13 ways my childhood gave me unrealistic hair goals

If you were anything like me when I was younger, your hair is a BIG ol' deal. Like, I'm talking social life and death on the school playground here people.

And there were so many people on my TV screen, in my favourite films and in my toy box, that made me think I 100% had a handle on my hair. But now as a full-fledged adult (ish), I can whole heartedly say each and every one of them betrayed me in giving me regrettable goals and unrealistic achievements to do with my hair. HOW COULD YOU GUYS I LOOKED UP TO YOU.

1.) Snip snip!

Parent Trap made me think I could cut my own hair perfectly. Fast forward to me accepting a dare to cut off my fringe at Scouts camp and having to live with with teeny tiny hairs sprouting out for months to come. Just take your photo of Lindsey Lohan to the hairdressers instead kids.

2.)  Perfect pigtails

Because of my fave member of my fave girl group, I felt it was acceptable, neigh, my duty! To wear pigtails on top of my head, as high and swishy as possible. Even when some boys in my class said they looked like pineapples (meanies), I stuck with my guns and kept my head and pigtails high.

3.) Headband headaches

Oh Lizzie. Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie. Way before the sassy and glitzy headgear of Blair Waldorf a la Gossip Girl, there was you. And only you could get a young girl to try on headband after headband on her larger than average sized - at an awkwardly forward position may I add. And as if enabling many headband-related headaches wasn't enough...

4.) Mad, hot, mess

...you also made me think that if I crimped parts of my hair and clipped sections up randomly, that would make me really 'edgy' and feel all punk. Oh dear. Take a seat lil' Amy - we need to have a word.

5.) Badass eh?

Of course, inevitably there will be a time where crimped hair alone just won't do. And during your devoted obsession with The O.C (which let's face it, has never really ended), you laid eyes on the oh-so-cool rock chick that was Alex, and saw her purple streak and knew you just had to have it too. That is, until you rocked up into school with it and your teacher told you to get rid of it. ASAP. Thank god it was just a glue in extension eh?

6.) Summer in bloom

It wasn't just Alex though - deep down my alliance was with Summer. So much so that I once ever took a screenshot of her from an episode, and printed the picture out so I could take it to the hairdressers with me. Yep. That actually happened. So it's no surprise that once upon a time I stuck the biggest and poffiest flowers in my crisped-curled hair, just like Summer did.

7.) Double trouble

Clipping a layer of your hair underneath all the rest of it to create some sort of faux fringe was completely my jam back in the day. Happy to report that is in the past, along with these bad boys...

8.) Flutterby butterfly

Of course every little girl wants a butterfly in her hair, right? But as if one metal-winged creature clamped onto your head wasn't enough, Sabrina the Teenage Witch convinced me that in this case, it was the more the merrier. Sadly, it just means a lot of your hair being tangled.

9.) Beach babes

MK & A continued to influence my hair choices well into my teens, when while binging on So Little Time, I was frazzle my hair with a Carmen Girls Angel Curlz wand and twist said locks while drenched in sea salt spray, just so I could get similar effortless beach waves like theirs. Sadly, I did not live on a beach, and it was by no means effortless.

10.) Side to side

Ah, Lindsey Lohan. When I bought her solo album (yeah, I'm just as confused as you are) and thought that sweeping all your hair from one side, to the other to completely cover your forehead like a combover was a top idea. Young Amy, stop trying to make a fake fringe happen. It's not gonna happen. You go and get one snipped in anyway you know.

11.) Long locks

Let's not forget the animated gals of my youth too. The scouts of the Sailor Moon gang made me wish and urge my hair to grow as long as possible so I could have a pony tail that's as swish-worthy as this. Said long lengths were quite hard to achieve when you have a dad that insists of giving you a bowl cut in the bathroom every few weeks.

12.) Barbie Babe

If my dad didn't cut my hair, I'm sure I would've convinced myself that I could cut my own after asking for this Cut 'N' Style Barbie doll for a present, time and time again. If only you could actually switch your hairstyle up this often, that easily. Sigh.

13.) Disney damsels

We can't talk about 2D gals without mentioning those Disney princesses. But trying to wash my hair like Meg while stood up in the bath tub, and tying up as many Princess Jasmine-esque bubbles in my pony tail as possible just resulted in a lot of tangled locks.

