7 Question Thursday!! #2

It's time for another 7 Question Linkup with Gentri Lee!!

First, here's our funny photo:

Hey look, we're dressed up as Chinese princesses at Sydney's Chinese Garden of Friendship!

No joke, a lady asked us if we were dressing up as something to do with our heritage. 

And now for the questions!!

1. What is your favorite day of the week and why?

S: Saturday, It never used to be until Laura and I came back from Oz. I suddenly, and still over a year later, wake up excited to spend 2 full days with Laura. Seriously I get kid at Christmas excited, which annoys Laura no end, but working, travelling and not having long evenings mean I LOVE the time with Lau and sleeping through most it seems a waste :) I also like the fact that if you do stuff on a Saturday you can still have a lazy day before going back to work.   

L: My favourite day is also Saturday, but not exactly for the same reasons as Sarah. I love it because I can sleep in (as long as Sarah                                                      doesn't wake me up with her 'excitement' too early) and relax doing whatever I want all day without the stress of impending doom that is having work the next day.

2. If you decided to change your name, what would you change it to?

S: I always wanted a name I could shorten so friends could call me something different to Sarah. Originally I wanted it to be Rebecca - shortened to Becca or Becky. Nowadays though I like Sarah - it's uncomplicated and traditional -like me. 

L: I always wanted a different name than my own - something more interesting! I even took the 'U' out of my name when I was in 8th grade to become 'Lara' (still pronounced the same as 'Laura' though!) in an attempt to seem more interesting - but that backfired because people didn't pronounce that correctly. My go-to makeup name was always Ruby Buckingham - it was the epitome of wealth and class and beauty and everything I wanted for myself - then I actually got to live her in a musical my choir did, where I was the Mayor's wife. I had a boa, and an awesome 20's dress, and it was lots of fun. But now, like Sarah, I'm alright with my name - I think my personality completely makes up for my regular, English-sounding name!

3. What is one product you use (it can be for anything) that you feel is a miracle worker?

S: It'll have to be Diet Coke. Seriously for a headache, for tiredness, for feeling worn out, over worked, stressed, hyper - ANYTHING - Diet Coke is my answer. If you are home or abroad and you get sick = DIET COKE, if you are out and about or sat at home and need to feel better = DIET COKE. In fact I can't think of anything a nce cold diet coke won't cure! 

L: As you can tell by... pretty much every 'about us' post we write, we are obsessed with Diet Coke. I tried, tried, tried to think of a different product, but I just kept coming back to Diet Coke - for the reasons specified by Sarah. Sorry, I can't even pretend to be more creative than that. 

4. High heels, flats, sneakers, or boots?

S: This is sooooo situation dependant for me - my go to is normally flats but dating someone taller than me means heels are a must if we are going out (it also saves stretching in photos), but I love boots for walking around or work. But if I had to go with just one it would be flats - they accommodate any situation and most importantly can deal with the work to 'after work' transition. 

L: Flats all the way! Being 5'10'' means I've never really learned to walk in heels - I like being tall, but especially living in England, most women (and some men) are so much shorter than me and I'm paranoid about missing conversation. (How's the weather down there?!) So I rarely wear heels, because if I did, not only would I be over 6' tall, but I stumble around like I'm drunk and fall over everything - it's not a pretty sight. So instead, I have flats in lots of different colours!

5. You see your favorite celebrity (it can be any kid of celebrity- movie star, singer, writer, political leader, blogger) walking down the street, what do you do?

S: Working in central London this is something i've ad a chance to perfect (well kind of), in my opinion it's celebrity dependant - if they are A-list there's no way i'm going for the 'Hi'- thats a photo op, so I dive behind things and start snapping! That way you have proof! It's it's a lower league film star such as the guy who played Draco Malfoy - well he's not that famous so a photo op with him would be my request (if possible)- same goes with TV stars and footballers! Or in the case of Rhys Iffin (Notting Hill) i'll say hello as if I know him (to be fair I thought I did -oops). Celebrities just have that unfortunate thing of looking familiar. I even said hi to Prince William in a club because of that, being a nice guy he said hi back, but he had every right to be like - you don't know me!   

Our most recent 'celebs' for the non-UK readers Neighbours, Home & Away and Emmerdale are soaps that  most Brits grow up watching! And if you haven't watched Notting Hill - you're missing out!

