'Extreme Beauty Queens'

If you haven't already, check out Billie JD Porter's documentary on South America on BBC 3 'Secrets of South America', in the first episode she travels to Venezuela, to go behind the scenes in what is known as the world's most 'beautiful' nation of women.

I loved this episode, partly because for my Spanish A-Level, my cultural project was focused on Venezuela as a country and I touched upon it's obsession with beauty pageants. At first it seemed quite a shallow, frivolous thing because there is more to life than 'la belleza', but the more I watched and the more I am reading about Venezuela, I see my initial ignorance towards this nation's infatuation with beauty. Venezuela has a turbulent history of violence and crime, combined with a huge political division between 'El Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela' and 'La Mesa de la Unidad Democratica'- the socialists and the democrats. Currently under socialist rule, with a fixed currency and stagnating economy, Venezuela sees thousands of it's upper and middle class citizens emigrate each year due to a lack of opportunities, and it's increasingly violent crimes: robbery, kidnap, murder and trafficking; it's no surprise that the social, political and economic situation in Venezuela is struggling. In recent news, we've heard of the murders of Monica Spear and Thomas Berry after their car broke down on the way to the city of Caracas (renowned as one of  the most dangerous cities in the world- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_murder_rate), orphaning their 5 year old daughter, but this is only a fraction of what goes on. One source states;

'Venezuela no longer publishes official crime statistics' 

Their is much ambiguity as to the homicide rate in Venezuela, but figures are coming it from an average of 45.1 per 100,000 population, 79 per 100,000 to 99 per 100,000. Most Venezuelans refuse to leave their houses after dark. What is even more worrying is that according to recent statistics, there are only '0.9 hospital beds per 1000 population' and '1.9 physicians per 1000 population'  which if we do the maths on that (if my maths is correct that is!) and we take the median of 79 homicides per 100,000 population, then that's 7.9 homicides per 1000, which with only 0.9 hospital beds and 1.94 doctors, the country is failing to cope with the sheer volume of violence and crime with which it is being faced with.

A poster of the late Hugo Chavez overlooks a slum in Caracas

Crime drives business away from Venezuela, which sees the economy stagnate and develops a lack of opportunity too- in recent news it has been reported of food shortages in the cities and a lack of work opportunities, with 31% of Venezuelans living below the poverty threshold. Part of this feeds back to the socialist government in Venezuela- 'Chavismo' as it's been nicknamed, ironically, believes in making the poor richer by making the rich poorer- but the reality isn't quite so accurate, rather many farmers, as revealed in the BBC3 documentary, are losing business due to the government seizing control over land and the produce. It's a vicious cycle and, so, in a country bereft of contingency and paralyzed through fear, what is one to do? What is one to aspire to?

I know I've digressed here, but I think it's important to establish the situation in Venezuela so we can look at things more objectively, rather than being clouded by our own judgments. Aside from oil and crime, Venezuela sees most of it's success in it's beauty pageants- having won more 'Miss World' and 'Miss Universe' titles than any other nation in the world, but to ensure this title, they do indeed go to extreme lengths; with the 'Misses' investing thousands in cosmetic surgery, leaving their studies in University to dedicate months to prepare for the prestigious Miss Venezuela title and for some, living in the slums of Caracas or in the farms of the South, their only hope of progression and financial security is by being beautiful.









Video from BBC 3's 'Secrets of South America- Extreme Beauty Queens'






The competition has been running since 1952 and at the centre of it all is 'beauty mogul' Osmel Sousa, who scrutinises every female hopeful; pulling every physical aspect apart to achieve what he believes is perfection. Arguably it is completely subjective and, in my opinion, a little creepy, it sees Venezuelan women put everything on hold in order to impress the 'Tsar of Beauty' as he is better known as, they strive to achieve aesthetic perfection and the 90-60-90 measurement, and whilst it is is easy to criticise this seemingly frivolous and shallow competition, it leads onto a future holding more possibilities for work in show-business and one Miss even went on to become a presidential candidate, after being Mayor for her  region. It gives these women chances they wouldn't have even dreamed of being able to attain before.

