, there's no Freddie Prinze Jr. And she was way more interesting when she was a nerd.

Stop dieting. It's really, really bad for you.

Kiss boys. Lots of them.

When people question your fabulous vegetarian ways, make them freak out even more by going vegan.

Stop listening to crap music. Make friends with someone who has lots of Queen albums.

You know those short stories you write to unwind and blow off steam? Keep them in a safe somewhere. And keep writing.

Remember that underneath those God-awful clothes and that frizzy hair, you're actually pretty awesome.

My super-awesome pink headphones from Benetton that David gave me!

...they're from the other day, not from when I was 16. Yes, I like pink.

My Fiancé Has a Blog...and it Rocks

I wanted to give you a blog tip - well, I might be a bit biased, since it's written and created by my fiancé David, but I do think it's a great blog. David first started blogging in 2009 when we lived in Sweden, and he abandoned the blog after a few posts because he was just too busy. Now he's back blogging and I hope he'll keep at it because he's got so much to tell about his passions - guitar playing and guitar making, art, music and other life inspirations.

Check out his blog here: Life In Six Strings

Meanwhile, I'd love to share some of David's musicianship with you: this is a piece by Joe Satriani written and recorded by David:

The video background is a portrait of me that David drew when we met in 2007.


If you'd like to know what I think about this piece, go to David's blog!

The Power of Positive (Why I Love Blogging!)

Just wanted to say how touched I am by Renee's comment on the Body Shop Moisture Foundation post where she told me that one of my posts has inspired her to email a beauty company and ask them if they test on animals (the brand is Environ and they don't). This is what I love about blogging. This. I love reading these comments and know that even though I don't have 50,000 visitors, thousands of followers or brands paying me to carry their bags, my blog makes a real impact, even if it's on very few people.

pic from my Instagram

Coffee and Heels Mix Tape vol. 1

This is a new feature on Coffee and Heels and I'm still a bit wary about posting my playlists since what I listen to is so personal to me: listening to music is for me similar to what praying is to some people, so I don't know how comfortable I am about sharing "my" songs and talking about how they make me feel. But music is such a huge part of my life that sooner or later it had to show up on Coffee and Heels. Remember: I generally listen to old music, so don't expect to find the latest MTV tunes here (rare exceptions excluded). I'm also quite mainstream and not apologizing for it. Great songs have become classics for a reason.

Anyways, here's a list of songs that I currently love a lot. This playlist is special to me because it has all four of my all-time favorite bands: Queen, Nirvana, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Muse (big surprise, bands I never talk about on this blog, right?) All of the songs speak to me about freedom in some way and feeling oppressed in another, like I Want to Break Free. We suppose that many songs are about relationships, when in reality they can be applied to other things as well: feeling like you're not living to the fullest, feeling like a fish out of water, feeling suffocated or like something's missing. Like you should be happy and satisfied but you're not. I love Sappy because it was written twenty years ago and still applies to so many people today. And I love the intro in the Tell Me Baby video, with the wannabes speaking about their goals and dreams and where they hope to go. I love the whole "there's a slim chance that you're going to make it, but go for your dreams anyway because you deserve it" vibe.

I'm currently listening to:

Beauty Favorites: Moisture Foundation from The Body Shop

On my neverending quest for cruelty-free beauty, I must say foundation's one of the trickiest things to figure out. It's a true beauty staple and the slightest change in color has the potential to make you look either washed-out or, worse, orange (you know those telltale lines on a clueless girl's jawline? Those are a major no-no!). And the texture is really important as well.

So this weekend I took a walk to The Body Shop (we only have one in Milan and when I'm nearby I always stop by to stock up on cruelty-free goodies) and checked out the foundation selection, finally going for the Moisture Foundation:

I Quit My Job (And Now What?)

...yes, really.

Yesterday I handed in my notice and resigned from my job as web editor in fashion...to be a freelance writer.

After over a year of feeling like I had to love my job just because that's what's expected of you if you're a fashion editor with a permanent contract in this economy, I finally had an epiphany on Wednesday. I had spent almost the entire day in a showroom looking at SS13 pre-collections and had to go back to the office afterwards and face all of the emergencies of the day. While I was answering emails, it just kept coming back to me how much rather I'd be at the animal shelter or at home on my couch watching the Hart of Dixie finale (btw if there are other Hart fanatics out there that want to talk about the finale...get in touch with me! Eheheh) and I left the office with this thought shining in my head in neon lights:

I don't know what I want, but I know that I don't want this anymore.

(I even think I Tweeted it).