L: When I see a celebrity that I am genuinely a big fan of - I am not very 'cool' in these situations. Or, I may look cool on the outside, but on the inside I'm having a complete crazy excited meltdown because that person there is in the movies! Or music, etc. WHATDOISAYHOWDOILOOKISMYHAIROKAYDON'TSTARTCRYING,SERIOUSLYWHATDOISAY?? And I always go with 'You're so amazing' or something equally as awkward. Or, in the case of Jason Mraz when I was in high school, I sassed him. But that's another story for another post. As Sarah said, living in London has allowed me my fair share of celebrity spottings, but possibly my best one was in my hometown of Boise, Idaho. 

Which brings me to what I do when I'm not a giant fan of someone: 

Matt Damon was in Boise, premiering the Bourne Ultimatum (one of the producers I think was from there, so they did the premiere downtown) - I am not a giant fan of Matt, I mean I don't mind him, but I'm not into action movies or anything, so I didn't think too much of it. I was on my way to work, and saw a big crowd of people - I parked and went to see who was there, saw it was him, got a scrap of paper from someone else, and made my way to the front of the crowd (again, being quite tall, it was pretty easy) got him to sign it and got a few pics of him. Then I made my way to work - and I've still never seen the Bourne Ultimatum.

6. If you could pick one item to never have to pay for again, what would it be?

S: OMG my answer would have to be diet coke again - we spent 1/4 of ALL the money we earnt in Australia on Diet Coke and buying it when you out in he UK is over £1 each so not having to pay for it would save on approx £500 a year! That's almost a holiday! 

L: Okay, if it WASN'T Diet Coke (which, who are we kidding, it would be) I would want to never have to pay for my haircuts/colours again. In London, its easily £120 for a half head of highlights and a cut. Because of the price, I don't keep up with it as much as I'd like to. I'd have awesome golden blonde locks if I could afford it!!

7. What was your favourite TV show or movie growing up?

S: Friends - and still to this day. Programmes come and go and I could reel of current favourites but growing up the go-to-show was always Friends. From memory it was one of the only shows that would come on and no-one would complain. My parents liked it, my sister liked it, my friends liked it and that meant I could always have it on. Watching episodes nowadays makes me remember Friday nights round a friends house waiting till 9pm to watch a new episode - I can't believe we have channels that meant you can watch it all day now. And every episode still makes me smile. Can you believe it started 18 years ago and finished recording 8 years ago - scary!   

L: I don't remember having a TV show I watched while I grew up - I mean, when I was in high school, my favourite show was Project Runway - I actually had PR parties at my house every week! But my favourite movie my entire childhood was always Beauty & the Beast. I knew every word and song to that movie for ages!!!

Please answer any of the above questions, we love getting to know YOU better!!

Love always,

Laura & Sarah xo

What We Really DON'T Love Wednesday!!

Today's WWLW is going to be a little different. We don't know if it's the rain, work, or what, but something has got us annoyed this week. So annoyed, we want to tell you all about it, like the cratchety old ladies we are. So please enjoy our little rants - hopefully you'll agree with us on all some of them!

Things We Really Don't Love!

'Is Pepsi okay?' - If you're a Diet Coke drinker, like you should be we are, you will have at some point had wait staff hurl this abuse at you. Every time we are asked that question, the restaurant goes down in our esteem. We are actually more likely to go to restaurants that serve Coke rather than Pepsi. Sure, Pepsi is cheaper, but that's because people don't like it as much. This site says it PERFECTLY. Just the fact that they have to ask should make the answer obvious. You never hear 'Is Coke okay?' because that, friends, would be a rhetorical question. Of course it is.

People who don’t know tube etiquette - 

(OK so this is just for those who ride the tube, but we think you’ll understand even if you don't!)

If you are on a crowded train, and it is approaching a station, DO NOT stand up and start pushing past before we even arrive – announcing ‘EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE ME’ - for all you know EVERYONE between you and the door could be getting off at the next stop, and pushing people who have nowhere to go is NOT going to get you there quicker! Nor is squeezing past people so they are off-balance just as the tube stops- it’s just so ANNOYING! And if people are like us, and we are sure they are, when you do this, we make an effort NOT to move out of the way for you. So if you be a regular person, you'll get off quicker. Ironic, right?

There's NOT always room for one more!!

