Is Bath and Body Works racist?

December 7, 2013December 7, 2013 ~ Emmie Reve ~ 1 Comment

This is me in front of the offending store. Boo!

Okay, so this entry is as political as I’ll get. I don’t usually like playing the “race card“. It’s too done. Being the first generation of my family to be born here in Toronto, one of the most multi cultural places in the world, I haven’t really ever felt racism. I mean there were awkward times during my high school years where I didn’t fit in with the main cliques, partly do to the fact that I was a small, withdrawn Asian girl that didn’t play sports…but other than that, I’ve lived without any major discomfort due to my Chinese background.

This doesn’t mean that I’m not sensitive to it. I am well aware of some Asian stereotypes, and I still do fight them today. But most recently I had a brief stint working as a seasonal sales staff at Bath and Body Works. And it was one of the worst employment experiences I’ve ever had. I wanted to work in the cosmetics industry because it is my interest, so I went in for an interview, even though I had my reservations to work for such a big box company. It was a group interview involving me, a busty redhead from the UK and a BBW manager that shall remain nameless. So as I battled it out with the Brit, answering questions for this position, I realized that with my superior knowledge of the make-up industry and my retail sales experience in general, I kind of blew her out of the water. But at the end of the interview, we both got the position. That’s fine or is it? It turns out that that there were only so many hours that could be doled out, so it would mean that me and the Brit would be splitting the little shifts that there was. I worked 3 hours a week during the brief stint, barely worth getting out of bed for.

Luckily, two weeks and miserably into the position at BBW, I got a call from another make-up company ready to take me on! I went for the interview, and it was immediate click. They knew I knew my stuff. And I knew I wanted to be with them. No jumping over hurdles, battling it out with a red head, fighting over three hours shifts. I could relax and know I got the position, because I was qualified. I decided however to finish one more day at BBW before letting them know I was quitting. Big mistake. On this day, they didn’t let me talk to customers, I was put on bag duty, which is double bagging bags. 😦 Then I was sent to the back room to cut box trays. I know this was prep for Black Friday, but I couldn’t help but feel that they didn’t appreciate me, and I finally noticed that all the front line staff that day were white. When I looked at the next weeks’ schedule, I had only 1 on-call shift, while the new hire UK girl had gotten 2 shifts. It had nothing to do with me being a new hire then. What else could it have been other than race? Hmm, I can’t prove it, but I sure felt it. To make matters worse, they gave me a shotty knife to cut the boxes with and I ended up straining my two fore fingers, and they ended up turning numb! For one week my fingers were numb and were not the same and even as I’m typing now, my index finger is still weird. BBW, I truly hate thou. The next day, I phoned in my resignation, and danced for joy, having a way better job to fall back on! I will write more about my new job in another entry soon!

As a side note, despite what BBW did to me, don’t shop there anyways. They could be possibly racist, but also, their products suck. They all smell the same, and are loaded with synthetic chemicals that are junky. You heard it from me first!

Check out the following video. It shows that racism in the retail workplace does totally exist.

How not to get fat…

November 22, 2013November 22, 2013 ~ Emmie Reve ~ 2 Comments

There are so many fad diets and cleanses out there. Low carb diet, raw veganism, south beach, lemon cleanse…the list goes on and on. Well, I actually find all of those diets very stupid. Obviously, if you eat a healthy variety of foods and exercise, this is the best way. But are there also certain lifestyles that can help with weight control? For example there are so many books and rumors out there about how French women do not get fat, and how Japanese women do not get fat or old! So what to make of it all? Are some cultures and lifestyles more conducive to a slimmer more attractive frame? Is it something that us North Americans are doing wrong? I don’t think so. It’s got to do with just common sense. A diet based on culture can only help a little.

This is what I was bombarded with daily in France. But looking back that was when I struggled with weight the least!

French women do not get fat because of portion control. They’ll have that buttery croissant, but then they’ll only have one. When I lived in Paris, this was true. I only had treats once in a while, and a fresh food market was on every corner for most of my main food…And what about Japanese women? I used to work with a bunch of Japanese girls from different parts of Japan. The reason I think that they were skinny was partly due to their work ethic. They ate simple foods like rice and fish, but also, they worked non-stop…burning off little calories they did consume. So yes, in a way culture can help in terms of weight control, but still, it’s a lot based in common sense. Eat less, eat well and be active.

Can you imagine getting fat on just rice? Asians do tend to be slim, but then there are sumos!

I’m a true North American, born and raised in Toronto, and I’ve NEVER had a weight problem. At the same time, I’ve never been bone skinny either. Infact, I am a nice in between…just plump enough to have curves, but not too chunky anywhere. Here are some tips or common sense that I find works:

1. Don’t eat if you’re not hungry. I am naturally not much of a snacker. I try to keep busy most of the day, so eating for fun or for taste doesn’t really appeal to me. Think about why you are eating. Is it because you are bored, or depressed? Don’t just snack blindly.

