If I was on Desert Island Discs

Desert Island Discs is one of my favourite things on this earth and the other day I was sitting on the bus and thought, what would my eight discs be? So here they are.

I'm currently pretending I'm talking to Kirsty Young.

The first song is 'Lift Me Up' sung by Geri Halliwell, my Mum always says that when I was a baby and she put on this song I would stop crying. It makes me think about my Mum and it makes me calm down to this day.

The second disc I have chosen is 'Perfect Moment' sung by Martine McCutcheon, this song also reminds me of my Mum as this is our song. Just after I was born this song played on the radio and I cannot hear it without getting emotional, my Mum and I have always been so close and it just makes me remember happy memories from being small.

The third disc I have chosen is 'Spinning Around' sung by Kylie Minogue, I cannot remember my life without Kylie's music being the soundtrack to it. My Dad always played her music when I was young and this is my all time favourite Kylie track. It makes me think of Saturday mornings with my Dad, dancing along to a concert dvd that he had. It just makes me smile and it reminds me of my Dad and that's really special to me.

The fourth disc is 'How will I know' sung by Whitney Houston, Whitney is one of my favourite artists of all time. I have always adored her music and I can't imagine a world without her music. She is a true legend and I love nothing more than belting out her songs.

The fifth disc I have chosen is 'Buy me a rose' sung by Luther Vandross, soul music has always been a part of my life and it feeds my soul. It reminds me of my family, especially my Grandad and my Mum and Luther's voice is just liquid gold. I would say this my favourite track by him, why I also love this song because one of my closest friends loves this song too and I love sharing the specialness of this.

The sixth disc is 'I'm here' sung by Cynthia Erivo from the 2016-2017 rendition of the Broadway show, The Color Purple. This song makes me feel on top of the world and whenever I am down I sing this song and it instantly gives me a new lease of life. Her voice is magical and her talent as an actor is something I look up to tremendously.

The seventh song is 'Dancing Queen' sung by Abba, this song again has always been one of my favourite songs. It is my Auntie's favourite song and it just makes me think of her when I listen to it. As I am currently seventeen I listen to this song as much as I can as you're only the dancing queen once. Unless you're my Auntie who will always be.

The eighth song I have chosen is 'Love on top' sung by Beyoncé Knowles, I absolutely adore Beyoncé, she is truly a bad ass woman who slays my existence. I can remember being about seven years old dancing to her songs in my room. This one though instantly makes me happy and I love to dance to it.

Although if I had to choose one it would have to be Kylie's 'Spinning Around' because I could listen to it all day and never get tired of it.

So I've been given the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare, the book I would have to have is Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love. As I could read it forever and never get tired of it, I love her writing style and the whole idea of the book. I am an Elizabeth Gilbert fangirl and proud.

Now a luxury, this was the thing that took me the longest to think of. This one has been used on a previous disc, Kylie's in fact but I would like a photo album filled with pictures of me, my family and my friends. I love to reminisce and I think the album could keep me occupied for some time.

Kirsty young, "Thank you for sharing your Desert Island Discs"

Me, "It was my pleasure to"

Queue the music...

Lots of love

George x

My train story

There is not really a compiled post today as I had quite an interesting evening.

I got on the train from my usual place back to my house however the train did not stop at my station. I thought, okay, I'll get off at the next one. It didn't stop there either. At this point my phone had 1% on it, I quickly wrote the person who was picking me up's number on my hand and then that minute my phone died.

I asked the girl in my carriage if I could borrow her phone and she let me and I tried to call the number multiple times although there was no response. I then texted and about twenty minutes later I got a reply. I then got talking to a boy on the train and all three of us teamed together and worked out how we were going to get home.

We ended up taking the longest route to what we thought was Cannon Street and then ended up at London Victoria. We got off the train at the platform and walked up towards the guard and asked when the next train was, he pointed to the exact one we were on. We then got straight back on it and went back down into Kent. Going the long way again. We ended up chatting, reading newspapers and playing MASH to pass the time.

It took us 2 and a 1/2 hours in the end for a fifteen minute journey, so if you can imagine, I was really pleased.

