March Favourites ❤

I've really enjoyed this month, I've had a lot of highlights 

including seeing both Ellie Goulding and Little Mix on their tours.

In this blogpost, I'll be talking about what 

I've been loving this month.

'Nothing But The Truth' by Vicky Pattison

In 2014, Vicky Pattison, best known for appearing in reality TV series Geordie Shore, released her first book which was an autobiography called Nothing But The Truth. Earlier this month, she released an updated version of her autobiography where she talks about winning I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in December last year. I loved reading about her experience in the jungle and what she went through. I also met Vicky herself, for a third time, at her appearance at the House Of CB store at the Manchester Arndale where we got selfies together. She was so sweet, as usual, and we chatted for a bit before getting three selfies and I went on my way, feeling so happy. 

'Get Weird' Little Mix

I know Little Mix's latest album, Get Weird, was released in November last year but I've been listening to their album a lot more this month because I was seeing them on their tour on March 24th at Manchester Arena. It's been a week since I saw them and I can say that they were amazing. They performed some of their biggest hits including Black Magic, Salute, Wings, Move and several songs from Get Weird. I was on my feet for the entire night and took a lot of pictures and videos. If you'd like to read my post about their concert, click here.

'Delirium' Ellie Goulding

I also saw Ellie Goulding on her Delirium tour. She was absolutely incredible. I remember when she released one of her first singles, Starry Eyed, in 2010 and I fell in love with her voice. I didn't get to see her live until earlier this month and she didn't disappoint. She performed her most popular songs including On My Mind, Burn, Anything Could Happen, Love Me Like You Do and many songs from her latest album. I could listen to her songs on repeat forever as she has the most beautiful voice. 

'Hymn For The Weekend' by Coldplay featuring Beyonce

I've heard this song on the radio and on the music channels a lot this month and it's quickly become one of my favourite songs. The lyrics are catchy and I was singing it within days after hearing it. I think it's incredibly underrated. It's very similar to one of Coldplay's previous singles, Paradise, as they're both full of great vocals from lead singer, Chris Martin, and Beyonce completes the song with her beautiful harmonies. The music video is amazing too as it was filmed in different Indian cities including Mumbai and Kolkata. It made me want to travel there as it shows all the stunning sides of India including its culture and what they wear. 

Those were my March Favourites.

Thank you so much for reading my blog, it really does mean a lot.

❤️

Little Mix Get Weird tour ❤

On Thursday March 24th at Manchester Arena, Little Mix performed some of their biggest hits and tracks from their recent album, Get Weird, and I was lucky enough to experience it. This post does contain spoilers from the tour so if you're going to be attending and want to be surprised then avoid reading this.

(These are all my photos, please ask me if you'd like to use any of the pictures and please give credit).

Little Mix came on stage at around 8:30pm and opened with one of the tracks from their third album which was Grown. This was a great way to open the show and everyone was cheering and on their feet dancing (especially me). They then performed Hair which is another track from Get Weird. The choreography for both songs were brilliant and all four of the girls were full of energy. They then toned the show down and performed their third single, Change Your Life. 

Little Mix performed the raunchy song, A.D.I.D.A.S, which is another track from Get Weird. This performanced showed off the girls' sexy side as they performed this song. They then went on to perform their first single, Wings, which proved to be very popular for the Manchester audience as they all sang along.

It was then time for the first costume change, but the audience weren't left bored as a video was projected onto the screen in front of us. The video shows the girls in a taxi with a mysterious taxi driver. They ask the drive to change the songs on the radio and they switched from the girls' own songs to popular pop songs such as Spice Girls' Wannabe. This was a great way to entertain the waiting fans. The tone was then dark which was appropriate for the next song the girls performed which was Lightning. This is my favourite song from Get Weird and I had high expectations. Fortunately, those expectations were beaten. This song showed off the girls' incredible vocals. They then performed DNA from their debut album of the same name. The song is about being infatuated with someone. Secret Love Song Part 2 was the next song they performed and the girls performed it with pure emotion. I could tell this song meant a lot to them. 