Osmel Sousa- the man behind the Misses

Now the crux of the argument is that we should not be rewarding beauty? Right? Wrong, the more I've thought on this, it's a bit like measuring intelligence, some people are born naturally smarter than others- able to retain more information and they continue to develop their smartness; this is merited in society and so rightly so. But beauty in Venezuela is something for Venezolanos to be proud of, and in a country rife with crime, the night of 'Miss Venezuela' sees nearly 90% of the population off the streets and indoors watching the Misses battle it out for the coveted crown and the chance to represent Venezuela in Miss Universe or Miss World, it gives this patriotic country something to be proud of and it gives these women the chance to climb up the ranks and onto better pastures anew. In some respects it is sad that beauty is rewarded in this way, and that Sousa encourages plastic surgery and extreme dieting to achieve the ideal body, but much like the schools and parents who encourage their children to study arduously in order to become a doctor or a lawyer and change lives- these Venezuelan women are idols for their fellow peers, it keeps girls off the streets and in the 'beauty schools' of the cities and away from the drug cartels and traffickers who will sexually exploit them- and yes perhaps they are being exploited sexually through these competitions to some degree, but until the economic and social situation in Venezuela begins to radically change, perhaps we should focus less on slamming the Misses and start questioning why Miss Venezuela is one of the few things Venezuela can be proud of...

Venezuelan beauty queens have won more international titles than any other nation

Burial of Monica Speer and Thomas Berry- coffins are all too familiar
a sight in Venezuela. 

“Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.”

I admit that I have wasted far too much of my life preoccupied about what others think of me. I won't wear a certain outfit, or go to a certain 'club' or post a certain photo because I'm paranoid on other people's opinions. I am also not alone in this, and it's only been recently that I've woken up and seen that other people's opinions on you seldom matter (unless you need to get an important job, then I'd say that's the exception!!!) and that by living up to everyone else's expectations you are never truly fulfilling your own.

Green Day- making weird cool since 1987

I think the next question is 'Why?', why are we living in a world where everyone is so judgmental? Where people won't speak to someone or associate with someone based upon their looks or perhaps the prejudices already surrounding said individual? It's not that we have to like everyone- I surely don't like that many people in long doses, but we are isolating ourselves by refusing to tolerate others based upon worries with no basis. I was taught this thought process by someone else, who taught me to stop worrying about things which quite frankly are irrelevant and when you extrapolate backwards, have no rational reasoning behind the worrying anyway! So next time you feel yourself paranoid about something, seriously ask yourself how much it will affect you- because 99% of the time it won't have any impairing consequences upon you and if anyone else seems bothered about whatever it is- a book you're reading or shoes you're wearing, ask them WHY it is such a concern to them. We need to adopt this sort of attitude, because I remember being at school and others would condemn fellow peers outfit choices or hairstyles, and for what? What did they gain except belittling that other person and heightening their insecurity levels to maximum? The moment we stop caring about the things which don't really matter, is the moment we can begin to focus on the things which really do matter!

So in this crazy mystery that is life, find your song and dance to it, be completely at ease with who you are, but also accept other people for who they are- good or bad.

'Play to Cure'

It's interesting that there is still a huge cohort of individuals shunning the 'technological' revolution, the old-fashioned lovers who advocate the Victorian era and slam smart phones, tablets and the whole 'App' world- and to an extent I agree- being outdoors and seeing the world is a wonderful experience, but we're approaching an era where we should embrace the technological advances as we see it's benefits in science and medicine as well as current affairs; social networking used correctly allows you to have the world at your finger tips, what we should be advocating, instead is to use it for the greater good and to reach out to all four corners of the world.

