In The Pursuit of Happiness: Bindi Irwin on Making Her Dad Proud

I’ve talked about the universal need to make our parents proud, how that need is still present in adulthood and how, especially since my father’s death, I’ve wondered if he’d be proud of me.

Well, it looks like I’m not the only one who feels this way. Bindi Irwin recently chatted with US Weekly about her famous dad, the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, who died in 2006 following a stingray attack…

I hope he’d be proud. That’s my end goal. He was like our living, breathing superhero. He was so passionate and clever…You never knew what to expect with Dad. He was like a living hurricane. But it was always fun and it was always an adventure. We [Irwin’s family] try to surround ourselves with love and light. You have to be there for each other. As a family, we are trying to make sure everything Dad worked so hard for carries on into the future. We’ll continue to expand the zoo and try to spread his message. It’s a big job, but we’re hoping to make Dad as proud as possible.

I do often wonder if my own dad would be proud of where I am in life and what he’d say about the person I am today. It’s weird, but in my eyes, I’m still sort of that little girl when I think of my father. Time has stopped at the point of his death and everything is frozen. We’re not going to be making new memories and we won’t get the opportunity to see our roles reverse. For all intents and purposes, I’m still a “kid” in the context of my relationship with my father. That is something that will never change.

Is that how all adult children feel when they’ve lost a parent at a relatively young age? I wonder if we’re forever trapped in that regressed role. Sometimes I actually imagine the conversation I’d have with my father, how we’d talk about everything that’s happened, and I’d finally get the chance to say everything I’ve always wanted to tell him.

In The Pursuit of Happiness: Stephen Colbert on the Power of Women

Have you got your DVR set for Stephen Colbert‘s big debut on the Late Show on September 8th? I’ve always admired everyone’s favorite funny man, and although he’ll be shedding his brash ‘Colbert’ persona, it’ll be refreshing to see a more human side to the comedian.
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He’s still got that spunk, though, as he showed in this hilarious essay he wrote for this month’s Glamour. He manages to proclaim his love for women while also poking fun at those crazy, outdated gender stereotypes…

I will continue to fight for women, because I’m a man who is deeply in touch with my femininity. I believe gender is a spectrum, and I fall somewhere between Channing Tatum and Winnie the Pooh. Pooh and I definitely agree on the no-pants thing. As soon as I’m home, off they go—and I’m knuckle-deep in a pot of honey…I love all the things women love: exfoliating microbeads, period costume dramas, Joe Manganiello’s second row of abs, pay commensurate with my skill set, York peppermint patties, Legolas, the respect of my colleagues, and being warm. 


I’m here for you, and that means I’m going to do my best to create a Late Show that not only appeals to women but also celebrates their voices. These days TV would have you believe that being a woman means sensually eating yogurt, looking for ways to feel confident on heavy days, and hunting for houses. But I’m going to make a show that truly respects women, because I know that there’s more than one way to be one. Maybe you’re a woman who likes women. Maybe you like women and men. Maybe you’re a woman who’s recently transitioned. Maybe you’re a guy who’s reading this magazine because your girlfriend bought a copy and it looked interesting.

I love that notion, the fact that there doesn’t have to be a “us” and “them” when it comes to men and women and that we really could be all in this together. And, yes, maybe that is some sort of pie-in-the-sky dream, but I’d say it’s one worth fighting for. If we already do such amazing things on our own, imagine all the things we could do if we teamed up.

Do you think the gender gap has shortened over the years, friends? Has Colbert got it right? I can’t wait to see what he does with his new show!! xoxo

In The Pursuit of Happiness: Lauren Conrad Shuts Down Body-Shamers

Fat.

Skinny.

These are my two least favorite words in the English language. In fact, they’re my least favorite of all time, in any language.