2. Stay away from processed, greasy food. I am lucky that I actually do not find fast food or pizza all that appetizing. After eating it, I often feel kind of gross, so it’s a great deterrent. Think about the processed food you are eating…does it really taste good? I’m sure you will answer no.

3. Drink water instead of juice or pop, or sugared beverages. I’m usually kind of broke, so having tap water instead of a fizzy drink works well for me. But it also keeps me away from a lot of unneeded calories. Think about how optimal hydration is simply achieved by water.

4. No chocolate or ice cream, at least not regularly. These two foods are the death traps for weight control. You can have other kinds of candy and dessert, but just not these two things for a simple reason. They taste so good, but are basically fat welded together with sugar. It’s true.

5. Everything in moderation. I drink only one glass of wine, I don’t smoke, I’m not super healthy organic, but I try when I can. These are the best most simple ways. And also, read packaging if you’re eating ready made foods. They tell you what is in it! If the second ingredient is something like hydrogenated anything…it makes sense to not waste your money on it!

It’s as simple as that. No fad diets, and don’t follow another culture for an easy out. Everything makes sense if you just realize obvious bad eating habits and cut it out. But most important is to be yourself. Many girls around me developed eating disorders back when I was in high school. They had bad self esteem, or were just distracted by media messages that didn’t matter. Some girls had said to me that I was the “perfect weight” and saw themselves as “fat”. Now that’s just not right. Everyone can have their own perfect weight and it is not dependent on models, or women you think are skinnier. Just be yourself and all will fall into place!

Venus, by Henry Selous. See this magnificent piece of art? This woman is not skinny, but she she working it by being herself!

I’m 20 again and I’m also a mermaid!

November 14, 2013December 1, 2014 ~ Emmie Reve ~ 1 Comment

mp07a — Beautiful mermaid artwork from Charles Santore, for The Little Mermaid

Every girl wants wavy mermaid hair! Or I would assume. One way I hear to get it is with sea salt spray. I am late coming onto this trend, but I wanted to investigate it for myself. Is all this hype about “texturizing” your hair with the spray true? Or is it the cosmetic industry’s newest gimmick, making millions off of this hair product when hairspray, gel, or mousse and a curling iron can do the same? So I started reading about it. What does it do to hair when you spritz it in? Does it automatically give you waves worthy of the beach? Does it make you feel like you just came back from one? How does beach hair look like anyways? So after reading many internet articles about it, I found out two really important things about the “beach wave” look, and how it is achieved with sea salt sprays, aka surf sprays.

1) “Beach hair” is another way of saying loose, bohemian waves, with the gritty, messy texture one might get from dunking your head in the sea and letting it air dry. Basically a dirtier, messier surfer chick wave! Photos of people that used it had hair just like that which I described. Some may like it some may not, but you can decide. But don’t let the trends pressure you into thinking you love it it you don’t! Respect your own opinion on style. But if you do, read on!

2) Now the second thing I learned was that sea salt sprays were exactly that. Water mixed with salt. Why was the make-up industry charging so much for bottled salt water? I had no clue. Sure, they put a nice fragrance in it, but so could I with little to no effort. So what was the deal? I even read countless articles on how homemade sprays yielded same if not better beach hair results. So I decided that if I wanted to try these sprays, I was gonna make my own. After experimenting a bit, as well as having a botched attempt, I feel I’ve settled on a great recipe and I’ll share it with you all. I added rosewater, which makes it smell more like anEnglish Garden, in contrast to the athletic, tropical image of a surfer babe, but I think it makes it more moisturizing and it smells so fresh and healthy.

Roses in the Sea Beach Spray Recipe

2/3 cup warm water (for the salt to disolve)

1 teaspoon salt (more than that doesn’t seem necessary to be visible in hair, but if using dead sea salt, double the amount!)

1/3 cup of rosewater (find it at your local grocery store, or make it if you know how!)

2 teaspoons of grape seed oil (gives your hair more moisture, can also use coconut oil, or something else)

1 teaspoon of alcohol (for preservation)

my basic, easy to find everyday ingredients, minus the water of course!

Add all the above ingredients into a clean bottle with a spray nozzle. Shake it up, and then spritz all over your hair! The more you put in, the more hold you can get. I like more waves, since my hair doesn’t seem to be that wavy unless I help it out. So I twirl them in them into four little buns and let it air dry for a few hours. Then I release it while it’s still a bit damp. The curls are too severe, so I soften them by blowing them out with a hair dryer until they are dry and set. I get loose waves with texture, while not looking too done up. It’s seems effortlessly pretty, which is trendy these days! Surprisingly my hair feels really soft. I think it’s the rose water. Give it a try and let me know if you love it too.

My results. It was nice and soft, even the day after! yay.

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