zero-tolerance for fat

For decades the image of the slender and chic Parisian woman has been setting the standard as the epitome of style and making some other women in France feel uncomfortably inadequate.

Most of the pressure French women feel to be thin comes from other French women and a society that has zero-tolerance for fat.

"Fat" is a dirty word, an offensive insult. It is difficult to come right out and say it. Thankfully, there is an array of flattering euphemisms to choose from.

"Fat women are seen as stupid. Their lives must be out-of-control, they are judged ugly, weird losers."

"Coco Chanel freed us from the corset more than 80 years ago - but we have fallen for a mental one instead - a silhouette of supposed perfection that is unattainable and leads to eating disorders and misery."

The tyranny of the silhouette, we call it - but it is also a kind of dream because it represents total success.

Christmas cracker jokes

What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?
It's Christmas, Eve

What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney?

Claustrophobia!

What do you call Santa's little helpers?

Subordinate clauses!

What is the best Christmas present in the world?

A broken drum – you just can’t beat it!

Why did no one bid for Rudolph and Blitzen on eBay?

Because they were two deer!

Why do we kiss under the mistletoe?

Since mistletoe remains green throughout the year, many ancient peoples have ascribed these plants with magical healing powers and with fertility, and some cultures viewed it as an aphrodisiac due to the suggestive arrangement of its berries. Apparently, the association between mistletoe and fertility made it a traditional addition ancient Greek myths, where the custom of kissing under mistletoe may have started. This practice was later extended to wedding ceremonies.

Victorian England seems to have adopted this tradition, too. For example, if a girl refused a kiss whilst standing under mistletoe, it was said that she wouldn't receive any marriage proposals during the following year. Worse, it seems that many people would avoid her since they believed she would probably end up an old maid -- as if this was such a bad thing!

Interestingly, there is a proper etiquette for kissing under the mistletoe: first, the man can only kiss a woman or girl on the cheek and second, when he does so, he removes one berry from the mistletoe sprig. After all the berries are gone, the kissing ends, too.

интеллигенция информирует

Плохие новости. Хуй опять запретили, уже в который раз.

Хорошие новости. Жопа осталась!

о чувстве юмора

В сети появились шутки про Ходорковского и айфон. Анна Иоанновна в гробу ухохатывается.