Rebellious Woman

NEWSFLASH! I’ve updated my SALE page with latex and some really gorgeous one-off pretty things. ❤

Wow. Last week’s post got a MONTH’S viewings in just one day. I’ve had so many supportive comments and messages that I felt quite overwhelmed (in a good way).
Obviously, this blog is mostly a lifestyle and art/modelling blog but before I move on to other subjects, I just want to address a few of the recurring questions I received:

1) Vasectomies are not as easy as you said.
I’ve heard mixed experiences about vasectomies. It varies wildly depending on other factors like home country and age but in general, it is easier for a man to be sterilised than a woman.

3) Why not pay for it?
Several reasons but here are my two main ones: I’m not in a financial position to do so, most importantly. Secondly, when IVF is available on the NHS* then sterilisation should be too. It comes back to the same thing: if the choice to have children is funded (including the medical procedures that come with pregnancy and birth) then the choice not to should be equally valid- especially when in my case there are extra reasons to support this choice.

*4) IVF is not funded for everyone.
I mentioned in my last post that doctors warn obese women about the risks associated with pregnancy. I was referring to a pregnancy without medical assistance- however, a couple of women struggling to obtain IVF mailed to say that funding for IVF has its restrictions too, which is very true.
A very wise commenter responded perfectly: we are fighting the same battle against a system that is not giving us the results we would like. Just because we want different results to each other, does not mean we should be fighting amongst ourselves. ❤

5) I’m being selfish as this is not a life threatening procedure.
Neither are the many, many NHS-funded cosmetic procedures carried out every day. I agree that things like mental health are under funded and that funds are distributed unfairly but for the purposes of my blog, I was talking about sterilisation. Other issues are for other posts.

6) But it’s PERMANENT! So is having a child.

I will just repeat that the vast majority of responses on all the platforms this blog was posted on were positive, so thankyou for that. So far, no news from the hospital so lets move on for now.

The above quote has been attributed to many, many people but it was historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich who said it, in an article about Purital funeral services!

Today was International Womens’ Day and I spent it tasting organic chocolate, painting a mural and listening to a fascinating talk about foraging and herbalism at a new yoga studio near me! I’m a slave to herbal tea and swear by nettle for healthy hair. Oh, and lots and lots of water (to drink).
One of the activities we could do was write on a post-it note something that made us proud to be women. Initially, I couldn’t think of a damn thing. Not that being a woman is something I don’t like, just that few things I do are made extra interesting by the fact that I am a woman. Then I came home (with the blank post-it) and did a quiz I found. It told me that I had done eight illegal things today- for example, I wore trousers in public, which would get me 40 lashes in Yemen (I think). In some countries, a women is counted as half a witness in court. HALF a witness.
If you’d like to take the test, it’s here:
http://matchinternational.org/how-many-laws-did-you-break-today/
So I’m proud to be a woman because I am fighting for change and speaking up for my fellow women who are not yet allowed a voice- and I’m proud to see others doing the same.
Yay! I hate blank post-it notes. 😛

I’ve been reading about awesome women today. As most of my heroes are in books and films, I particularly liked this article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35717247
Yes, fiction is fiction, but some elements are reflections of reality and seeing the multiple female heroes in recent films and books does make me happy. As a writer myself, I try and write characters that I would want to read about and that I would have liked growing up. Maybe someday you’ll be able to have a read… 😉

And things could not be more fitting- I’ve been featured in Femme Rebelle magazine! The photos are by the awesome Gary Clutterbuck and the outfit is by Lady Allura’s latex. I did the hair and make-up.

RAAAH! 😛

As I’m a sleepy lady now and need to find a new series to start (finished House of Cards in 1.5 days), I will sign off this this pretty song with a lovely video. ❤
https://youtu.be/5GBT37_yyzY

ROSWELL xxx

p.s. A non-spoiler childfree House of Cards moment I saw today. As I knew I would be posting this blog tonight, it was just too perfect! 😛

The blonde woman is Claire and…

Yesvember!