The girls then brought the dancing vibes back as they performed OMG. The audience then went crazy as they performed a unique medley that consisted of Jump On It / Crazy In Love / Where Are U Now and Ring The Alarm. This proved that the girls can perform a combination of popular songs and have come a long way since their X Factor days in 2011.

Salute, the third single from their second album of the same name, was the next song Little Mix performed. The song is about female empowerment and their choreography showed that. This had everyone in the audience on their feet. After being on their feet for the past few songs, the girls were given a break from dancing as they performed a ballad, Little Me, which is a track from their second album. The song talks about wanting to tell the younger version of yourself and telling them that she/he is beautiful just the way they are. The song meant a lot to each of the girls as they showed pure emotion in their performance. 

The girls went off for a costume change and came back on stage with Move, the first single from Salute. This is another one of my favourite songs of theirs and their performance had me moving throughout. It was then time to take it back a few years to when they released How Ya Doin? featuring Missy Elliot in 2013. This performance was combined with a very funny performance of Drake's Hotline Bling. 

Towards the end of the show, the girls performed another track from Get Weird, which was I Won't. They wrote this song with fellow singer/songwriter, Jess Glynne, who is best known for her tracks, Hold My Hand and Don't Be So Hard On Yourself. This song is about confidence and lyrics include 'I won't take anything for granted'. 

Despite performing for over an hour, the show wasn't over. They performed Love Me Like You, the second single from Get Weird. They then showed off their weird side in Weird People which is a very upbeat song. This was one of my favourite performances of the night as I loved the message the song brought which is that you should be yourself, no matter what.

Unfortunately, every show must come to an end. The girls perfectly finished the night with a short ballad from Get Weird, The End. This shows the girls as they reflect on the past few years and how far they've come. This was definitely a tear jerker as I wasn't ready for the show to end. A beautiful song.

Little Mix may have just performed a song called The End but the show hadn't ended yet. They saved their best song for last. Of course, it was Black Magic. The girls came back on stage singing the chant from their number one single and the audience sang along. This was, by far, their best performance of the night. After performing their hit single, the girls then went out with a bang as they jumped inside a giant book and the show was finished. I stood in awe as I thought about what I had just witnessed. I feel very fortunate enough to have experience Little Mix's biggest tour yet. I had an amazing night and I will never forget it.

Thank you so much for reading my blogpost, 

I hope you enjoyed it.

❤

International Women's Day ❤

Today (March 8th) is International Women's Day. It's a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. In this post, I will be talking about why this day is important and what people can do to help.

What is feminism?

Despite it being the 21st century, people are still confused about what 'feminism' actually is. Many people think it's a group of women that think they're better than men. That is not true. Being a feminist means that you want all genders to be treated as equals. A man can be a feminist. It is not a 'girl' thing. By saying you aren't a feminist, you are basically saying that you don't think everyone should get equal rights. Feminism is still a taboo subject and it shouldn't be. There are too many people who are judgemental towards someone who is an feminist. It shouldn't be like that. When someone says they're a feminist, people should respond with, 'Really? That's great! Me too!'. 

History of Feminism

For years, men have always been seen as the superior gender. Women were seen as 'weak'. I have always been confused with this opinion. Why are women seen as weak? I think it's because, in history, women were always seen as 'wives' and 'mothers' that do all the cleaning and cooking and not much else. They weren't treated as equals. 

Over a hundred years ago, women were refused jobs because of their gender. Fortunately, we have now come a long way since then. Many women have jobs. However, sexism is still a massive problem. During the Victorian times in the late 1800s and early 1900s, women would cover up the majority of their skin, as showing 'too much' skin was deemed sexual. Even if a woman showed her ankle in public, she was shamed. Now, women are allowed to wear what they want. Unfortunately, they're still shamed. Even young teenage girls are still discriminated against for what they wear. To this day, many girls are being sent home from school as their 'skirts are too short' or because 'she was showing her shoulder'. This is wrong. Legs and shoulders aren't meant to be 'sexual' in any way. If someone says they feel 'uncomfortable' with what a person is wearing, they're in the wrong. Women should be able to wear whatever they want without being judged. 