Have you ever noticed how fat, in particular, is such a short word, but seemingly wields so much power over us? It’s just one syllable. That’s it. Just one. It takes less than one second to say, and yet we spend countless hours obsessing over it and looking for it and comparing ours to other people’s. It’s enough to drive anyone bonkers — and it does. All. The. Time. Skinny is a word that also weighs heavily on our minds. The irony, I know. For some reason, the embodiment of all things skinny has become something of a sought-after goal, as if it was some sort of status symbol. At the very least, it was something to be proud of.
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But luckily for us all, fashionista extraordinaire Lauren Conrad is taking a big stand for Girl Power by making her little corner of the Interwebs a safer and more positive place. In a blog post last week, she outlined her plans…

“When we’ve talked about getting in shape in the past, words like “skinny,” “slim,” and “thin” have often come up. Starting this month, we’ll be banning any body shaming terms from the site, and shifting the focus to words like “fit” “toned,” and “healthy.” We try do to this for the most part anyway, but now we’re making it official! The word skinny will now be reserved for skinny jeans. My editorial team and I had a long talk about it, and we want to make sure that the focus is on being fit as opposed to a number on the scale. Every body is created differently—and healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.”

Amen, Lauren! She’s always been one of my favorites. I love how she’s been able to transcend her Laguna Beach and Hills past and become such an inspiring business woman. She seems like the type of person who knows exactly who she is, isn’t willing to settle or pretend and ultimately makes NO APOLOGIES for any of it. Now that’s some solid business model I could get behind.

Just like I said a few days ago, there’s a certain strength in being who you are. Lauren, obviously, owns it, too, and I’m glad she’s a role model for so many young women these days. I can’t help but feel like she’s inspiring the Lauren Conrads of tomorrow, don’t you, friends? Rock on, Lauren! xoxo

The Secret To A Long Life

Meet Emma Morano. She hails from Italy and has led quite the remarkable life — and quite the long one as well. At 115, she’s the oldest living person in Europe. When it comes to the source of her very own fountain of youth, she credits two things: three raw eggs AND remaining single for most of her life. The New York Times ran an inspiring profile of her, and it brought such a huge smile to my face this morning.

“She is also convinced that being single for most of her life, after an unhappy marriage that ended in 1938 following the death of an infant son, has kept her kicking. Separation was rare then, and divorce became legal in Italy only in 1970. She said she had plenty of suitors after that, but never chose another partner. ‘I didn’t want to be dominated by anyone,’” she said.

I LOVE this! What a wild adventure she must have had plowing through life and charting her own course, especially during a time when it was rare for a woman to be unmarried. But it looks like Morano didn’t care, and that is so refreshing. So often, we hear women bemoan, “I’m going to end up an 80-year-old spinster in a tiny apartment with cats,” as if that is some sort of fate worse than death. Their lives would be completely ruined if that happened. Very seldom do we hear the term spinster in such a positive light, which is why Morano is making the hearts of single ladies the world over swell with pride!

How awesome is she? Do you know anyone like her in your own life/ Live long and single, friends! xoxo

In The Pursuit of Happiness: Gina Rodriguez on body image

Speaking of self-confidence, actress Gina Rodriguez knows a thing or two about the struggle.

The Jane the Virgin star recently told PEOPLE that she’s regularly told that she’s not skinny enough or tall enough or even ethnic enough.

“As a woman in this industry, we are constantly being pressured to look a certain way and to get our hair and nails and makeup done and live up to these images that aren’t conducive to a healthy mind. But I have to remember that this is a game. And if the game says I should be looking like this, then I just don’t play that role. And that’s okay.”

It’s easy to fall for those lies, but thanks to her parents, Gina’s healthy and positive outlook is downright infectious.

“My mom is so beautiful and never wears any makeup. She would say, ‘You want a man to love you for who you are, not what you look like or what you’re covered up by.’ My parents really encouraged us to have confidence in who we are and accept who we are because it is not going to change and we are beautiful.”

This is definitely part of the reason that Jane the Virgin is one of my favorite shows this season. Gina is such a real, down-to-earth actress and that really comes through in the character of Jane, despite the out-of-this-world premise of the show. It’s so encouraging when you see celebrities being such good role models for today’s young people (does that make me sound incredibly old??), especially when there are some famous folks who tend to shy away from that role.

Go, Gina! Thanks for being such a body-positive voice for us all!!! xoxo