Casting Call for Virgins. I'm Not Kidding.

So I just received an email from a casting agency looking for virgins for a new documentary for MTV.

At first I thought it was a scam. I mean... really? MTV is interested in the lives of virgins?

So I googled the domain of the dude's email address. 

It looks legit.

I have two thoughts in regards to this.

1) I like that virginity is being discussed more often in pop culture, especially outside of Purity Culture and outside of the "desperate to lose it" genre.

2) Do I think MTV will manage to pull off a documentary that doesn't exploit its participants?

Uhh...

Reality TV isn't real. A documentary like this will probably not be all that sensitive. 

But the decision to participate or not isn't up to me. 

It's up to you. You being a virgin who meets the show's requirements.

So I've copied and pasted the relevant info below, just in case you want to be the next Reality TV Star.

No judging here. I would totally win Big Brother if I got on that show.

Also let's not forget that Beau and I are already in an awesome documentary on virginity, How to Lose Your Virginity. 

-------------------------------------------------

Are you a VIRGIN?

For the first time, a completely honest show… about being a virgin.

MTV is now casting individuals who have not had sex – either by choice or circumstance - in a documentary-style show that will follow you on your experiences and life as a virgin.

We’re looking outgoing, expressive and passionate young adults who appear to be between the ages of 18-24 from all over to document the pressures, struggles, and benefits of being a virgin in America today.

Whether you plan to remain a virgin until marriage, or are just waiting for the right person; whether you’re motivated by a personal or religious commitment to purity, or you’re comfortable with some sexuality... but haven’t gone all the way; whether you feel pressure to keep your virginity, or to lose it as fast as possible – we want to hear from you.

If you’re a virgin and feel like your story MUST be told, we want to hear from you ASAP!

To submit, please provide the following to

mtvdoc@lescasting.com

NOTE: PARTICIPANTS MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE

- Name & Age (Participants must be 18 years of age.)

- Contact Number(s)

- E-mail Address & Facebook

- Attach two RECENT photos of yourself.

- Briefly tell us about your day-to-day life and your story as a virgin.

Top 5 Reasons I Am Not a Lifestyle Blogger

A very welcome BONJOUR, Y’ALL to the friends of Casey who might be reading my blog for the first time. I’m very excited to be “sponsoring” y’all know that’s just a fancy blogger word for advertising Casey again this month. I loved working with her before, and when she announced her new format, featuring just two bloggers a week, I knew I had to paste my button to her sidebar once again.

I haven’t read the glowing review Casey gave me just yet, I’m assuming it’s glowing but y’all probably figured out at some point that my blog isn’t exactly like other blogs.

The all-encompassing word for all-encompassing blogs is lifestyle. Not quite a fashion blogger, not quite a beauty blogger, not quite a insert-faith-group-here blogger… When you blog about it all, you’re a lifestyle blogger.

That’s not me.

I'm the blogger who tries to take a picture with every bronze animal at every zoo.

I mean, yeah, sometimes I blog about clothes and nail polish. Sometimes I blog about my faith. I definitely blog about my relationship. These are characteristics of lifestyle bloggers, right?

Except that’s so not me. In fact, I’ve even compiled a list of why I’m totally not a lifestyle blogger.

Throwback Thursday: My First Kiss (A Reblog and a Link up)

So I have it on good authority that you can repost old blog posts, especially if they're from your blog's tentative, awkward beginning when no one was reading it.

This summer, Bonnie has been hosting a weekly linkup called Throwback Thursday. It's been really cute, but I honestly haven't felt that inspired by any of the topics, partly because all my old pictures are in my childhood home a million miles away. Aka my parents' house in the South.

But today's topic is on first kisses, and I totally blogged about that almost two years ago exactly. So today I am joining all the cool kids with Throwback Thursday to tell you about my first ever kiss!

 

The first time I kissed a boy I was 19.

I know what you're thinking. “No wonder she's a virgin...”

I even looked like a 19-year-old virgin, in my virginal white debutante gown.*

I wanted my first kiss to be special. So many of my friends had random, inconsequential first kisses, often with guys who didn't care about them. I have a twin brother, and he was quite the ladies' man in high school. I heard plenty of stories about his conquests (and those of his friends). We were young and immature and if a naïve girl fell for him after her first kiss, well, c'est la vie. He might have broken quite a few hearts on the path to graduation, but at least he saved mine by sharing his wild tales. I refused to be another statistic, another notch on the bedpost, whatever. My first kiss was going to mean something, damn it, even if I had to wait a long time.

I'm so glad I waited.

I was home for Easter break my sophomore year of undergrad. Joe*, my best guy friend of five years, was spending the weekend with us, and I hadn't seen him since Christmas, I think. One night, after a nice family dinner out, he and I were hanging out, just the two of us. The rest of my family had all gone to bed. Joe and I watched some stupid reruns on late night TV. Then we looked up stupid things on wikipedia. We've always been very comfortable physically around each other, so we were just being silly and elbowing each other and borderline cuddling on and off for hours.