 Also, diving onto a packed train at the last second announcing ‘There's always room for one more!’ is never acceptable – just because you SAY IT does NOT make it true – in fact, it achieves nothing except squeezing everyone in a little tighter and pissing off the people around you. And for those of you who do dive in, DON’T lead with your bag – that’s just painful! Or your elbow, for that matter - Laura almost got a black eye from the 'always room for one more' guy! 

Chris Brown - 

This kid is the reason we don't believe in karma. We mean, really - he beats his girlfriend within an inch of her life, doesn't ever, not once, act like he is actually sorry about it, but still comes out with these horribly catchy awesome tunes that make us simultaneously want to dance and feel really guilty for liking them? How is this even fair? His apology was forced, and looked more like a reluctant kid who was made to apologise by his mother than an adult pop star who was quite rightly apologising to his fans and his girlfriend for letting us all down. And since then, all he has done (besides made frustratingly dance-able music) is complain how people won't let it go, and how he's so hard done by. Ridiculous. Even Rihanna decided to collaborate with him, after first walking away 'to be a good example' to her fans, admittedly because she could make tons of money from it. THE MAN BEAT YOU!!! It's sad that in this day and age, dignity can be bought so easily, even by someone who doesn't need the money. And now he has young girl fans all over the internet, saying things like these gems:

So we think we can all agree that his continued success and existence is a bit of an epicfail, society.

July 2012 UPDATE!: To make matters even worse the media is now reporting that Mr Chris Brown is also homophobic! And not keeping quiet about it. The latest slur from the 'charming young man' was aimed at Frank Ocean. Of course he is now tweeting up an apologetic storm BUT other instances show that he's being homophobic in the past.

Via RadarOnline, Star Magazine reported that Brown used anti-gay comments during a basketball game. When shooting hoops at a 24 Hour Fitness gym in L.A. on June 29 Brown began hurling cuss words when the game intensified.

“He got really ticked off when things didn’t go his way during the game, saying, ‘That’s gay!’ and ‘You’re a f—– a–!’ to the other players, ” an eyewitness told the tabloid.

Just another reason to dislike the man!

Smokers -

OK, not all smokers – we’re friends with a few- but smokers who invade our outdoor space to chain-smoke without any regard for the people around them, and just want to make sure we’re enjoying their smoke and not FRESH AIR! The most recent example that started this off – on the one sunny day this week we took our lunch to the park, found our space and sat down in the nice green grass (checking no smokers were already there).  No sooner had the sandwiches been unwrapped, a man sat less than 2 metres (like 3-4 feet for us regular folk haha) from us and smoked at least 5 cigarettes, with the wind in our direction the entire time – we returned to work smelling like we’d been on a night out, not a park lunch!!! We understand some people just need to smoke, but please have the courtesy to find a space where you aren’t ruining lunches, polluting the insides of bus shelters or being unsociable!

Doesn't it seem ironic?

If you could also stay away from door entrance/exits, it would also be much appreciated. As we exit a building (or tube station, those are especially bad for it - I mean what, you couldn't wait another few steps to light up?) we do not want to be greeted with a face full of smoke, we prefer fresh air. And as we enter, we don’t want the next person we greet to get the smell of smoke – we spend money on perfume and would prefer that be the first thing people smell.

And finally, 

French Connection - 

Have you seen their new ad campaign? Talk about making us not want to wear their clothes. It features ads such as the following:

This is the only campaign we've ever seen that has actively made us decide not to go there anymore. Until they make it up to us, with a less-douchy ad series. Talk about alienating your customer - we thought 'I am man' and 'I am woman', their last campaign, was bad, and couldn't have imagined it getting more confusing.

Oooh, totally want to buy that hula hoop.

So now when we see this ad, we don't think 'I want that dress' but SERIOUSLY, CLOTHES DON'T HAVE FEELINGS!! 

The collection looks like an idiot.

We must admit, its powerful advertising - we actually get physically annoyed whenever we see the adverts. Even right now we are tense, writing about it. 

NO it isn't - if anything, the wind is.

Maybe we aren't their target audience - but as 20 something young professionals in London, surely we can't be THAT far from the target audience for these silly things? The Collection is not happy, forgetful, playful, lactose-intolerant - they are clothes.

WTF??

What do you think of these things? What is really getting your goat lately??

