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Would You Change Your Style For a Man?

FabSugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:11 PST

How Your Wardrobe Reveals Your Personality

LearnVest — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:15:13 PDT

Your clothes reveal a lot about who you are as a person. LearnVest shares how psychology affects the way we dress and what our clothing styles mean.

It’s no news that your wardrobe says a lot about you.

What you wear can inform passersby of your type of employment, as well as your ambitions, emotions, and spending habits.

And now it’s even launched a whole new type of psychology.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner literally wrote the book on this phenomenon, which she calls the “psychology of dress.” In You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You, she explains not only how psychology determines our clothing choices, but also how to overcome key psychological issues your wardrobe might be bringing to light in your everyday life, or even at work.

“Shopping and spending behaviors often come from internal motivations such as emotions, experiences, and culture,” says Dr. Baumgartner. “You look at shopping or storing behaviors, even putting together outfits, and people think of it as fluff. But any behavior is rooted in something deeper. I look at the deeper meaning of choices, just like I would in therapy.”

We spoke with her to figure out why clothes are so revealing (of our personalities, that is), what messages they’re sending and how you can use your wardrobe to change how others perceive you - and even how you think about yourself.

How We Use Clothing as an Aid . . . and a Weapon

Americans rely on clothing as an economic and social indicator because there aren’t official marks of rank such as a caste system or aristocracy, says Dr. Baumgartner.

“When you don’t have a specific system, people come up with their own,” she explains. It’s what “helps you figure out where you fit in. Especially now, with the economy, with people losing status, maintaining a sense of who we are becomes even more important. Our clothes help place us where we think we want to be. ”

She cites the Real Housewives TV series as an example: “Look at the way they focus on money. When they fight, they use logos and designers as a way to put each other down. They’re using clothes and accessories both as a tool to know where they fit in and as a weapon against others.”

Read on for more.

Zac Efron Talks About His Tattoos and Physical Transformation For The Lucky One

Shannon Vestal — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:30:00 PDT

When I visited the Louisiana set of The Lucky One, which is out April 20, I had a chance to chat with star Zac Efron about the Nicholas Sparks adaptation with a few other reporters. Efron plays Logan, who falls for a girl (Taylor Schilling) he finds after first seeing her in a photo, so when we sat down with the actor, he talked about being able to relate to that kind of romantic gesture. His character is also a former Marine, prompting Efron to put on weight and a slew of tattoos to look the part. Read on to see what Efron had to say about the fake tattoos, why meeting real Marines was so awkward for him, and why he was so impressed with his leading lady.

Logan walks across the country to find a woman; would you ever do something like that?
ZE: I guess this is my chance to do it without actually having to do it. I like the idea of this guy, I wish I was like him. So I figured I wanted to play him.

What did you to do to prep to play a former Marine?
ZE: I found this channel on TV, the Military Channel. That's probably one of the coolest things that I stumbled upon. It was a total accident, I walked into my room, and it was a Navy SEAL, their boot camp, that they were going through. And it was really in depth, watching them go through just the most basic training. There was always a part of me deep down that thought, if it came down to it, I could pass. I could make it through basic training, I could do it. And after watching these things I realized there's no way I could do it . . . subject myself to that. They're a different caliber of man than me.

Find out what else Efron had to say about The Lucky One after the jump.

From the Community: Everything You Need to Know About CrossFit

Fit Community — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 01:22:23 PDT

FitSugar reader meetcasey interviewed CrossFit expert Robert Sax, owner of the CrossFit Amped Gym, and posted the Q&A in our Get Fit For 2012 community group. Check out what Robert had to say about this rising fitness trend!

Meet the Expert: Robert Sax

Can you begin by telling us a little about yourself?

I am 27 years old and a Capricorn (yes, that’s the goat). I’m originally from Portland, ME (the first Portland), and I currently live in Bellevue, WA. I graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts with a BS in exercise science. I own CrossFit Amped, coach during the day, fight crime at night, and occasionally put down an entire jar of fresh-grind almond butter. Mmmmmm, fat!

