Since spring is slowly but surely making its way northward, I have been thinking back on last spring's outfits. The nice thing about blogging is that it's creates a visual archive of seasons past. I haven't really changed much since last spring. I mean I've changed, but my style has pretty much remained consistent. I'm enjoying more tights and pants than I did last year, so that's going to be a fun new direction that I haven't gone in yet. And, of course, my hair is red for the time being. I don't know what I'm going to do with it next. Part of me wants to go jet black again, but then again, I've never had my hair this light, so it might be fun to do things I wouldn't be able to do with it when it was dark. I'm not sure what any of those fun things will be, but I have had my hair dyed rainbow colors before... haha.
I remember back when I was in high school, and probably for a bit in college, I always had this idea that altering one's body was taking away from what God made, or perhaps insinuating that what he made wasn't right or good enough. I didn't wear make up for this reason, and because I felt like, if I wore make up and someone fell in love with me, they would be thinking my made-up face was beautiful and not my God-given one. To a certain degree I still have these thoughts, but I don't necessarily believe that "customizing" one's appearance is a slap in the face to God. I mean, you can't really be any more unique than you already are. Just genetically, it's amazing how unique we all are. I think that God gave us these one bodies and these one lives, and we shouldn't be afraid to embrace what we are and who we are and chase after who we want to be. If I want to cover my body in tattoos and bleach my hair blonde because that's how I express myself, then why not? I think it's great that we live in a time when we are able to express ourselves so freely, especially visually. I think the huge boom of fashion blogging has really been a testament to that celebration of individuality.
That being said, I also think there's a difference between celebrating and embracing one's individuality and hating one's body so much that one alters its structure drastically. While plastic surgery has it's place, it still is kind of heartbreaking that some people dislike their bodies so much that they surgically alter them. I realize that not all plastic surgery is due to self-loathing, but the amount of people who do it is kind of astounding.
I think this is why I love blogging so much, you guys are all so real. All different shapes and sizes. Different faces, different eyes and noses, different hair, different hips and knees, different waists and busts, it's really quite beautiful. There are thousand and thousands of us out there blogging, but we are all totally different and beautiful in such a unique way. I think that's really cause for celebration.
//listening to: Radiohead
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54 musings:
wow, loved reading that!!! i totally agree were all beautiful exactly how we are :) xx
I completely agree. As I sit here, I realize that I'm taking part in this large-scale celebration of individuality through blogging, and that's why I love it so much. While I admire your enviably wild hair, I also realize that I like my own very short, straight hair. They're both so different, but why not like both? Break out the confetti and rainbows, because celebration is called for indeed. :)
Toast with Charmalade
You couldn't have said it any better! That's one reason I look to fashion blogging for inspiration...I know that the people I'm looking at are real and haven't been altered to fit any sort of ideal. It's really amazing.
love it so much
Awesome post from an awesome girl! You're tres jolie inside in out!
wonderful!
intothefoldfashions.blogspot.com
I love this flashback, it's so cool :]]]
your style is still so great.
i used to have the same kind of theories as you about dying my hair. it didn't last long. I starting dying my hair at 11 and now I'm known for my bright pink and blonde hair!!
Charlotte
girlnextdoorfashion.wordpress.com
xxx
Thanks for the really meaningful post. I think blogging really empowers us and is such a celebration of our innate strength and confidence. Think about it, many of us might seem really shy and introvert in person. I never really gave much thought to it before I started blogging, but maybe we perceive some people this way because they are not in the surroundings that helps them flourish best. The miracle of this world of blogging is that you find your niche, and once you do it brings the best in you. It literally connects us to the big world out there and helps us find at least one but often many more than one person who truly understands us.
In other words I believe blogging brings out our true selves, that we might often hide due to societal conformity reasons.
Trishna
What a great idea to look back on old spring photos! I read that in ancient egyptian culture, it was illegal for a woman to wear makeup because it 'tricked' her husband into thinking she was more beautiful than she was.