Love always,

Laura & Sarah xoxo

Whats Happening Hot Stuff!!! 19/02/2012

Woah - what a week it’s been! On a personal level, we’ve had a brilliant week as you may have guessed from the posts, but on a news front I think it’s fair to say news from America has been keeping us engaged.

Following on from the good news that Washington state’s governor signed gay marriage into law, the Maryland House of Delegates has passed a bill legalising same-sex marriage that is widely expected to be passed by the state senate and already has the support of the governor Martin O’Malley. The victory was publicised by eight openly LGBT state lawmakers whose personal appeals helped sway crucial votes in support of marriage equality. They all spoke about what marriage means to them and to their families and it made all the difference.

Martin O'Malley

Martin O’Malley's statement was as follows: “Even people that do not yet agree with us on this issue, there’s a lot of goodness in each and every individual, and we need to engage in that goodness. We need to call people to that goodness. We need to call people together in the centre of that circle that makes us a great state — that makes us a great country — because we believe in the dignity of every individual, and we believe in the advancement of the greater good.”

Onto the bad news - the New Jerseyans had their hopes raised, and then slashed in the space of a week. After getting the gay marriage bill through the houses it was immediately veto’d by Governor Chris Christie (by the way did his parents find that name funny at his birth?!?!?!). Democrats who had pushed the bill forward said they were disappointed, but not surprised, by Christie's action. "It's unfortunate that the governor would let his own personal ideology infringe on the rights of thousands of New Jerseyans," said Reed Gusciora, one of two openly gay New Jersey lawmakers and a sponsor of the bill. "For all those who oppose marriage equality, their lives would have been completely unchanged by this bill, but for same-sex couples, their lives would have been radically transformed. Unfortunately, the governor couldn't see past his own personal ambitions to honour this truth."

Senate President Steve Sweeney was more blunt in his criticism of the governor. "He had a chance to do the right thing, and failed miserably," Sweeney said.

To show that not all voters in really conservative places think like Mr Christie, here is an interesting clip that gave us some hope.

Speaking of doing the right thing, Gay rights campaigners and prominent government ministers have blasted England’s top football clubs for failing to sign up to a campaign to tackle homophobia in the sport.

According to The Independent, government ministers and equality campaigners are furious that only 16 of 160 contacted clubs have leant their support to the annual Football v Homophobia campaign, a nine-day event that started on Saturday. According to The Independent, among the 16 teams that have signed up to the campaign are Premier League clubs Arsenal, Aston Villa, Fulham, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Norwich City. Sarah’s hoping to see her home town team Reading join the list soon!

Comedian Ricky Gervais (one our fav comedians and from Sarah’s home town) has hit out at religious parents who tell their children if they “turn out gay, they will burn in hell”, arguing that the threats amount to “child abuse”.  Speaking on CNN’s Piers Morgan Show on Friday night, Ricky said, “I’ve got nothing against people believing in God at all. In fact, if it did make you a kinder person, if you only did good things in his name, then great. But there’s the rub.” The 50-year-old star of The Office added: “It’s when I see some of these religious fundamentalists saying that they’ve told their five-year-old children that if they turn out gay, they will burn in hell. That to me is child abuse. That’s nothing to do with religion or spirituality. That’s child abuse. So that’s why I’m passionate when it comes to that.”

The outspoken comedian also blasted Republican presidential candidates’ views on gay marriage. He said: “Well, with this, we’re back to offence, aren’t we? Just because they’re offended by someone being gay, it doesn’t mean they’re right. It’s a strange thing that they say being gay is a choice. No, being gay isn’t a choice, you know? I want to go, ‘Look, you try it, then. If it’s a choice, have a go.’” Go Mr Gevais – everyone knows we Reading folk speak sense! Fun fact, we produced Kate Winslet too!

We saw this from Anne Hathaway on the same issue:

In controversial news, the former First Lady of Liberia has reportedly tabled a bill which could make homosexuality in the country punishable by death in her new capacity as a senator. AFP reported that Jewel Howard Taylor, ex-wife of former president Charles Taylor, wants gay sex to attract a penalty ranging from 10 years imprisonment to execution. The proposed change to the country’s marriage laws reads: “No two persons of the same sex shall have sexual relations. A violation of this prohibition will be considered a first degree felony.” The office of Jewel Howard Taylor told PinkNews.co.uk she was “not homophobic and does not harbour any hatred towards gays”, and said the first degree felony created is actually one of attempting to enter into a gay marriage, not of performing gay sex acts.