Until next time,

A.x

18 times the The Powerpuff Girls was way too real

The Powerpuff Girls were my jam back in the day. That theme song. The striped dress. THOSE GIRLS.

And what with the freelance lifestyle I'm living and the Netflix subscription I'm repping, I'm not gonna lie - I've been reliving my childhood and indulginging in some PPG marathons. And oh my, has it been glorious. 

If you thought the cartoon was pretty fab when you were 6-years-old and watching it on a Saturday morning in your pjs, then get ready to have your mind blown as an adult over the innuendos, cheeky jokes and actual life lessons it contains. Honestly. It's a bit TOO real.

Don't believe me? Just take a look for yourself...

1.) First thing's first, TRUTH.

No further comments needed.... (LOL)

2.) Confrontation is awkward as FUCK

Coming from someone who notoriously shies away from confrontation, you can go from mumbling idiot to blurting out your feelings in about 0 to 60.

3.) Diets are a fad

Kinda wanna look like a Victoria's Secret model. Kinda wanna eat burgers and fries. The struggle is so very real.

4.) Just you do you babes, and that's all that matters

That only person that is allowed an opinion on your life, what you do with it and how you live it is, well, YOU.

5.) Sometimes your hair will just have a life of it's own

No amount of serum of twists around your curler will sort out that sitch. You've just gotta put it down as a bad hair day and move on. 

6.) Never judge a book by it's cover

You wouldn't want someone to do that to you right? So don't do that to others! Everyone's living their own life their own way.

7.) You don't have to prove yourself to anyone

 If you being you isn't good enough for them, well, that just means they're definitely not worth your time.

8.) The internet has the answer for everything

Google that shit.

9.) Gender equality is a tough ol' thing

It's getting better, but it's oh boy, is it still a bit of a struggle. 

10.) Admit to your flaws

We all have them and the best thing you can do is embrace them and explore ways you can improve on them.

11.) Some people are just dicks, and you'll never know why

If only we would just nice to one another, the world would be such a better place! It's so simple it hurts.

12.) Don't let people kill your vibe

YOU'RE AN UNIQUE, SPARKLY, BADASS UNICORN WHO IS LOVED AND SPECIAL IN THIS WORLD AND DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE.

12.) Early mornings never get easier

Caffeine please, PRONTO.

13.) Zzz is oh-so-important

It's more than just beauty sleep. It's essential and keeps-you-sane sleep.

14.) You should embrace your feelings - even when they're shit ones

With the fab times, comes the shit times, and when those times roll around, just allow yourself to feel down in the dumps for a bit. It'll get better again in no time.

15.) And whatever you do, DON'T bottle those feelings up!

Vent, baby, vent.

16.) It's important to make time to take care of yourself

Treat yo'self and love yo'self.

17.) You'll never please everyone

Not everyone's your cup of tea, so you're not gonna be everyone's. There's plenty of people who love you and those who don't? They can just slide on by.

18.) And you can never go wrong with being nice

BE NICE OK.

Until next time,

A.x

13 cartoon characters who are style inspirations

Beyonce, Cara Delevinge, Victoria Beckham - it's all very well and good having style inspirations and constantly double-tapping looks that you're digging on Instagram. But remember when you were a little sprout of a human being and didn't even know what 'fashion' and 'style' were? You turned to your fave fictional friends when deciding whether to wear your tutu or turn-ups for a day of play.

Think it's time we showed a bit of loving and looked at our childhood chums to inspire our wardrobes once more!

Gadget from Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers

No-one works a jumpsuit and crop top quite like Gadget. Functional fashion at its finest, this lil’ chip not only looked cute as a button in sweet shades of sugarplum purple and pink, but she also knew how to fix a plane or two. And yes, only she can pull off those goggles unfortunately. The rest of us would just look like part of steampunk movement…

Lola Bunny from Space Jam

This bunny could run circles round you on the court, while swooshing her ponytail – I mean, bunnytail – and looking effortlessly cool while doing so. Taking sportswear as fashion to a whole new level in her Toon Squad co-ord set, she could give off-duty Cara Delevigne and Kendall Jenner a run for their money. And can someone tell me how she doesn’t get a sweaty fringe while doing all this hopping around please? Bane of my life.

 The Ashleys from Recess

These girls may have been like the Mean Girls of the playground, but their outfits were the Clueless equivalent of the animated world and could teach Cher Horowitz a thing or two.

