married and bright: March 2015

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

A few weeks ago, I bought this handy little gadget that lets me take my own photos. This remote gets Alex off the hook when it comes to blog photography, and it's fun and everything, but it doesn't yield the best results -- after all, it's still an iPhone photo -- and, I feel SO WEIRD while posing in front of a phone held by a tripod that's gripping my car rear view mirror, or a near by fire hydrant. It's super awkward when I have to come into contact with another human while acting like an utter narcissist. That's why most of my recent photos feature a giggling Anni.

I guess that's my new approach to life... Just laugh it off. Learning to not care what others think for me has been a long road, and I'm still on it. Fashion can feel so competitive ~~sometimes~~ almost always. I think about that lyric in Van Morrison's Wild Night, "All the girls walk by, dressed up for each other," and I think that goes right to the heart of the issue. I can't tell you how many times I have purchased something because someone I was jealous of already owned it, or wore a particular outfit in order to impress another woman. Look at me, I'm stylish, I have it together, I make enough money to completely empty my bank account on this new handbag...

I'm starting to laugh off that way of looking at things. I'm turning inward, and disregarding the thoughts of others. I'm finding that what matters most is how I feel about myself. Wearing a dress and sneakers makes me feel like I can kick some major ass, but also that I'm totally adorable, which is what I feel like being today. In a lifetime of trying to define my style, the truth is that it's it's undefinable, because I am, too. I can not be summed up by an outfit, a dress, a particular style... So instead, I choose to express myself different day by day, and remember that the only opinion about me that matters, is my own.

Don't Let Anyone Dull Your Sparkle

Thursday, March 19, 2015

I'm sure -- especially if you're a pinterest user -- that you've seen that phrase before. Generally speaking, I tend to roll my eyes when it comes to platitudes like that. But here, I'm taking it quite literally. I know that it is actually ridiculous to wear sparkly sequin pants in the light of day, but that's just me. I'm kind of silly, and I like dressing myself a little "out-there," so to speak... And on days like this one, especially since I felt under the weather, wearing something that makes me feel good, that makes me feel like me, is incredibly empowering and healing. I will not let a tiny little cold, or people thinking I'm a weirdo, or the fact that the sun hasn't even set, stop me from rocking a pair of sequined leggings and a fringe-y necklace. No way, no how.