Lesson #33: Quirky girls finish last.

There are certain girls who can make guys swoon with nothing more than look, a switch of the hips and maybe a cleverly timed wink. I will never be one of those girls. Unfortunately, I trip over things, lots of things, and on any given hectic morning, I’m likely to leave the house with mascara smeared on my nose. Maybe I’m not charming or adorable and I assure you that no one will ever refer to me as “the sweetest little thing they ever did lay eyes on,” but I have to admit, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Maybe I’m just too lazy to be that positive all the time or maybe my pessimism is practically inherent, but just because I’m not a “nice girl,” doesn’t mean I don’t have a heart of gold. And so maybe I’ve gotten into a tussle with one too many vending machines for stealing my dollar but it’s not like I’m kicking kittens. We can’t all be “the girl next door,” but niceness doesn’t have to be measured by how much you smile and politely laugh at jokes you don’t actually find funny.

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Who or what inspires your style? Many of us use celebrities (like Alexa Chung) or movie characters(like Queen Gorgo from “300″) as style inspiration, even though, most of the time, they are being dressed from head to toe by the best stylists. Which we don’t have. And sometimes it’s damn near impossible to work their Hollywood looks into our not-so-Hollywood lives. I’ve made it my mission to tap into the mind of a fashion stylist and show you how to take your style inspiration – whatever it may be – and make it more you

If you don’t know who Zooey Deschanel is, please kindly let me remove the rock that you’ve been living under to do a little educating.  This girl acts in movies.  This girl sings in her band, She & Him.  This girl sings in her movies she acts in.  Besides all that, this girl made it cool to dress like you went back in time reincarnated as your stylish mom growing up in the ’60s.  And she’s got girls (and guys) mildly obsessed.

There are so many ways different people describe Zooey’s style; they call it “quirky,” “indie,” or “very Zooey.” I think all of those are true, but I think there’s more. Zooey Deschanel’s style reminds me of a shy librarian that was given a subtle makeover.  It’s dainty yet a little bit sexy, a little risky at times with hints of old school vintage. It’s a strange combination, yet she always pulls it off flawlessly. Read More »

Who inspires your style? Or better question, WHAT inspires your style? Many of us use movie characters (like Penny Lane) or celebrities (like Leigh Lezark) as style inspiration, even though, most of the time, they are being dressed from head to toe by the best stylists. Which we don’t have. And sometimes it’s damn near impossible to work their Hollywood looks into our not-so-Hollywood lives. I’ve made it my mission to tap into the mind of a fashion stylist and show you how to take your style inspiration – whatever it may be – and make it more you!

Describing Chloe Sevigny’s style in one word would be like attempting to describe color to a blind man: Impossible.

She is a wild child with a wild style. It’s vintage-meets-designer, quirky, eccentric and European chic with just the perfect hint of grunge. It doesn’t sound like it would turn out well, but somehow Chloe works it. Not to mention that smirk she’s always sportin’ that says, “What I’m wearing right now is what you’re going to be wearing next month.” Only she’s not arrogant, which I totally would be if I had her ability to wear a potato sack and have a million people be inspired by it.

Although she works as an actress by day (most notably as the second wife on HBO’s series, Big Love) her newest job and eternal interest has always been related to fashion.  It has apparently always come easy to her, considering she never actually follows trends but seems to instead set them. Read More »

Got a question for Tuffita? Email her at tuffyluv@collegecandy.com to be featured in her column every Tuesday! Ask it all.

Dear Tuffy Luv,

Top five best quirky movies for contemporary women and why. Okay, go.

Movie Luver

Dear Movie Luver,

Cute.

Okay, I don’t know about bestbest, but here goes, in no particular order. And remember, this is Tuff’s personal opinion, so–yeah. Don’t start hating or anything. Read More »

Is it wrong to laugh at fat chics? To giggle as you stuff them with delicious, delicious cake? How about if it’s in the form a video game? How about it was created by a girl? That is the controversy that surrounds Sony’s new too-cute-to-be-true game, Fat Princess.

Add one more to the line of cute-n-quirky games that are being put out to attract gamers to shelves. Like Katamari Damacy, the game play is easy, the colors bright, the plot simple: feed the princess, make her heavy so people don’t steal her. Easy! But is it too much?

Some feminists seem to think so. According to this article, feminist gamers from no less than two web sites are up in arms over this. Because she’s a girl. And she’s fat. That’s a problem for feminism. . . apparently.

Now before we proceed, I am a feminist. Ra, ra, fight against inequalities and all that. But rather then be upset about this game, I’ve found a few reasons to applaud this game. Yes, in the name of feminism.

I see Fat Princess as a new wave in gaming. Read More »

Are you tired of looking at tall, thin models with indistinguishable features? Apparently many people want to see more “normal looking people” in mainstream media. This is why Ugly New York has been created to represent models with a “unique look”.

Although the company has the word “ugly” in its title, models who represent Ugly New York are not unattractive, they’re just different than what one would normally expect a model to look like. Weird physical quirks are fine as long as the person has that certain style and confidence needed to be a model.

The company represents everyday people – businessmen, computer geeks, anyone who makes you turn your head and think “Wow he/she has something special about him/her”. Ugly New York gives people who never even considered the opportunity to model a chance to strut their stuff.

After viewing the talent on their site, it’s easy to tell that the company does represent some “classic” models. However, they also have their fair share of hairy bikers, aging women and quirky 20 and 30 somethings. Read More »