the girl next door is evolving

On the 15th of September 2013, Nina Davuluri made history by becoming the first woman of Indian descent to win the Miss America title. Immediately after her victory, there was a backlash of racist comments on social media that has since been highly publicised. Thousands of tweets were published about how Miss America apparently "isn't American"and therefore shouldn't have won. In my opinion, this is highly unfair- Nina was born and brought up in the States and therefore qualifies for the competition. Just because she doesn't embody the image of a typical blonde and blue-eyed beauty does not mean that she didn't deserve to win. As Nina herself said, "Miss America is viewed as the girl next door, and she is always evolving."America, as a country, is a huge melting pot of different cultures and through Nina's win, it is evident that the Miss America pageant is celebrating this diversity. 

Nina Davuluri at the traditional dipping of toes in the Atlantic Ocean after the pageant. Source: Vancouver Sun.

As the media coverage of the negative messages on social media died down, another debate emerged. This time it was about whether or not Nina would have won the pageant back in the country of her origin: India. Why? Because her skin is too dark. Many Indian and South Asian writers have noted that you wouldn't be likely to see someone of Nina's skin colour in a pageant. Indian beauty queens, such as Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai are typically fair-skinned, because South Asian individuals often see light skin as being more beautiful. Back in 2003, when Miss India contestants were being prepped for the pageant, they had weekly sessions with a dermatologist. Each and every one of the women ended up taking some kind of medication to alter her skin.

This obsession with fairer skin drives a market of skin lightening products. India's whitening-cream market was valued at a whopping $432 million in 2010. Such products are hard to ignore- whenever I go to India, I always see several advertisements for different kinds of whitening products. These advertisements often feature a darker-skinned woman getting turned away from marriage or a job before the product appears, suggesting that by lightening her skin, all of her problems will magically disappear.

Yet there is a double standard involved here. While people in Asia are trying to lighten their skin, people in European countries are trying to darken it. Being in an international school which has eighty-three nationalities, I hear different people expressing different opinions regarding their skin tone. I have heard several Indian's complaining about how they're too dark, but I've also heard several people from Europe complaining about how their skin is too light and refuses to take on any colour. In the same way that South Asians use lightening products, Westerners use tanning products to give their skin a darker glow. What's even worse is that all of these products have major health risks: tanning beds expose skin to sharp UV rays that could cause skin cancer, while whitening creams can contain dangerous chemicals that cause hypertension and even some forms of cancer.

So what does this mean for us? Why do we expose ourselves to such dangerous health risks just to change our appearance? The skin colour debate is one that will continue across the world for a long time, but here's what I have to say about it. We should be comfortable just the way we are. If we are born with darker skin, so be it, and if we are born with super pale skin, so be it. I'm originally Indian, but was born and brought up in New Zealand, so when I was little, I was always surrounded by people who had fairer skin than I did. Now in Dubai, I'm surrounded by people who all have different skin tones. I think that no matter where you are, you should be comfortable in your own skin. As Steve Maraboli said: "There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty.”

PS: If you don't love Nina yet, you should read this. Congratulations Nina! You're an inspiration to us all. 

be a first rate version of yourself rather than a second rate version of anybody else

Hello blogging world! Since my last post, something very significant has happened. Summer has ended and alas, I have gone back to school. I'm in Year 12 now and have started my first year of the IB Diploma. So if you don't hear from me for a long time, it's probably because I'm drowning in an ocean of homework/exam preparation/IA's. If you're also starting IB, drop by the comments section and join the IB Bloggers Support Group! We should actually make that a real thing- maybe we could get CAS for it.

Anyway, enough with all of the IB jargon and onto the actual topic of this post.

After three months spent in the company of only our family and our close friends, we've all been ushered back into a group of hundreds of people around our age. With so many people around, it can be more difficult to be yourself. As teenagers, we're still struggling to find out who we really are and sometimes when we're in large groups of our peers, we find it easier to simply follow the crowd instead of being our own person. Why? Well, there's probably some long, complicated psychological reason, but I've only been taking psych for a week, so I don't know about that yet. I'll get back to you. But in my understanding, I think it's because we don't want to attract unwanted attention. We think that doing what everyone else is doing is "cool" and the right thing to do, when really, it probably isn't.