What is CrossFit?

Textbook definition: it is constantly varied functional movements executed at a high intensity. CliffsNotes version: constantly changing workouts that involve body weight movements, gymnastics, aerobic and anaerobic training, Olympic lifting, power lifting, strongman movements, and anything else my twisted mind can conjure up! It is a universally scalable platform for exercise that allows any man or woman of any age and ability level to participate. I have worked with every walk of life and haven’t been stumped yet. In fact, I am currently coaching two men who are deaf, which was a challenge at first because of the amount of detail needed to comprehend and apply to certain movement patterns. Now it is no problem. In fact, I’ve learned some sign language because of it!

Learn more about what a CrossFit workout is and how it can change your body after the break

Get to Know the 2012 Finalists For America's Top Food Awards

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:40:09 PDT

America is home to more than 100,000 head chefs - and today, a select few of them will be given nods as finalists for the James Beard Awards, the industry's top honors.

Among those who made the cut from the list of last month's semifinalists: David Chang, Tom Douglas, and Ina Garten.

Winners will be announced on May 7 in an award ceremony at New York's Lincoln Center, to be hosted by none other than Food Network's Alton Brown. The event, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, only promises to be more lavish than years past.

To see the list of finalists, keep reading.

Emma Stone Goes Back to Blond: Love It or Leave It?

Jaime Richards — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:18:51 PDT

For her appearance at WonderCon 2012, Emma Stone showed off a new look: lighter hair featuring strawberry blond undertones. But this isn't the first time we've seen Emma hit the bottle - the hair color bottle, that is. Back in Dec., 2010, Emma sent shock waves through the Internet with the debut of platinum blond strands. While the change-up was for her role in The Amazing Spider-Man, and the star subsequently went back to her signature, vibrant copper tone, her latest flaxen-stranded look is a bit warmer than last. It's interesting to note that Emma is actually a natural blond, but do you like her latest, in-between style?

The Muppets' Music Man Bret McKenzie on His Oscar Nod and Taking a Silly Job Seriously

Lindsay Miller — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:50:41 PST

Bret McKenzie is up for an exceedingly rare honor this year, with his ballad "Man or Muppet" earning one of just two nominations in the Oscars' best song category. I caught up with The Muppets' musical supervisor today at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to chat about the awards attention and the unique experience of penning music for Kermit and company. The New Zealand native talked about fighting the temptation to use the word "motherfrogger" in his songwriting and the roundabout way he came on board The Muppets project in the first place. Bret - who previously was best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords - also shared his hopes of bringing FOC to the big screen. Check out our conversation below:

PopSugar: It's got to be an honor to be nominated for an Oscar, but also in a year when the Academy only bothered to nominate two songs.
Bret McKenzie: They barely nominated anyone! When I found out, it sounded like there'd been a mistake, and yeah, it's a huge honor. It's great and it's really exciting, and I'm not complaining that there's only two nominees the year I'm nominated. I mean, this is the best chance I'll have of winning an Oscar, ever. It couldn't have been better, unless there was just one nomination, and then it would be a very dull ceremony . . . There's a lot of legendary musicians - tunesmiths - in that list of possible nominations. So it's all very surreal to think that I got in ahead of Elton John.

PS: And Madonna. Those two had a little rivalry going on.
BM: I know. I got nervous about what Elton John's husband was going to say about me. It's crazy, and it's great for The Muppets film, because we're all really proud of the film and it wasn't ever really going to get a best actor. Hey, Jason's good, that's not what I mean, but Kermit, Miss Piggy - they can't win these awards - and comedies don't generally get recognized at these awards ceremonies, so it's kind of cool. It's almost like the film as a whole is being recognized with this category.