It has been a manic couple of weeks but most of it has been positive, uplifting and very happy! I’ve learned to light a fire in my cosy wood-burning stove so am snuggled up in my lounge with to-die-for gingerbread latte cooling on my tree-stump coffee table, and dinner roasting in the oven (butternut squash with basil butter).
It’s hard to know where to start…

I’m featuring in Kirameki Magazine this month, with an interview and an article! It’s the Girl Power issue and will focus on strong women, feminism (read my article before dismissing it as a dirty word- I promise I’m not a man-hater!) 😀 I just read that as ‘man-eater’, I’m not a man eater either. 😛 There will also be some photos I’ve been sitting on for ages- if you’re a leather or Mad Max/post-apocalyptic clothing fan, you need to see this!
Here’s a behind-the-scenes I took during the shoot:

I was honoured to do an interview for Radio Vienna last month, covering my life and work so far- as well as opinions on model safety, fetishism and other bits and pieces too. If you want to hear my very, very English accent (the interview is in English), follow the link and start listening at the 22:00 mark.
It was my first radio interview (other than a very brief publicity chat I did for an event in 2008!) so was nervous to say the least!

Though voting is now over for Miss Fetish Europe and the event is this weekend, I have just been told I’m also nominated for the award of “Fetish Model of the Year 2015”! If you would like to send a vote my way, follow this link and scroll through the ladies until you get to me, then give me any number you feel I’m worth! Preferably a 10… 😛

I have some new sets on Zivity, with the very lovely Andrew Shiels (and help/lookout duty from Georgia!) I have a teaser here with Yummy Gummy latex but head on over to my Zivity page for all the sets. If you aren’t a member, that’s no problem- you can unlock sets for about $3!
Andrew had also commissioned a surprise for Georgia- I’d secretly been drawing one of their gorgeous horses and sneaked it in my suitcase. It has been delivered now so I can show you! Here she is! I’m setting up a mini-site for my drawing work but if you would like to see more or commission a portrait of your own, get in touch ASAP as I can still send things out before Christmas.

I’m off to Dominatrix this weekend, have a month full of latex shoots, possibly my first shoot on my boat(!) and so many articles on my list, so I decided to do something else too. Now I can confirm I’m not only bats, but a total masochist as well, as I am doing NaNoWriMo this year again. For those not in the know, it’s National Novel Writing Month and participants pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days.
Look: it’s official!

I’m using the month to give my crime thriller “The Ferryman” a kick up the ass! I actually published an extract on a friend’s blog a long time ago. Though I’m already itching to edit it, you can have a read by clicking HERE! The book will be about some post-mortem examiners playing a very sick game, and one will be a woman not motivated by revenge or money (a rare thing in any genre). That’s all I’m saying for now.

I hate going without blogging for so long, as news just piles up and I couldn’t not mention Shoshana B Roberts’s video of street harassment in New York. It makes my blood boil and it’s a whole other blogpost but I hope more women do this (video the abuse). One of the biggest problems I find when talking about this issue is men having no idea why it is so threatening and frustrating. (And it is hard to explain. Constant looks and comments about how attractive you are sounds great… until you hear the tone of voice for yourself. Until you see the leers with your own eyes.) This video helps explain. While I personally answer the ‘have a nice day’ types with ‘thankyou, you too’ unless they are said in that creepy leery way, the kissy noises and long stares, not to mention the guy walking beside her are utterly unforgivable. You know what? I’m getting shaky and angry already so I’m going to save it for a day or so, so that I can compose a proper blog about it rather than a segment of this catch-up. Certainly, I encountered so much this summer that I kept a diary of the comments and stares with the intention of publishing it online. I’m glad this issue is finally getting the attention it deserves.