Dude. Right on. I'm glad you've found the happy medium!
xx
fascinating post, I believe in small changes- hair colors, tattoos, piercings, but nothing so drastic you cannot see the original person underneath
ps we learned in my biology class that men are attracted to women with rosy cheeks, large breasts, and feminine features because they exhibit fertility. however when women wear make up it can fool guys...hmm
I agree 100% with your thoughts on embracing and altering things about your body. Expressing yourself through personal style is a great thing. =]
I love this post! I completely agree with everything you said. When I was younger I said I would never dye my hair or get a tattoo...now I'm a fake redhead and seriously considering getting a little bit of ink. I'm not the type of person to go crazy with altering my appearance, but it can be fun to change things up every once in a while :)
- Laura, Owl Eyes
love the skirt on the first picture!
X
<3 this post!!
I completely agree! I sometimes would think about getting a tattoo and not getting one, but I realized soon after that why no? this is how i want to express myself and at one point i thought dyeing my hair red so many times but i was afraid of the look and how unnatural i would probably look but I don't care now and I thought I'm going to do it! This summer for my 22nd Birthday!! I've always been only natural brown, dark brown, black, and light brown, blond. I am so glad I decided to dye it red! I love your Red it's so beautiful! Did you do it yourself? Was your hair black before you dyed it red? I hope i get a really nice red, i currently have blond hair. :D
xoxo
Shell
I love this post! Blogging IS about expressing our individuality and sharing ourselves and connecting (as we ReALLY are) with others. It can be tempting sometimes, to see what others have--or who they are--or how they look--or what they do (even in the blogging world) and wish you looked that way or had that life. Thank you for reminding us all that it's not about trying to be someone else. It's a joy to embrace how God made us, and to celebrate who we have become as we've walked through life. It's also a blessing to be inspired and educated by others, which is why I visit your blog!
I think this is my favorite post of yours. I agree, I find so many beautiful people now that I am blogging, I have made so many wonderful friends on here! Great post :)
lovely photos, and I agree, blogging is great because it´s so nice looking at REAL people and their ideas and thoughts.
lovely post, well written... loved reading this! :)
vicki xo
this is such a thoughtful post! i had this conversation a million times with my family, but mostly about whether or not God would "approve" of tattoos, which just seems so trivial when you think of it! flesh is flesh, God does not seem flesh but the soul of man, so no, i dont think God is preoccupied with appearances either.
Beautiful post! :) You are sooooo right!
I love your hair, and that you dress so colourful! :)
Really fantastic post!
Blogging has done that for me too- a way to see that there are fabulous differences and we can celebrate them instead of trying to homogenize. I wear makeup but I love people who can embrace a natural look too.
Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge
Spring Shabby Apple Dress giveaway
Here Here! I raise my virtual glass of bubbly to you for what you just said! Beautiful words and sentiments, Miss :)
I needed this post. Thank you.
What a sweet, thoughtful post! I agree with you completely, of course, and I used to also be terrified of make up for the same reason. I loathed wearing make up and feared that someone would befriend or crush on me on a day when I was wearing make up so I avoided it at all costs. I guess to some extent, I still feel that way and try not to wear make up except maybe once a month or when I'm feeling particularly in need of costuming myself and treating my appearance as a performance.
xo Jenny
I'm right there with you! I struggle with accepting my body the way it is all the time, as I'm sure most girls do. But we're all so beautiful in our own ways, and I absolutely love finding new ways to express myself. I have my down days, but 95% of the time I'm pretty darn happy with the way I turned out. Awesome post!
That last paragraph made me really happy. Thanks for always having great content. Your blog never fails to make me admire/think/feel, etc.
Interesting post! While I have been dying my hair since I was about 14, I wasn't allowed to even get my ears pierced until I was 11. And my dad was pretty upset about both things, because they are "unnatural" body modifications.