Anyway that was my Friday night adventure, hopefully yours wasn't as eventful.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Lots of love

George x

Finding a leopard print coat

Everyone's obsession with leopard print coats is something I can really relate to. However I can't seem to find the perfect one for me, I found this one in Rokit although it wasn't completely perfect. I'm really trying to make my wardrobe more exciting and I feel a leopard print coat would do the trick. 

Basically I'm trying to find the right mix between Pandora Sykes and Macklemore so I am still on the hunt. 

Lots of love 

George x

5 things I do when I'm feeling low

1) Listen to The Color Purple soundtrack, I absolutely love this album! Cynthia's voice automatically gives me life and makes me smile. I always sing I'm here and afterwards it just makes me feel on top of the world. Thank you for this album I don't know what I'd do without it.

2) Listen to a podcast whether it is a Desert Island Disc, The PanDolly Podcast, Jules and Sarah or Ctrl Alt Delete, I just clear my mind and relax whenever I listen to a podcast. Adore them.

3) Watch a sad film, sometimes I like to just let it all out and embrace how I am feeling because if you bottle things up it isn't going to achieve anything.

4) Watch youtube, youtube is such an escape for me and there's just something about it which calms me down. Top youtubers that I turn to are Roly, Riyadh, Estée, Calum, The Michalaks and Megan Ellaby.

5) Make myself a chocolate ovaltine, now this is one of my favourite drinks and the aroma and the warmth just makes me feel all cosy and content. It also makes me sleepy which means it gives my mind a rest.

Those are just some things I do when I'm not feeling my greatest. We all have our down days but hopefully you take some inspiration from this and think about what makes you feel zen and cheers you up. So in the future you'll know how to look after yourself.

Lots of love 

George x

Face masks, tea and a chat

I've currently got my face mask and Biore strip drinking a cup of tea so I thought to just do a chatty post where we just have a catch up. Although a rather one sided one, I'll pretend your talking back to me.

I have recently been rehearsing for my final A level drama piece, we are working on a creative adaption of Medea which I am finding incredibly interesting. If you already know the story of Medea you will understand that she is painted in an awful light however what we are trying to achieve is change the perspective and tell the story through her eyes and ask the question is she a mother or a murderer? I am really enjoying creating my own piece of theatre and it has encouraged me to think and create new ideas for writing an original play of my own.

School is alright, I cannot believe that by June I will have finished secondary school, a school I have been at since I was nine. I am so excited for the next chapter in my life however I am going to miss my school terribly.

I have just finished watching all the episodes of Sex and the City as I am going to New York soon. I have so much love for that show, it is the perfect thing to watch single. I cannot wait to explore New York and find the spots where they shot the show and live my Carrie Bradshaw fantasy. It is my first time going to New York and I can't even describe to you how excited I am. I have wanted to go to New York ever since I can remember, the majority of my favourite television shows are based or have had parts that are in New York so I already feel like I have a connection to the place. I am also planning on vlogging the trip so I hope that all works out. I am also planning on writing some posts about it too so watch out for them if you're interested.

Some youtubers I am really loving at the moment are Lucy Moon who actually inspired me to blog everyday of January, as she is uploading everyday this month, her videos are just amazing and I would love to create content as good as hers one day. Another youtuber I have recently started watching is Carrie Rad, I was introduced to her videos through Estée and she has become really quickly someone who I levitate too. Her videos and vlogs are just so up my street and they also keep me zen when I feel all hormonal (yes boys have hormones too).

We'll have to have another chat someone.

Lots of love 

George x

Boys can be princesses too

These pictures you see here are me at about three/four years old. For a long time I was really self conscience to share these pictures online however over the past few years I have become much more confident. I understand now that these pictures are a part of me and they are a part of my make up (unintentional pun!). I have known from a very young age that I was different to the other boys, I wasn't interested in what was stereotypically masculine and through discovering my sexuality and the (oh G-d I find this word so cliche) journey, I have realised that these differences make more me. I joke around with my friends saying things like, drag since 2001 and I have become so confident with who I am and I have gotten in to drag multiple times and I love it.

However for a long time that was a front which I put on to cover the fact that I wasn't always okay with it but now I am so comfortable. I wanted to share these pictures to show that boys can be princesses too and although I have seen so much change within the world that this is becoming less of an issue. Boys should be allowed experiment with make up and traditionally female clothing without any prejudice. I recently saw on Ben Platt's Instagram a picture of him in a Snow White dress and that really comforted me because if only my younger self saw that and realised that I'm not the only one, it would be been so great for my mental health. Also watching Trent and Luke on YouTube I could relate so much to Luke's story and I think it's so important that children should be told that it's okay to defy the norm and break the gender stereotypes. 