A good example to use has to do with fashion. A lot of people read fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle religiously, keeping track with the latest styles. There's nothing wrong with this. It does become a problem, however, when people choose to follow fashion blindly. They think that if they wear what they see models wearing in magazines, they will instantly look as good as said model and become as successful. Most of the time, this isn't true- the clothes or styles may not even suit them. Everyone looks different- we all have different body types, different faces and different hair colours. As mentioned in an excellent article by Victoria Lewis in a 2012 issue of Teen Vogue, just because you wear designer clothes does not mean that you look good. It's about how you put things together.

If you follow fashion blindly, chances are that you'll just end up looking like everyone else. In my opinion, it's far better to establish your own style. This could take anywhere from a few days, to a few months to a few years as it involves a lot of experimenting. But by creating your own unique style, you will be wearing what you look good in and what you feel comfortable in, instead of just wearing what everyone else is wearing. Think of style icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Madonna and Tavi Gevinson. They didn't follow a particular set of rules- instead they wore what they knew suited them without really caring about what other people think.

I almost burst out crying, this picture is so beautiful.

Moving away from fashion and back into a general idea of things, we can see that it's a lot better to be yourself rather than following everyone else. Why should you change yourself to fit someone else's idea of 'cool' or 'normal'? To repeat a common phrase, you are unique and no one can take that away from you. Throughout history there have always been people who chose to break away from the pack and stick to their own ideas and beliefs, no matter how much they may have been ridiculed at the time, and those are the people who have been extremely successful. For example, in school, Bill Gates was considered to be 'the nerdy kid' and look at where he is today. A more historical example would be Vincent Van Gogh, who kept painting even though his artwork went unappreciated until after he died. Several famous figures whom we look up to today are those who refused to change themselves.

When you are yourself, it's likely that other people will slowly start to follow you. Be a leader, instead of a follower. As Oscar Wilde said: "be yourself; everybody else is already taken."

they click their heels, spread their wings, and fly.

In one of my previous posts,"once you label me, you negate me", I talked about how the media is still filled with a lot of negative sexism. For example, women are overtly sexualised in order to sell products, and models are often airbrushed to look perfect on the front cover of a magazine. However I mentioned that there are some incredibly strong female characters in fiction. Yet re-reading that post, I realised that I only talked about characters in television shows. There are some amazing, incredibly strong female characters in literature, and it is time to recognise them. I've put together a list of seven of the most powerful female characters in literature who continue to inspire me and several others with their phenomenal brilliance and strength of character.

Screenshot from Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Left is Beatrice, right is Hero.

1. Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing
If you have been reading this blog for a while now, you will know that Much Ado About Nothing is my favourite play ever. We read it in Year 10 at school and most of us ended up loving the play. Recently, Joss Whedon released a new movie adaptation of it. If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it. Who doesn’t love a story full of love, trickery and thousands of clever insults? Much Ado has all of that and more – and that might just be why we love it so much. 

But part of the reason that the play appeals so greatly to the modern audience lies in the characters. Beatrice, the female lead is widely considered to be one of Shakespeare’s strongest female characters. (she certainly is the sassiest). Much to the chagrin of her father, she refuses to marry, having not found the perfect man, and also because she does not want to eschew her freedom. When Claudio falsely accuses Hero at the wedding in Act 4 Scene 1, Beatrice explodes with anger and stands firmly by her cousins' side. After this event, she rebels against the mistreatment and unequal status of women in the society at that time. One of my favourite Beatrice lines is "oh that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the marketplace!"

Hermione in 'The Goblet of Fire' 

2. Hermione Granger, the Harry Potter series.
If you have not read Harry Potter, you have not lived. Ever since I first read the books several years ago, I have always loved Hermione's character. Sure, she may have started out as an irritating, know-it-all, eleven-year-old (it''s leviosa, not leviosar), but Hermione's character quickly matured. She continues to amaze us with her ability to maintain a clear mind, even in the most tense of situations. Her intelligence is her greatest strength, and although she can be a bit of an overachiever at times (like when she got an 'Exceeds Expectations' in her Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. and was upset about it), she always manages to use her knowledge to save her friends. 

3. Lisbeth Salander, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Not only is this powerful female protagonist an incredible computer hacker with a photographic memory, she also survived an abusive childhood. She’s a resilient character, who does not rely on anyone for anything and does not want to rely on anyone.

