royal wedding celebration

Funny comment from a reader:

This is SO interesting. I'm an "old lady" by anyone's standards posting on this site. I was curious about this whole "emo" and "scene" thing as my niece has recently changed her look and style pretty drastically.

In some ways, in reading all these posts, I can only laugh... But the majority, I can totally relate to, appreciate, (and sigh!... remember) what it was like growing up, ESPECIALLY "coming of age" through the **`70's!** and partying even harder through the `80's (guess that tells you how really ancient I am..LOL)

...Anyway, we had the same diverse groups and identities, just with different names or interests than you do today. I'm sure it was all a little more "regionally" based back in my day too. We didn't have, or couldn't even fathom the the incredible technology available that you all have at your fingertips today. ("gasp"...Imagine to your horror, no cell phones, im, texting, ipods, video games, computers, internet etc..hell, even microwaves weren't really even around when i was in middle and high school)

...OK, all this "banter' is to prove my point. Styles, tastes, and interests change multiple,multiple, multiple times during your life. Enjoy it all while you're young, and hopefully have the sense to maintain your individuality and "morality", through out it all. Stay safe, show tolerance, and don't judge one another too harshly. Years from now when you're a wise, (but still cool!) aunt/parent etc. like me, you can look back at all the "stages" and decades of your life, and die of embarrassment, and laugh at yourself, on some of what you once thought was so cutting edge or cool!

Carbon footprints are all the rage and it's a fad to measure your own, much as it was a fad a couple of years ago for everyone to wear pedometers and walk so many miles a day. Somewhere along the line, someone makes a fortune out of these fads and it makes no difference whatsoever to the overall health of the population or the earth. Here's a wacky idea which I think makes more sense. How about the mental footprint we leave behind wherever we go? No one makes money out of this. No one uses this to promote a product (well...a few people try with strange machines) but it has, I think, a bigger effect on the environment in which we all live than anything else. How often to we go into a place that has an atmosphere of gloom and come away feeling exhausted? How often does a particular historical site retain the atmosphere of ages? Some places have a happy atmosphere, others an atmosphere of gloom. Some people you meet leave you feeling much better about the world, others leave you feeling drained. When a house has been the site of a murder, it is often pulled down, so even the most sceptical must accept there is something going on about atmospheres. My suggestion is that instead of measuring our carbon footprint, we measure our thought-print. If we go among people thinking the worst, being miserable and condemnatory we add to that atmosphere. If we go among people thinking the best, we create harmony and will do far more good to ourselves as well as to others, than counting calories or how many watts we have used. The earth is much older than we are and has come through ice ages and all kinds of geological changes. Humanity is much younger than the earth....how arrogant to think we are more powerful than the environment in which we develop. We are not responsible directly for what happens in the ice caps and the weather systems. We are, though, responsible for our own thoughts...If we want to make the world a better place, the best place to start is in our own minds.

Devoted as Alice was to her husband, it did not take long to discover that their intellectual and spiritual interests were far apart. Oftentimes melancholic, profoundly spiritual Alice had a questioning faith, and longed for a soul mate who could empathise with her quest for truth. She became fascinated by the controversial theologian David Strauss and her patronage of his work led to her being branded by the superficial Queen Augusta of Prussia as an atheist. Nothing could have been further from the truth but when tragedy struck her family with the death of her little son, Frittie, it seems Alice felt the need to return to a more conventional view of religion.
Frittie, diagnosed the previous year with haemophilia, was playing in Alice's room, when he caught sight of his brother through an open window. Climbing up to wave to him, the little boy fell onto the concrete below. At first he seemed merely dazed but that night he suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and died. Alice never fully recovered from his death.
Five years later, her eldest daughter Victoria contracted diphtheria which quickly spread through the family. Only her second daughter, Ella, remained free of the disease and, for her own safety, was sent to stay with her paternal grandmother in nearby Bessungen.
Alice personally nursed all of her children in turn, adhering to the doctor's instructions that she must neither kiss nor hold them for fear of contracting the illness herself. In spite of all her care, her youngest daughter, May, died, and, since Louis had also been struck with the illness, Alice was obliged to attend her funeral alone.
When Alice's son, Ernie, himself suffering from the disease asked for news of his sister's progress, Alice felt obliged to conceal from him the fact that she had died for fear that the news would further weaken him. As Ernie began to recover, Alice told him the truth and he was so upset that she could no longer bear it. Contrary to the doctor's instructions she hugged and kissed him...It was to be what Disraeli reported to Parliament, 'the kiss of death'.
As the rest of the family recovered, Alice contracted the disease and too worn out to fight it, died, at the age of 35, on the anniversary of the death her father - 14th December 1878. Her final whispered words were, "Dear Papa..." It seems her beloved father had come to take her home.

by cakecake

If you truly want to change yourself and become emo, your going to have to undergo many stages, although you'll need patience.