I would say I'm quite a flamboyant gay guy, it's just in my nature. I find it so interesting that from such a young age as three I knew what I liked and what I wanted to wear. It just shows that children aren't influenced by others but themselves. I found my way into princesses, Disney and Polly Pocket's all by myself. This also seems relevant for the idea that apparently having gay parents makes you gay, which is ridiculous. It just shows that you like what you like, it's in your genetic make up and you can't change that.

There were times in my life when I was so ashamed of how I was and what I liked but one day it all clicked into place. I realised that I didn't need to apologise for liking boys, liking the theatre or dressing up, it makes me me. I have found that throughout the years that being yourself openly is such an amazing feeling. It should be celebrated and the world is hopefully going in the direction that everyone should be able to feel that. 


I feel that this topic is still something that needs to be discussed more, so I just wanted to share my story and hopefully encourage a discussion. 

Lots of love 

George x

A little bit of self-care

This year is my year of self care and this weekend I have tried to stick to that principle. This weekend I spent time with family and relaxed. I have found this really beneficial, just watching films and going out for lunch was almost like going to a yoga class. It has re-set me for the week and I'm hoping this week I'll have more time do write some more wordy posts and talk about some issues. 

So my advice to you is not to stress out, I am so bad with that sort of thing but sometimes you just need to chill out. I'm writing this with a face mask on, doing my Sunday spa routine. This is one of my favourite things to do, pamper myself on a Sunday so I feel ready and raring to go for the week.
I hope you've had a great weekend and that you go on and have a great week. By the way if you're like me and still love a good cartoon, make sure you check out Sing. It was so cute and it had so many great actors in it.

Lots of love 

George x

5 shows you need to experience

I thought today as a quick little post, I'd share my five favourite musicals at the moment, this list changes all the time but these are always on repeat. I just have so much love for these shows and they have all stuck with me for different reasons. If you're a musical fan and haven't checked these out, please do, you'll love them.

The Last Five Years 

Dreamgirls 

Miss Saigon 

Aladdin 

Kinky Boots 

Lots of Love 

George x

5 places I love to go in London

I thought I'd share some of my favourite places to go in London and if you're from the UK maybe this could be some inspiration or if you're from elsewhere, maybe you could visit these places one day if you end up in London and are interested.

The first is The Theatre Cafe, now this is my kind of place. A cafe dedicated to musicals on Shaftesbury Avenue, it just has the best feel to it and you can add your favourite songs from your favourite musicals onto their playlist and you can listen to them whilst you are in there. Many West End stars perform little gigs in there and there's also sometimes times for aspiring actors/singers to perform. Its a must if you are a musical fanatic like myself.

The next is Henry Forbes Book shop just off Leicester Square near St Martins Lane, I adore this independent book shop, its a tranquil place right in the centre of London full of books and for great prices. They have a £2 room for example which I love to spend time in.

Gays the Word is also a book shop which is just divine, its by Russell Square station and it is just filled with so much LGBTQ history and it just is a great experience, the staff are so friendly. It just feeds your soul.

Lazy Oaf, just off Carnaby street is somewhere I go almost every time I go to London. It is just such a unique shop and I can't help but have a browse and see all the cute clothes.

Lastly, Liberty, oh Liberty, I bloody love this shop. My favourite thing to do is just get lost in there, it is just filled with such luxury and even though it can be very busy. It makes me zen when I go in there,  I feel I have a spiritual connection with the place.

So there are five of my favourite places in London. I hope you look into them and check them out.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

Lots of love

George x

Some books I want to read in 2017

As I have been really short for time today, I figured that I'd do a list of books that I'd like to read this year. Yes I know I'm quite late to the party for many of these but just bare with me. There's a mix of autobiographies and fiction in there and these are all books that I've been dying to read.