Screenshot from 'The Help'

4. Skeeter Phelan, The Help.
Actually, almost every female character from The Help, with the exception of Miss Elizabeth and Miss Hilly Holbrook, is seriously strong. They should all be on this list. But Skeeter stands out to me, because of the risks she takes by writing The Help. She wants to make a difference and she doesn't care what other people are going to think of her. Plus, she's independent- she thinks for herself, and makes her own decisions. She even goes to college, even though her mother is sure that it will ruin her chances of getting a good husband. Because, obviously, a man wouldn't want to marry a woman who is smarter than him.

5. Kira Walker, the Partials trilogy.
Partials is a relatively new series- the first book came out last year, and the second book came out in March. If you haven't read it yet (and a lot of people haven't), then you should. The book is set 11 years after the Partial War, in which engineered organic beings identical to humans released a virus called RM that decimated almost the entire human race. A group of survivors have regrouped on Long Island, while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. However, the survivors cannot have children, as no child born is immune to RM, and they have yet to find a cure. 

Kira is a medical intern, and when her best friend Madison falls pregnant, she decides that she has to find a cure for RM, no matter what it takes so that Maddie's baby survives. This includes a series of very dangerous, illegal journeys to find a Partial to study. Her determination and loyalty to her friends is admirable, and she's not afraid to break the rules to do something that she knows is right. Throughout the course of the series, she uncovers some shocking secrets about herself and those around her. She will go great lengths to find out the truth. 

A still from 'The Hunger Games'

6. Katniss Everdeen, the Hunger Games.
 Katniss is a pretty strong character overall. After her father's death, she becomes the sole caretaker of her family, hunting in the forest at the back of District 12, and trading food on the black market. She is brave enough to volunteer to take her sister's place in the Hunger Games- something that must have frightened her to no end, considering that she knew that she would either have to kill others or die. Plus, her ability to shoot an arrow doesn’t hurt.

7. Cassandra, Agamemnon

Although Cassandra has a very small role in the play as a whole, she is very important. She is the first to recall the past crimes committed in the house of Atreus. Furthermore, she is the one who sets the scene for the end of Agamemnon, as well as the next play in the Orestia, Libation Bearers. She does this by foreseeing her own death, and Agamemnon’s death, as well as the vengeance that Agamemnon’s son, Orestes will take against Clytmnestra.

Cassandra has the ability to see the future, but has been cursed by Apollo so that no one will believe her. She foresaw the fall of Troy and the death of those around her, but was unable to do anything about it because people believed that she was crazy. Her gift caused her endless anger and frustration. When she was brought to Argos by Agamemnon, she saw her own death. Although shaken and scared, she understood that she could not escape it, and summoned all of her strength to face death bravely.

--
So there you have it. If there's a character that you really admire who hasn't been mentioned here, please add her on in the comments! As Stana Katic said: "I don't believe in weak women. I think women in general are pretty powerful."

don't steal my words, use them as a source of inspiration

Hello again all of you beautiful people! I am back! Thanks to being on holiday in the UK and USA for the past six weeks, I haven't had any time to write. Now that I'm finally home (and I've gotten over the jetlag), I'll be able to update this blog more regularly. I've got tons of posts planned, including some that  veer away from socially relevant issues and hit lighter topics such as my holiday and the new doctor (Peter Capaldi, you guys!). Today however, I will be discussing an issue that is considered very important in today's day and age of easy internet sharing. Plagiarism.

The newly renovated Statue of Liberty, which I got to see on my trip to New York City. Source: my camera

We all know the concept of plagiarism, but none of us ever think that it might happen to us. We write, draw, take photographs etc. and put them up on the internet so that we can share them with people from all over the world. Why? Because it's awesome to get feedback from people you don't know.  I know that I never, ever thought that someone would have the nerve to steal something that I created and re-post it, claiming that it was theirs. But it happened.

Back in February, I wrote a novella for my MYP Personal Project. It was a young-adult book about cyber bullying and identity theft, and I wanted it to be easily available for teenagers to access to spread awareness about the potential dangers of the internet. After all, every great thing has risks, right? So I posted it on Fictionpress (click the link to go to the story), which is a pretty great site where you can post your writing online and get feedback from the people in the community who read it. In July, I received word from some of the lovely people who had read my story that it had been plagiarised by a person called Jessica Beckwith and posted onto Amazon for sale! She had also stolen the work of several other FictionPress authors, claiming that she had written the stories. Ironically, the name of my story is 'Stolen'. I'm beginning to think I probably should have named it something else.

