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B U D D H I S M  I S N ’ T  A N  A E S T H E T I C 

CHECK OUT MY LATEST POST ON BUDDHISM! 

First off, Buddha is not a decorative object.

Buddha is not treated with respect, you see pictures and busts everywhere and Buddha being used as a prop or to fit some white person’s “zen” aesthetic. Chances are, they aren’t even Buddhists and just wanted it for their house. And in doing so, they’re further disrespecting him without even knowing it. Don’t put him on the ground or as a center piece of a table. Put his high up (where he belongs) and don’t put him in stupid places like the bathroom.

If you went on Google and looked up “Buddhism as Decoration” (which I did cause I ain’t writing anything without a little research to back up my drags), a shit ton of articles come up. Some educating people how that using Buddha as decoration is wrong and there are others (primarily written by white people, yes, I checked) talking about how to make your apartment zen by adding some fucking bamboo sticks, a Buddha bust (or Buddha head) and a fire pit. The same goes for clothing and jewelry. Buddha isn’t your accessory, if you are wearing him, it’s most likely as a pendant (respectfully), it has a meaning to it. Everything usually has meaning behind it, if you’re just wearing it to go with your outfit, you’re an ignorant human being.

I am all for learning about different religions, and if you’re going to get into new religions, educate yourself. There’s a difference between what is portrayed and how a certain aspect is represented as opposed to how to correctly pay respect. Here’s something you may not know, Buddha busts were decapitated. Thieves would decapitate the heads off of Buddha sculptures and sell them illegally. The purchasing of these heads are seen as disrespectful to the history of Buddha. These Buddha heads then become part of a “trendy aesthetic decor item”, it’s clear that people either don’t understand what cultural appropriation is or they just are ignorant and are only keeping up their ignorance for the “positive vibes” being a fake Buddhist may bring them. Even I didn’t know that until a couple of years ago. I also never understood by my parents had a shrine and would put it up so high that they had to step on a small ladder to reach.

Do your research so you can actually learn about a religion and so you can properly pay your respects. And you won’t come off as ignorant. I hope that this has in some way shed some light on how folks have been (unknowingly or knowingly) ignorant!

Thanks for reading this week’s post! If you have any questions or want clarification on anything or just want to tell me something, please leave me a comment below!

Xoxo,

Debbie

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS IN PERSPECTIVE OF ME AND THE THAI CULTURE I HAS BEEN RAISED WITH!

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B U D D H I S M  I S N ’ T  A N  A E S T H E T I C

CHECK OUT MY LATEST POST ON BUDDHISM!

First off, Buddha is not a decorative object.

Buddha is not treated with respect, you see pictures and busts everywhere and Buddha being used as a prop or to fit some white person’s “zen” aesthetic. Chances are, they aren’t even Buddhists and just wanted it for their house. And in doing so, they’re further disrespecting him without even knowing it. Don’t put him on the ground or as a center piece of a table. Put his high up (where he belongs) and don’t put him in stupid places like the bathroom.

If you went on Google and looked up “Buddhism as Decoration” (which I did cause I ain’t writing anything without a little research to back up my drags), a shit ton of articles come up. Some educating people how that using Buddha as decoration is wrong and there are others (primarily written by white people, yes, I checked) talking about how to make your apartment zen by adding some fucking bamboo sticks, a Buddha bust (or Buddha head) and a fire pit. The same goes for clothing and jewelry. Buddha isn’t your accessory, if you are wearing him, it’s most likely as a pendant (respectfully), it has a meaning to it. Everything usually has meaning behind it, if you’re just wearing it to go with your outfit, you’re an ignorant human being.

I am all for learning about different religions, and if you’re going to get into new religions, educate yourself. There’s a difference between what is portrayed and how a certain aspect is represented as opposed to how to correctly pay respect. Here’s something you may not know, Buddha busts were decapitated. Thieves would decapitate the heads off of Buddha sculptures and sell them illegally. The purchasing of these heads are seen as disrespectful to the history of Buddha. These Buddha heads then become part of a “trendy aesthetic decor item”, it’s clear that people either don’t understand what cultural appropriation is or they just are ignorant and are only keeping up their ignorance for the “positive vibes” being a fake Buddhist may bring them. Even I didn’t know that until a couple of years ago. I also never understood by my parents had a shrine and would put it up so high that they had to step on a small ladder to reach.

Do your research so you can actually learn about a religion and so you can properly pay your respects. And you won’t come off as ignorant. I hope that this has in some way shed some light on how folks have been (unknowingly or knowingly) ignorant!

Thanks for reading this week’s post! If you have any questions or want clarification on anything or just want to tell me something, please leave me a comment below!

Xoxo,

Debbie

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS IN PERSPECTIVE OF ME AND THE THAI CULTURE I HAS BEEN RAISED WITH!