1. Wildflower- Drew Barrymore
2. All we shall know- Donal Ryan
3. Philomena- Martin Sixsmith
4. Brooklyn- Colm Tóibín
5. We think the world of you- J. R. Ackerley
6. Stasiland- Anna Funder
7. Sister Carrie- Theodore Dreiser
8. Americanah- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
9. The night that changed everything- Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice
10. The Carrie diaries- Candace Bushnell

Lots of love

George x

My January Playlist

These ten songs have been my daily soundtrack for January, they are keeping me happy and giving me strength in times I need it. A very musical themed playlist this time, well most of the time, if you ever read my blog you'll know that I adore musicals. So here's what songs that have been getting me through my January.

1. Someone in the crowd- La La Land
2. City of Stars- La La Land
3. Audition (Fools who dream)- La La Land
4. All dressed in love- Jennifer Hudson
5. Only us- Ben Platt and Laura Dreyfuss
6. Love that I'm feeling- Liisi Lafontaine
7. How far I'll go- Moana
8. Let her down easy- George Michael
9. Take me or leave me- Rent
10. I'm here- Cynthia Erivo

Lots of love

George x

My Favourite Podcasts

If you follow me you'll know that I absolutely adore podcasts, they are meditation to me. I just block out the rest of the world and relax when I listen to them. My favourite time to listen to them is in the morning on the bus and imagine I'm having a coffee with some friends.

I have three favourites and I genuinely could not put them in any order because that would just be impossible, they are all my no 1.

Jules and Sarah the podcast- this podcast just makes me smile, these two genuinely brighten my day when I listen to their podcast. They are simply divine, there is never a podcast when I don't get odd looks from strangers for laughing along with them. Just a treat to listen to and be a part of the Port Salut Crew!

The PanDolly Podcast- hosted by Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton, this podcast is my little escape. They discuss topics from pop culture to fashion to journalism. As a duo they are just incredible and I love listening to them converse. I admire both of them as writers and the work they create and this podcast is just an extension of that.

Ctrl Alt Delete- hosted by Emma Gannon this podcast includes interviews with bad ass people who work in either social media or writing of any sort or people who are self employed. I learn something new every time I listen and the people she interviews are all just so interesting. Whenever I listen to it, it just gives me a new burst of ambition and drive to pursue my dreams.

These are genuinely what get me through my weeks, I hope that you go and give them a listen and if you have an suggestions, let me know I'd love to add some new ones to my repertoire.

Lots of love

George x

Something I wrote on the bus

I am sitting on the bus on my way to school listening to a podcast, looking at the same of fences, the same houses and the same pavements. Contemplating what's going to happen to me. I am seventeen years old and I am thinking about what I'm going to do with my life. My everyday routine. I have many emotions and hormones which are taking over my body and I need somewhere to blurt out all my feelings. This could be anything from my workload to my absolutely atrocious love life and my inability to find a boyfriend.

I feel that there needs to be a survival guide for us gay teens at this particular stage in our lives. However teens, whoever you are and whatever your identity, I hope that this book could be a platform for you to learn from my mistakes and be a little bit of light relief for you if you are going through this stressful time which is your last year at school.

There seems to be nothing when it comes to novels speaking about being this possibly problematic age, so I've decided to document this next year of my life and hope by sharing this will empower you, my dear reader. As I feel we as people we find the age of seventeen a challenging one, don't we? I hope it isn't just me. It's all not all what the Abba song cracks it up to be I can tell you. Yes I might be "young and sweet only seventeen" but there's a lot more to it than that. 

As teenagers we are normally shunned off by adults who say that we don't know what life is like yet and we don't have a clue. Yes to an extent we don't as we have been at school since the age of four however I feel I have a pretty good idea about what life is like more me right now. Life is always changing and evolving and at this very moment, this is what we are experiencing now. 

George x

A letter to my seven year old self

Dear Me, 

You are experiencing your first crush, this is normal and completely natural. The fact he is a boy is also normal and completely natural, treasure this feeling and embrace it. It doesn't matter that you haven't seen anyone else who you can relate to. You will and your world will be brought into technicolour. I know you still might be feeling lonely because of this feeling but I can assure you soon you will meet people who light up your world just because you are who you are. 

You will never tell this boy how you feel as you are only seven and these feelings will not go beyond you wanting to hold his hand or kiss him on the cheek but you will not regret having those feelings because they have made you realise who you are. Yes you will have crushes on girls after this however this will be due to society and it's expectation of you. 