What happened to me is only a single incident of plagiarism. After all, it's very easy to simply copy and paste things off the internet and save it to your own computer. There are several other thieves out there who go around copying work and claiming that it is their own. This is incredibly, incredibly wrong, as they are taking all the credit for another person's hard work- work that they contributed nothing towards. And yet it happens all the time.

source: let-me-ftw.tumblr.com

So how do we protect ourselves from plagiarism on the internet? Well, it certainly is hard. I think that you've just got to make sure that you can prove that the work is yours. For example, my novella was published four months before it was put up on Amazon by someone else. Copyrighting your work doesn't hurt either, as you will then get a legal leg to stand on. After all, you can never be too careful.

I tried to look for a quote to leave you with, but I couldn't find an appropriate one. So I shall end this post by restating the title. "Don't steal my words. Use them as a source of inspiration."

in which i talk about myself. a lot.

Wow, it's been a long time since I last wrote! Sorry about that- I've been travelling. A couple of weeks ago, I was in London for five days and then I flew to the USA where I've been jet-setting all over the East Coast. Anyway, even though I haven't written in ages, Katie from instead of an elephant, flocha from whimsical procrastination and Gwendolen & Cecily from Their Harangues and Their Fancies all nominated me for the Liebster award! So thank you all very, very much.

So these are the rules: 

• You have share 11 things about yourself
• You have to answer the 11 questions that your tagger has given you
• You have to choose 11 other blogs to nominate (that have under 200 followers) 
• And of course thank, and then link back to the person who nominated you!

11 Things About Me:

1. I have been to thirteen countries. They are New Zealand, Australia, India, Singapore, America, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Germany, Austria, Holland and England.
2. I have never visited the capital cities of the two countries that I've lived in.
3. Whenever we travel, my parents always make me map out the routes that we have to take to get to places within cities. I'm proud to say that we haven't gotten lost (yet).
4. I have two huge bookshelves in my room that are overflowing with books. There is literally no room left on either one of them.
5. Hence, I am the proud new owner of a Kindle PaperWhite.
6. My dream role is Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing because Beatrice is literally my favourite character ever. 
7. I wouldn't mind playing River Song either, although my hair is very far from being as curly as Alex Kingston's.
8. Breakfast is my least favourite meal of the day. There are a lot of breakfast-y foods that I can't stand.
9. My origins are from one country, but was born in another and now live in a third. 
10. I can speak one language (English) and am learning Mandarin, Spanish and Hindi. I learnt Arabic for seven years and promptly forgot everything as soon as I dropped the class.
11. I'm 5'1". I wish I was one foot taller. 

Flocha's Questions

1. What is your favourite type of footwear?

Ballet flats, because they're just so comfortable and I love the way they look as well. I also like wearing heels, because they make me look taller. But they make my feet hurt so much!

2. Do you find clowns scary?

I've never really thought about it. I don't think I do, although those painted on smiles do kind of freak me out.

3. What is the meaning of life?

Excellent question! I have no idea.

4. What is the first object immediately to your left?

My computer charger.

5. What is your favourite television show?

AAAH YOU WANT ME TO CHOOSE? I absolutely love Castle and I have for the past three years. I've recently gotten into Doctor Who and I love that as well, although it frequently breaks my heart. I have cried in every single season finale. Once Upon A Time is also one of my favourites.

6. Dark or milk chocolate?

Dark. It's just so much tastier.

7. Are cats evil?

No! Cats are adorable!

8. Do you have any weird obsessions? If so, what are they?

I obsess over a lot of fictional characters. Especially River Song. Is that weird? 

River Song is just amazing.

9. Summer or winter?

I guess it kind of depends where. In Dubai, I prefer winter because Dubai summers are just too hot- it goes up to about forty five degrees every afternoon and the humidity simply kills you. But in New Zealand, I prefer summer because it's around twenty five degrees and it doesn't rain every single day.

10. Do you have any scars?

I have three. I have one near my right elbow which is from when I accidentally burnt myself with hot butter when I was three. The second is on my stomach from when I fell off my bike and the handlebar scraped my skin. The third is on my right leg, where my rabbit scratched me when she decided she didn't want to play anymore.