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A S I A N  W O M E N  A R E  C O N S T A N T L Y  I N V A L I D A T E D        A N D   W E ’ R E  I G N O R I N G  I T

If you’ve heard of “yellow fever” before or are guilty of having it yourself, why do you think that is? For those that don’t know what it is, “yellow fever” is a romanticized reference to the entire Asian race as docile, accommodating sexual beings. Yellow fever is more of a social disease. Yellow fever is is the objectification and exotification of Asian women and men, it is essentially derived from how Asian women were portrayed in history. Traditionally Asian women are solely dedicated to serving men feeding the dehumanizing fetish, this was because Asian culture traditionally bred women into subordinate roles, which bred and fed the fetishes we face. This dehumanizing mindset is further perpetuated by What’s even worse is how the sex industry; they sell the appeal of Asian women through “the fantasy of the exotic, indulging, decadent, sensual Oriental who will indulge you and delight you with the decadence and servility that no women in your own culture could”, which was said by Sheridan Prasso, a writer and Asian specialist. The way history portrayed Asian women, this contributes to the fetishes surrounding our particular race.

I am tired of this yellow fever bullshit and how normalized it has become but y’know one step at a time

Read more on Down at Dawn!!!

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Down at Dawn

Check out our youtube for vlogs and other cool vid shit!!

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L O N E L Y  T E E N  R A M B L I N G S

“Love and belongingness are instinctual desires; living absent of a certain kind of affection really bites, and so does being an outsider. In the short eighteen years I have been out of my mother’s womb, I’ve lived in seven different states on most sides of the country.  I’ve transferred schools over twenty something times. Never staying in one place too long; constantly going back and forth between my parents and towns and friends. Always caught between awkward introductions and messy goodbyes. Impermanence is all I know, something I both cherish and resent.

I envied the kids who had homes marked with their height, who knew their neighborhood and corner store like the back of their hands. I resented their friendships and connections built from the years of familiarity I missed out on.

I especially coveted my peers who found a type of home in their partners, building a source of reliability within a girlfriend or boyfriend. I craved to create a relationship like theirs, to have stability in a person since I was lacking it elsewhere.”

read da rest at down at dawn :))) -Destiny

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D E B B I E ’ S  S K I N C A R E  R O U T I N E

Hello friends! I did a review and wrote up this snazzy routine that I have for my skin. I know that my skin is not the best in the world, but it’s manageable and pretty rad. Check out what I do for my skin! 

A BACKGROUND ON MY SKIN:

My skin is so incredibly sensitive and acne prone. It is a source of one of my deepest insecurities but that’s besides the point. I try to the best of my abilities to take good care of my skin. I have an oily t-zone and dry spots in the winter. I’m usually just a greaseball most of the time. I have found that any product with salicylic acid does not irritate my skin and does help significantly reduce the appearance of most blemishes that just seem to appear out of nowhere. As of right now I have been using Clinque’s Acne Solutions line and I have not had any trouble with it at all.

http://downatdawn.com/debbies-current-skincare-routine/ 

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hey guys!

Destiny (eartheld) here :-) I converted my personal blog into a blog for mine and my pals website (downatdawn; obviously) so that you can stay updated on well, my personal shit haha. It’s much more efficient this way, too. If you decide to hang around well you rock and thanks for reading my ish...me and the gang can do so much with this blog! We can do Q/A or confession nights and just a bunch of other fun stuff. ANYWAYS....yeah. much luv nerds x

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M E E T  S E L E N A

“Hello new friend! My name is Selena Menchaca and I am seventeen years old. (If the middle school me was typing this it would have said “years young”, luckily we’re past that). I am currently residing in a small beach town about fifteen minutes north of the emerald city, also known as Seattle, Washington. I’m a lover of dogs (all), coffee (usually sweetened but sometimes black), and music (most genres).”

read the rest at down at dawn!

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G E T  T O  K N O W   D E B B I E

“I am almost on every form of social media there is, but that doesn’t mean I really know what I’m doing! This goes for life as well, no matter how hard I try to keep up, I don’t really know what I’m doing.

Long story short, I was born in Bangkok, Thailand 17 years ago and now we’re here. I give my parents a lot of migraines, meaning I would probably give you one too and for that, I sincerely apologize. You can always catch me laughing any time, any place! I am now in the in between phase of clinging onto my childhood and wanting to leave it all behind for adulthood.”

Read the rest of Debbie’s first post at down at dawn XO

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B E C O M I N G  E A R T H E L D

“But nope. When I became Eartheld I was surrounded by the diversity of my audience and their unique perceptions– ones that I utilized to mold my own. I’m used to changing myself; I’ve transferred schools over twenty something times and each school, city, or state I was a different Destiny. Picking and choosing what parts of myself I wanted to alter or highlight and what parts I needed to work on. It’s as liberating to explore all pieces of you as it’s empowering to dictate which ones fit and which ones don’t. My followers helped me decide what goes where, be it through stories they shared or questions they asked or insight they provided. I was guided by tens of thousands of virtual hands.”

Read the rest of Destiny’s introduction post at Down at Dawn!