Don't lose heart, this will be a journey and one of the most important of your life. There will be ups and there will also be downs, there will be times where you are confused, frustrated and angry at yourself for feeling these feelings. I can tell you now being nearly eighteen that there is absolutely no need to be angry at yourself, it is part of you and you're going to soon embrace it, love it and it will bring you so much joy. 

You will start to enjoy having crushes on boys, you'll enjoy the thought of you potentially marrying the man you love and not feel shamed for it not being a woman. You will also get your heart broken and it will be difficult, you'll feel shit. However you'll get over it and take the lessons you'll learn from it and start a new chapter. 

You have all this to look forward to and I'm excited for you, keep being your brave self and fasten your seat belt because it is going to be one hell of a ride. 

Lots of love 

17 and 8 month year old you x

My current skincare routine

I thought today I'd talk through my current skincare routine and share some tips and tricks that I find useful having combination/oliy skin. So if you have a similar skin type these products could work for you too. 

I like to keep my routine relatively simple as my skin doesn't like it when I use too many products, its like it goes into overload and breaks out. So these are just a few products which my skin seem to abide with.

First is the Avène cleansing gel, I only got it a few days ago because I wanted to try something new. After hearing Charles Gross talk about the Avène products I knew I had to go and try them and he was not wrong, I am already obsessed.

I then use the Garnier Micellar water with the green top, its just a really great product and my skin just loves it. 

Then depending on whether its the morning, I use the botanics spa 15 moisturiser for combination/oily skin and for night I use Kheil's midnight recovery concentrate or the Nivea men, sensitive moisturiser. All of these products are really simple and are just really great as they really produce results and because of their simplicity they don't irritate my skin. I have also got to give a special mention to sudocrem who always helps in my time of need. 

I hope that if you have a similar skin type to me and you're looking for some product inspiration, I hope you find this useful.

Lots of love, 

George x

My favourite fragrances

Today I wanted to talk about scents because I don't think that I have spoken a lot about smelly things on my blog before. So I just wanted to share with you what fragrances I'm loving at the moment...

I think my all time favourite scent that I have come across is the Tom Ford, Black Orchid. I just adore the smell of it, I am really bad at describing smells so I won't go into it. People just always seem to complement it when I wear it so that's always a plus.

154 from Jo Malone is also a staple of mine and in my eyes is just timeless. I feel that woody smells are really sexy and I just love all things Jo Malone, the shop gives me life. It's so beautiful.

The second Jo Malone scent that I love is the Wood Sage and Sea Salt, I love this on this own but what I absolutely love is when I mix that and 154 together. Something just happens at it smells so good and I'm just really into it.

For a summery, holiday fragrance I love Beach Please from Hollister. It's just so fresh and besides from the name which I think is brilliant, I think it's just a great scent to have with you on holiday because it's just so easy. What I look for when I'm on holiday is easy living, I just spray and go and feel good knowing it fits with the holiday vibe.

So that's just some fragrances I love and I wanted to share with you, hope you had/having a great Friday night. I'm currently writing this on the train back from my friends 18th. This is also why there is no picture as this is rather last minute but I have said everyday and I can be a stubborn bitch.

Lots of love

George x

Being gay in the world

Recently I have been feeling how I feel that I take a lot for granted especially in terms of my sexuality. My coming out experience was thankfully pretty smooth sailing and I haven't experience anything homophobic in quite a while. Other than being bullied when I was younger, this was before coming out, I luckily haven't been subjected to any hate of recent. Touch wood. I get to marry who I wish in my country and I get to be myself everyday. We have come a long way in terms of LGBTQ issues, I can even tell that there's been such a shift in my lifetime.

I was thinking about all this the other day and then I thought about the seventeen year old gay boy living in one of the 72 countries in the world where it is illegal to be gay. How I would feel, it was hard for me to come out in the accepting place I live but I cannot even fathom what must be going through the head of someone just like me but happens to be not so lucky. This really hit home to me and I was certain that I wanted to write a post about this. I wanted to share this with you as I think it's so important and although we have come a long way, there is still so much more to be done.

So this year I want to get more involved with the conversation and look into more charities and organisations which tackle these sorts of issues. I would greatly appreciate if you even retweeted anything you see on this, doing your own research even better. Maybe we could compare what we found and have a chat about it.

