Friday, March 9, 2018

IWD – It’s Okay To Be Girly

Happy Friday, gorgeous gals! I hope you’re enjoying your week. I was so inspired by all of the photos, comments and messages from International Women’s Day yesterday that it gave me the courage to write about a topic that has been pondering on my mind for a while now… why it’s okay to be who we are and more specifically, why it’s okay to be a girly girl.

In all fairness, I’m not even sure how to start this post because it’s definitely different from my normal outfit posts. A focus of mine in my Lunar New Year post was to worry less about what others think of me. This was something that I’ve struggled with in the past, and now having a blog where thousands of people have an opinion of me all the time is definitely challenging at times. In light of all the positive messages from so many strong women yesterday, it gave me the push I needed to touch on a deeper topic today.

Let’s be real, I wear some girly outfits 99% of the time and that’s no different at work (pencil skirts and lace). I’ve been judged and discriminated against by my personal style and as silly as that sounds, it’s the awful truth. Thankgoodness that it’s not an everyday thing and to be honest, it hasn’t happened in a while. Nonetheless, it’s happened and I’m sure we’ve all been there before. Fashion is not “a thing” in the industry I work in so obviously I stand out like a sore thumb. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “Why are you so dressed up?” and “Oh wow!! You look super fancy!” YES, EVEN WHEN I HAVE ON DENIM. Sometimes, I even feel like my fashion senses have had men questioning my intelligence, and to me… that’s extremely unfair and hurtful. Can I not be feminine and intelligent at the same time?? Does dressing “girly” make me appear weak in my professional career? Why is dressing up and being feminine seen as a bad thing? Granted, I don’t put on a ton of make-up or wear a red carpet ball gown to work everyday, but I do like to make an effort in my fashion appearance. I fear that this is the reason why women are so afraid to develop their own personal style and wear what they want to wear… because everyone seems to have an opinion about it. Do you know what the saddest part about all of this is?? …They’re missing out on what could have been an amazing friendship. A reason why I love the blogging community so much is because these women show so much support for you… it’s all about love and encouragement!

Since I’ve been asked by so many why I dress so girly, let’s just put it down on paper. I developed a strong passion for fashion over the past few years however, growing up, I wasn’t always that way. I have always loved fashion but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I developed such a strong passion for it. I like to dress up and I like the way I feel when I get dressed up. I went through a phase of walking around in yoga pants when I wasn’t in the mood to dress up *eeekkkk* but I always find myself reaching for a pair of skinny jeans or a cute maxi dress because I love them and they make me feel beautiful. Jeans are my go-to for fall and winter and maxi skirts are my go-to for spring and summer. I love the flow of the dress but most of all, I love the feeling… I feel “girly” with minimal effort. If that’s not reason enough to wear something you like, then I don’t know what is.

Have I always dressed girly?? The answer is, no with a little bit of yes. My mom used to dress my sister and I up in matching outfits when we were younger because she thought it was cute when we matched in public. My sister has always been more “girly” than me and I learned a lot about fashion through her. I was more of a tomboy growing up. I played outside and rolled around in the grass and mud, I roller-skated down steep hills, I built sand castles in the sandbox, I bruised my hands playing handball, sprained a finger (or two) playing tether ball and chased my friends around playing a good game of freeze tag. Fast forward to high school… I played volleyball almost every single day, during season as well as off-season. I even played volleyball with the boys during their season. Haha talk about dedication. I went through many different phases just really trying to find my sense of style. Fast forward to now… I wear what I want regardless of what people may think, because this is who I am…. and I am 110% okay with it. I’m not the girliest girl you will ever meet; for goodness sake, I know how to throw a spiral football and dribble a basketball. I love being outdoors! I enjoy camping with my family, snowboarding, roller skating, hiking, snorkeling, you name it. But I also enjoy curling my hair, putting a bow on my messy bun, dressing up and painting my nails! I’m also not sorry about wearing too much lace, sequins or placing fresh flowers all throughout the house. I’m the girliest tomboy you’ll ever meet.

I am going to end this post by saying we are more than what wear, but you will never know that if you see what you want to see and make judgments merely based on first impressions. We are all unique individuals and we all have our own personal style!! I can be girly and strong. I can be girly and fun. I can be girly and successful. I can be girly and intelligent. And YES, you can too!!! I want to dedicate this post to International Women’s Day because people have a false representation of what femininity really is; but ladies, we shouldn’t be defined by what other people think. We can dress feminine and still be a business women, an olympic athlete, an engineer, a competitive body builder, a pilot, a doctor or a lawyer. You do you, and wear what you want because you love it. I’m blessed to be surrounded by such fierce women who empower, encourage, inspire and support one another, let’s continue to pave the way for a better tomorrow.