For more from our chat with Bret, including what he says about his plans for a Flight of the Conchords film, coaching Jason Segel, and the pressure he felt on the project, just

PS: What was the biggest unexpected challenge for you writing music for the film? I know you talked about one draft of a song where you referred to a Muppet as a piece of felt and were told you couldn't do that.
BM: Yeah. Little piece of felt, and you couldn't say things like motherfrogger, even though it's very tempting. There were lots of hard parts to it. The Muppets can't sing certain notes. They can't sing too high or the voice changes and doesn't sound like the right character. There were so many weird things. I spent hours recording penguins and rats, and what's weird is that it's such a silly job, but you have to take it very seriously. So I would be in the studio for days, maybe a whole day recording penguins, and then I'm like, "I'm not happy with how the penguins are sounding! Where's penguin four?" You know, getting demanding. "We lost penguin track four! I can't hear the penguin!"

PS: I was watching the movie again last night and watching Jason Segel's performance of "Man or Muppet." Did you coach him on any of his rockstar moves? Because he pretty much nailed it.
BM: He nailed it. That's my favorite moment in the film. When he buckles down in the rain, that was one of my favorite shots. I was so proud of what James [Bobin, the director] and those guys achieved, because I wasn't there on set, I just saw them syncing the video, and I was like, "Wow, guys. You nailed it." What we did do in the studio, as Jason and I had a technique where I would sing a line, and he'd watch me through the window, and then he'd sing it back. So we did this thing where, I was really into the drama of it. So, I was like, "Am I a Muppppettt?" [balling his hands into fists] And he'd be like, OK, record. "Am I a Muppppettt!" So we kind of worked together to get that style.

PS: Did it shatter some of your childhood illusions to have the guy that does Miss Piggy's voice come work with you [in the recording studio]?
BM: Yeah. Well, it wasn't Frank Oz. The guy Eric, who does it now, yeah. That was strange. And the day that we recorded Kermit the Frog doing "Rainbow Connection" - I was sort of pinching myself, because that was probably one of the real moments for me where I realized that my world had really changed. That I'd come from New Zealand, I'd grown up with Kermit the Frog, and now I was in Hollywood in a studio recording Kermit the Frog. It felt like worlds had collided.

PS: Was there pressure knowing there was already this great catalog of Muppet songs? To try to add to that or top it in some way?
BM: I knew I wouldn't top "Rainbow Connection," but I was very intimidated, but the way I worked on the job was it actually started with me just writing one song, so I didn't feel the pressure of writing the whole movie. I think it would have been different if I'd been hired from the outset to do all the music. So I wrote one, then another, and gradually wrote more and more, so that helped.

PS: What song did you write first?
BM: The opening song. That's the one they needed, that's the one James asked me to write first. The script was probably on a second draft, and they were in preproduction, so I came in quite late. And the way they were doing it was, they got 100s of demos submitted from all sorts of songwriters, and surprisingly - even though they got some really great people to do demos - people weren't quite hitting the right tone. The Muppet tone. I'd just come off the Conchords tour and I had some time, and James asked if I was interested in doing that opening song, because he had a kind of specific thing he needed from that song. He needed it to be really Muppet-y, that song, and he had a great idea for the whole town joining in, it starting off small and becoming a big musical number, and that came together really well.

PS: Is this experience maybe something you want to bring to a Flight of the Conchords movie?
BM: Yeah, exactly. Having done this movie now, we're in a much better place to do a Conchords film, because James is more experienced - well, we're all more experienced. Not specifically, but James Bobin - well, we're all very keen to do another studio musical, because I really enjoyed being able to do comedy musical numbers on such a grand scale, and I think next time, I really think it will just get better and better. Because it's such a fun genre, and we've done like 50 songs for TV now, and now The Muppets movie, and I feel like we've accidentally sort of become musical comedy experts.

PS: What do you imagine Bret and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords are up to these days, in their universe?
BM: In the Lower East Side? That's a good question. I reckon they probably got a regular gig now. Like, at a Chinese restaurant.