Step 1.

Grow out your hair long enough to the point where the side bangs go past your chin, because that frames your face and makes your face look more slender, you can have the rest of your hair that length.

Step 2.

There are two options when it comes to hair straightening....

Option 1:

Buy a decent hair straightener, not some cheap one that you'll throw away in 3 months... One that will last you good as a buddy, seeing how you have curly hair, if you do have a decent hair straightener I suggest you put it on a high temperature, not too high or within months you'll get noticeable amounts of frizzy ugly nappy split end like hair. Also don't grab a chunk load of hair and straighten it... It will also result in nappy hair... If you have have curly hair, do each and every layer of hair in small smallllll portions. Get hair clips and get your top layers and clip them to your head, and slowly straighten the bottom layers little by little then move to the middle and then the top... To get a more straight look to your hair, brush a bristle brush (skinny brush) through a portion of hair your going to straighten and follow the brush. Also USE CONDITIONER if you dont or atleast hair care repair like hot shower oils or anti frizz from the drugstore, because your hair will get frizzy whether you like it or not no matter what kind of hair straightner you use.

Option 2:

Get it chemically straightened... Wait until your hair grows past your chin, and find a decent trustworthy salon and ask about chemical hair straightening. It usually costs around 150$-200$ depends.... and takes around 2-3hours. When you go to the salon get short layers at the top of the crown of your head that are the size of your finger and make the choppy layers, get aloootttt of layers! and get a few layers on your side bangs not to much to make them look too thin, they have to be longgg!(your side bangs need to frame your face). For your bangs I suggest you get a side swept choppy look that will hide your eyebrows somewhat (like a skater bangs but with more layers more unique) or fully grow out your bangs to your chin and cut it to the point to where you can pin your bangs to the side.

Also if you don't think your hair color doesn't suit your scene style, get it died a natural color range like ( black, brown, blonde) if you want blonde color then to pull it off your going to need a small face/small chin/slender face. Brown and black are easier to pull off and match the colors of your eyebrows. DONT GET THOSE HIGHLIGHTS EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT like (blue, red, etc) to pull that off once again your going to have a slender face, with good features, if not then youll look like a poser. Try not to overexagerrate scene/emo with those vivid colors try to stay a natural scene color.

Step 3.

If you want to poof up your hair like all the other scenesters, your going to have to tease it.
Your going to need LAYERS ( alot of layers on your scene hair or youll just look like a big mass of hair even though some scenesters ignore my warning and still look like they have a big head)

HAIRSPRAY (A GOOD HOLD )
BRISTLE BRUSH (SKINNY THIN BRUSH)
OTHER VOLUMIZING PRODUCTS.

1. your hair has to be clean and straightened.
2. go to youtube and look up "how i tease my hair" that will give you a tutorial..


Step 4.

Okay your going to need eyelash extensions... this is going to complicated at first because it took me forever to master it.
There are two different kids of eyelash extensions your can get.

The full eyelash products the full ring of eyelashes for one eye) or individual eyelashes (tiny seperate ones). You are going to have to find a tutorial to how to stick on that cause for me its hard to explain... Don't worry if you do buy one on a drugstore will cost 3-5$ and will come with directions and glue and additional info.

Step 5.

CUT YOUR EYEBROWS! GET THEM PLUCKED! not to the point to where you completely look demonic... I don't think you'll look good with drawing them on with a eyeliner pencil. Just a natural slender look, not too skinny. So just look up some photos of some popular scene guys and look for one who has a natural eyebrow shape, something that will match your the shape of your upper eyelid and will complete all your facial features.

Step 6.

