Anna P

Read My Thoughts December 4, 2018

Christmas Bums Me Out

Stress, Materialism and Selfishness During the Most Joyful Time of the Year

My childhood memories of Christmas play out like a movie- snow, pulling mittens over cold hands, getting snow up the sleeve of my coat, winding neighborhoods of colored light, Christmas carols, sleds, New Hampshire frozen lakes, hot cocoa and marshmallows, never enough marshmallows, A Christmas Carol, The Grinch, Santa Claus, reindeer hooves beating against the roof, Christmas cookies, milk in mugs… and presents. Wrapped in shimmering bows and pretty patterned paper, they held everything I dreamed of, and made the season magical.

For young ones lucky enough to receive gifts for the holidays, Christmas seems like a dream, the most joyful time of the year, accompanied by a fleeting sadness the day after because we would have to wait a whole year to sense the magic again. Eventually that magic fades. Slowly, first with the realization that Santa isn’t real (a fact that my parents have never wanted to tell us) and then with the onset of adulthood, where Christmas becomes much more about giving gifts than receiving them.

When I started to buy gifts for others, Christmas lost its luster. I don’t mean to make myself sound like a selfish jerk who only loves to receive and never wants to return the favor- no, that’s not what I mean. I love giving gifts, especially ones that have a lot of meaning that I know the recipient will truly appreciate. What bums me out about Christmas is the fact that gift giving is expected and anybody that doesn’t participate is hailed a Scrooge and painted as a greedy, joyless miser.

What do you get someone who doesn’t need or want anything? Something they don’t want or need. How many holiday gifts have you gotten that you had to pretend you were grateful for? How many gifts have you re-gifted? Yeah, we’ve all probably gotten plenty of presents that were basically meaningless junk all in the name of ~Christmas~. The evening of Thanksgiving, a day we are supposed to spend being thankful for what we have, thousands flock to big box stores to buy even more stuff! And a lot of the time they aren’t even buying gifts, but taking advantage of the mediocre deals for themselves It’s materialism on steroids. Overindulgent and selfish.

Then there’s the stress of it all, my least favorite part of the Christmas season. Trying to figure out what to get someone who doesn’t want anything is stress. Trying to mail the gifts on time is stress. Managing finances is stress. And at the end of the day it seems like it’s all in the name of stuff rather than loving and appreciating your family and friends and significant others.

I would much rather have a thoughtful, well-cooked meal, or a nice trip to a fun place than things that will line my shelves and gather dust. I guess that’s why we can make Christmas whatever we want it to be, despite companies trying to push their rampant waste and materialism upon us. I know the Christmas magic is still there somewhere, I just have to dig a little deeper to find it.

Fashion December 2, 2018

Green Is the New Millennial Pink

Millennial pink- that powdery, light, almost-salmon pink that projects a sense of innocence, purity and ironic prettiness- has been all over the runway and in every fashion magazine and blog for the last couple of years. It’s chic, yet playful- polished, yet accessible. Then, what Man Repeller dubbed “Gen Z” yellow came along- a more, bright, fun and laid back shade that gave millennial pink a run for its money. Now, a new color has arrived that may just dethrone them both and become the new *it* color.

Green- a natural, fresh shade that begets an attitude of renewal and growth- the perfect shade for this generation of movers and shakers. Green has been burning up the runway, and not just any green- a light, lime, almost-neon green, an eye-popping shade that will imbue any ‘fit with a chic trendiness and a streetwear-cool vibe.

All of this to say, you need to get this color in your wardrobe ASAP because it will be the next big shade. Here are some of the best “futura” green (hey, every new trendy shade needs a name, right?) looks seen on the Spring 2019 runways:

Emanuel Ungaro
Mulberry
The Gigi Collection
Veronique Leroy
Veronique Leroy
Anais Jourden
Balenciaga
Beautiful People
Blumarine
Gucci
Hermes
Maison Margiela
Manish Arora
Paul and Joe
Saint Laurent
Stella McCartney
Thom Browne
Valentin Yudashkin
Valentino
Versace

All photos found on Vogue.com.

