Why it matters so much when a “limpy fat girl” wins the world’s biggest pinup pageant
I’ve been following New Zealand pin-up queen Fran Robertson on Instagram (@frantasy_island, natch) ever since we featured her wedding on Offbeat Bride back in 2016, and it’s been a colorful journey for sure. Recently, I followed along with her photos of traveling from NZ all the way to Las Vegas to compete in the Miss Viva Las Vegas pageant — which she totally won!
I asked Fran if I could interview her about how her experiences are setting new standards for visibility…
I might just need some of these ultra weird shoes (and some that are SUPER cute)
Don’t ask how I ran across these super weird shoes on Amazon. It was a series of weird events that led to fish shoes. But now you do and nobody can go back from this. You’re in it with me and we must proceed to see the weirdest shoes I was able to find. Are these your new gag gift, white elephant present, birthday gift for that weird uncle, or your own brand new fish sandals, pug slides, or grass-lined flip-flops?
Either way, you’ve got to see these weird shoes and sandals (and some that are downright adorable!)…
Always looking SHARP: cactus accessories for your home and your bod
Some things are just HOT right now: alpacas, festival gear, desert stuff… but one thing that makes me happy is the endurance of the cactus and succulent trend. Please stay forever, my prickly and green lovelies. Aloe you very much. You’re always looking sharp. I’m ready to stop being a cact-I and start being a cact-US. Many apologies for all those puns.
Let’s take a look at some of the most adorable cactus accessories for wearing and decoration no matter what season it is…
Make breastfeeding punk again with these bad-ass nursing shirts
When it comes to breastfeeding-friendly fashion, you’re probably feeling a wee bit limited right about now. So when I ran across these bad-ass nursing shirts from Etsy seller And Out Come The Boobs (h/t to reader Colleen!), I knew I HAD to share them. These thrifted tees are upcycled with zippers to allow access for your up-and-coming punk babies.
These literary purses are actual BOOK bags for bibliophiles
I stumbled upon these literary purses and instantly wanted ALL OF THEM. Carry around my Harry Potters in a Harry Potter book bag? Hell yes I will. Etsy seller Krukru Studio Books has tons to choose from, too. Think Anna Karenina, the works of Jane Austen, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and so many more.
Rockabilly & pin-up maternity clothing for retro mamas
“Help! I’m looking for pin-up maternity clothes that don’t suck!” While some online stores don’t sell exclusively pin-up style, there are a few that have items that can easily fit into a retro-inspired wardrobe. Look for wrap dresses, stretchy wiggle dresses, and vintage tunics that can work for most of your pregnancy depending on the level of stretch and cling you like. Here are a few sites that carry
rad pin-up maternity clothing…
This LED skirt twinkles like the night sky!
Get a load of this discovery, y’all. This LED skirt has 250 tiny LEDs enmeshed in an ombre blue skirt with a pattern based on an actual star chart. You’ll be wearing the night sky and twinkling the shit out of everyone.
Your Star Wars premiere party will never be the same wearing this bad boy.
Defying gender binaries with Alok Vaid-Menon — a gender non-conforming writer, performer, & fashion icon
Alok feels that the concepts of masculinity and femininity shouldn’t have relevance in this day and age. “We need to be much more colorful, expansive, and precise about what we mean rather than defaulting into ideological catchalls that do more harm than good,” he tells me.
Being that Alok is a person of color, I wonder if they feel that ethnicity/race ties into the equation in a meaningful way. Their reply is so profound that I’m still sort of reeling from it…