Friday 27 April 2018

Movie - "I Feel Pretty"


Hello Friends,

“I Feel Pretty” starring Amy Schumer is an imperfect movie and has been subject to various negative commentaries. I found the movie has some fresh and unexpected moments.

The movie is about;

In I FEEL PRETTY a woman who struggles with feelings of deep insecurity and low self-esteem, that hold her back everyday, wakes from a brutal fall in an exercise class believing she is suddenly a supermodel. With this newfound confidence she is empowered to live her life fearlessly and flawlessly, but what will happen when she realizes her appearance never changed?
 source: movie synopsis

“I Feel Pretty” has gone through a laser-like analysis online of fat-shaming and skinny-shaming, and different forms of rage and upset.

The movie was entertainment to me. I left the cinema pondering Amy Shumer’s portrayal of a woman who’d settled on a mediocre life, and not what she wanted which left her feeling depressed in her basement office. Her lack of confidence stopped her from reaching for her dreams.

After a knock on the head, her outlook on life, work and love changed completely. Nothing was impossible when her perception of herself changed from negative to positive. All of a sudden her dreams were within reach, and she turned them into a reality in her everyday life.

After another knock on the head, the self-illusions changed back to her old negative beliefs but not wholly. 

Here's the trailer...


How would the world be if women had confidence and high self-esteem? If they didn’t think their bodies were too fat or too skinny, but just right? Beautiful came from feeling beautiful about themselves. 

Enjoy your weekend, 
♥ Ashlyn


“I Feel Pretty” poster image sourced from, https://www.imdb.com/ 

Friday 20 April 2018

Menopause The Musical – Women on Fire



“Inspired by a hot flush and a bottle of wine, Menopause the Musical was created by Jeanie Linders and debuted in March 2001. It’s a celebration of women who are on the brink, or in the middle of, or have survived ‘The Change’.”

Hello Friends,

I was recently invited to a Girl’s Night Out. The phone call came about two hours before the event started. I had to make a quick decision to go or not.

Being the author of Hen Party, an irreverent, contemporary romance story, how could I turn down free tickets to a real life Girls' Night Out? I had to say yes, thank you. The story-teller inside me was hustling me out of the house already. Yeah, no, I just wanted to have a good time!

When I arrived at the venue with my teenager in tow, we were given VIP passes. Huh? Really? I had a moment of brain fail before my lips curled into a smile.

Whoopee, it was my first-time ever as a theatre VIP. I didn’t know what to expect. The first surprise didn’t take long to arrive. There were two topless male waiter’s with gym bodies and brawny muscles. They circulated through the crowd carrying trays of nibbles. The guys didn’t talk much, but they were happy to take selfies with the Instagrammers and Facebookers.

My next surprise came when I found the VIP area. There was a big bucket of ice stocked with small bottles of champagne. I choose pink bubbles. I turned around, and spotted a grazing table full of savoury snacks like cheese, crackers, olives, dips, nuts etc.

Women of all ages and some brave men attended the pre-show drinks and nibbles. After an hour, the bucket of alcohol and table of food was empty. It was hot and stuffy in the lounge area. I lined up at the bar to buy a bottle of water to take into the show. By this time, there were lots of happy, chatty women around me who were waiting to buy more alcohol. Physical barriers had dropped. We squeezed past each other in the queues, knocking hips and bosoms and sharing brief conversations about nothing important.

A sisterhood of boozy gals had formed in the foyer and we were ready to have a fun time in the theater. Menopause the Musical didn’t disappoint. It was hilarious and a terrific comedy. You didn’t have to be a vintage bird or over forty years of age old to appreciate the lively show. My teenager laughed along with the jokes and the distinctively feminine humor that was in the spotlight.

The bird of menopause. Bye, bye birdie. Estrogen takes flight, and naturally declines. 

Menopause the Musical is an award-winning, box-breaking show. So what is it about? A group of four women meet at a department store. They discover they have more in common than shopping for underwear. The experience of menopause unites them in a sisterhood.

I had no idea that singing about the symptoms of menopause and dancing to pop songs from the 1960’s, 70’s & 80’s could be so funny and engaging.

The four women characters (aka, the entire cast) featured in the musical I saw were;

The Farmer’s Wife. Hippy and doesn’t wear a bra. Close to the earth. Her favorite pills were happy hormones.

The Housewife. She wore baggy trousers and a blouse. Frumpish. Her husband was waiting for ‘The Change’ to be over and for her to return to normal. Still waiting.

The TV Soap Actress. Her days of dramatic greatness had faded along with her looks. Younger, beautiful women were taking her place on the telly.

The Businesswoman. She wore a smart suit, high heels and a designer scarf around her neck. Busy, busy working and having meetings. She was too busy to go through menopause.

Menopause was presented as ‘The Change’ in a woman that occurs during the middle years of her life. I remembered my mother’s reluctance to talk about menopause and generally any ailments and conditions suffered by female humans. ‘The Change’ was a polite and vague term used by a generation of women—the baby boomers.