Runway November 30, 2018

The Art of Imperfection in Valentino Pre-Fall 2019

It was easy to fall in love with Pierpaolo Piccioli’s latest collection for Valentino- a sharp, red collection rife with snappy pleats and plenty of Valentino’s signature ruffles. And while the fashion world reels in the wake of the Dolce & Gabbana controversy, Valentino’s show was a rousing success, leaving the crowd awestruck at the finale, as red petals rained from the ceiling.

valentino pre-fall 2019 tokyo fashion show runway — Valentino’s crisp Pre-Fall 2019 collection emphasized the beauty in imperfection and featured plenty of pretty pleats and ruffles. (Photo: Fashionista.com)

Shown in Tokyo, a first for Valentino, this collection celebrated the intricacies of Japanese culture by honoring the concept of wabi-sabi, or finding beauty in imperfection, and kintsugi, the art of repairing broken porcelain with molten gold, a theme that Piccioli feels is very timely.

“Western culture is about symmetry, perfection, static beauty, while wabi-sabi is more close to the idea of harmony, of inner grace. Time goes by and it adds, it doesn’t take away. It’s really interesting for this moment—in the past, beauty was perfection, but I really feel beauty is about diversity, that this idea of wabi-sabi is very modern in this moment.”

The show itself thrived off its many juxtapositions- the bright red printed against a deep black, the neutral makeup with the blue lip, the extravagant quality of the clothing and the plainness of the industrial warehouse venue. Every aspect of the collection served to bring to light another feature, making the clothing a joy to bring the eyes across.

And while much of the collection was rendered in a pure and piercing red, there were many moments of softness and pause, like with a short baby-blue dress and another soft, millennial pink ensemble. And while there were a ton of frills and downy jackets that floated down the runway like a puff of smoke, the looks were almost always grounded with some sturdy-looking shoes- another detail to fascinate the gaze.

Check out some of my favorite looks from the show below:

All photos found on Fashionista.com, courtesy of Valentino.

Poem Of The Week November 28, 2018

girl looking for man seeking muse:

You should know I stare long

And let my hair grow out all year

Before cutting it, almost ceremoniously.

Sometimes I wonder if smoking tastes romantic

Or just like death actually.

I use words as weapons and wishes.

I won’t suck the poison from your wound,

But I will run my fingers through your hair before you close your eyes.

I like to smell like flowers to simulate some kind of chemical reaction akin to lust.

Nobody misses me.

In the evening, when the lights are out

And the sound of traffic outside my shitty apartment window seems to slow to nothing

I look at my fingers in the dim

And think

Yes, this is me. Yes, I am alive

Before plunging into a sleep from which I wish

I would never wake.

Serious inquiries only.

Yuri Bodrikhin

Fashion November 28, 2018

Dolce & Gabbana’s Great Fail & Why Stefano Gabbana Is Garbage

If you are in any way connected to the fashion realm, then you’ve probably already heard all about Dolce & Gabbana’s latest blunder with their Great Show planned in Shanghai, China. An enormous fashion show was planned, boasting over 300 models with thousands of Chinese stars and Key Opinion Leaders (their term for influencers) set to attend. Unfortunately for Dolce and Gabbana, the universe had other things in mind.

Leading up to the show, Dolce and Gabbana released a series of three promotional videos on Chinese social media and their Instagram that featured a Chinese model attempting to eat oversized Italian cuisine with chopsticks, all while a male voiceover attempted to tell the model how to eat the food in a very patronizing, and semi-creepy-sexual tone. As you might expect, this did not go over well, as Chinese people took to social media to denounce the videos as racist because they relied wholly on stereotyping and infantilized the model and Chinese people overall by suggesting that they would not know how to eat foreign foods if presented with them.