Why We Still Need Feminism

A lot of people still question why we still need feminism. To that question, I respond to the example above. Here are more examples why we still need feminism.

• Status - This is one of the main reasons why we still need feminism. In many countries, women aren't treated as equals, legally or socially. Women are still having to fight for equality on a daily basis. It shouldn't be like this.
• Equal Pay - Like I said earlier, women didn't even have jobs in the early 1900s. Fortunately, we've come a long way since then. Women are now working. However, they're not getting paid as much as men. Academy Award-winning actor, Jennifer Lawrence, spoke out about not getting paid as much as her male castmates on the set of American Hustle. I respect Jennifer for opening up about this and I agree. I think people should be paid based on how many hours they work, not based on their gender. The fact that many companies and businesses pay men more simply because of their gender is atrocious. It's unfair and there should be a change.
• Women As Objects - In the media, women are unfairly treated as objects. In the UK, many gossip magazines call out female celebrities for their body. If you walk into a shop and pick up a random magazine, there is almost a certain chance that one of the headlines will be about a female celebrities weight loss/gain. And inside these magazines contains many various interviews with different celebrities. They're constantly asking women about their 'diets' and their 'weight'. Women should be embracing their bodies not being shamed. I think people forget that women in the media are still people and still have feelings. 
• Representation - In the US, 20% of senators are women. In the House of Representatives, it's 18%. The UK has 22$ female MPs, Canada and Australia have 24%. Iraq has more than the US, at 25%. Rwanda has the highest at 56%. Just think about how many have little or no representation by women. I'm not saying women should be elected on their gender but judging by these numbers, they're clearly off in many countries. Also think about countries that have had no female leader.
• Sterotypes - Many women are told that they should study more 'feminine' subjects and that subjects like maths and physics 'aren't for them'. This is still a problem in the 21st century. And it isn't just women that are being stereotyped. Men are also being stereotyped into certain jobs. We need to challenge these outdated stereotypes.
• Girls Worry - Women begin worrying about their body from the moment they start puberty. We should be teaching them as early as possible that looks aren't the most important attributes and that what makes them beautiful is their personality and outlook on life. We need to teach them that they don't need to be slim and that they aren't there to please others. Women have achieved a lot and fought really hard for equality but there is still a lot of work to be done. If women are still growing up thinking that they need cosmetic surgery and having the perfect body is desirable, then, yes, we still need feminism.

How You Can Help
There are many ways people can help feminism. These include:

• Explaining what 'feminism' means - Like I said earlier, many people are still confused about what 'feminism' actually means. However, this can be helped by explaining to people about feminism and why it is important. This will help bring awareness.
• Follow 'feminist' pages on social media - By following social media accounts that are based on feminism, you'll learn more about why being a feminist is important. Most feminist accounts post daily feminist quotes and positive affirmations. A perfect example of this is @AnastasiaAmour on Instagram, who is a feminist and a body image/self-esteem coach. I've followed her account for only a few months but already I feel more positive in myself. She uses her experiences to help others to feel better about themselves. She is a true feminist as she believes in equality between the genders. 
• Open up about your opinions - Many women struggle to open up to their partners, mainly boyfriends, as they believe that, because of their gender, they will be ignored. They shouldn't be feeling this way. Don't let who you are stop you from opening up and talking about your opinions. 
• Be proud of who you are - Don't let who you are stop you from doing what you want. Your gender isn't important. What is more important is the person you are on the inside. It's your personality that defies who you are not your gender. You should be proud of who you are. By embracing your true self, you are one step closer to leading a positive life. It's important for a feminist to accept themselves as this means it's easier for them to accept others.

So those are all the reasons why feminism is still important 

and why we still need it.

Hopefully, by spreading the message about 

why feminism is important, 

women will one day be treated as equals. 

Thank you for reading my post, it means a lot.

Happy International Women's Day ❤