Lots of love

George x

What I'm loving on Netflix at the moment

Today I've got to keep this brief as I'm currently revising for two mock exams tomorrow.

I thought we'd just have a little chat about what I'm loving on Netflix at the moment.

Gilmore Girls- now if you follow this blog you'll know that I love this show, if you're feeling like a really easy going but amazing show to binge on, this is the one for you.

Hurricane Bianca- I absolutely loved this film, I adore Bianca Del Rio and I was so excited to watch this and it didn't disappoint. A great laugh.

Funny Girl and The way we were, I absolutely love Barbra Streisand, I look up to her greatly and she's just an incredible woman. If you haven't seen these two classics, where have you been? If you have time definitely give them a watch!

Holding the man, oh my god, this film. It's incredible, it's such a beautiful and emotional film and if you haven't seen it, please I beg you, do.

Documentary wise I found Orientated very interesting, it follows some gay men living in Israel/Palestine, their lives and their coming out experiences. So if you're into that sort of thing, like myself. I suggest you go give that a watch too.

So that's just some content I'm loving from Netflix at the moment, whoever thought of Netflix, I think very highly of you.

Hope you're all having a good week.

Lots of love

George x

The Color Purple Appreciation Post

Today I want to dedicate a post to possibly my favourite story ever told, The Color Purple. As the legendary Broadway show closed a couple of days ago I thought it was a good time to share my experience of having The Color Purple in my life. Now if you haven't read it you might have just found what I said to be infantile but I am telling you now it is one of the best books to have ever been written. Alice Walker is a remarkable woman and her literature is some of my favourite work. She is truly an inspiring lady, if you ever get time watch interviews with her on YouTube, she's just amazing.

Purple has particularly played a huge part of my life this past year. Mainly through Cynthia Erivo's portrayal of Celie on Broadway. Unluckily I didn't get to see the show live but nevertheless I still feel that, that show and this story will forever be in my heart. The soundtrack and the score are simply incredible and that with the beautiful mix of Cynthia's voice it just makes magic.

Purple is incredibly spiritual and has truly given me a new perspective on life and how I see the world. I can tell you now that I physically cannot pass a field with the colour purple without stopping.

Purple is about sexuality and Walker explores the relationship between two women and for her to speak about this back when she wrote it was revolutionary. Especially as it was about two black women. This has influenced me so much that I wrote about this particular area in my personal statement for applying to university. The reason for this is because it wouldn't be personal to me if I didn't talk about The Color Purple.

Purple is just so so much more that I want to share with you although I don't want to get all over excited and give it all away.

Seriously if you have never read this book or witnessed the show, I encourage you to go and buy a copy. Also listen to The Color Purple Broadway soundtrack. It will change your life for the better.

"Look what God has done"- Celie and Shug

Lots of love

George x

3 LGBTQ books you should read

I just wanted to talk about some LGBT literature today as it's something I'm really passionate about and I'd hopefully one day like to write my own LGBTQ story. I just wanted to recommend three books that I have read and loved which I thought you might like too. They are all from different genres which is great and they all have had an imprint on my heart which I'd like to share with you.

The first book is "This book is gay" by Juno Dawson, this is an absolutely incredible book. I think the only way to truly describe it is as the A-Z of being LGBTQ. It is a great book to read if you've recently come out, if you're thinking about coming out or even if you're a straight ally! Sending my love to you if you are by the way! Anyway it goes through everything from coming out to sex and everything you should know about the LGBTQ community. I seriously recommend it and if you're gay and you've read it give it to members of your family, it's a great learning tool for people who aren't really in the know and it could help your family understand you more if they don't know a lot about the community.

The next book is fiction and it's called "Two Boys Kissing" by David Levithan, this was one of the first books I read containing LGBTQ characters and them being the main focus. Without giving too much away it follows five characters and their lives, relationships and it's just a really lovely read. I highly recommend it, Levithan's writing style is just so good! The story is also so layered, like an onion and it's just a great page turner.

Lastly this is an autobiography, "A work in progress" by Connor Franta, I wanted to include this because it's just such an honest book and he talks about coming out and his personal experience. I read this book whilst I was really coming to terms with my sexuality and it really helped me to gain to confidence to live my life and not be afraid. Reading someone else's journey made me feel so less alone and I want to thank Connor for this incredible book. If you have not read it, go to a book shop and buy it now.