View this post on Instagram

#DGlovesChina ? More like #DGdesperateforthatChineseRMB lol. In a bid to further appeal to luxury’s covetable Chinese consumers, @dolcegabbana released some hella offensive “instructional” videos on the usage of chopsticks. Pandering at it’s finest, but taken up a notch by painting their target demographic as a tired and false stereotype of a people lacking refinement/culture to understand how to eat foreign foods and an over-the-top embellishment of cliché ambient music, comical pronunciations of foreign names/words, and Chinese subtitles (English added by us), which begs the question—who is this video actually for? It attempts to target China, but instead mocks them with a parodied vision of what modern China is not…a gag for amusement. Dolce & Gabbana have already removed the videos from their Chinese social media channels, but not Instagram. Stefano Gabbana has been on a much-needed social media cleanse (up until November 2nd), so maybe he kept himself busy by meddling with the marketing department for this series. Who wants to bet the XL cannoli “size” innuendos were his idea? Lmao. • #dolceandgabbana #altamoda #rtw #dgmillennials #stefanogabbana #shanghai #chinese #italian #cannoli #meme #wtf #dumb #lame #chopsticks #foodie #tutorial #cuisine #italianfood #asianmodel #asian #chinesefood #dietprada

A post shared by Diet Prada ™ (@diet_prada) on Nov 19, 2018 at 6:39am PST

Enter Stefano Gabbana- the decidedly filter-less cofounder of the label that has a long history with taking criticism poorly… really poorly. In response to someone letting him know why the campaign was racist, Gabbana responded by saying that China is a “country of s***” and that Chinese people eat dogs. Apparently he didn’t get the memo that blatant racism isn’t good for PR.

In another amateur bad PR move, Gabbana later claimed that those comments were not made by him because his account was hacked, even though, as the much-revered Instagram fashion blog @diet_prada pointed out, Gabbana posted screencaps of the very same Instagram DM conversation on his stories. Mixed messages much?

After enormous outcry and an onslaught of entertaining videos of Chinese influencers destroying their D&G goods in a variety of ways, Dolce and Gabbana’s dreams of holding their “Great Show” died, leaving us with a half-assed apology video and a ton of questions like “Why do we even still put up with them?”

That’s right, folks- the fact that Dolce & Gabbana is problematic isn’t news. The infamous duo (but mostly Stefano Gabbana) has been offending various audiences for years and here are a few of the best (worst) examples:

5 Reasons Why Dolce & Gabbana (But Mostly Gabbana) Are Trash

1. Internalized Homophobia and War On IVF Children

In 2015, Dolce & Gabbana showed their blatant homophobia when they stated that they do not believe that gay people should be able to have and raise children because it went against nature. To make matters worse, they also referred to children conceived via IVF as “synthetic.” Yikes!

Elton John, who had two beautiful sons with his husband through IVF clapped back- “…Shame on you for wagging your judgemental little fingers at IVF – a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfil their dream of having children.”

2. #DGHatesNaples

In 2016, Dolce & Gabbana created the #DGLovesNaples campaign, where they photographed a slew of models dressed to the nines in D&G with Naples locals. While the idea seems charming in concept, it was deemed offensive in its execution because it often showed the models photographed with Neopolitans in stereotypical roles like pizza maker or peasant.

When the Neoploitan people pointed out why they didn’t appreciate the campaign, Stefano Gabbana responded in the only way he knew how, by further insulting them, saying he will never visit Naples again and that Neopolitans are “the disgusting of Italy.” The D&G PR department should really consider taking Gabbana’s social media privileges away.

dolce and gabbana naples italy fashion editorial

One of the images from the Dolce & Gabbana Napoli campaign that featured a Neopolitan pizza maker.

3. Even More Racism

In a recent interview, Stefano Gabbana admitted that after he and Dolce are finished, he does not want a Japanese designer to design for the label. And this comment came soon after the label staged a show in Japan to court the Japanese public. Gabbana really has a terrible track record for showing basic human decency.