We started calming down around 2am or 3am. We were sitting on the couch together, and he laid down. I laid down next to him, and he just held me for a few minutes. Both of us were half-asleep at this point, and I teased him for falling asleep on me. I could see where this was heading, so I took my glasses off under some transparent guise. We were still talking quietly, and he started softly stroking my back. We were flirting, and sometimes I would touch his face. I started playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, and he kissed me.

… … …

We finally stopped around 5am, rather hot and sweaty at that point. My shirt was unbuttoned, my bra was shoved down, and my skirt was bunched around my waist.

My first kiss was a two-hour make out session. Yeah, it was still just hooking up, but it was with my best friend. I don't regret it at all. I was with someone I loved, someone I trusted. And it was hot. ;)

So why would I rush into sex? I waited for my first kiss, and it was everything I'd anticipated and more.

*My debutante photos are scanned copies of the small preview shots we received, so they're not perfect. If you would like the name of the photographer, that information is available upon request. He is very well-known in my home state, but since he's local to my hometown, I'd rather not divulge this information unless necessary.

Six Things

The other day, Casey posted her answers to six questions posed to her by a fellow blogger. She tagged Betsy at the end of her blog post to do the same. Then Betsy turned around and tagged me with six new questions! Clearly I have to play along.

Tell us about a situation that ended with you feeling really proud of yourself.
I've done a lot of cool things that make me proud. Graduating third in my high school class, working in France, interning with my sorority. But you know, sometimes it's the little things that matter the most. I au paired in New York/Toronto for ten months, taking care of three French kids, including a ten-year-old boy. When I started the job, he made a lot of casually sexist comments. Nothing cruel--just the little thoughtless things kids tend to say, like, "Girls don't like sports." After ten months with me, he prefaced any observation about boys or girls with disclaimers, avoiding accidental sexism, saying things like, "In my experience, with the fifth grade girls in my class, but not necessarily with all girls..." I'm still proud of that.

I always leave conversations thinking, "Oh man, I wish I had said that witty comeback but I came up with it too late!"  When was the last time it happened to you?
This has definitely happened to me, but I honestly can't remember the last time.

Someone is giving you a full scholarship and a stipend to get a degree in anything, anywhere you want.  Where would you go and what would you study?
This is such a great question!!! Since this is a dream situation anyway, I'm assuming that any school I want will offer any degree I want. I would clearly get my Ph.D. in Feminist Biblical Studies from the University of Oxford, in England. And I would clearly take a summer session (or several summer sessions) studying Jeanne d'Arc and other French religious women at the Sorbonne in Paris.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
The first woman president of the United States. A world-famous author. A teacher. A lawyer. A history professor.

If you could be a fictional character, who would it be?
Hermione. Obviously.

What actor would you choose to play you in a movie about your life?
Um, clearly I would star as myself in the movie about my life. But if the movie is about me in high school, and it happens when I'm too old to pass for 16, then I would want the hottest Disney star to play me.

Now it's my turn to pass on the fun!!! I'm tagging:

Bonnie at The Life of Bon

Dana at As Told By Dana

Elle at Elle Sees

Emily at Hopeful Wandering

Lauren at Our Crazy Ever After

• What's the most valuable advice you ever received?
• Describe the exact opposite of you.
• What was your most successful cooking/crafting dish/project?
• What's your favorite classic Disney film and your favorite DCOM? (Mine are 101 Dalmatians and HSM3).
• If you could guest-star on any current TV show, what show would it be and what would be your role?
• If you were an activist, what would be your cause?

Even if I didn't tag you, I'd love to see your answers! Feel free to share your own Six Things. 

To learn more about me, read about who I am or meet Belle!

Love Is... (Part 2)

July 29th was the two-year anniversary of my first date with Beau. Although our relationship anniversary isn't until October, it's still fun to think back to our first date.

August 4th was the two-year anniversary of my first kiss (and second date) with Beau.

Two weeks ago, I was working all weekend while Beau was at the track (he's really into cars). That Sunday night, Beau stayed with me because he had to work nearby on Monday (the 29th). He took me out to dinner at the hibachi restaurant where we ate on our second date. I thought that was really romantic, especially since I was closing at JCP the next night, so we couldn't really celebrate.

Monday night, we enjoyed an oh-so-romantic dinner in the mall food court. Beau asked me what he could do for me while I worked, and I asked him if he would mind doing all my dishes.

I worked until 10:30pm and arrived home at 11pm, exhausted.

I walked into my apartment and dropped my jaw.

Beau had cleaned the entire apartment. He had washed my dishes and cleaned the kitchen. He had swiffered and vaccuumed the floors. He had organized all my piles of stuff. 

In the middle of the freshly-cleared-off table, a bouquet of two dozen pink roses waited for me.

With a funny anniversary card telling me the last two years have been the best of Beau's life.

With a P.S. There's champagne in the fridge.

And just in case I had wanted Sleepytime tea instead of champagne, Beau had heated up my tea kettle as well.

Beau demonstrates his love for me every day, with both grandiose gestures like for our anniversary, and in little ways, like reading my blog.

I'm the luckiest woman in the world.