I’m back from Belgium, where I met some lovely fellow models, ate a lot of Belgian chocolate and shot in some beautiful places. I even tell a funny story about the trip during my radio interview so do have a listen… 😉
Here are just some of the places I’ve been:

as it’s been a busy varied month, I’ll show you some busy varied pictures from my studio evening with Gunther Frans:

Pictures by Gunther Frans:
Pink latex bodysuit by Pandora Deluxe
Latex skirt by Yummy Gummy
All styling by me

And this one’s by Hugo Deneweth

Back to the murder and mayhem! 😉

ROSWELL xxx

A Touch of Glamour

Earlier this year, I worked with Max Operandi on a series of pin-up images in a beautiful home out in the countryside. As often happens with submission images, I was unable to post them until they had been published and so sat on my hands and waited excitedly for the publication to come out… and here it is!

I have a two-page spread in Temptress magazine, with my name on the cover too. 😀

Which means that I can now share more of the images from this shoot!

Photographer: Max Operandi
Wardrobe: Black garter dress and black/pink set are by Playful Promises. Jade green set- designed and made by me
Styling: Me

I often mention on my modelling profiles that I do not do glamour work but what I am referring to is the generic “Nuts”/”Zoo” kind. You will never find me pulling down the sides of a G-string or squishing my breasts together while making a duckface. To me, this may be the accepted definition of glamour, but in no way is it glamourous. It’s strange the way in which that word has been used- I often hear the word used to describe someone I think looks ridiculously overdone. I once had a middle-aged geography teacher who backcombed her hair until it sizzled from proximity to the desk lamp, plucked her eyebrows and drew them back in black, an inch above their original place (they looked very awkward sitting there!) and wore six inch heels every single day. The general opinion is that she looked horrendous, but one day someone came looking for her: “She’s a very glamourous lady, isn’t she?”

To me, a glamourous person is sophisticated and well-styled in a flattering manner. (Check out Anita De Bauch, Vanessa Lake and Morgana’s pin-up work for good examples.) Though I usually dress like Sarah Connor or something out of Sucker Punch, I love glamourous photoshoots as they give me a chance to indulge an alter-ego. High heels, stockings and garters? Yes! Red lipstick and half a can of spray in my hair? Double yes!

Close-up of my styling:

My waist-length hair does not like vintage styling as it’s so ridiculously long, so in order to get the Marcel wave look, here’s what I did: (you need curling tongs, spray and bobby pins.)

1) Make sure your hair is not clean- it’s easier to style.  Make a parting and brush through
2) Slide the tongs into the top section of your hair, as close to the scalp as possible and clamp down. it should be parallel with your parting.
3) Wait 10-15 seconds and then remove- there should now be a kink in your hair. Spray.
4) Turn the tongs upside-down and clamp down again, a little lower than the existing kink.
5) Wait, remove, spray. There should now be a wave in your hair.
6) Repeat, flipping the tongs each time until your hair is in waves to just below your chin (or the ends of your hair- whichever comes first.
7) Loosely pull your remaining hair into a bun at the back of your head and secure with pins

Now, wear as much or as little as you like! 😉

I was soooo excited to be given a book about making lingerie from a fan (thankyou M in Cambridge), as I love to make my own clothes. The below set is a customised bra and handmade knickers, with gorgeous brocade fabric I found in a charity shop. There’s a better picture of the set in my issue of Alternative Revolution Magazine, which will also soon appear in new magazine Red Candy. Stay tuned…

And while I was there, I couldn’t resist showing off my bending skills. (This was actually just me being silly, hence the expression, but I loved the picture!)

And here’s my favourite favourite favourite…

I hate seeing tacky images labelled “pin-up” because the model is in a corset. Sometimes the image in your mind’s eye is very different to the one that turns up on the computer and it’s hard to know how sexy to be- vintage glamour was the “lad’s mag” style of the 50s after all! Below are a few tips for a successful pin-up and/or vintage glamour shoot.