I really love your speech at the end :] all hail to the fashion blogger kaleidoscope - no two pieces the same.
I love the first skirt! The pattern looks kinda like the stain glass windows in churches... really cool..
my blog:La Stylin Girraffe!
wow! I wrote a very similar blog post for tomorrow myself. I guess it's been something on my mind, esp. when one takes pictures of themselves everyday for a blog ;) great post.
xoxo Maria
This is such an uplifting and inspiring post! And I completely agree with everything you said. :)
Dear Delightfully,
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Beso.com
This post makes me want to give you a great big hug. Lately I've been feeling like maybe I shouldn't have a fashion/lifestyle/whatever blog, because I'm not the "right" shape or look. Big hips skinny calves and tall with piercings and (soon to be!) tattoos, I have been feeling like maybe I'm just not cut out to blog. But this post has reminded me that me the reason why anyone would read what I have to say is that I am ME. All of the things that make me unique are what make the things I put out in the world fabulous.
thanks.
well said.
Well said. I recently read a blog post from someone with a sick child. And I was able to just sit for a moment and be happy and thankful that I was healthy. I cherish these moments of escapism when I can leave the world behind and not care how I look or how others percieve me, and just sit and revel in the beauty of being alive. Loved reading your words as always.
well then lets celebrate!
that was really beautiful
and i really loved that last picture, and the one in the fridge made me laugh.
Dude. So well put! I have gone through the exact same feelings at certain points. I had to have a nasal surgery last year as my nasal passages were essentially closed up (TMI huh?) and it left me with a dent in one side of my nose. awesome. I thought about getting it fixed, but it kind of adds character in a weird way.
But anyway, enough about my nose. ha! I too agree that blogging is one of the most fantastic forms of self expression and celebration of individuality!
Love what you said here. I always figure it's like this: we are co-creators. God created us and we continue to create ourselves, through learning, fashion, spiritual and emotional growth, tattoos, piercings, etcetera.
I think sometimes though, I understand plastic surgery. I mean, if one has a simple enormous nose and one can afford a nose job, why not? That said, I think enormous noses on men are super hot. And also I used to HATE the bump in my nose and had I the cash when I was 16 I would have plastic surgered it away. But now I LOVE it. So I'm glad I didn't have that cash!!
great post!
last picture, bottom right hand corner: you remind me of alice (sans blonde hair), when she grows large and hits her head on the ceiling!
very cool shot. :)
I absolutely agree with you. Enhancement and hiding are completely different things. And diversity is one reason why I'm trying to get back into the blogging habit! It is a mass celebration of individuality.
love the past photos, and your words. Blogging rules, and so do me and you!
preach it sista! love what you had to say! it's refreshing to hear in a world the praises absolute perfection as beauty. it's usually the tiny imperfections that make a person so beautiful. <3 <3
Kudos gurl!
super adorable hair.
really love reading ur blog.
AMAZING, keep up the good work ;)
Loved what you said here. You're incredibly thoughtful, love that.
You are so right! I always love your outfit posts, but I also love reading your thoughts.
You are much more eloquent than myself!
-Christine
Love this post! I also love seeing everyone's personality and different looks through blogging--beauty is so different and subjective to everyone. And I love these photos--you are precious and i miss your big hair.
ohhhh lady, i just love that photo of you on the desk with your amazing, endless hair and adorable outfit! so magical. you're such an elf/pixie!
PS i used to look at blogging as a form of vanity or a way to gain flattery. but after reading your blog and a few other lovely, honest, humble, creative ladies' blogs i was completely converted. it's a celebration of creativity and inspiration! and it totally encourages us to love our specialness. yay!
I love your hair, and i love your clothes, and now i love YOU :)
that was so fun to read, i agree so much, Fashion should not be about 'trends' or 'looks' but about how you feel. THANK YOU :D
httpp://odmarkandthekelpies.blogspot.com/
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