11. What is your favourite blog?

I can't choose! I absolutely love all of the blogs that nominated me, and all the blogs that I'm going to nominate.

Katie's Questions:

1. Tea or coffee?

Coffee. I've actually only had tea once.

2. What is the last news article/book/essay you read?

The last book I read was Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. It takes place during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia and is very interesting, although I did find that it was a little too fast. I'm currently reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. 

3. What is the last song you listened to?

Radioactive by Marina and the Diamonds.

4. If you could speak another language fluently, what would it be?

Either Mandarin or Spanish, because they're both very useful languages to know (and I could also ace my exams in them). 

5. Necklaces or rings?

Necklaces. I don't like wearing rings very much.

6. Tumblr or Twitter or Facebook?

TUMBLR! 

7. What's the best outfit you've ever worn?

I really liked what I wore to prom.

8. What is your horoscope sign?

I'm on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio. So I guess you could call me a Lorpio or a Scibra. Whichever you prefer.

9. How did you meet your best friend?

I have a whole lot of really close friends and I met most of them through school. 

10. What's your favourite summer food/treat/drink?

Ice cream or snow cones. 

11. If you could claim authorship for any poem, what would it be and why?

This is a really good question. I think it would be Crossing the Water by Sylvia Plath, because I love the last stanza. I think it's really beautiful and it's just amazing. 

Gwendolen & Cecily's Questions:

1. One Harangue?

I suppose you can categorize quite a few of my blog posts as harangues. I shall not bore you at this time with a lengthy rant because chances are, you're already sick of reading about me. Do not fret, there are plenty of harangues that will eventually appear on this blog.

2. One Fancy?

Just one? It's very hard to pick just one as I like a lot of things. If I have to pick one, I suppose it'll be theatre and drama.

3. Favourite play?

Again, it's very hard to choose because there are so many plays that I adore. My favourite Shakespeare play is Much Ado About Nothing. It's hilarious and I absolutely love the banter between Benedick and Beatrice. Plus there are so many lines that are just so quotable. My friend and I once had a conversation almost entirely in Much Ado quotes. Here, take a look:

We're just too awesome

4. Favourite quote?

"Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I'm possible."- Audrey Hepburn

5. <this question does not exist. it has been deleted from existence by an unknown force>

6. Favourite poem?

Crossing the Water by Sylvia Plath. See my answer to Katie's eleventh question for more.

7. Favourite ice-cream?

I really like Love Potion #31 by Baskin Robbins. It's vanilla ice cream with a raspberry swirl and chocolate hearts filled with a raspberry jam thing. I also really like Raspberries & Meringues by Haagen-Daaz. I just liked any ice cream which has raspberry-flavoured stuff in it.

8. Favourite place in your home country?

My favourite place in New Zealand is my home town, Tauranga. My favourite places within Tauranga are Pilot Bay, Oropi Spa Pools and Te Puna Quarry Park. I have a lot of really fond childhood memories at these places and they're all so beautiful.

From left to right: Pilot Bay, Oropi Spa Pools and Te Puna Quarry Park

9. Strongest subject at school?

Either English or Drama.

10. If you were guaranteed success in any career, what would you do?

I would be an actress, because it's what I've always dreamed of being.

11. You have a phone, a police box, a monocle and a piece of string.

I would call the Doctor, who would reveal that the police box is actually the TARDIS. We'd fly up into  space and I'd open the door and look at the Earth through the monocle. I'd model the shape of the planet using the piece of string.

Here are the amazing people who I nominate:

1. Elle from Elle Stole My Name
2. Cassie from The Pseudo Intellectual
3. Rachael from Rachael Reviews All
4. Chloe from Perpetual Perplexities
5. Mabel of Mabel's Mind

I am fully aware that I have only nominated five blogs, but that's because I honestly cannot think of anyone else. I really need to read more blogs. You guys should recommend some to me.

And these are my questions:

1. Favourite book-to-movie adaptation and why?
2. If you could live in any city in the world, where would you live and why?
3. Describe yourself in one word
4. Have you ever been told that you look like a famous person? If so, who?
5. If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?
6. What is the strangest dream you've ever had?
7. Traditional books or e-books?
8. Blackberry or iPhone?
9. Favourite extra-curricular activity?
10. How many countries have you been to?
11. Spicy food or bland food?