Eyeliner and Makeup.
Eyeliner... DONT OVEREXAGERRATE IT AND LOOK LIKE A RACCOON. or a hamburgler. At first since your probably a beginner at makeup try the sides of your eyelids if your eyes are a decent amount far apart and the ends of your eyelids just on the outer sides. Also get a volumizing mascara to bring out your eyes and eyeliner, try exaggerating the edges of your lashes so bring them out, get a dark shade for mascara. YOU NEEEEDDD MASCARA! if you want a paler facade i suggest you buy the most palest decent concealer you can find in a drugstore. If you want to hide acne, then I suggest you get a powder compact or a concealer that matches your skin tone or is a tad bit more brighter. For eye shadow look for tutorials on youtube...

Step 7.

Shave any evidence of chin hair, facial hair SHAVE ITTT... It makes your skin look more clear. Shave especially if you have really dark dark dark hair as mustache hair.

step 8.

body.
Now I know Im being a real blunt.
If your really want this ideal image.
Lose weight.
If your slender and have a high metabolism, thats great your set!
You notice that these scene guys are skinny.
Dont go bulimic. Don't get too deep into turning yourself into something your not. Also I dont want you to hurt your body severely which bulimia can lead too same with anorexia. Just exercise and take in your daily amount of food. Scene guys are usually frail looking as in they are not muscular they don't have abs, they look great in fit teeshirts if they are frail looking, they have no muscles but look like a slender girl, it doesn't show the muscle outlines because they have none and they like the ideal scene make sure you lose belly fat and on your sides, that is a turn off. Make sure your legs are slender, no matter how short/tall you may be if you have slender legs your good to go for skinny jeans.

Step 9.

Cloth shopping
BIGG THING, usually your supposed to find your own unique fashion but i guess you have no sense whatsoever...
Sorry for being blunt but its true.

Okay what your going to have to shop for are usually band tees or vintage abstract tees. Don't get the mainstream ones unless you have a nice physique then its acceptable if not you will be criticized.... get bomber jackets ( fur plaid hoodies and are sometimes snug at the waist) if you have slender legs this is hella easy to pull off.
Get studded/vintage belts.
For shoes i suggest you get pumas/ airforce/ the hightop vans/ reebook/ cowboy/vintage boots(if you have a feminine slender body and face) usually sporty vintage/retro scene shoes are acceptable if you wear converses or very common van shoes that you cant seem to pull off you will be accounted as a poser...

Shop at
Urbanoutfitters
American Apparal
Some ebay vintage myspace shops
Fredflare.com
You can buy them online if you don't have one of them near you.
Look at what some of the vintage scene kids wear and update your fashion knowledge from there....


I hope I have overall shaped your appearance of a scene/emo kid.... :)

Over the next few weeks, I intend to add accounts of some of the members of Queen Victoria's extended family, beginning today with one of the most tragic and heroic of all the Queen's children, her second daughter, Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse.

Only eighteen-years-old when her father, Prince Albert, died in December 1861, the young princess virtually took over all her mother's duties, while the Queen was lost in her grief. This gave Alice little time to come to terms with her own bereavement - and she had been very close to her father.
Alice's wedding, the following July, was a gloomy affair. Virtually everyone was dressed in black, the Queen and several of Alice's siblings wept throughout the service and even the recently-widowed Archbishop performing the ceremony was in tears.
Alice went with her new husband, Prince Louis of Hesse-and-by-Rhine, to Darmstadt, the centre of the little German Grand Duchy to which her husband was heir. By royal standards they were not wealthy and were driven to beg Queen Victoria for financial assistance.
Alice devoted herself entirely to the people of Hesse, often going incognito to their homes, scrubbing floors and making meals for the sick and elderly. She founded countless charitable institutions, supported the Red Cross, opened a 'mental asylum' and personally worked in the hospitals carrying out the most menial tasks.
She bore 5 children - two of whom, Ella, the future Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, and Alix, the future Empress Alexandra of Russia - were destined to be murdered by the bolsheviks. Unlike many princesses of her day, Alice took a personal interest in every aspect of her children's welfare and education, shocking Queen Victoria by breast-feeding baby Ella herself. Their curriculum was wide-ranging and alongside academic skills she introduced all her children to the idea that responsibility accompanied their privileged position.
To be continued....