Models vs. Real People

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Definition of a model as of The Free Dictionary:  A person employed to display merchandise, such as clothing or cosmetics (well the one definition relevant for my P.O.V. that I am about to jibber on about below; clearly there are a ton of definitions for the word "model".  Ok, now that that's straight, let's move on.)

So, as I have been blogging several months now (small potatoes, but still sufficient enough to have merit in this discussion), I have come to notice some negativity aimed at fashion blogging and I find it bothersome for several reasons.  

Some of what I hear is some kind of thought that the girls that have style or fashion blogs just want attention, are self-absorbed or just materialistic.  References made to how one could take pictures of themselves all day or how they "find the time" for this kind of activity or how pretty you must think you are to post pictures of yourself all over the web or how fashion and clothes are vein or aquisitive in some way.

Well, I may be a little bias, but I have seriously seen that the majority of the blogs I follow and frequent are women.  Real.  Women.  Women with jobs and families.  Women with intelligence and poise, but who are also genuine, down to earth and don't mind sharing that moments before their photos spilled marinara sauce on their sweater.  Women with curves and real bodies.  Women who appreciate clothing as an art with difference in fabrics, patterns, hemlines, details and construction as its own art. 

I don't think that the majority of women who have style blogs are self-absorbed in the way that they take pictures of themselves purely for the fact that they want people to look at them, but at the way they wear their clothes.  And even if there are women that do it just to show themselves off, so the frick what?  What, I ask is wrong about a woman feeling like she looks damn good, that could feel everyone's eyes on her as she struts into the Wal-Greens, that is actually comfortable or, dare I say, happy with her body?  Maybe she had to work hard to get the body that she has.  Maybe she has worked hard to allow herself to enjoy her body.  

Someone made me think of this today when she was talking about having a conversation with her daughter about starting a blog.  Mom wanted her daughter to get into it because she thought that her daughter could really do well with a blog about fashion.  Get it girl, says I.  Nothing in the definition of model says anything about specifications to size, skin color, hair color or type, certain style, budget, nothing.  When I started this little ole blog five months ago, it took a lot to convince me that I could.  I'm no model by society's standards.  Now, I am so glad that I took the plunge.  I find this to be an extremely supportive and friendly community and I thoroughly enjoy it. 

Moral of the story--judge not what you do not know and don't let anyone or anything hold you back from that which you would like to achieve.

This post brought to you by Frannie "the Motivator" Pantz.

Dress-vintage; Vest-Mudd for Kohl's; Platform Loafers-Bandolino, gifted; Tights-Vera Wang for Kohl's; Earrings-vintage from Grandma; Ring-Encore