I hope if you're looking for book inspiration this helped you in anyway. These are just three books that have had an impact on me and I'd like the impact to be shared with you.

Lots of love

George x

How I define my style

I find it rather ironic that I'm writing today's post about style whilst I'm in my pyjamas. Anyhow today I just wanted to write about style and my particular style. I like to compare my style to my music taste because they are both eclectic.

I am really heavily influenced by vintage style and especially what I like to call vintage gay style. If you've seen the film Pride, imagine that, I take a lot of my ideas from that. I feel it's almost an homage to my predecessors in the gay community and commemorating them. Plus I feel it really works on me. The tops tucked in your trousers, rolled up trousers, that sort of vibe.

I also get a lot of my style inspiration from women and women I admire such as Estée Lalonde, Megan Ellaby and Pandora Sykes. How I explain this to people is that these women wear absolutely incredible pieces and they just look effortlessly chic. I like to take ideas from them like colour and fabrics which I can apply to my wardrobe.

This year I am making myself almost step out of my comfort zone and wear pieces that I would previously be too conscious to wear. Which I'm actually really excited about, style is so personal and such an important creative outlet to express yourself and I just adore it.

So to kind of coin my style which I still don't think I can do, is that it has many influences from vintage to modern pieces, so eclectic. Yeah let's stick with that.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and that it made you think about your style and what makes your style yours.

Lots of love 

George x

I want everything that is pink

I don't know what it is but lately all I want is pink clothes. I am going to New York in a few weeks and as soon as I'm saving up I want all the clothes. Really feeling the Ross with his salmon shirt phase! I wanted to share my dilemma with you and hope that somehow the money fairy will pay me a visit. 

Lots of love

George x

My New Years Resolutions

Today, I thought I would talk about my resolutions. I understand that resolutions are a bit like marmite however I like making them and I enjoy finding out what other people's are. 

1) The first is that I want to do yoga once a week. The reason for this is mainly because I have always been jealous of people who can be zen and I've always wanted to be part of the zen gang. To start off I am going to just do it in my room to youtube videos but I hope when I get better I could find a class to go to.

2) The next is to go to the gym at least once a week, this is mainly for my health as well. Mental and physical. I want to be the best version of me and feel better and fitter.

3) Again, another exercise related one, I want to stick to a short daily routine of exercises that I can do in the morning to help me start the day. I have so far been sticking to it and I feel less tired and groggy when I get to school with is nice for myself and my friends.

4) I want to read more and read a wider variety of books this year. This was on my list last year and I think it will be every year. I feel that last year I didn't read as much as I would have liked so I'm going to really commit to this. 

5) My next one I also had on my list last year and failed to do and that is to start a youtube channel, my thoughts on starting a channel have been circling my mind for at least, so this year I'm going to venture into filming. I'm hoping to get it up and running some point this year and start with a vlog of when I'm in New York so I'll keep you posted. 

6) I also this year want to write more, whether it be short stories, blogposts, articles anything. I just love writing and I want to explore that even more this year. Hence why I'm aiming to post everyday of January. 

7) This year I am aiming is to be a year of self love and self care, I want to do more things for myself. Such as buying myself something nice or making sure I have that Sunday night bath, little things. 

8) I want to explore more of London, it is one of my all time favourite cities and I just want to get to know it better.

9) This is another one which I have every year, which is experience new things, whether its seeing new theatre or just trying different food, I just want to explore this year.

10) Lastly, I want to appreciate more and take time to acknowledge the good in my life.

2017 for me is going to be the year that I really work on myself and be the best version of me. I want to fill my soul this year with experiences and just make the most of taking time for me. 

I hope you have an amazing 2017 and achieve everything you wish for.

Lots of love 

George x

'A real man'

'A real man', a statement that I witness far too often and this concept really disheartens me. Please tell me, what is a 'real' man? 

This issue is so prominent in our society and also in the gay community. This I find surprising because it seems to contradict the idea of freedom and expression of who you are. Which is supposed to be what the LGBTQ community preaches. This ideal of being who you are is a fundamental part of the community and the community is being tarnished by this phrase being used by gay men and this way of thinking.

