YouTube Stars!

Guest Blogger Emma Samuelson is back with an inspiring post that claims Perfection does not exist!

Emma is a singer-songwriter from California who writes her own songs, sings and plays guitar. Check out the excellent music and ASL videos on her YouTube channel! In Emma's own words, "I am a spiritual person and I love music, listening to it, creating it, and everything about it." Her love of music is obvious in her videos!

Please use this link to see a list of ALL guest blog posts by Emma Samuelson.

Now, Emma tells us about three popular videos that show how some individuals deal with being less than perfect in the eyes of much of society. Read Emma's excellent article, watch the great videos and remember the dream of Martin Luther King Jr - there will come a time when we do not simply look at someone's exterior features, but we will look inside and see "the content of their character."




Everyone has their own idea of what is “normal” or “beautiful” in the world. However, when it comes to physical appearance, society has a large impact on how we view people’s bodies and what constitutes a “perfect” one. We are constantly seeing images of models and celebrities that have rock hard abs, acne-free skin, and a size 2 waistline… but the truth of the matter is, every single human body that resides on this planet is unique in a certain way. Despite the fact that acceptance of others is a trend on the rise, people are still very quick to judge, assume and mock others for what they look like, their style, or even a disorder or disability they may have. Not only can disorders and disabilities make daily life more challenging, but with the dramatic attention received by others, whether it be mean-spirited or not, can cause low self-esteem in those living with that difference.

Cheri, who lives with Vitiligo, a skin pigment disorder, opens up and speaks out about her disorder and how she has moved past the “abnormality” of her appearance. Instead, Cheri challenges us to be confident and embrace our appearance as is in order to fully occupy a life worth living.



Looking further into how we categorize normalcy, a Swiss charity organization entitled Pro Infirmis has helped to raise more awareness around people living with disabilities, challenging the stereotypes that are often more crippling than the disabilities themselves. One project they conducted has received much global attention with the title: “Because Who is Perfect? Get Closer.” Five people living with disabilities were measured, and mannequins were then sculpted using those measurements. The results are very telling in regards to people’s reactions as well as reframing our idea of perfection.



Cassandra, another Dermablend Camo Confession subject, opens up about her acne and really shows how much others intolerance has affected how she saw herself. Just like Cheri, Cassandra emphasizes the importance of self-love and self-worth. One thing she does point out in particular is that she no longer uses make up to hide herself, but instead uses it as a tool of self expression, a perspective that is much more beneficial to one’s confidence.



Ultimately, physical appearance standards need to be challenged; just like a wild horse, stereotypes must be broken. Regardless of what you have said, done or thought in the past, the next time you see someone who looks different than you, send them love and give them a smile. Also, the next time you look at yourself in the mirror and find something you do not like or judge, send that area love to support and affirm your unique beauty. If you take one thing away from these videos, remember what Cassandra said: “A huge misconception in the world is that we think that perfection exists.”

Labels: acne, ASL, beauty, body image, disabilities, Emma Samuelson, emmalane94, exterior, inspiration, inspire, interior, perfect, perfection, self image, sign language, stereotypes, Vitiligo

posted by KennyCrane at 6/30/2014 04:09:00 AM 4 Comments

Earlier this week, I saw a very cool band on Late Night with David Letterman. The Orwells are 5 guys who are just out of High School from a suburb of Chicago called Elmhurst, Illinois. These sk8er bois are channeling certain 60s Garage and 90s Grunge bands that came before them. The singer, Mario Cuomo, reminds me of Jim Morrison from The Doors, Kurt Cobain from Nirvana and Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. The music is straight ahead Hard Rock with 60s Garage influences.

The Orwells were on Letterman's show back in January. Dave seems to really love them! They put on an animated performance. Singer Mario was wearing a Black Leather Jacket and whipped his shoulder length hair until it covered his face. He was on his back on the floor at times! Dave asked them for an encore back then, but guitarist Matt O'Keefe was unable to comply since he broke every one of his guitar strings during the schedule number. So Letterman's band, with Paul Shaffer on vocals, reprised "Who Needs You" but with his own lyrics. Watch the end of the video below to see that!

Now on to the performance I just saw. Singer Mario was again animated with a bit of a demented look on his face, as all great rockers do! Half his blonde hair was dyed black, and strands were cemented to his forehead by sweat. The band played "The Righteous One" from their new album Disgraceland. Quite a brilliant rock tune! I think this is right up there with songs like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Watch The Orwells perform this song on Letterman, then watch the Official Video for it! Both versions Rock! \m/

Labels: Chicago, David Letterman, Garage, Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Late Show, Letterman, Nirvana, Orwells, Punk, Rock, The Doors, TheOrwellsMusic

posted by KennyCrane at 6/15/2014 03:54:00 AM 0 Comments

I love trivia games! So as you can imagine, I have very much enjoyed watching Julia Collins (@JeopardyJulia) as she went on a very long winning streak on my favorite game show, Jeopardy! Julia won 20 games in a row, the most consecutive wins by a woman and second only to the phenomenal Ken Jennings. Julia is always smiling and almost always right. She has been correct 92% of the time when she attempts to reply to an Answer with a Question, which is the format of Jeopardy.

Tonight I watched Julia's reign come to an end. I'll miss seeing her answer the trivia questions with ease, but will look forward to when she returns to the show for the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions. Congratulations Julia on your amazing run on Jeopardy!

Labels: champion, game, game show, intelligent, Jeopardy, JeopardyJulia, Julia Collins, smart, trivia, woman

posted by KennyCrane at 6/03/2014 03:06:00 AM 0 Comments