hot chani

why is everyone talking about 'hot Chani's' lately?

FrumSatire wrote a post about girls who are considered 'hot Chani's' with a picture showing girls, who in my opinion do NOT actually fit the description. (http://www.frumsatire.net/2008/11/13/what-is-a-hot-chani)

The first time I heard this term was in Israel, when those Mir boys (who weren't for mir: http://materialmaidel.blogspot.com/2008/07/mir-boys-are-not-for-mir.html) called my friends that. We were like 'huh?'. I just thought it was only a term used by guys around other guys. Until recently.

Then I did a little more research.

Little Frumhouse wrote about what it takes to be a 'hot Chani' back in 2007: http://frumhouse.blogspot.com/2007/03/do-jewish-women-have-chiyuv-to-be-hot.html
She refers to a post written in 2006 by Ask Shifra(http://askshifra.blogspot.com/2006/10/chol-hamoad-at-six-flags-part-two.html).

So what do I think?

First off - I should start by telling you that all my friends are hot chanis! Seriously. My friends are all babes - gorgeous girls, with amazing personalities, with good jobs and/or college degrees who also happen to be frum. Some are even named Chani.

I'm talking about the single girls here. The married ones often stay hot, but don't often stay in touch and tend to move away :(

So is there anything wrong with being frum and looking good at the same time? I don't think so. As long as you're within the limits of tznius, why not try to dress well?

I have a good friend who majorly flipped out in seminary. Like major. She went from dating non-Jews one month to measuring skirt lengths the next (in case you're wondering, they must be kaka length, anything too long or too short was considered immodest for where she went for sem). She was always one of the most fashionable girls in my class. She loved reading Vogue, drawing sexy clothes, keeping up on the latest trends.

Then when she come home from seminary one summer - I barely recognized her. She would only wear button-down shirts (buttoned way, way up) and ugly skirts, with thick pantyhose and ugly shoes. Very Israeli Charedi. Definitely not Hot Chani. She didn't even pluck her eyebrows or comb her hair anymore - she said those things were not important and got in the way of her spirituality.

But does Hashem really want you to look ugly?

I don't think so.

I think it's true that some people go a little overboard with their looks. Like getting too much Botox - in the end, too much of it will only make you look worse! Whenever I'm in Flatbush (home of many Hot Chanis) I actually get grossed out by some of those women. It seems to be a fad over there for women to wear too much makeup, too much jewellery, just too much of everything. I'm not dissing Brooklyn. It just seems to be so much more of a trend over there.

There is a fine line between looking good and looking gaudy. And gaudy women are not Hot Chanis. At least not in my books. But there is nothing wrong with looking good!

forgetting my brachas

I had a convo about this with my good friend Leah the other day.
I wasn't raised yeshivish-style. I learned that brachas existed, but it was never really enforced.
I remember doing pretty poorly on our fourth grade quiz on brachot - I could never figure out what to say over cornflakes or rice krispies!
In elementary school, they didn't expect us to say brachos before we ate. For benching, one not-so-lucky student would have to say the prayer out loud over a loudspeaker in the cafeteria for all to hear. Some kids were pretty embarassed to do this - especially if their hebrew skills were lacking. I, on the other hand, always loved being the center of attention - still do! But while I now know all the words to Bircat Hamazon, I still rarely say it.
My high school had washing cups - but only the really frum Rabbis or kids who were on the verge of flipping out ever used those. I would sometimes wash too - but only if all my friends were doing it. Good thing I didn't follow that trend with drugs.
My mother sometimes reminds me to thank G-d before I eat a fruit - I guess she doesn't think G-d has as much of a connection to chocolate or pretzels. But except for those rare occasions, I still have trouble remembering to stop before I eat.
And like most ModOrth families, my family always benches after a meal - on Shabbos. I know my father benches after every meal, but everyone else is usually long gone from the table and back in front of a tv or computer or out of the house, when that happens.
So why don't I say my brachas?
It's not that I don't want to.
It's just that I'm not programmed to.
And partly lazy.

hair hair hair

Is it wrong that I've decided I want to wear a wig because that way I won't have to worry about spending money on hair care products? (I've been giving this a lot of thought since FrumPunk and I hooked up)

Sure a sheitel can cost you over a grand. But buying mousse and gels and getting $200 professional highlights a few times a year adds up!

Ever had a bad hair day? Say goodbye to those days when you buy a wig!

Need to get ready for a wedding in under ten minutes? Slip on a sheitel and some lip gloss and you're ready to go!

Wish you could go blond without the commitment? Find a new sheitel in your favorite shade!

Just look how great Britney looked!

lets gets married

if someone came to you right now and said "I have the perfect person for you. They are your beshert. And here's the invitation to your wedding"....

Would you go through with it?