The concept of masculinity has been a problem in our society for generations, there is a reason why the highest cause of death in men is suicide and that is due to the perception of man which is placed on men from day one of their lives and they can't cope with the burden. It's incredibly worrying. 

The two common phrases I seem to come across are "I want a real man" and "A man who acts like a man" which to me are ridiculous as what actually constitutes as a real man? I'm not apologising when I say that all beings that identify as men are men. Whether they are a straight or gay, 'traditionally masculine' or 'traditionally feminine', trans, no matter what, they are men, it's that simple. 

This issue is important to me as when I was younger, I was often referred to as a 'girl', which I don't see as an insult in the slightest. I was called this because I didn't fit the stereotypical mould of what a 'boy' was; I played with 'girls' toys, the majority of my friends were female, I didn't like football, the list goes on. This used to hurt me as a young child but now I understand how ignorant those people were and I want to spread the message that everyone who identifies as male is a real man. I don't want another young boy being told he's not a man because his interests don't fit society's mould. I want him to be free and explore what he's into without being judged. This also applies to older boys and men too, we should be able to express ourselves however we want without being deemed not a real man. This conversation needs to happen, if you're a guy have a conversation about this with a man you're close to and get this issue around. 

This is me being really hopeful, but I hope that maybe through spreading the message maybe there will be a few less bios on tinder saying 'Real men only'. Let's set it as a little goal for the year. 

This sort of post is quite different to my usual posts but this year I really want to get more involved with world and LGBTQ issues.

George x

Is reading/writing for pleasure harming my studies?

I don't know if it's just me but hear me out. I am in my final year at school and I have something on my mind. As it is the beginning of the new year I have set myself my resolutions as I do every year. Two of the main targets for me are to read and write more however I have found already that school could potentially make this very difficult. 

What I mean is that I am at school everyday and when I get home I have books that are set for me to read and essays for me to write. This takes time out of me reading books that catch my eye in Foyles or essays interrupting me writing blogposts or anything I fancy. I don't want you to think that I don't see the importance in education, I do, but it's just taking its toll on me at this point in my life. Maybe that's why typically your secondary education finishes when you're eighteen because you've grown out of it and you're finding who you are and what you're interested in? That's interesting I've never looked at it like that before. I have to admit before the Christmas break I was terrified about leaving school but now I feel like I'm ready and that's good. 

This particular thought came to me when I was reading 'Inside Vogue' by Alexandra Shulman because there was this feeling of guilt in my head because I wasn't reading my set text. In addition to this, I feel awful for writing this post instead of writing an essay, which is so frustrating because my blog makes me happy and it lets me be creative. This is just a thought I'm having that I wanted to vent. I hope that things change or my outlook alters. I'll just have to try and find a balance for the time being. 

G x

Book Buying, Bolero and Bonbons

Hiya, if you're reading this, welcome if you're new. Welcome back if you're not. I thought I'd start the new year with a little post about my first couple of days of 2017. 

As probably everyone's first day of the New Year I was slightly worse for ware and taking things very easy. Meaning I spent the day watching Sex and the City episodes. I had a great time. Anyway yesterday to kind of send off the festive season we went ice skating at Somerset House. Somerset House is one of my favourite places in London and has been since I was young. It's such a magical place and I love ice skating so it was a pretty good way to start the new year. 

After we took a walk along the Southbank and of course I had to go into Foyles and as always I did not come out empty handed. I picked up Inside Vogue by Alexandra Shulman and I haven't been able to put it down since I bought it. Seriously if you're interested in fashion, journalism or just a bad ass women, this is the book for you. 

Afterwards we stumbled across the Dutch pancakes stand, the looked so good that I just had to have some and my oh my they were amazing. One of my new years resolutions is to treat myself more so I'm already doing something on my list, win win. If you are confused this is supposed to be the bonbons part of the title, I know its not completely correct but I wanted the use of alliteration in my first post of the year. 

One of my resolutions is to write more, so hopefully I'll be posting more regularly on whatever pops into my mind. Of course there will still be regular fashion and favourites posts but I also want to just discuss whatever is on my mind and add to conversations.

Anyway, I'll love you and leave you. I hope you have a magical 2017 and I hope you'll check in with me along the way.

lots of love

George x