Photo courtesy Disney

Operation Organize: Charitable Closet Clearing

Lauren Conrad — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:30:31 PDT

We are thrilled to share this story from LaurenConrad! The TV personality, writer, designer, and style maven started LaurenConrad.com, a social networking site that features daily posts by Lauren on all of our favorite topics - fashion, beauty, food, party planning - and Lauren will be sharing her latest fashion finds with Fab every month. This week, we talk closet cleaning for a cause.

If you have read my book Style then you know what I think when it comes to cleaning out your closet: if you can’t see it, you won’t wear it. The solution? Overhaul your closet, and get organized. (Check out Chapter 4 of Style for helpful tips on editing and arranging your closet.) So what do you do with all of the pieces you want to ditch? Pay it forward. And no, I don’t mean watch the movie.

Think of it this way: as your unused homecoming dress sits in the deep dark depths of your closet, there is someone out there who is looking for, or needing, that very dress. They don’t say, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” for nothing. Instead of tossing or selling closet rejects, donate them - but do it wisely. Certain organizations specialize in distributing specific clothing items. To inspire you to make smarter donation decisions, I have put together a list of helpful suggestions on disposing your closet castoffs:

Shoes. If you are tossing a pair of shoes, give them to someone who really needs them. I recently learned about Soles4Souls, which is an organization that collects shoes and gets them to those in need. In many countries, children cannot attend school or church unless they have a pair of shoes, and Soles4Shoes makes this possible.

Keeping reading . . .

10 Essential Etiquette Tips For the Yoga Studio Newbie

Leta Shy — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:39:59 PDT

I'm no yoga expert, but I do enjoy going to yoga class to keep me feeling relaxed and aligned. Since regularly practicing can add up, I've been doing work trade at my local studio so I can take a free class or two in exchange for manning the front desk once a week. It's made me feel more comfortable with yoga culture as well as helped me learn about the different yoga styles. It's also allowed me to observe many different behaviors from behind the sign-in desk, from the Type A regular to the apprehensive first-timer, so I've compiled some things I've learned that are essential to being a courteous and wise yoga student. You'll want to check out these yoga etiquette tips if you're a yoga studio newbie, but even if you're a yoga buff you may find a few good tips you forgot!

Show up on time. If you are more than a few minutes late to your class, you may not be allowed in because you could disrupt the rest of the students' practice.
If it's your first time at the studio, sign up for the introductory offer. It's cost effective since experiencing more than one class is important in making sure the studio is the right fit for you. If you don't enjoy the first teacher you practice with, ask for recommendations and try another one at the studio.
Make sure the person at the front desk checks you in. When people hurriedly sign into the class roster sheet and walk away while I'm helping someone else, it makes it harder to track them in the online system, which can mean their teacher won't get paid for their attendance.

Read the rest of my list after the break.

Beginner Tips For Hot Yoga

Heather Dale — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:16:59 PDT

Hot yoga, aka bikram yoga, can be quite intimidating for those who are either new to yoga in general, or haven't been to a hot yoga class before. If the 105ºF temperatures aren't enough to scare you away, the thought of getting sticky and sweating with a group of strangers can be enough to turn you off of it. But, once you get past the heat and the sweat factor, hot yoga classes can provide you with some of the best workouts of your life. Here's what you should know before attending your first hot yoga class.

What to bring: Unlike traditional yoga, hot yoga requires a few more accessories to make the class more enjoyable. I like to bring a big bottle of water so that I can stay hydrated throughout class; my own yoga mat; a slipless yoga towel to help keep me in place during the practice; and a smaller towel for face/neck sweat. Note: towels are not required, but with all of the sweating you do, they are nice to have.
What to wear: I tend to just wear my regular yoga clothes to class which are made out of sweat-wicking materials. I would suggest steering clear of baggy or articles of clothing made out of cotton because anything baggy will just become a nuisance, and cotton actually traps sweat, so you'll feel even more uncomfortable.

Keep reading for more tips.