Roswell’s Tips for Sexy, not Sleazy:
– Style, style, style!!! Look at vintage tutorials for inspiration. Tousled hair and natural make-up is not okay here- you want to look as though your style cost £1million and several hours and it’s all you would ever wear, darling!
– You are not wearing underwear- you’re wearing lingerie, and make sure it matches! You want stockings, suspenders… the works. Try to buy something unusual- not an instantly recognisable brand (if you are buying from Ann Summers, don’t get anything shiny or costume-like).
– If you would like to wear a costume, be creative. Cliches are cliches for a reason so go for it and be that naughty nurse, but don’t get your costume from a joke shop. They don’t work. Make something, source bits and pieces from vintage or charity shops, look on ebay.
– All-fours pose, orgasm-face, pulling clothes off, winking, pouting. If you absolutely must do these, make sure it’s only one at a time. With the right styling and pose, you may be able to get away with one, but that’s still pushing it. Practise in the mirror.
– Work with the location. Sweetshops, US-style milkshake bars, the beach etc are fun locations. Jump, smile brightly, wave, be cheeky! Boudoirs, pavilions and scenic locations can be moody, wistful, dreamy… If you’re in a studio, it’s a little harder to decide which way to go, so take it as a challenge! There are different kinds of sexy- experiment!

Here is my butt shaking it for Louise Ferdinand. 😉

I’m off to look at the clouds with a cup of something nice. It’s been a strange weather kind of day.

ROSWELL xxx

p.s. you are all lovely and I appreciate all the feedback I get on here. If you would like more bitesized updates from me, just add my facebook fanpage- it’s easier to mail me that way too!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roswell-Ivory-model-and-writer/152654844767588

Somewhere beyond the sea…

I said a very sad (for me) goodbye to my lovely friend Kitty (aka Pirate Photography) last week. She’s moving North, which I guess means I’ll have to take a train soon to a place with hills. Norwich is so flat that there are three hills- all of which have names.

On our last shoot together for a while, we went with photographer G Haskew to the beautiful sunny beach with an armful of latex kindly lent by Anatomic Bomb. We bounced around shooting for a few hours, before getting chips and spoiling the ducks, who gave us the “please feed me chips” big eyes. Can’t resist the big eyes. :S

I did the hair and make-up for the shoot and as I knew it would be difficult to change much when we were out in the wind, I went for a “pin-up-meets-Bond-girl” look that would work with all three outfits.

Photographer: Pirate Photography
Hair/MUA: Me
2nd photographer/assistant: G Haskew

Channelling Madonna in the “Don’t Tell Me” video, lol!

If you want to see the rest of the set, you’ll have to come and join Zivity! I’m planning to do some self-shot sets this year…
More pics to come…

I fell so in love with this dress that I ordered one for myself!

And here are some behind-the-scenes shots from G Haskew:

Someday, I must actually go to that peninsula…

Don’t you just love the little painted beach huts?! I’ve been wanting to have my picture taken with them for ages!

Being bossed around by Kitty 😛 (I have *no* idea what was going on here!)

Don’t ask. I have no memory of this. 0_O

Hooray for chips! (And the little running duck in the foreground)…

I’m currently doing the biggest Spring-clean I have ever done- there are boxes I haven’t opened since I moved here! It also means I’m going to be selling some of my old clothes and shoes- this includes super high heels and latex. I hope to have it all photographed by the end of next week so keep your eyes out for some bargains.

I also have some exciting news- some of the free prints available in my upcoming prize draw will be the very sexy leather-y photos from my last blog! 😉

I can’t wait to tell you all about my South Coast Tour- I have some lovely pictures of the scenery and the furry friends I met. I’m currently planning my next tour- which will be Scotland in May. My approximate dates are the 7th-17th and I am planning to visit Edinburgh, Stirling and Elgin. If you’d like me to visit your location, please let me know. I’m a little pushed for time this time, due to other bookings (like the German Fetish Weekend!)

In the meantime, have an outtake: (by Pirate Photography)

ROSWELL xxx