Wild is Not Necessarily Free

So what is up with "the Brit pack"? The group - Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, etc - seems inordinately influential with the current generation of young women. But it's a cultural phenomena that hasn't changed a whole lot since I was a teenager: young people prize freedom of expression. Often this means drinking and drugging, being sexually liberated and free to "hook up." I, too, spent my twenties drinking and sexing my way through law school; I answered to no one and did as I pleased. But in truth, much of my behavior was motivated by the big lie, "I don't care what anybody thinks." As far as I can tell, that "big lie" is still alive and well with young people today.

I use the term "big lie" as Carl Jung used the term "big dream" to emphasize the largesse of a lie or dream that transcends any one person or individual life. Jung called these archetypes; I think of them as cultural mindsets or feeling-states common to large groups of people. Do young women today really "not care" about what others think?

A woman who truly "doesn’t care what anybody thinks" in a positive sense gets her personal power from inside herself. Generally, she is highly regarded and has built her self-esteem through esteem-able acts. She doesn’t care what people think because she is on purpose, has some accomplishment under her belt, knows her own mind, and has proved to herself and those around her that she has a strong moral core. That was not true of me in my twenties, nor is that what today's "prostitots" demonstrate when they flaunt their misbehavior in society's face.
Like it or not, fame or no fame, women are still inducted into some specific beliefs:
1) that their sexuality has a certain value, and
2) that they are less of a woman or incomplete without a man. The issue here is not whether or not these beliefs are true; the issue here is to become aware of how these beliefs may affect you.

Perhaps allowing the world to zoom in on her genitalia is Britney’s way of telling us she doesn’t need our approval. The first time I met a woman who was really free (rather than like Britney or my younger self), I was totally entranced. This woman was not self-absorbed; she was self-possessed and completely at home in her skin. She was so sure of her self that she seemed like another species. She exhibited none of the attention seeking, self-conscious, controlling, or flirtatious ways I associated with being a desirable woman. Her very presence startled something deep inside me awake.

I had to do a great deal of inner work before I built that type of solid foundation. I had to face the fact that I would do anything to secure male approval. I had to look at my motives for choosing provocative attire and learn the fine art of knowing when a sexy look suited me and when it diminished me. I had to confront the many ways I was still invested in the idea that a woman with a man is somehow more complete.

Women experience true freedom when they break free of these ideas and discover the ability to exercise choice by applying the will. Sometimes we gain more self-respect by exercising self-restraint than by "doing whatever I want." Then we stand at the threshold of a whole new kind of personal freedom.

Buying Man Made Diamonds

Jewelries (joias) are an important addition to the attire and a wonderful complement to the over-all beauty of a person. They are not just mere objects worn to embellish the looks of a person; rather, they contribute substantially to the completeness of your personality. There is nothing like wearing ornaments to a special occasion and inviting eyeballs towards you. Indeed, it is the jewelries (joias) that set you apart from others when you are in midst of a looks-conscious people. Among all jewelries worn around world, diamond jewelries have always been the best and most attractive one.

In the last few years, consumers have shifted their choice from natural diamond jewelries to man-made diamond jewelries (joias). The diamond jewelries market is literally crammed with several companies who offer different designs of diamond jewelries. However, there are a few names the industry reckons with, such as ASHA, CARAT, Russian Brilliants and Diamond Nexus Labs. Every company has its own policies for returns, exchanges and guarantees which are different from others. Hence, it is only imperative that the buyers check out the product specifications, features, terms and conditions before buying them. There are certain aspects that you have to take into consideration before buying diamond jewelries (joias):

Returns:

Different diamond jewelry companies have different policies with regard to returns of the purchased items (joias). Take a look at the following refund policies of some established companies:

Russian Brilliants - 7 days refund policy (minus shipping costs).

ASHA - 14 days from the day you receive your shipment.

CARAT - 30 days refund policy provided you notify them within 7 days of that you intend to return the shipment. Since this company is based in china, you will have to return your purchase to China.

Diamond Nexus Labs - It offers 30 days to inspect and enjoy your jewelry (joias). Moreover, this company, unlike CARAT and ASHA, allows returning your purchase even after using it.

Besides, both ASHA and CARAT will charge a 10% restocking fee. Incase you have bought the items from CARAT which is based in China, you have to deal with the customs. Further, any queries at your end can be answered only during Chinese business hours, i.e., when it is midnight in the USA. While Russian Brilliants (joias) are vague about their returns policies, Diamond Nexus Labs is the most liberal and has an extensive return policy with no hassles whatsoever.