4. Body Shaming Lady Gaga

After Lady Gaga’s dynamite halftime performance in 2017, Stefano Gabbana took to social media to criticize her choice in showing her stomach, later retracting his comment and issuing an apology: “I know it’s strange, but finally something real not retouched! The truth, reality. Yesterday I criticized it too, but I thought about it and I was wrong!!!”

While some may credit him for issuing an apology, that doesn’t change the fact that he found the need to comment on Lady Gaga’s stomach to be more important than commenting on her abilities and her outstanding performance- a common issue for women in many industries.

lady gaga super bowl halftime performance music popstar

Lady Gaga put on a spectacular show during the 2017 Super Bowl halftime show, yet received a ton of unwarranted comments about her body, rather than her kick-ass performance. (Photo: Ben Liebenberg/NFL)

5. Fatphobic Sneakers

How could you go wrong with a pair of sneakers? If anyone could find a way, it’s good ol’ Dolce & Gabbana. They released a pair of sneakers with the phrase ” I’m Thin & Gorgeous” printed on them, something that many people found to be a subtle way of pushing a fatphobic message.

So what did Gabbana do when faced with criticism? You guessed it- he made matters worse with more hateful comments like:

“u think is better to be fat full of hamburger??? Stupid” and

“When idiocy distorts reality!!! incredibile!!!! Next time we’ll write LOVE TO BE FAT AND FULL OF CHOLESTEROL.”

dolce and gabbana fashion sneakers fatphobic

The infamous sneakers that boasted the questionable phrase “I’m Thin & Gorgeous.” (Photo: Dolce & Gabbana)

You can’t make this stuff up, folks. If you decide to support Dolce & Gabbana, then that’s your decision, but in my personal opinion, jerks like Gabbana don’t need anybody to stroke their ego. Just let it die.

Runway November 27, 2018

Revisiting Miu Miu’s Cheeky Resort 2019 Collection

On November 22, Miu Miu re-staged their Resort 2019 show in Shanghai, China.

Miu Miu Resort 2019 runway fashion — Everything I love in a good summer outfit- light, sheer pants, sunny colors and chic shades. (Photo: Vogue.com)

It seems like the fashion industry has been all about courting the Chinese market lately, with some good and not so good results. While Dolce and Gabbana decided to cancel their show due to public outrage over Stefano Gabbana’s racist comments, the Miu Miu show went on without a hitch and reminded us of how much we loved the collection when it first premiered back in June. While the winter is just gearing up, let’s revisit the sunny collection and remind ourselves how warm and pleasant life can be.

Like all good resort collections, the Miu Miu Resort 2019 collection premiered plenty of soft colors and flowing silhouettes for easy, yet uncompromisingly elegant wearing. And while the clothes were fabulous, they weren’t the stars of the show. Miucci Prada called in a cast of influential celebrities including Game of Thrones’ Gwendolyn Christie, Rowan Blanchard, Uma Thurman, and Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink. Prada made the decision to include them at the last moment in a flash of spontaneity, a move that played perfectly with the fun and spontaneous vibe of the collection.

The collection was whimsical in that it combined the casual coolness of oversized cardigans and sporty jackets with pretty little dresses embellished with sparklies and hemmed with luxurious feathers. Almost all of the floaty, sheer pieces were even layered over playful briefs and bandeau combos for some fun juxtaposition that played into the overall carefree vibe. Plus, the collection brought new life to the shorter than short hot pants, the perfect choice of bottoms for a fun and free vacation.

Check out my favorite looks from the show below:

Cover photo from Marie Claire Australia. All other photos from Vogue.com.

Movie Reviews November 13, 2018

Guadagnino’s Suspiria: 2.5 Hours of Femininity Unhinged

It seems, to society, that there are few things more simultaneously fascinating and terrifying than a witch. As a woman with unmatched power and strength to protect herself and her sisters, the witch has become a powerful symbol of the mysteries of womanhood and female empowerment, a theme that is entangled at the core of Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 remake of the 1977 Dario Argento cult classic, Suspiria.

If you haven’t seen the film, and want to, I would not read any further, as this article will contain spoilers!