Something which has inspired me today is the discovery of a new app called 'Play to Cure', the app was developed by a bunch of programmers and Cancer Research UK, and what they've created is this cool space game- a primitive and straight forward game on appearance but the benefits of it are absolutely remarkable and the start of, in my opinion, something quite revolutionary...

The following is taken from the Cancer Research UK website and explains how the game works and the science behind it...

The game

The mission of Genes in Space is to collect a fictional substance dubbed Element Alpha. This represents genetic cancer data, which might underpin certain types of cancer.

As a recruit of the game's 'Bifrost Industries', your mission is to collect the valuable and tradable substance Element Alpha and rise through the employee ranks by:

• Mapping your route through the densest areas of Element Alpha.
• Following your route as you fly through space collecting as much Element Alpha as you can, destroying asteroids along the way.
• Avoiding and shooting asteroids to get to the next level of Element Alpha collection.
• Upgrading your ship to become more powerful and trading your Element Alpha for more points.

The science behind the game

The data analysis goes back to our scientists at two key points:

• firstly when you map your route through the Element Alpha
• secondly when you fly your spaceship through the intergalactic space course to collect this substance.

By playing Genes in Space you'll be analysing significant amounts of genetic data which would have taken scientists hours to do. This data can then be used to develop new life saving treatments.

(Link here - http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/support-us/play-to-cure-genes-in-space )

'Route Mapping' - the densest areas 'Element Alpha', depicted in the white, mimic the genetic variances seen in human sequencing code

This for me is an example of what we can use technology for, how we can create such a simple idea and turn it into something fantastic. Through playing this simple game, we are providing an analysis of genetic variances in our genetic data, the aim being is that it will cut down the period of time taken to spot these variances due to the sheer man power, for example, instead of having 500 scientists working on these, to spot the genetic variations, by allowing the game to go viral, could see millions and millions of people doing the same thing in the format of a game- saving time, which if you are a victim of cancer, is absolutely precious.

This isn't the first project by Cancer Research, their first one which they launched in 2012, 'CellSlider' has had hugely promising results...

Since launching in October 2012, Cell Slider has had around 200,000 unique visitors, and nearly two million breast cancer images from the SEARCH and POSH breast cancer studies have been ‘classified’. 

CellSlider, launched in 2012, has shown promising results

In the first few months, Cell Slider got through 1000 samples from the SEARCH study that had previously taken 18 months to analyse by eye. 

It's really important that we encourage this sort of technological advancement, because it can lead to greater things. It is vital that we start acknowledging change and instead of disregarding it's inevitability, we start to welcome it and use it with good intention.


Social media allows us to connect with millions of people around the world, it's time to start sharing with them the things that count and making a change in the world. We've all seen how quickly something becomes viral, so let's start making the right things, the vital things, go viral so the whole world can get involved and in the case of 'Play to Cure', help in the battle towards finding a cure for cancer.

'All great achievements require time'

Here's the issue with blogging, is that if you're like me, all you ever want to do is write and so it can become pretty lethal.


Found a really old blog of mine (I was 14 years old at the time!!!!) and I must admit looking back is pretty melancholic if not least nostalgic. When I was 14 the whole world seemed marvelous and I had it all so clear in my mind that 'this is where I was going', and 'this is who I'm going to be'. I thought I had it all so clearly laid out but of course life changes and you just got to roll with the punches but also accept that as a person, you change too.

For example, I honestly think the past 12 months have been the most challenging, yet most important months of my life. I've learnt so much about the world, people and myself as a person, but most recently I've started to learn about the person I'm becoming and it's not forced or fake, it is simply a transition as a part of the wake up call- that you can't live your life as a huge asshole depending on only yourself but equally you can't rely on everyone else to pick up the pieces for you. It's trying to find the equilibrium and it's tough. Finding out who you are, where you belong or where you are heading is not a straight forward process- if there is ever even an end to it, because we are constantly shaped by our surroundings and the environments in which we are in, therefore we are constantly adapting- no matter where we think we are heading or what we envision ourselves doing, seldom happens and it doesn't mean we've failed, rather we're just heading forward in the direction we are supposed to be going to.

