Fabulous! Festival, a blog carnival about fashion, has been issued by ICY over at Individual Chic. They are always kind enough to include me, even though some of my submissions question the value or place of fashion. I figure who better to make an impact on fashion culture than those who are actually interested in it? Besides, we all know it does matter. Whether that's right or wrong, if it didn't we'd all just wear the same jeans and t-shirts and have the same bob haircut. But, we like to express ourselves in with our own fashion sense, it's all just a matter of keeping it in perspective for our daughters (and our overall financial health).

This issue was supposed to be about handbags, of course, I submitted whatever I wanted anyway, because half the time I don't think the rules apply to me. The other half I'm irritated that you don't think they apply to you.

I just got a new handbag because I loathed the one I had. I am truly never satisfied with my purse. I am not a changer of purses to match my shoes and belt - so very Southern. I just want a cute functional one that goes with everything. It's hit or miss and after about 6 months I throw my purse away because I loath it so much. Of course, I don't buy expensive ones so I can just discard them.

by Tracee Sioux

I was attempting to teach my five-year-old daughter to critically deconstruct advertising while watching television one day.

Oh, mommy look how pretty her eyes are! You gotta try that. Ainsley exclaimed when she saw a commercial about Loreal's Volume Shocking Mascara.

Those are fake eyelashes Ainsley. No mascara can make your eye lashes look like that. You shouldn't believe everything you see on commercials. They tell us that so we will buy their mascara. But, it doesn't mean it's true.

Good lesson, I congratulated myself.

When I went to buy new mascara I thought I'd spend a bit more as my lashes were falling out, so picked up the Loreal Volume Shocking Mascara.

You're wearing fake eyelashes, Ainsley screamed as I was applying my make up one morning. Mommy's wearing fake eyelashes!

It's not fake eyelashes, it's mascara. I just wanted to see if it worked.

Damn, it does. You should try it. I use it every day now. While the woman in the commercial IS actually wearing false eyelashes, as I told Ainsley. This stuff really does fatten and lengthen the lash using a wand of white goop. Then the color goes on with a comb and your eyelashes really will look thicker and longer. It's totally worth the $10.

It's hard to teach girls to deconstruct advertising and downplay the "beauty is all important" message, when as women, we too want to be beautiful and find a product that helps us look better.

When we tell girls that beauty is not important, they know we are lying. Mainly, because we spend time and money on looking beautiful. Beauty is important. We may as well start telling them the truth. Then perhaps we can teach them to put the importance of beauty in balance with inner beauty, compassion, brains, strength, courage, personality and all the other things we want them to know are more important.