I realized about halfway through shooting outfit photos today that I'm wearing items that have likely been blogged before, and not by me! Thanks to the blogger closet purges, I acquired this top from Miss Vinyl Ahoy and my necklace from Karla's Closet. I'm a big fan of sending loved items on to someone else who will love them, too. My admiration for consignment shop Second Time Around is well documented. And clothing swaps are the new shop (Boston folk: big swap coming up on July 30th.)!
But what I really want to talk about today has to do with my participation in Gala Darling's series on body pressure in the blogosphere. I love fashion blogs because they are more equitable than aspirational. What I mean by this is that they are about bringing fashion inspiration to everyone: big, small, young, old, rich, poor. Blogs are about fashion for all! Whereas the fashion industry is all about aspiration. The entire enterprise thrives on making you want what you can't / don't have.
The fashion industry tells us we should want to be white, tall, thin, young, conventionally beautiful and wealthy. Sounds nice, doesn't it? But what if you are like me? Yes, I'm white, but I'm also petite, busty, not-so-young, moderately attractive and middle class. These categories become so elite that few actual fashion models can meet all the requirements. So we turn to blogs to find people like us, and when we see people like us who are beautiful and wonderful, it reminds us that we, too, are beautiful and wonderful, just as we are.
Yet the fashion industry is so pervasive, we find ourselves in it's clutches even in the blogosphere. If an outfit photo shows off a fabulous detail of my clothes, but makes me look 10 pounds heavier, do I post it? I usually won't. And why, if this is all about the garments, and not what I look like?
I don't have the answers. I only know that some days I feel a lot of love for my body, and some days I can only see the things I want to change. I want myself, and others, to spend more time in the former category than the latter - I hope you all will come along that journey with me, and let me walk along with you.
Top: Miss Vinyl Ahoy
Pants: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Vince Camuto
Necklace: Karla's Closet
Cuff: courtesy of Ann Taylor
Handbag: Vintage
Sunglasses: Forever 21
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fab top and great bag! enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeletevery well said!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! My favorite thing about blogging is seeing all the fun, happy, beautiful people like you who remind me that fashion should be about expressing ourselves in a positive way.
ReplyDeleteLove your message. It's definitely something we all need to be reminded of regularly.
I'm with you. I'm tall, not terribly thin, and definitely older than the average blogger. But I love to share my daily getups and love that other people do the same! I see you're back to neon and I love it!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog in Gala's post...I love what you said here about blogs. I love reading them to see real girls/women wear what they love and be themselves. :) Also, I love your fun colored top, cute outfit! :)
ReplyDelete-Principessa Gabriella
@The Blonde @ Stylish3, Lissy It's crazy, isn't it, to think how few people actually fit into the standards fashion tells us we should fit in. I love what both of you are doing - and I applaud you for it!
ReplyDelete@Gabriella When people see other people like themselves whether it is on teevee, in magazines or on the internet, it makes them feel less of the "other". Suddenly, you are not so different, you are not the freak. It's incredible to me that more marketers don't realize this. Hello! Lady Gaga has made a career of embracing the "other". If one magazine, or one brand would really embrace this idea and truly show women of all sizes, ages and races, I feel certain their profits would soar. Dove seems to be considering it, at least here in the US. Have you seen any campaigns that "look like" their consumers?
ReplyDeleteLove everything from head to toe and your clutch is too cute.! Love the idea of wearing other people's clothes!!!
ReplyDelete<3 Marina
Fashion.MakeUp.LifeStyle
Great post! I think that blogging is supposed to be fun and I hope that everyone out there is embracing themselves for who they are. Blogging is such a cool platform because you don't have to be thin and tall in order to get exposure or share your fashion opinions.
ReplyDeleteLydia
www.styleindependent.com
Totally understand that on the body image front...another reason i haven't been blogging OOTD posts lately since I gained some of my weight back! That's cool how you acquired those pieces!
ReplyDeleteShasie
Live Life in Style
i'm totally with you on the points you made about body image. i do my best to stop comparing myself to people i see- whether on blogs, in magazines, or in person. but it is hard! anyway, i love the outfit you're wearing here- the colors are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThis look is great and so fun!!! :)
ReplyDeleteoooh BOLD neon green! perfect for summer :)
ReplyDeleteXO Sahra
EffortlessCool