An official statement by the government last month said: “The Liberian government will not allow the legalisation of gay and lesbian activities in Liberia. The president has vowed not to allow such a bill, and even if the bill goes before the president she will veto it.” Ah well at least Liberia isn’t on the ‘to visit’ list.

To end on a positive note, no pun intended, a charity single raising money to tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying has become a sensation. The L Project’s debut 'It Does Get Better' aims to raise as much money as possible to help combat anti-gay and trans bullying using the most talented lesbian UK performers.  It has made number 1 in Amazon UK’s Best Sellers Rock and Folk Charts and has drawn nearly 44,000 views on Youtube since its release on Saturday. Proceeds will go to Stonewall and Diversity Role Models. The song can be bought at Amazon and iTunes, where it is available to download.

On a personal note we have updated our February photo-a-day here so check it out!

That's it for this edition, folks - we hope you have a lovely week!!

Until next time,

Sarah & Laura xo

What's Happening, Hot Stuff?? 29/01/12

Welcome to this week's WHHS! And what a week it has been!

We'll start Stateside because there has been a pretty constant flow of news that we find particularly relevant. If you have seen the Cynthia Nixon (Miranda in Sex in the City) news you will know that she has been putting her foot-in-it left right and centre and not helping in the battle for LGBT equality. First of all, she's 'choosing to be gay', then she doesn't want to say she's bisexual, as 'NO-ONE likes bisexuals' (?!?!) and then she used the word 'squelch'....game over! We switched off reading at that point! It happened in an interview with Kevin Sessums at the Daily Beast...her statement was “Look, I understand for political reasons why some people want to kind of squelch this idea that being gay might be a choice, because a lot of the rights we want are posited on the supposition that why are you denying me my rights any more than if I were created a different color? But I don’t feel the need to cede the definition of what a gay person is to the bigots. They don’t get to define who I am.” At such an important time for the LGBT community especially, would it not make more sense to keep any such opinions to yourself than give homophobic people ammunition?! We agree that in a perfect world, it shouldn't matter if sexual orientation is a choice or not, but at the moment it does matter, and the 'bigots' do have control our rights and our future!

In fantastic, amazing, wonderful news, Washington now has enough votes to secure gay marriage legality in the state- yay! - thanks to a crucial vote from State Senator Mary Margaret Haugen who became the crucial 25th supporter of the proposed legislation. Representing Camano Island, she came out to say 'I know this announcement makes me the so-called 25th vote, the vote that ensures passage. That’s neither here nor there. If I were the first or the seventh or the 28th vote, my position would not be any different. I happen to be the 25th because I insisted on taking this much time to hear from my constituents and to sort it out for myself, to reconcile my religious beliefs with my beliefs as an American, as a legislator, and as a wife and mother who cannot deny to others the joys and benefits I enjoy.” Well put! It means that the legislation now has a majority in the state senate but opponents may still force a state wide vote in July. Come on Washington, do the right thing!

Barney Frank, a US congressman, is marrying his long-term partner in Massachusetts. He is the first openly gay member of congress and hopefully his high public profile will once again lead the way for gay marriage to be on the agenda in a positive way. Congratulations, Barney!!

Barney Frank

And in Oz, from February, gay Australians will be able to receive certificates allowing them to enter into gay marriage abroad and have it count as a domestic partnership in Oz - previously Australia had denied the permit! Australian Marriage Equality national convener, Alex Greenwich, said: “The real problem remains the failure of parliament to allow same-sex marriages in Australia, but the removal of the CNI ban will ease the burden on same-sex couples who are forced overseas to marry." Olivia Newton John (of Grease fame) has also come out publicly to support gay marriage - she joins other famous Aussies including Hugh Jackman! The singer said 'With respect to marriage equality I believe that no one has the right to judge and deny couples who love each other the ability to make a marriage commitment.“Love is love.”' After her 'Lets Get Physical' scene with Jane/Sue in Glee we knew we liked her :)

But England - oh England - it's not been a good week for Old Blighty. We've let ourselves down by allowing the 'Gay Leper' conference where they preached conversion from the gay life style. Furthermore, a high profile footballer- Michael Ball (not the amazing theatre actor / singer) has been caught and fined £6000 for homophobic tweets.

