Megan speaks of God.

This is a post that I've been thinking about doing this post for a while now and have been putting it off because I, personally, don't think I have the right to judge anybody on their beliefs, religious or otherwise. 

Now, I have never really been too sure what it is that I believe in terms of God. I can't say that I'm a strict Christian and there are aspects of every religion that I don't agree with. However, I do think that there is something more. It's only in the last few years that I've really started to sort my head out when it comes to, well, what I believe, but I've never been able to actually put it into words and I'm not going to really try now. It's come to the point where when people ask me, I just say something along the lines of "I believe what I believe" and leave it at that.

My mum is religious, but she has never really spoken to me about what she truly believes in. But I know that she thinks there is a God and that there is something after life. And I respect her for that. 

Because I have been brought up to never disrespect someone for what they believe in. 

Which brings me to the point of this post.

I am a keen twitter-er (?) and quite the fan of Stephen Fry. He is a man that is beyond merely "clever" and a national treasure, there is no denying it. With over 5 million followers, his tweets are read by millions. Literally. So when he tweeted the following, I didn't find it particularly funny.

You’ve had 4000 years of gods. If you still want an invisible friend now, fine. Just leave the rest of us out of it. Thank you and enjoy…

I knew that Fry was an atheist and really, whatever. As I've said before, who am I to judge people on what it is that they want to think. But the fact that he, as a very public figure, feels that it's okay to call something that a lot of people very strongly believe in and follow as a guide through their life an "invisible friend"... I just don't get it. From a very black/white point of view, yes. God is an "invisible friend" in the way that He can't be seen and there is no "proof", but that doesn't dismiss the fact that to millions of people - some of which are sure to be following Stephen on twitter - their "invisible friend" is not a childhood fantasy to keep them company when they're tired of playing with their toys. 

Which leads me onto the everyday people that I come across. As I'm still in school/college/sixth form, whatever you want to call it, I don't come across many people that are religious. There's a girl I know that is Mormon, but other than that, I can't place anybody that I know "believes" - not that that means they don't. But the amount of times that I have heard groups of people sit together and slam God, religion and everything to do with it are countless. Now, I don't have a problem with people being atheist. I really don't. But you never know what someone believes and so to sit there and, at the top of your voice, dismiss thousands and thousands of years of peoples beliefs is, in my eyes, pretty damn small minded. As I've said, I believe what I believe and I think that I've taken aspects of religions and science and me to form what I think. When I hear said conversations, I'm not offended enough to get angry or to start arguments. In fact, it's not often that I even say anything about it, but I can imagine that those that are strong believers find it highly awkward, especially if they're sat in that conversation. 

My mum has always told me that she doesn't mind what I believe in - it's not her choice - but she has always been quite offended when my brother has done exactly what I have described above and slated all things God. Our grandparents on our dads side were Irish and very religious so she doesn't like to hear him going off on one about it, not only for her sake but for theirs. He's not only dismissing God (I'll say it again - up to him) but what his blood believed, trusted and put faith in. 

I don't know. This may be is a completely pointless blog post that I'm pretty sure everyone that reads it will disagree with, but it's my thoughts and my blog so, hey who. 

To summarise, if you're one of those that don't give a damn about religion and don't mind sitting and loudly slating what others - who knows, maybe even the person you've started talking to - believes in, that's fine. J

ust think for a second. Maybe keep your opinions to yourself. 

M x

Helena Bonham Carter

Warning: May contain fangirl. Will contain photos. Many many of them. 

From the day I started a blog, I knew that this post was going to be coming, it was just a question of when. 

Helena Bonham Carter, for those that don't know, is my absolute idol. In the same way that the Little Monsters go crazy for Gaga and the Beiberites (what are they called? Something ridiculous at any rate) for mental for J-beebz, I simply adore Helena. Well, maybe it's not in the same way because there isn't a hand gesture for Helena fans, and I certainly wouldn't slice my wrists open if I found out she was smoking weed, but you get the general idea. 

I am a Helenaist. 

The first time I remember becoming aware of Helena was when I saw this photo of her in a magazine and I remember thinking "who the hell is that? She is all sorts of fabulous" 

And so a couple years later when my friend absolutely forced me to watch Sweeney Todd, the mad woman with the crazy hair turned up again and boom. It began. 

Now, Helena gets a lot of flack for the way the things that she wears on the street and the way she does her hair and the dresses she wears to award shows. But the thing is, she doesn't give a damn. She wears mismatching shoes. She doesn't brush her hair if she's going to the shop and gasp! She gets papped without her make-up on. To me, that is someone that is pretty damn impressive. Maybe not for your average woman, but when you happen to be followed by paps everywhere you go and then have those photos slammed in mags and rags, yet you still don't feel the need to dress up just to leave your house - that's a strong woman. 

Speaking of what she wears, I personally simply love the way that she dresses. Who can every call Helena Bonham Carter boring?

And really, in a world where "boring" is the most common personality type and being a hipster is considered different, then isn't someone that dresses exactly how they want to refreshing? I think so. 

In recent years, I have noticed that Helena has gone from being the woman that is seen as an absolute wreck to someone that is appreciated for her carefree attitude to fashion and I think it's because of a mix of both people craving someone that doesn't look perfect all the time, and her ever increasing profile. With the likes of the Kings Speech and Harry Potter making her more and more known, I've found that it's no longer "cool" to absolutely slam Helena for wearing ensembles such as this.... 

But rather more acceptable to talk about her with the loving tone that you would use about your crazy Aunty. You can practically hear journalists rolling their eyes when the latest candids of Helena land on their desk, but nowadays, you can also hear the smile. 

Then of course there is the fact that she isn't loved for nothing. There's a reason that films that Helena stars in pull in viewers. Why? Because she's a bloody amazing actress. Many people look down on her, thinking she only gets  jobs because of her "husband", but that is entirely untrue. She was a well established and respected actress long before she even met Tim and although being in many of his films since, she is a star in her own right. The Kings Speech and the Harry Potter movies are some of the top grossing British films of all time - no Tim Burton. Jobs roll in for her not because she's the father of Burtons kids, but because she's Helena Bonham Carter. 

With a range that literally goes from one end of the spectrum to the other, she's one of Englands most diverse actresses, playing anything from a character named simply "Woman" in Conversations With Other Women about the relationship between a man and woman over 12 hours or so, to a pie maker that bakes the victims of her murderous partner in crime in Sweeney Todd, she comes across as real and convincing. When people say that the only character she can play is the "crazy bitch", they're wrong. Yes, some of her high profile parts have fallen under the "crazy ass woman" umbrella - Bellatrix Lestrange, Marla Singer, the Red Queen to name a few - she's also played women that are emotional, real and as sane as they come. Sinful sister, Dinah, in The Heart of Me. Mother of four autistic boys, Maggi Jackson in Magnificent 7. The upcoming TV film Burton and Taylor will see her starring as Elizabeth Taylor and although there has been no end of arguments about her "not looking like Liz" or "not being good enough", the fact that she was cast shows that the BBC think she is good enough and I, for one, agree. 

Then of course there is the fact that she is absolutely bloody gorgeous. I know a lot of people that seem to think she's not simply because they have only seen her in films where she is usually in full make up and looking crazy, but for a 46 year old mother of two, she's not bloody bad. 

So there we are. Helena Bonham Carter. Not only an actress and individual, but a wonderful mother and a bloody amazing person. 

What do you think? Are you in the Helenaist camp or do think that she's overrated? Lemme know! 

M x