Exchanges:

This is very important point to take note of. You should know the exchange policies of different diamond manufactures before buying diamond jewelry (joias). This is because some companies have strict exchange policies and procedures; hence, exchanging their products can give you a nightmarish experience. Let us know a bit about the exchange procedures of some of the leading names:

ASHA - It does not provide phone customer service. So, any questions must be submitted via email. However, it allows 14 days to its customers to submit an exchange.

CARAT - It has a phone customer service department to answer your queries. As far as the exchange is concerned, you have only 7 days to think and decide if you want an exchange or not. On the top of it, it will deduct a 10% restocking fee incase you want an exchange to take place.

Russian Brilliants - It has a phone customer service department to take care of the after-sales queries of the customers and it also allows you an exchange within 7 days.

Diamond Nexus Labs - It is the most liberal of them all. No fuss about processing your exchange which is free of charge. No hassle or re-stocking fee. What is more is it allows you a 30-day period to think and decide if you want to exchange it or not.

Ring Resizing:

Resizing might occur because of the weight loss or gain or even due to an error in size selection. Each of the companies that manufactures synthetic diamond ring (joias) has different policy regarding resizing the ring. Russian Brilliants does it for a small fee whereas CARAT has no clear resizing policy. Diamond Nexus resize your ring within 30 days of the purchase and free of charge. ASHA recommends its customers to resize their ring (joias) by any local dealer and if this is not possible then it will do it for you; however, it will charge $35 to size white gold and $55 for platinum.

Lifetime Warranty:

Customer service policies by different companies vary from each other and so does the lifetime warranty. Russian Brilliants and CARAT offer a lifetime warranty on their lab-created diamond products (joias) against color changes. ASHA has repelled its lifetime warranty offer of late claiming that some customers were trying to return products even though the damage had taken place due to customers` or jewelers` negligence. Diamond Nexus guarantees a free replacement in the event of any fade, discolor, damage of Diamond Nexus Labs gemstone. Moreover, it also ensures a free replacement if the stone (joias) is ever lost from its setting.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

Wild is Not Necessarily Free

So what is up with "the Brit pack"? The group - Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, etc - seems inordinately influential with the current generation of young women. But it's a cultural phenomena that hasn't changed a whole lot since I was a teenager: young people prize freedom of expression. Often this means drinking and drugging, being sexually liberated and free to "hook up." I, too, spent my twenties drinking and sexing my way through law school; I answered to no one and did as I pleased. But in truth, much of my behavior was motivated by the big lie, "I don't care what anybody thinks." As far as I can tell, that "big lie" is still alive and well with young people today.

I use the term "big lie" as Carl Jung used the term "big dream" to emphasize the largesse of a lie or dream that transcends any one person or individual life. Jung called these archetypes; I think of them as cultural mindsets or feeling-states common to large groups of people. Do young women today really "not care" about what others think?

A woman who truly "doesn’t care what anybody thinks" in a positive sense gets her personal power from inside herself. Generally, she is highly regarded and has built her self-esteem through esteem-able acts. She doesn’t care what people think because she is on purpose, has some accomplishment under her belt, knows her own mind, and has proved to herself and those around her that she has a strong moral core. That was not true of me in my twenties, nor is that what today's "prostitots" demonstrate when they flaunt their misbehavior in society's face.
Like it or not, fame or no fame, women are still inducted into some specific beliefs:
1) that their sexuality has a certain value, and
2) that they are less of a woman or incomplete without a man. The issue here is not whether or not these beliefs are true; the issue here is to become aware of how these beliefs may affect you.

Perhaps allowing the world to zoom in on her genitalia is Britney’s way of telling us she doesn’t need our approval. The first time I met a woman who was really free (rather than like Britney or my younger self), I was totally entranced. This woman was not self-absorbed; she was self-possessed and completely at home in her skin. She was so sure of her self that she seemed like another species. She exhibited none of the attention seeking, self-conscious, controlling, or flirtatious ways I associated with being a desirable woman. Her very presence startled something deep inside me awake.

I had to do a great deal of inner work before I built that type of solid foundation. I had to face the fact that I would do anything to secure male approval. I had to look at my motives for choosing provocative attire and learn the fine art of knowing when a sexy look suited me and when it diminished me. I had to confront the many ways I was still invested in the idea that a woman with a man is somehow more complete.