In both versions of the film, the story follows a naive American dancer, Susie Bannion, as she joins a prestigious dance school/company (depending on what version you are watching), where there are mysterious forces at work- namely, a coven of covert witches working under the watchful eye of matriarch Helena Markos. This general plot framework, along with a memorable soundtrack, is just about where the shared aspects of the two films stop. While both offer a lush, visceral experience to cause absolute dread, the original accomplishes this through a string of gloriously gory kills, frantic music and garish lighting that transforms the dance academy into a nightmarish rave. Guadagnino’s update, however, is the definition of slow burn.

Dakota Johnson as the innocent, Mennonite runaway, Susie Bannion, that we meet at the beginning of the film, complete with a harmless braid. (Photo: Amazon Studios)

Our hero, Susie (Dakota Johnson), arrives at the dance company as a repressed Mennonite runaway, a virginal beauty with a wicked talent for dance- the perfect formula to fit the archetype of the pure and innocent final girl. While I fully expected our childish Susie, who arrived at the company with a long, wholesome, ginger braid, to be subjected to the horrors that lie within the company, then work to dismantle it with her goodness and charm, this movie delightfully subverts the tropes in exchange for something much more impactful.

As we wind throughout Guadagnino’s generous 2.5 hours of film, we witness a radical transformation in Susie’s identity, as she leaves behind her life as a sweet farm girl and blooms into a fiercely free and indescribably powerful woman. In one scene, she dances maniacally, each move of her body gruesomely crumpling a woman to death in another room of the company. Later, to her director, Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton), she quietly describes the experience of dancing as “what it feels like to f**k”- but not a man, something more primal and animal.

In the end, it seems like she dutifully accepts her submissive role in the coven as the vessel for the ancient, omnipresent and ailing Mother Markos, who claims to be one of the original three mothers, a trio of powerful witches that represent pain, darkness and sadness. But in a subversive twist in the dizzying, and surreal final act, Susie herself claims the ultimate power, revealing herself to be one of the true mothers, while simultaneously killing any member of the coven that stood with Markos. And when I say surreal, I mean insane- like heads exploding while Dakota Johnson rips her own chest open insane- all to the haunting vocals of Thom Yorke. To put it simply, this film sticks with you, crawls under your skin and insists on staying the night.

A new, more powerful and free Susie dances the lead in the company’s show, Volk, which doubles as an occult ritual. (Photo: Amazon Studios)

When I returned from my 10:20pm viewing of the film, I crawled into bed and thought endlessly about it- the intoxicating dance scenes, the overwhelming themes of guilt and shame and motherhood, the impeccable costuming and rich setting. It all culminated into a work that tasks us with considering what it all means together. The film ends with a surprisingly tender scene in which the newly-revealed Mother Suspiriorum in the form of Susie visits an ailing, old psychiatrist plagued by the guilt of losing his wife to the holocaust- that the coven had been tormenting throughout the film- to rid him of all of the memories of any woman that had caused him pain, including his missing wife. I couldn’t help but think this scene showed the magical quality of female power- a power that can be vicious but is ultimately, at its core, maternal and empathetic.

Although the film is long and slow at times, and although I struggled to grasp the meaning of it in the end, it is a story so entirely female that even the one important male character (the old psychiatrist) is played by Tilda Swinton in a crazy amount of prosthetics. And in a media landscape entirely tailored to men and the male perspective, it was refreshing, to say the least.

Fashion October 28, 2018

Halloween Inspo: A Dispatch from the Future

I have arrived to Earth. The year is 2018. I must succeed in my mission to save the human race from a dangerous species of mind-reading aliens.

In yet another edition of Halloween Inspo, I put together a simple costume from clothes in my closet- a shimmery shirt from Zara, some pale blue slacks from Banana Republic and glittery boots from Asos. A hand-made tinfoil hat completed this silly sci-fi look. And while I didn’t bother putting on any makeup, I totally encourage you to go wild on the glitter and highlight!