So many changes. The falling apart menopausal woman’s body. Are there any positive changes to add to the muffin top cartoon? 
However, being middle-aged doesn’t necessarily stop women from feeling sexy. Some ladies have made peace with their bodies and enjoy orgasms.  Not all women have the stereotypical menopause experience, and not to argue the point, because this show is a laugh-a-thon.

Hot flashes, loss of bladder control and desperately seeking the toilet were the stars of this stage. How many different ways can you cross your legs, hold it in, and still hobble to the rest room? 
"I made it!" the actress exclaimed on each occasion, until she didn't. 

The brain collapse, was one of the song and dance numbers that I won’t forget, for now. The collapse happens when a sudden dazed state takes you over. You can’t remember what you were thinking about. You can’t think straight or you completely lose the train of your thoughts. Is the brain collapse a menopause exclusive state of mind? Next time I stop speaking mid-sentence, and leave the listener hanging, I’ll going searching for the rest of the words in the vault of butterflies.

A Tina Turner impersonation was a favorite performance with my hometown crowd. The actress wore a grey-haired shaggy wig, tight black leather pants and high, high heels. The wig had its own life force and Tina personality as she danced to the music. We sang along with her. “What’s love got to do with it?” There was a lot of love for the four fabulous entertainers.

Thanks to this musical, Menopause is no longer ‘The Silent Passage’. Women are singing and dancing about it in a touring show.
There’s a wonderful life waiting after ‘The Change’.


Enjoy your weekend,
Ashlyn

Friday 13 April 2018

The Mature & Ripe Writer



Everyone has a story to tell, but will they ever write the book?
When are you too old to recite your tale?
Never!

Hello Friends,

This week I’m posting about the mature, ripe and ready writer.

Author and physician executive, Julie Rosenberg had a full-time career in Corporate America when she had an idea for a book. At over 50 years of age, she started her writing career from scratch. 

She wrote her book, “Beyond the Mat”, based on her experience as a yoga practitioner and instructor. She didn’t believe she could have written her book earlier in her life.

She says, anyone who keeps learning stays young.

“So keep learning. Take a risk. Try something new. Believe in yourself. Think positively. Think about what all the wisdom of your years makes you uniquely positioned to write about.

Julie Rosenberg

Read about Julie’s writing adventure here, “Is it too late to start writing after 50?”  



The romance genre certainly has a few mature-aged authors. Some readers are also searching for stories featuring mature heroines. Two Australians romance authors have previously shared their thoughts on my blog about older heroines, and they become popular posts. If you missed the posts or would like to catch them again, here they are...



Older Romance Heroines with Justine Lewis
Older romance heroines…
“Are they too old or too serious to be shagged senseless by a debaucherous Duke or a sexy billionaire or a ruggedly ripped farmer?” Woah, the hot questions need answers...



Older Romance Heroines with D.D. Line

Older romance heroines…
“Do they lose the desire to be wooed, to be seduced?
Can they be part of a significant romance story?”


Let your stories loose,
and have a happy weekend.

♥  Ashlyn

Friday 6 April 2018

Old & New Stories of the Earth




“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”    Philip Pullman, Goodreads 


“There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place.”                                    J.K. Rowling Goodreads


Hello Friends,

Tell me a story.
We know that fictional stories are entertainment that we watch in movies and read in books. They play on our emotions in good and inspiring ways. In contrast, violent, disrespectful stories are doorways to the dark side of the human psyche.

Stories have the power to affect us. They mirror and explore the human experience. People have a natural curiosity to seek out stories.

So what about stories of the land? Our cultural stories? Over thousands of years, the earth-lore of western societies has lost its power and impact. Dr Sharon Blackie In her article, Re-learning the Stories of the Earth , writes;


“We’re sanitized them and made them more acceptable for the linear, dualistic, patriarchal Western philosophy that straitjackets our lives.”

Indigenous peoples such as Native Americans and Australian Aboriginals still have cultural stories of the land. Their connection to earth, creation, ancestors, and all of the kingdoms are important and vital threads of their societies.



Each of us has a life story. We’ve gathered perceptions from our journey. Stored away our version of reality. There are places on the earth where we’ve felt a close connection to nature. As we walked along our living path, we’ve collected special memories.

It’s most likely that we’ve had encounters with nonhumans such as trees, animals, pets, angels, spirits, aliens…who left an impressions on us, or maybe even changed our lives.  

With the new energy of consciousness that’s lifting higher on earth, the stories of the ancient ones are returning, and we can also remember our personal stories and how they affected our lives.

Our sacredness.
Our connection to each other and to everything, including the nonhumans.

The earth is our enchanted place full of wonder.
We are blessed and held in love.
It’s time to act as loving guardians of our home on Gaia and keep the candle burning in the darkness.


If you would like to see some more pictures of beautiful nature, I have a Google plus site called Ashlyn Brady (Sacred Earth) for the love of Gaia


You're welcome to drop by or friend me. You can find the G+ site here Sacred Earth 

Have a happy weekend!

♥  Ashlyn