Women experience true freedom when they break free of these ideas and discover the ability to exercise choice by applying the will. Sometimes we gain more self-respect by exercising self-restraint than by "doing whatever I want." Then we stand at the threshold of a whole new kind of personal freedom.

Buying Man Made Diamonds

Jewelries (joias) are an important addition to the attire and a wonderful complement to the over-all beauty of a person. They are not just mere objects worn to embellish the looks of a person; rather, they contribute substantially to the completeness of your personality. There is nothing like wearing ornaments to a special occasion and inviting eyeballs towards you. Indeed, it is the jewelries (joias) that set you apart from others when you are in midst of a looks-conscious people. Among all jewelries worn around world, diamond jewelries have always been the best and most attractive one.

In the last few years, consumers have shifted their choice from natural diamond jewelries to man-made diamond jewelries (joias). The diamond jewelries market is literally crammed with several companies who offer different designs of diamond jewelries. However, there are a few names the industry reckons with, such as ASHA, CARAT, Russian Brilliants and Diamond Nexus Labs. Every company has its own policies for returns, exchanges and guarantees which are different from others. Hence, it is only imperative that the buyers check out the product specifications, features, terms and conditions before buying them. There are certain aspects that you have to take into consideration before buying diamond jewelries (joias):

Returns:

Different diamond jewelry companies have different policies with regard to returns of the purchased items (joias). Take a look at the following refund policies of some established companies:

Russian Brilliants - 7 days refund policy (minus shipping costs).

ASHA - 14 days from the day you receive your shipment.

CARAT - 30 days refund policy provided you notify them within 7 days of that you intend to return the shipment. Since this company is based in china, you will have to return your purchase to China.

Diamond Nexus Labs - It offers 30 days to inspect and enjoy your jewelry (joias). Moreover, this company, unlike CARAT and ASHA, allows returning your purchase even after using it.

Besides, both ASHA and CARAT will charge a 10% restocking fee. Incase you have bought the items from CARAT which is based in China, you have to deal with the customs. Further, any queries at your end can be answered only during Chinese business hours, i.e., when it is midnight in the USA. While Russian Brilliants (joias) are vague about their returns policies, Diamond Nexus Labs is the most liberal and has an extensive return policy with no hassles whatsoever.

Exchanges:

This is very important point to take note of. You should know the exchange policies of different diamond manufactures before buying diamond jewelry (joias). This is because some companies have strict exchange policies and procedures; hence, exchanging their products can give you a nightmarish experience. Let us know a bit about the exchange procedures of some of the leading names:

ASHA - It does not provide phone customer service. So, any questions must be submitted via email. However, it allows 14 days to its customers to submit an exchange.

CARAT - It has a phone customer service department to answer your queries. As far as the exchange is concerned, you have only 7 days to think and decide if you want an exchange or not. On the top of it, it will deduct a 10% restocking fee incase you want an exchange to take place.

Russian Brilliants - It has a phone customer service department to take care of the after-sales queries of the customers and it also allows you an exchange within 7 days.

Diamond Nexus Labs - It is the most liberal of them all. No fuss about processing your exchange which is free of charge. No hassle or re-stocking fee. What is more is it allows you a 30-day period to think and decide if you want to exchange it or not.

Ring Resizing:

Resizing might occur because of the weight loss or gain or even due to an error in size selection. Each of the companies that manufactures synthetic diamond ring (joias) has different policy regarding resizing the ring. Russian Brilliants does it for a small fee whereas CARAT has no clear resizing policy. Diamond Nexus resize your ring within 30 days of the purchase and free of charge. ASHA recommends its customers to resize their ring (joias) by any local dealer and if this is not possible then it will do it for you; however, it will charge $35 to size white gold and $55 for platinum.

Lifetime Warranty:

Customer service policies by different companies vary from each other and so does the lifetime warranty. Russian Brilliants and CARAT offer a lifetime warranty on their lab-created diamond products (joias) against color changes. ASHA has repelled its lifetime warranty offer of late claiming that some customers were trying to return products even though the damage had taken place due to customers` or jewelers` negligence. Diamond Nexus guarantees a free replacement in the event of any fade, discolor, damage of Diamond Nexus Labs gemstone. Moreover, it also ensures a free replacement if the stone (joias) is ever lost from its setting.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

Girly Tee Shirts: Here Are A Few of My Favorite Styles (Part I)