Protesters at the 'Gay Leper' convention

The Archbishop of York has come out against same-sex marriage saying that Government
has no right to 'gift' the institution of marriage. He goes on to say 'I don't think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is. It is set in tradition and history and you can't just (change it) overnight, no matter how powerful you are.' Having read the rest of the article in the Telegraph, the Archbishop continues to say that the reason the church supported civil partnerships was because they 'believe that friendships are good for everybody but if you begin to call those marriage, you're trying to change the English language'. Um we don't plan on getting a civil-partnershipped as friends! We find it disrespectful enough that we wouldn't be able to use the terms 'wife' or 'marriage' in the ceremony - now the church says it's not even a marriage - nice!

In Scotland there has been more publicity for the anti-marriage equality petition titled 'Preserving Marriage'. Gay rights groups are critising the petition for it's 'outdated, inaccurate and homophobic' views. Submitted by Amy King, it claims 'same-sex couples should not have equal rights to marry because of “poor social outcomes for homosexual adults” including “higher rates of domestic violence, suicide, STDs, and mental illness.” She goes on to say the most maddening comment 'Marriage should not be redefined for the whole of society given the tiny percentage of society actually affected by the issue'. It echoes the comments that we highlighted last week by MP David Burrowes (see article HERE) who said that the debate on gay marriage was not one we needed to have now!!!! As we plan to marry, it is a debate we need them to have and more importantly we deserve to have equal rights once we are married - why should our marriage mean we are any different to anyone else?!

At least the US isn't running clinics that 'cure gays' like Ecuador. You may have seen in the news that Ecuador is investigating and acting forcefully to close any clinics found to be trying to force homosexuals to change their sexual orientation. The treatment of individuals at these clinics is nothing short of torture, both physically and mentally, and now they have a lesbian health minister the mission is on! 30 have been closed so far - great work!!

The Zulus in South Africa also hit the headlines with the Zula King saying that gay relationships are rotten and a 'modern' invention - maybe he missed Hillary Clinton's speech (it's HERE!) The Zulus currently make up 20% of South Africa's population, with 11 million living in the country, and they practice Christianity as their main religion. (Gay Leper conferences must do well there!).

                                     Zulu King makes sure we know how he feels!

Finally, Laura's wonderful Dad sent us this video about the absurdity of the Bible setting traditions dictating who can and can't get legally married. Enjoy!!

We shall leave it there - after celebrating Chinese New Year today we are in need of an early night! We will put up a post with some photos from the fun we had at the celebrations early in the week.

For those shoppers reading this we will leave you with our latest discovery... www.pinupgirlclothing.com LOVE IT!!! Seriously as soon as we save up some $$$...

If you have enjoyed this post check out other WHHS HERE!

Until next time,

Sarah & Laura xo

What We Love Wednesdays!! Powerful Women

Happy Wednesday, everyone! 

Welcome to What We Love Wednesday! Watching 'The Iron Lady' at the cinema last week about Margaret Thatcher got us thinking about other powerful women we admire. So we decided to make a list of our favourite influential women out there today. 2011 was (in our opinion) the year of the woman, so we have a lot of lovely ladies to choose from! For the record, we didn't intentionally look towards the gay community for this list - it just so happens that a lot of the women listed represent this community, or have made an impact in it. 

Ellen DeGeneres: It's hard to remember the early 90's when Ellen was the lead character on 'Ellen' and wasn't out & proud. In fact, she came out on Oprah during the airing of the 4th season in 1997. Since then, she has hosted the Emmy's and Academy Awards and been in a number of films including voicing Dory in Finding Nemo. She also hosts her own talk show, the Ellen Degeneres Show every weekday. As much as we admire all of this, it is actually her gay-visibility and charity work that put her on our list. As a recognisable media figure and a lesbian she has made huge strides in making the gay community more accessible and understood. Her mottos of kindness & love shine through her show and you can't help but smile as she helps and supports so many people EVERY day. She's actually won 13 Emmy's for her charitable work! Ellen was lucky enough to marry the ever-so gorgeous Portia De Rossi in 2008 after the Proposition 8 ban of same-sex marriage was briefly overturned in California. Together they show that same-sex marriage can be 'normal'! 