Never regret that or look back on it- the past is like a photograph- frozen in time and it lives on in our memories; nothing we do in the present or the future will ever alter the fact it happened, instead we can take the past and build on it- learn from it and grow from it. Let it be the seeds for our blossoming, no matter how ugly the past may have been- like the caterpillar which becomes the butterfly, break out of the cocoon of your past and fly away into a new horizon.

''I saw that my life was a vast glowing empty page and I could do anything I wanted.”

It's all too easy to get lost in the deep, vicious cycle of misery when posed with the question; 'what is the purpose in life?', it takes us down a narrow, windy road to the edge of a peer and the truth is, I don't think we will ever know- so why do we bother asking? Instead of wasting hours pondering on such infinite question, perhaps we should spend more time looking into the life we have and just simply, as cliche would have it, live it!

The most important thing to remember in life, is to do what makes YOU happy. YOU, not your mother or your partner or your peers or even the State, but you. It is all too easy to become engrossed in fulfilling everyone else's ideologies for you and yes, your parents want the best for you, but sometimes they need to have it reiterated to them that what is best for you is being a children's entertainer for Butlins instead of going to Med school, or that travelling to some of the most dangerous parts of the world to understand the bigger picture (whatever that may be), is more appealing to you than endlessly long days in an office, encased by the security of a routine and the monotony of your vacant colleagues.

Amazon Pink River Dolphin swimming at the point where 'El Rio Somiloes' and 'El Rio Negro' meet

The world is your oyster and I can't advocate enough how important it is to try and find your sense of adventure (not that I'm telling you what to do...rather just giving my person perspective on the matter!!!), but we have to find something that makes us feel so alive, so in the moment and so ready for the next big rush. Something to strive to and get excited about, something to wake up to every morning- even if you aren't aware of what that something actually is, you can sense it inside as the anticipation builds up. Climb the mountain, write your book, swim that ocean or jump out of that plane. Carpe diem and Joie de Vivre. 

We are often ignorant to the realities of the world- either we choose not to see or we are driven away from what needs to be seen, so it's important to stop and for a second look around, SEE what is around you and then carry on, whether in the same direction as you were already travelling or towards what you see.

For me, the appeal of travel blossomed slightly later than I would have liked, now looking back in hindsight. I think I've always known it's for me though, for as long as I can remember, my favourite thing to do was go to the airport- I loved (and still do!) nothing more than getting on a plane, especially when we were going to somewhere new, because it was unknown and exciting and most importantly, it was away from what I know. I remember the one time I felt least enthused was one year when we were returning to the same destination- a beach holiday and it felt like I was just going to a warmer, Spanish speaking version of my home town. The last time I went away was just over a year ago to Germany and walking around Hamburg- getting lost in the stalls of the Christmas markets, joining in on the atmosphere whilst drinking 'Gluhwein' and finally getting to put my grammatically incorrect German into practice was so much fun. Quite honestly, coming home was the worst thing ever. So that was when I realised I wanted to travel- it was in that moment I decided I couldn't just sit around and do what everyone else wanted because the joy of experiencing new things, places and people was far more appealing than any debt filled degree awaiting me upon my return.

The view from Hamburg Harbour (Dec 2012)

So now I'm a waitress, I work my butt off every week, smiling like a Cheshire cat and relentlessly saying 'Yes of course Sir/Madam', whilst I watch the tips pour into my savings and the satisfaction I get each time never fades, because I'm three months away from getting away to go on my biggest adventure in my life and it's both terrifying and absolutely enthralling.

So, Vagabound diaries is a collection of posts, thoughts, photos and videos to hopefully inspire you to find your inner calling whilst allowing me to collate all my thoughts and keep my inspiration going and to always remind myself that what I'm doing is finding out what I'm made of, finding out what the rest of the world is like and the first thing in my short lifetime that I've done something for myself without having the decision made for me.