So there you have it. That was a very long post and now you know a whole lot more about me! I promise to post an actual post very soon. Thanks for sticking around!

never dull your shine for someone else- tell them to put sunglasses on.

I have a lot of things to be very excited about this month. First of all, my school is hosting the first-ever student film festival in Dubai, and it is going to be amazing. I actually cannot wait. I love film festivals because of the amazing talent that is showcased through them. Plus, the movies are great- they often have more depth than the typical commercial blockbuster. Two of the summer movies that I am really excited about premiered at festivals: Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing at SXSW (Much Ado is my favourite Shakespeare play EVERRR) and Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring at Cannes. Speaking of Cannes, can we just take a minute to marvel at Nicole Kidman's Cannes red carpet dresses? They were absolutely stunning.

A screenshot from Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing. AAAH I'M SO EXCITED.

Anyway, back to the point. As a drama student, my final project was to create a music video that would be entered into the film festival. To do this, we got into groups, decided on a song and then worked on creating a message that would be portrayed through the four-minute video. Our group decided to communicate a simple message that we've all heard a million times before: Never change the person you are. In our video, we have five different story lines running parallel to each other: one girl is in an abusive relationship, another is being pressured into choosing a career she doesn't want, the third is being bullied and the fourth girl is under peer pressure. The fifth and last character is the constant, with no particular storyline. I can't tell you any more, because, as a certain archaeologist would say: 'spoilers' (you need to be a Whovian to get that reference).

Okay, I lied, I am going to tell you a little bit more, but I suggest you first watch the video here in order to avoid spoilers.

There can never be too much River Song on a blog.

I suppose you have watched the video by now, so I will continue. I love all of the storylines in the video, because I think that they're all really relevant. For example, the first storyline has to do with bullying, and I think that at some point in our lives, each and every one of us has been bullied in some way or another. It may not have been physical bullying, but all of us have been subjected to some kind of verbal bullying at some point or the other. And it needs to stop. I've always been told that if someone tries to bully you, just walk away because the bully is looking for attention, looking for a reaction. That's exactly what the girl in the video does. She gets up, looks around the cafetaria and she realises that no one is going to help her because they think that by helping her, they will be targeted. She then walks (well, runs) away from it all.

As for the second storyline- I'm not sure if this is clear, but basically the girls' mother is telling her that she cannot become a swimmer and should choose a career that has a future. Again, I think we can all kind of relate to this, because there's always someone who will tell you that you can't achieve your dreams because they're too 'unrealistic'. I guess you just have to believe in yourself. If you want it enough, you will get it, no matter how many people laugh at you.

I love the third storyline- where the girl is under peer pressure. I love this because she really does something about her problem. The others mainly just run away, and although it's assumed that they are never troubled by their problems again, it's likely that they would come back in the future. I love how she takes the bottle, and just when everyone thinks she's going to give in to peer pressure, she pours the drink into a plant and walks out of the party (thanks to my drama teacher for coming up with that idea). It kind of shows that you can't just run away all the time, sometimes you need to take action. That being said, sometimes running away can be taking action. In the case of the girl who has an abusive boyfriend, by running away from him, she's taking a huge step because she's showing that she's brave enough to escape.

The fifth character is interesting. She's just running for the entire video- she never stops right until the very end. And unlike the other characters, we don't know why she's running. She just is. She could be running to something- maybe her entire objective was to find and meet the rest of the girls, or maybe she's running away from something. The change in the scenery around her represents the change in the storylines- as she approaches more developed areas, the characters take those crucial steps towards getting out of the situations that they are in.

A screenshot from the video.

My favourite part of the whole video has to be the end, when all five characters unite. The audience is left not really knowing what's going to happen to them, but I like to think that they all stick together and help each other get over their problems and leave them behind. I think it shows how you can't always forget your problems by yourself- sometimes you need support and help. By coming together, these five characters are basically providing support for one another.

So there you are- my breakdown of our music video. I hope you guys enjoyed it and please let me know your thoughts on it in the comments. I'd love to know the different deeper meanings that you found because it's interesting to see how different people can interpret the same thing in different ways.

I will leave you with a quote from Coco Chanel: "A girl should be two things: who and what she wants."
_______________________
PS: on an unrelated note, you guys should check out this epic article on Flavorwire about what your favourite Shakespeare play says about you. It's hilarious!