Unfortunately, October is almost at an end, which means so, too, does our costume fun. But that won’t stop me from wearing what I want and coming up with a ton of outfit creations! Stay tuned for more!

Fashion October 27, 2018

A White Blouse Love Affair

The White Blouse is one of the most classic wardrobe staple. It’s been around forever, and shows no sign of disappearing anytime soon. To put it simply, it is versatile. The perfect base to build an outfit around. It never offends, matches nearly anything and never fails to elevate an outfit from casual to “they care about how they look.” And it happens to be something I have a bit of an addiction to.

Looking in my current wardrobe, I have 16 white blouses (five of which are thrifted) and I have another one on its way in the mail. I might have a bit of a problem. But honestly, who can blame me? You can never go wrong with a white blouse, so I get a ton of use out of them. Plus, vintage white blouses are any fashion-lover’s dream, so I pick them up anytime I come across a good one.

Below are eight (!) of my favorite white blouses to encourage you to invest in this timeless wardrobe essential:

Pearls & Pastels

This thrifted, vintage blouse features pale, pastel floral embroidery on the chest and a lacy collar embellished with pearls and more gorgeous embroidery. I got this one at Savers for probably $5 or $6- THRIFT YOU GUYS. YOU WILL FIND SO MUCH GOOD STUFF.

Whimsical Collar

One of the newest additions to my white blouse obsession- I mean collection, I fell in love with the ornate, frilly collar. It’s so whimsical and fun! Any outfit that would have looked drab with a regular white blouse is instantly made a ton more memorable and even though it’s a statement piece, it still goes with everything!

Fun Floral Details

Another thrifted gem, I had to repair this vintage beauty by replacing a missing button (seriously- don’t let the fear of a little needed repair stop you from getting that dream thrifted piece!). The addition of the floral, cutout panels around the collar and over the shoulders just adds so much style to an otherwise-boring white blouse!

Frills and Chills

You might recognize this top from my “Dreamy Dolly” Halloween look that I recently posted- and what can I say? This sheer, frilly Forever 21 top makes an excellent layering piece and adds so much drama because of its high collar and bleated, bell sleeves. Wearing this shirt under a dress instantly adds so much interest, I will probably hold onto it forever!

Girly Gingham

While this blouse isn’t exclusively white, I thoought it still deserved a spot on the list because LOOK AT HOW DARN CUTE IT IS! I first picked this up in the thrift store to have a good laugh at how old-ladyish it was, but then it smacked me in the head with all of its adorable charm. Gingham hearts and all-over looping embroidery? Come on, you can’t get more innocent and playful than that!

Layers of Drama

When I ordered this shirt from Nastygal, I honestly didn’t think I would like it as much as I do, but I DO. The pleated layers make for such a fun, textured look and are so voluminous, so this shirt is definitely a statement piece that dresses up any outfit. I even pair it with slacks for a fun workday look!

A Schoolgirl Fantasy

This incredible blous is YET ANOTHER vintage, thrifted piece. And these types of finds are why I thrift in the first place! I love the bib-like, square collar with lacy, embroidered edges. It gives me major schoolgirl vibes and feels so dreamy and sailor-esque! Plus the sleeves are loose around the arm for a little flow!

Elegant Eyelet

loft white blouse layering jumpsuit fall fashion — Trying to escape the wrath of the sun on blue eyes.

This last blouse was a gift from my mom from Loft, which shows how well she knows me! Not only is it sleeveless, which is pretty much my favorite type of sleeve, it also features some eyelet frills over the shoulder, which add so much charm and girlishness to any look! And, if you have a dress with spaghetti straps, it makes an excellent layering piece!

At the end of the day, the white blouse is what you make it. It can be the building block of a good outfit as a simple layering piece, or it can make a statement with its vintage charm, or over-the-top details. There are no rules, and there are no ways to style it wrong. So go nuts and find some that you truly love!

