Hey everybody, happy Friday! This is a non-weight-loss related post but I got to thinking about KITSCH the past few days. This weekend I’m super excited because on Saturday I have an action-packed day filled with fun, at the Hollywood Wax Museum and at the Los Angeles Dia De Los Muertos festival. One of the things I always try to do when I’m in my home city and when I’m traveling, is to see places packed with Kitsch. What is Kitsch, exactly? Some people define Kitsch as “pleasantly distasteful” but I actually prefer to think of it as the things that don’t *quite* fit in but are fun, unusual and things you don’t see everyday. Maybe this is why I love browsing flea markets 🙂 I was thinking about how I always go out of my way to find kitsch when I travel, and these few examples popped up…
Fish Pedicure in Thailand with hubby and the Running Jewess. Eeeeek!
One of my favorite “kitschy” things we did in Thailand was the garrah fish pedicure. I had read about it in magazines and was at first horrified, but after a friend posted that she did it, I had one of those “Well, when in Rome…” type reactions. It cost a few dollars and the sensation was WEIRD. It wasn’t so much that I was worried about it hurting or being gross, what creeped me out more was like, what if I somehow step on a fishy and kill it?! (Yes, I’m the weirdo that always goes to the worst case scenario, in this case, worrying about fish safety!) My feet were actually noticeably softer afterwards, and man, is it a great story. I’m so glad I did it!
Dia de Los Muertos bride and Alyssa!
In Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, I always love the cultural art. They have some fantastic iconographic images of plus-sized ladies that are adorable, as well as all of Frida and Diego’s amazing work. I especially love the wooden skulls like the one above. I’m excited to see more of these at the Dia De Los Muertos festival tomorrow. I think it’s really important to step outside our bounds of what’s “normal” in regards to art; for example, this skeleton lady would creep a lot of people out, but I thought it was COOL. Again, kitsch!
Kitschy Pea Soup Andersen’s in Santa Nella, Calif. Photo from Simply Junebug’s Instagram.
Another kitsch classic? Pea Soup Andersen’s. When I stopped here on the way to Fitcation, I was amazed that I had never been. They have a delightful little store loaded with kitsch Tchotchkes, mugs, magnets, candles, food items, imported spices. I LOVED it and could have easily spent $300 on all the various bric-a-brac. Thinking about all of this, it’s no wonder I love the decorating style of country clutter and those restaurants that have stuff ALL OVER the walls – guitars, trophies, pictures, t-shirts, money. I guess being a visual person it just delights me to look around and read a little bit of everything 🙂
So there’s just a few examples of KITSCH that rock my world. I can’t wait to share pictures with you from the Hollywood Wax Museum – a place I can’t believe I’ve never been to considering I’ve lived 20 minutes from Hollywood for the past eight years! It’s actually the longest running wax museum in the United States. I’m curious which waxy celebs I’ll pose with 😉 Another place I really adore is the Cheese Castle in Wisconsin, the Bean in Chicago, and the giant dinosaurs along the freeway on the way to Palm Springs. If there’s a giant ball of twine, I’m there! When you travel, do you find yourself going out of your way to see the weird and unusual or do you stick to standard tourist attractions? Or do you skip both of those things and explore the uncovered parts of cities you’re visiting, maybe local digs? Would you do a fish pedicure?!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
I had a fish pedicure in England last year, it was a weird sensation, my sister and I spent the whole time giggling!!
Haven’t been to the wax museum in years! Love Hollywood 🙂 My friend works for CGC! What a cool opportunity. have fun!