Take a tour with me through the virtual cornucopia of current and ever-emerging ladies junior T shirt styles. Now taking the world by storm: 1.) Baby Doll Tops, and 2.) Raglan /Baseball Tees. These two featured style-pairs will introduce this article series for any and all who are maybe still reservedly, yet gingerly and cautiously, beginning to take shopping excursions into the current "girl-cut" fashion experience…

Baby Doll Styles
This is your staple girly fashion tee. Think opposite of baggy/grunge. In fact, picture in your mind yesterday's unisex shirt with parallel lines, boxy cut and wide-band crew-- you're pretty much seeing a guy's undershirt, right? Now skinny-down the sleeve and crew hems to more delicate, narrower wisps. At the same time scale down the overall cut and taper the side seams to follow the curves of the female form.

Besides the "girly" cut, this style is also big on comfort, most usually weighing in between a 5-6 oz. fine gauge combed cotton fabric yield, in a stretchy 1x1 baby rib weave. You find them in both long and short sleeve varieties making them a year-round favorite. Another option usually attends to the short sleeve options: regular or "cap sleeve" (cut high and a bit diagonal to show off more of the upper arms).

I recommend moving up at least one size in this style. Not only will you gain more freedom of movement, you'll also enjoy the benefit of the more generously scooped neckline in the larger sizes. While not as deeply plunging as the virtual "scoop- neck" style, baby dolls generally do "out-scoop" traditional, generic T shirt cuts, particularly in size large and up. Design/printers (like me) love the wide array of color choices this style offers since it gives them a spectrum of "canvasses" for their designs.

Raglan/Baseball Styles
Taking its inspiration from the athletic baseball style shirt, this ladies version is anything but manly! The same quality fabric weight and softness as the above style also holds for the raglans. However, the tail, or vertical length, is usually longer than the baby doll specs. The raglan type sleeve hole is cut at a diagonal up to the neck and many ladies find this more comfortable and less binding in the armpits. The crew and sleeves are one color while the shirt body is a different, contrasting color--the combinations yield an array of choices wide and varied.

The short sleeve styles are almost always in the "cap sleeve" variety described above, while the long sleeve cooler weather option is a traditional three-quarter length sleeve. This customary baseball-style three-quarter sleeve "hugs" the arm (which is quite different from the guy's version, that flounces.) Design/printers take delight in the way color contrasts in this style can be coordinated with our prints; its fun to carefully mix inks so that screen prints match these contrasting sleeve shades.

Both of these quality styles are figure flattering as well as super soft and comfy; you'll doubtless enjoy wearing them. New styles are continually emerging in this market niche and it's an exciting challenge just to keep up. In future articles I'll cover another 2 styles in the family of girl-cut fashions-- for now, so long and happy shopping!

Girly T Shirt Styles Still Massively Popular

For more than a decade now, women have been steering clear of baggy unisex T shirts, going in for more figure-flattering looks and requesting that garment makers custom-cut styles especially for the female form. As a designer/ screen printer in the shirt merchandising industry, I've been seeing wholesalers' new season catalog covers showing more and more 'girl power'. Baby doll tops, cap sleeve tees, spaghetti strap tanks and boy beaters are among the slew of new ladies' junior style offerings challenging the basic boxy T shirt.

Just as my mom and pop survived the advent of the mini skirt without too much strain on their relationships with their daughters, in the same way, I also am now wading through the new fashion currents (especially as they affect my own daughter!) In our home, as in our cottage industry, our family values and notions of modesty in dress keep open for us a dialog with the fashion culture. Style and taste are generous enough tents pitched in this dialog so while others will doubtless differ, what follows concerns me...

This might surprise you, but even as a designer who wants to maximize profits making top-notch ladies-wear, there are certain styles I can’t promote and won’t place in my ladies wear line. It has always seemed to me there is a fine but necessary line to draw between “sexy” and “racy”. A little of the former is good for self-esteem, and healthy body image; the latter seems to me only to be reveling in over-exposure. Some styles just show too much skin—though very often sizing up larger can compensate for those who, like me, prefer a look that yields a wee more coverage without losing the appeal of the more contoured fit already tailored into the style of the shirt.

Accordingly, I want the spaghetti strap styles that I print on to come up high and I think the print just plain looks better at that level as well. The raglan cap sleeve tee ("baseball" style, yet thoroughly girly) is another one of my favorites. This style has a major body-area color with different, contrasting sleeve/crew neck colors. The sleeve holes are cut at a diagonal to the neck as opposed to straight up to the shoulder (sometimes called a "box-cut" sleeve). It’s just very cute and flattering to the female form. Other ladies wear styles I consider to be classy are baby doll tops and needle-out tees (inside-out, with contrasting stitches on the seams). New styles seem to keep emerging which makes this market a really fun place for a designer of ladies wear to be.