Lifestyle October 21, 2018

Pets Aren’t Toys

If you’re a logical human being, this is probably already obvious to you, but I wouldn’t have anything to write about if I didn’t think there was a serious issue that needed to be addressed. To put it simply, some people SUCK at taking care of their animals, and that says a lot about the content of their character.

Before I took the plunge and adopted my first real pets- a pair of angelic gerbils- I probably did a solid week of research. What do gerbils eat? What are their temperaments like? What kind of habitat best suits them? What issues should I look out for? I read pretty much every article that appeared on the first two pages of Google (does anybody even go to the second page?)- that is to say, I cared deeply about providing the proper care to my soon-to-be furbabies.

Although it seems like a no-brainer to me, many people don’t take the time to properly research an animal before bringing it into their home. In fact, the reason I decided to write this article is because I recently saw a video on Facebook that showed a chinchilla getting its first dust bath in months after being removed from a neglectful household. The kind soul that rescued the poor thing learned about it from an ad asking for the chinchilla to be re-homed because the children no longer played with it… Are you serious?

The first thing a potential pet owner should realize before deciding to get a pet is that they are committing to caring for the creature for the entirety of its life, not just until they get bored of it or stop caring. I have seen so many PSAs telling people not to get their children rabbits and chicks for Easter as a cute gift because, as the title of this article suggests, PETS ARE NOT TOYS. Animals don’t exist solely for our enjoyment in that moment. They are living their own precious lives and they happen to depend on us for their lives to continue. We have a tremendous responsibility to our pets to make sure they are living the best lives they possibly can, because that is the logical and decent thing to do.

Nothing tells me more about the character of a person than the way they treat animals. Since animals are completely innocent and know nothing about the moral implications of their actions, they should be the easiest beings on the planet to feel sympathy and empathy for. If you can’t even feel empathy for an animal, I have serious doubts that you can feel empathy for your fellow human beings. If you can’t properly take care of your pet, or don’t care to, you are a bad person. Sorry, but there are (almost) no exceptions. They have no choice in the life they are given, so you need to step up and make sure they get the proper care and attention they need.

I have six gerbils, and have taken them to the vet on many different occasions. While many might think I’m insane in the brain for wanting to spend so much money on a rodent that only lives a couple of years anyways, I know that it is the right, ethical thing to do. In fact, if you don’t have the capacity to bring your pets to the vet, no matter how small they are, you should not have a pet. Simple as that. A gerbil deserves just as much medical care as a dog or a cat- they depend on it. They depend on you. So don’t screw it up.

animal gerbil xray skeleton — I recently adopted a baby gerbil (his name is Cashew!) and quickly realized he was not able to eat seeds like his brother was. A quick trip to the vet revealed the source of the problem- his teeth were broken. I would have never known how to help him if I didn’t take him to the vet, and now his life is better for it!

If I can impart anything on you all about the sanctity of animal life and the importance of responsible pet ownership, it’s these points:

Do your research before owning a pet. You should know that chinchillas need a dust bath every day, or that gerbils like to tunnel, so they require a ton of bedding in their habitats. Uneducated pet ownership is bad pet ownership.
Have enough money to bring your pet to the vet- no matter how small. Just like people, animals sometimes need the help of a medical professional. If you see that there is something wrong with your furry friend, and you choose not to bring them to get help, you are letting them down! Their lives depend on you!
If your life circumstances change, consider giving them up for adoption. Sometimes things happen that make it so you are unable to comfortably support a pet- that’s completely understandable! If you are no longer able to give them what they need to live comfortable, happy lives, consider re-homing them to somebody who can.
PETS AREN’T TOYS. Let me reiterate: Don’t buy animals as gifts for fickle children. No bunnies for Easter, black cats for Halloween, or rodents you purchased on an impulse because your kids wouldn’t stop bothering you about it. It’s fine to get your kids pets to teach them about responsibility, but you better be willing to do the research and take care of the animal throughout its lifespan, even after your kids get bored of them. Their lives are literally in your hands.

At the end of the day, all of this comes down to the value and sanctity of life. Respect animals, they have as much a right to life as we do. End of story.