Day 28 - Label Love or Hate

tank: thrifted, shorts: walmart, shoes: payless

So, before we get to the meaty stuff, here's the fluff. I felt utterly amazing in this outfit today. All white and cool and breezy with leopard and wood accents. Love. And I would like to thank my torture master/slave driver Jillian Michaels for the legs you see in picture number 2. I felt like jumping up and down for joy when I looked at these pictures. Its always nice when your hard (like insanely, ridiculously, absurdly hard) work. I suppose that technically I am through with the 30 day shred, but I don't see any reason to stop doing it. I am finally on level 3 - which totally kicks my rear, but makes me feel great in the long run.




Now, here's the FBFF Questions and Answers for this week. Great subject as usual Katy. Thanks.

1. As a person who writes/blogs about fashion, have you placed yourself into some sort of blogging category? Ummm... I can't really say that I have thought about it before. I guess I am more in the mommy style blogger category than any real fashiony stuff. I also tend toward the thrifty (obviously, it's in the title).

2. What keeps you from or encourages you to label yourself as a certain kind of blogger? I guess I do label myself as a mommy blogger and a thrifty blogger. Primarily because I feel like the readers of those two types of blogs might be interested in my blog while those who are truly fashionistas probably aren't going to be into reading about my adventures with my toddler and my life as a stay at home mom. If you can afford or seriously lust after Louboutins, you aren't going to be drooling over my payless.

3. When picking blogs to read and follow are you drawn to ones that indicate a certain group or way of thinking/being? I am very drawn to mothers with great style, especially if they have toddlers. I also love reading the blogs of women of faith. Like most people, I think, I am drawn to those who are like-minded. On the other hand, I am drawn to women with a unique voice and style. If your writing is witty and makes me laugh, I will follow. If your style is unique and speaks to me, I will follow even if I don't agree with you. I follow petite blogs because I am petite although I haven't really made a big deal out of on my own blog.

4. Do you think there are benefits in labeling yourself or others? Oddly, enough I do. In real life I carry  a number of labels that I haven't always liked. However the truth is that we as people often need labels in order understand things. In a light-hearted way, I often label myself as a nerd. If you are reading, it is pretty likely that you will draw conclusions about me based on that label. And in most cases you would probably be right. I was the kid who read the encyclopedias cover to cover, I always knew the answer in class, I had a full ride academic scholarship, blah, blah, blah. This is a part, just a small part, but still a part of who I am. By labeling myself, I am saving you a little bit of work in getting to know me. On the other hand, growing up in the eighties as a nerd was not fun. Kids can be cruel and the label was not a nice one. Part of growing up, however is accepting who you really are rather than trying to be something you are not. I was never and will never be the popular kid. If you have lived through the experience of being the nerd, you will identify with me when I call myself a nerd and perhaps we can find common ground on which to build a relationship. A label is only the beginning. That said, because I was very hurt as child by this labeling I refuse to label other people.

5. Agree or Disagree - We're all just people; we don't need all the labels. Both. We are all people, but we aren't all alike. In many ways the labels give us the ability to express ourselves. As a blogger I am a thrifty, petite, mommy who is trying to lose weight. These are the things I blog about and in some ways they are my definitions. They don't, however, define me because I am so much more. But, as I said above, the labels are a starting place. Because we are complex and amazingly unique beings we can never be defined by one word other than human, but it can sometimes be helpful to be summarized. Labels like mommy, nerd, petite, thrifty, stylish, etc give us the vocabulary to summarize ourselves so that others can begin to see who we are. Obviously in a deeper relationship we find so much more than just the label. Just like the genre of a book tells you a little of what to expect inside, but each book is unique and has to be read to be understood.

Wow, thanks again, Katy for such great questions. What a great topic. I can't wait to read everyone else's responses. Go check them out at Modly Chic.