Jane Lynch: Currently doing an amazing job playing Sue Sylvester on Glee, Jane is another high-profile lesbian in the media. We first saw Jane in Julie & Julia and then regularly in Two and a Half Men and thought she was brilliant. Jane's also been in Talladega Nights, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Role Models - all hilarious films. In 2005 she was named as one of Power Up's (Professional Organisation of Woman in Entertainment Reaching Up) '10 Most Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz' and she is being honoured with the Vanguard Award for her contribution to lesbian visibility by NCLR (National Centre For Lesbian Rights). The Vanguard Award recognises women who exemplify 'values of equality and justice'. We admire Jane for being a great comedic actress and showing that being a lesbian (or different in any other way, for that matter) shouldn't stop you from being the best in the business! 

Tabatha Coffey: Known for her hairdressing show 'Tabatha's Salon Takeover' (where she takes failing salons and turns them into successful businesses (we love it!)), Tabatha is one fiesty business woman. At no point has Tabatha hid her sexuality and, though little is known about her partner of 10 years, she is a leading lesbian. Her high profile has lead her to play a public role in LGBT support - including being photographed for NOH8 (like us!) - and in 2012 she will appear as a presenter at the 23rd GLAAD Media Awards! She has even hinted that her future plans may include running for Governor in New Jersey, where gay marriage is currently opposed. VOTE COFFEY!!

Hillary Clinton: The current Secretary of State and wife of previous President Bill Clinton, Hillary has always been a strong woman in her own right. We were actually hoping that she would beat Obama in the primaries back in 2008, but at least she is still playing a leading role in the government. The reason we admire Hillary is for her strength and commitment to her beliefs. There are far too many good things to mention about her here, but in her latest speech on gay rights (in Dec 2011) she made history. It's beautiful!!

Michelle Obama: We are lucky enough to have two influential women in the US government at the moment. Barack's lovely wife has proven herself to be a trend setter in her own right. She has gotten a lot of media attention for her choices of clothing - she is always classy, and she is the first First Lady to wear clothing from the high street. Mrs. O is not afraid to rock H&M! We find her incredibly inspiring because of her 'Let's Move!' legacy. Her goal is to reverse the scary trend of childhood obesity by serving healthier meals in schools, better food labeling and encouraging kids to do more physical activity. It's an incredibly worthwhile cause, and we are happy someone is tackling the issue and saving the next generation!


Cristina Fernadez Kirchner: In case you haven't heard of her, she is the current President of Argentina. Now, this is a controversial choice as she is in the recent news with plans to fight for the Falkland Islands -forcing an interestingly timed (thanks to the Thatcher movie) repeat of history, when Argentinian pirates took the British owned Falklands in 1982, sparking a war between Thatcher's Britain and Argentina to get them back. However if you want an example of a powerful leader, this woman has it! The UK government needs to take note. She wears more make-up than Katie Price, never leaves home without high heels and owns at least 200 little black dresses (the only colour she'll wear since the death of her husband) - oh and she is a ruthless politician. She is a strong advocate of human rights, and signed a same-sex marriage bill into law in 2010. Christina says her inspiration is Eva Peron (Evita) as she wants to make an impact on her country's history just like she did. As a mum-of-two on top of all that, she has to be admired!

We believe 2011 was the year of the woman (where were all the great men last year, anyway??) and we're sure, with fine role models like these around, 2012 will continue that trend.

Who else would you put on this list? Check back in a few weeks - we will be doing an influential women in music post!

Make sure to become members of our blog, follow us on Twitter and also Tumblr!!   

Love, Sarah & Laura xo


If you've enjoyed this post check out our other WWLW HERE!

What's Happening, Hot Stuff?? 27/11/2011

Welcome to this weeks edition- Laura is currently surrounded with arts & craft preparing for our first annual Thanksmas dinner next Saturday. 'Thanksmas' is a combination of Thanksgiving & Christmas and will be an opportunity to showcase our baking and cooking capabilities (Laura's new segment will share some of her AMAZING recipes 'Tips and Recipes from an UN-domestic goddess' - see here).


For news this week:
UPDATE.....
Have you seen the video from the tram? If you haven't watch this here - but make sure you aren't in a public place or have the volume up to loud! This is ALL over the media here, the shocking, vile content is not at all representative of our views and has no place in the current world. Worst still the poor child with her has no choice but to listen - despicable. The latest news is that the woman has been charged with racist public disturbance. 


Following the shocking news here is something a little more light-hearted press here! And no we don't all do this on our dog walks!


