I can’t believe the 4th of July came already! I meant to share this look in time for the holiday with a twist using green, white and blue but got really busy with decorating my most recent wedding project and spending time with family so I decided I'd share today. If you follow me on Instagram, you got a sneak peek already and if you're not following, chilee what are you waiting on??? Hit that follow button to keep up with more style, decor, vintage & DIY insider content.
Speaking of the follow button and social media, I came across a few articles and posts recently from different sources expressing how social media has caused them to feel overwhelmed, anxious and burnt out. I'm not sure as to what's going on exactly but I can say recently I felt like I was over social media as well.
First, I read a few articles about various different influencers and businesses who's work and designs were being stolen and copied/replicated. Being no stranger to this I related to some extent as I've had individuals steal my product images and present as their own on social platforms as well as their blogs, have had my style impersonated, words/concepts stolen from both my social as well as my website and even came across a company selling product (which wasn't their own) with my images. When I read some of the articles, including one where an entire business was copied including their name, I couldn't help but think how social media can be both a curse and a blessing.
It can be a curse in that there is ease of access to other's work and some companies and even people set out to lie, steal and cheat because in their unoriginal state they simply want to profit off someone else's work and cannot come up with their own ideas. This kind of behavior is surely not a new phenomenon but it does seem like social media has accelerated the likelihood and nowadays some are willing to do whatever to get a like or a comment. On the other hand, social media can offer opportunity, positivity and community building. It's a great resource and marketing tool for many companies, especially small businesses and has to some extent leveled the playing field for many. It can also be used to raise awareness and shed light on many incidents that the regular media won't provide coverage on, especially as it relates to marginalized communities. For those reasons and more, I consider it to be a blessing and choose to focus on the good.
Second, I came across some distasteful commentary regarding the suicide of Kate Spade and it was so disappointing at first because I thought how could some be so insensitive to not only Kate Spade but to many others who struggle with thoughts of suicide and what if someone that day was considering it and saw that post. I was so done with social media but after I got over my frustration about the comment, I realized that if there is going to be conversation around suicide and mental health then this idea that "people with a lot of money/resources have no excuse in taking their lives" needed to be addressed and included because this is a real belief of some. I don't think having money makes you less susceptible to dealing with mental health issues and thoughts of suicide. Now, I'm no mental health specialist and have never dealt with mental health issues personally (I'm grateful for that) so I won't position myself as any kind of expert but I do think it's important to continuously educate ourselves about various issues, learn about other's experiences and most importantly exercise compassion towards others because you never know what someone is going through. I like following & reading pieces from Nyla of www.thoughtscaughtinmyfro.com to gain insightful perspective and actually found her work via social media, so see there is lot's of good and benefits to social media out there.
With all that said, I think if you're feeling overwhelmed or anxious about social media, do what feels right for you and forget about anyone's judgement. Maybe you need to take a break, maybe you need to do something to practice a little extra self-care or you might even need to unfollow accounts/companies/people who embody negativity.
I once unfollowed a popular account because the individual posted a photo with a homeless woman and it just seemed exploitive. The image was of said influencer dressed up, standing against one of her many colorful backdrops with a homeless woman next to her. The image instantly evoked strong disapproving feelings from me and the messaging behind the image lacked depth. If I re-call correctly (don't quote me) the caption/explantation was that the homeless woman was yelling at said influencer excitedly and asked to be in the photo. Said influencer indicated how happy both of them were and how you could just be happy in life. It was also the first time I'd even seen a black person on that account's page and while I'm not being accusatory, it didn't feel right to me so I unfollowed (with side-eye). By the way the influencer who seemed adamant about keeping the image up eventually deleted the photo after many took issue with it.
Now before we get into the breakdown of my look I just want to say, whatever you decide as it pertains to social media, do it on your terms and know that likes and engagement do not equal personal worth! Social media can be fun and enjoyable and focusing on the positive aspects (like anything in life) provides perspective.
I shot this look, like many of my recent looks out in Panama and you can see this look in motion in my video here.
As soon as I spotted this dress online I fell in love because my Mom introduced me to Broderie angalise at an early age through her own style and I simply love rocking a white anglaise dress, top or jumpsuit in the summer. I've been doing so since I was a teen and decided to give this trapeze version a 60's-mod yet tropical vibe.
To accomplish the look I styled the dress with an extra long headband designed & handmade by my Mom, large flower earrings, gold armbands, banana-leaf mules that have a 60's feel to them and rounded mod-style sunnies I picked up from my local dollar store. Be sure to explore the widget below as well as my Amazon Shop to get a similar look!