Yellow plaid and fluff-lined cuffs on cardigans. My magpie-like tendencies for all things kitsch are a-tingling.

Jane Lane from Daria

Jane was basically the bad-ass girl I longed to be as a goody two-shoes kid. That ear jewellery. That sharp black bob cut. Those boots! Her signature red shirt that she probably just threw on as she woke up and strolled into school late with her backpack slinged onto her back. Too cool for school. Literally.

Clarice from Two Chips and a Miss

This cartoon somehow being a staple in my childhood and I just remember being in absolute awe of Clarice singing on that piano, in what I now recognise as quite a weird, sultry Jessica-rabbit-esque way...as a chipmunk... But! Nonetheless, that doesn't erase the fact that that pale yellow necklaces and head crown are just fabulous. Especially when worn with a strapless bodycon LBD (little blue dress).

Daisy Duck

My love for bows and pastels colour, coincides with my outrage at how under-rated Daisy Duck. The girl knows how to accessorise! Yes, Minnie Mouse may be the queen of all things polka-dot, but co-ordinating a pink bow and heels, that compliments her matching lilac top and eyeshadow, all while setting it off with a jade green bangle? On. Point. She's a dreamy pastel dream wrapped up in uber-fluttery lashes. The epitome of girly girl y'all.

Disney Princesses

Look. You all already know that how much of a Disney nut I am from the time I've dressed up as a princess (more than once...) and how much Disney Princesses are my ultimate hair goals. But they're also style goals - and it's not all just prom dresses and tiaras y'all.
Pocahontas was all over fringing and suede before the 70s fashion revival rolled up into town, Aurora is the queen of working a hooded cape without getting hat hair (also, that shirt and corset layering is to DIE FOR), Jasmine knows how to accessorise her harem trousers with a gemstone headband and gold jewellery to a tee, and no-one has ever looked as good in Scandinavian embroidery and ribboned up braids than Anna from Frozen.

Oh, and let's not forget villains! The fierce headgear of Maleficent and the Evil Queen's robe - being bad never looked so good.

Sailor Scouts from Sailor Moon

If you're looking for some nautical style inspo, then look no further than the scouts of Sailor Moon. Striped collars, jewelled toggles and neckerchief bows should be given as a starter pack to go with any kind of pleated, preppy skirt (who knew wands made such good accessories as well?)

 Even off-duty, these girls always looked as cute as a button! And let's not even get started on their hair. Growing up watching this anime gave me major swishy, shiny hair envy that I'll never be able to achieve.

Wonder Woman

We all know red, white and blue work flawlessly together, but no-one wears it quite as well as Wonder Woman herself. To fight crime and look like a bangin' super-babe with a golden crown while doing so as well, is no easy task! (How does she not constantly get wedgies in those hot-pants or spill out while running in her corset?!) And who needs a belt when you've got a lasso of truth! 

She-Ra

Oh, and let's not forgot what a sassy sister She-Ra is as well! Gold is obvisouly the superhero's choice of metallic (can someone tell me where I can get some get some gold boots please) but it never looks as amazing as when it's paried with bright whites! The Princess of Power is also the only gal I know how could pull off a crown decorated with ornamental wings and NOT look like an absolute tit!

The Powerpuff Girls

No-one can work block stripes quite like 3 girls who are made sugar, spice, and everything nice - must be chemical X malarky. This is a perfect example of how basic staples can be worked into different looks or styles. Tomboy, chic or kawaii - Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup have got you covered!

And let's just take a second at how fierce Miss.Bellum is working that power suit (and how much patience she has for dealing with that dozy mare of a Mayor of Townsville!)

Daphne from Scooby-Doo

If you'd told me that you can work a pair of pink tights without looking like a fool, I would've laughed you straight out of the hosiery department of the store. But Daphne has managed to make it work flawlessly while getting changed into a purple shift dress and lime green scarf in the back of the Mystery van. 70s vibes to the max - groovy!

Misty from Pokemon

My love for dungarees started from a young age, and it was probably due to my love of Pokemon as well and how well Misty wore her red braces with her denim shorts. Unfortunately, as a 23-year-old  with long dark hair, I can't work and short and spunky side ponytail as well as her. Might be something to do with the fact that I don't have the power of a Togepi by my side.