Before I continue 1 final thing to raise a smile, don't ever let a partner tattoo you - if you have ever cheated! You never know if they know! And if they do know they might just do this: Click Here

It's almost the 1st of December and time to light the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree! OK so that's not really news, but Michael Barrymore is NO LONGER GAY!!!! Not sure what to even say to that, we very much doubt it's true, but if you want to know more check out Pink News! He's so attention-seeking, he's the British TV version of Lindsay Lohan! In other ridiculous news George Michael has a boyfriend called Fadi Fawaz haha- oh and he's recovering from pneumonia. Get well soon, just in time for his tour!


Roger Federer won a record sixth title at the ATP World Tour Finals today with a victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the O2 Arena. Sarah is a fan, of tennis and Federer, and Laura is not! It's a subject we're just going to have to agree to disagree on. 

Can you spot Federer?

By now you may have realised that (thankfully) nothing major has really happened this week, except maybe the loss of Gary Speed- Leeds & Wales football player. Very sad! Sarah saw him play many times and his death has shaken the football world and filled the news pages.(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/wales/8918722/Gary-Speed-dies-aged-42-football-world-pays-tribute-to-Wales-manager.html)

RIP to the nicest man in football

On the other side of the world - Australia - 71% of the Labor parties voted in favour of Gay marriage! They are now pressuring the Prime Minister to change her opposition to marriage equality. As we spent a year living in Australia, we'd love for them to support the vote - especially for our friends over there. PM Julia Gillard has previously said that 'My position flows from my strong conviction that the institution of marriage has come to have a particular meaning and standing in our culture and nation and that should continue unchanged.'- hopefully she will see sense soon. From experience Julia is a smart, savvy leader on a lot of subjects it would be great if she took the lead on this subject!   

Did we mention she's a 'ranga?

Lady GaGa will be honoured with a Hero Award from the 'Trevor Project' - a US gay youth charity that works with LGBT youths to prevent suicide by offering support over the telephone and online! The award is great recognition and we are always interested in 'celebrities' supporting causes that are relevant to us. Lady GaGa's 'Born This Way Foundation' has been started to establish a standard of bravery & kindness in the face of bullying and abandonment and help youths work towards “youth empowerment and equality by addressing issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development and will utilise digital mobilisation as one of the means to create positive change.”

In other news, have you seen the 'private Lady GaGa photos'? I read a book on how she masterminded her fame and you can't deny she has done a great job of it - aside from the music she has created an 'iconic' status that makes sure you always click a link when she's mentioned. So thats exactly what I did and was pleasantly surprised to find these photos of her looking 'normal'. We love a good biography (the official ones not the 'I once met her so can tell you everything about her' ones). A favourite story was when she made a teacup 'famous' by being seen with it everywhere - just to test how easily fame can be achieved nowadays - and it worked, within a day the teacup had been on the Jonathon Ross (talkshow) Show and had photos in The Sun! Smart lady!!! Anyway these photos are from Celebrity photographer Terry Richardson who took more than 100,000 photos of her then narrowed it down to 450 and put them together in a hardback book aptly named 'Lady GaGa X'

Christmas Countdown!- Our Weekly Christmas News


As we previously mentioned, the Christmas tree that's gifted to London every year for our support during the second World War is on its way here from Oslo, Norway. They will be lighting it December 1st, and will no doubt have carolers and other Christmasy delights, so we will of course be there after work, and you should too if you are in London!


Our first 'Christmas Movie Tuesday' will be happening this week- it's a pretty self-explanatory celebration, but I will tell you that our first movie of this holiday season will be the original 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'! 


The countdown to Thanksmas is on - we test drove some desserts and side dishes today - a resounding success from all, and only a little annoyance on Laura's part that England just doesn't seem to 'get' cornbread. It's one of the best side dishes at Thanksgiving, but they don't have it or anything like it here, so Sarah really didn't know what to expect when it was baked for her. Apparently 'it's somewhere between savoury cake and sweet bread' wasn't the best explanation. Any better ideas for how to explain cornbread at the dinner next weekend would be MUCH appreciated! Please comment below :)


Also, Laura got a Christmas apron this week! Because really, what is the point of baking Christmas dinner without a Christmas apron? Glad you agree. She got it on Etsy, and here is a picture and the link in case you'd like one of your own!

We hope you've enjoyed this week's news roundup - please leave your comments, follow us on our blog or on our Twitter!!


Have a good week


Laura & Sarah xo