When it comes to the graphics, elegant and classic is the goal. Prints should enhance the sense of presence already in the style of the garment and be decorative and designerly. I think the use of gold glitter and metallic shades on dark fabrics is simply the bombest and many designs of late incorporating metallic inks are for the most part, rather appealing and quite innovative. Uncluttered, clean- looking prints ooze with that elusive stylishness. A driving standard of graphic design is for the total visual presentation to be harmoniously honed to a single point, both visually and textually. You know this instinctively when you see it—it just grabs you.

I believe that slogans and text should be minimal and when used, confluent with the overall artistry. Cleverly humorous,zany statements are always a sure winner, as are upbeat, positive messages. However, to my way of thinking, in-your-face political messages, vulgar slogans, and shock-value sayings lacking all subtlety don’t make the grade in quality fashion design. Sure, they're often silly, but isn't it past time for the text in tee shirt fashions to rise above the level of a readable fart?

Just as styles for ladies are becoming specialized and classier, so surely will their accompanying graphics—unquestionably, it's already happening. Recently I saw a girl in an off-white beater, no print at all on the front. High on the back, however, was a small but intricately crafted pair of filigree angel wings, in a beige print, very decorative, very feminine and somewhat tattoo- like. The text displaying the logo brand name was likewise small and unobtrusive. Bravo!—and more of the same, please!

Girly Tee Shirts: Here Are A Few of My Favorite Styles (Part I)

Take a tour with me through the virtual cornucopia of current and ever-emerging ladies junior T shirt styles. Now taking the world by storm: 1.) Baby Doll Tops, and 2.) Raglan /Baseball Tees. These two featured style-pairs will introduce this article series for any and all who are maybe still reservedly, yet gingerly and cautiously, beginning to take shopping excursions into the current "girl-cut" fashion experience…

Baby Doll Styles
This is your staple girly fashion tee. Think opposite of baggy/grunge. In fact, picture in your mind yesterday's unisex shirt with parallel lines, boxy cut and wide-band crew-- you're pretty much seeing a guy's undershirt, right? Now skinny-down the sleeve and crew hems to more delicate, narrower wisps. At the same time scale down the overall cut and taper the side seams to follow the curves of the female form.

Besides the "girly" cut, this style is also big on comfort, most usually weighing in between a 5-6 oz. fine gauge combed cotton fabric yield, in a stretchy 1x1 baby rib weave. You find them in both long and short sleeve varieties making them a year-round favorite. Another option usually attends to the short sleeve options: regular or "cap sleeve" (cut high and a bit diagonal to show off more of the upper arms).

I recommend moving up at least one size in this style. Not only will you gain more freedom of movement, you'll also enjoy the benefit of the more generously scooped neckline in the larger sizes. While not as deeply plunging as the virtual "scoop- neck" style, baby dolls generally do "out-scoop" traditional, generic T shirt cuts, particularly in size large and up. Design/printers (like me) love the wide array of color choices this style offers since it gives them a spectrum of "canvasses" for their designs.

Raglan/Baseball Styles
Taking its inspiration from the athletic baseball style shirt, this ladies version is anything but manly! The same quality fabric weight and softness as the above style also holds for the raglans. However, the tail, or vertical length, is usually longer than the baby doll specs. The raglan type sleeve hole is cut at a diagonal up to the neck and many ladies find this more comfortable and less binding in the armpits. The crew and sleeves are one color while the shirt body is a different, contrasting color--the combinations yield an array of choices wide and varied.

The short sleeve styles are almost always in the "cap sleeve" variety described above, while the long sleeve cooler weather option is a traditional three-quarter length sleeve. This customary baseball-style three-quarter sleeve "hugs" the arm (which is quite different from the guy's version, that flounces.) Design/printers take delight in the way color contrasts in this style can be coordinated with our prints; its fun to carefully mix inks so that screen prints match these contrasting sleeve shades.

Both of these quality styles are figure flattering as well as super soft and comfy; you'll doubtless enjoy wearing them. New styles are continually emerging in this market niche and it's an exciting challenge just to keep up. In future articles I'll cover another 2 styles in the family of girl-cut fashions-- for now, so long and happy shopping!