BREAKING NEWS: How do you keep up?

So to say there's a lot going on in the world right now would be an understatement.

Just when we thought times couldn't get any more turbulent, the universe seemed to stop, turn around and whisper,  'hold my beer'.  What was once harmless scrolling through Twitter, Instagram or even Facebook *shudder*,  has now become a never-ending news cycle rabbit hole, and any longer than five minutes will only cause your inner monologue to plead with you to 'make it stop!!'. Whether it's government updates, a breaking news story or Karen's questionable status, the overload of information can be more than overwhelming. And when so much of what's being reported is incredibly important, this can become a problem.

Why? Because there's no time to take it in, to process it, learn from it, and understand it. The vital movements which are happening across the world which are a crucial cornerstone of change are being diluted and taken advantage of (e.g. don't use a protest as a backdrop for your sponsored insta post please and thank you.) We skim headline after headline across social media, Whatsapp, MSN news, and words - often very important ones - become distorted, skewed, and of course, reshared.

Whilst real time access to news, thanks to the likes of Twitter etc has been revolutionary, it can also present real problems, namely in the form of over consumption, and fake news. With people being at home more often than they otherwise would be, screen time has increased dramatically, and the likelihood of your family member on Facebook sharing that viral Daily Mail article has similarly sky rocketed. Chances that they've checked it for validity? Slightly lower. 

OK ok, so I realise this may seem like a *bit* of a rant, and I would be lying if I said it wasn't, but in my humble opinion, I feel it's a pretty important one. The news is actually an incredible useful resource, and whilst it can often be hard to see past the hashtags, accurate reporting is the only real way we can find out about anything beyond our front doors. So how can we make the most of the information we're fed?

Check your sources. I think I need to get this tattooed. As you probably know, there was plenty of misinformation flying around the web about Covid, most of it courtesy of someone's Mum's-cousin's-brother-in-law's-sister-twice-removed who knows someone who knows someone else who seemed totally legit.

Take your time.  With news being thrown at us left, right and centre, keeping up to date with what's going on is pretty much equivalent to a full-time job. Keeping informed is important, but in most cases pointless if you've only read the headline and not the article. After all, learning and understanding from what you've just read takes longer than a five minute scroll when you're waiting for the kettle to boil.

You are allowed to take a day off or two. Really. Whilst it can feel weird disconnecting, especially  during times like these, taking a breather from your news feed might be just what you need. And not something to feel guilty about. It's your offline actions that are most important.

How do you keep up with what's going on in the world?

xxx

You can find resources and places to donate to the incredible Black Lives Matter movement here.

Photos on film c/o nick.anastasiou.photography

Sail away

top - Wild Room Tees

trousers and trainers - (old) Primark

So here we are - another day, another blog post. And the strangeness continues.

I've referenced the ongoing 'strangeness' quite a lot recently; as an opener to emails, phone conversations and even just chatting to my parents. It's a good way of acknowledging the situation without having to actually acknowledge it.

Staying inside has definitely brought with it mixed feelings. Gratitude for the most part. I've felt incredibly lucky to be able to work from home, have extended time to myself, and the luxury of my parents' kitchen cupboards. Thinking about applying for the next series of Masterchef as I type.

However, whilst I am, quote unquote, a fairly introverted person, I really do miss having the option of venturing beyond the front porch.  I miss being able to escape from my own head, just in the safety of knowing I have that freedom.

Being at home also comes with its own smaller challenges, that when faced with everyday can quickly become something more... noticeable. One example being faced with your own reflection more often than usual. Whether it's a Google Hangout video call or having to walk past the big mirror every time you go to the kitchen to make another cup of tea, having to look at your face for a larger portion of the day is not always ideal - particularly when the relationship with your appearance isn't the best (we're just about on speaking terms).

Another - perhaps more obvious thing - is cabin fever. Whether you're riding this out alone or with flatmates or family, emotions are running high and tempers are fraught. Seemingly tiny problems can quickly escalate into full blown door slamming disasters, ones which only the kettle seem to be able to solve. If you're from the UK you might be able to relate to this - I don't think I've ever appreciated tea bags more in my entire life. I don't even know if I like tea anymore, I just know it's the glue that's holding our household together.

Of course, whilst these molehills are there, they really are molehills - this isn't going to last forever.

Right now, all I'm thinking about is how brilliant it will be when we can do everything we want to do, and even the things we don't want to do - it's bizarre how much I miss public transport, overcrowded shopping centres and disproportionately priced drinks.

Perhaps most of all, I'm looking forward to seeing my favourite people without having to rely on wifi. If anything, this has made me realise the things, or people, I really value. Also prosecco. Honorary mention.

What are you most looking forward to when 'normal' life resumes?

Stay safe.

xxx

photos by the fab @satish.ports

Graphic T's and mini skirts: Three ways

top - Allsaints

skirt - Missguided

boots - Office

top - H&M

skirt - ebay

top - ebay

skirt - Missguided

You know those outfits where you put them on and just feel like you? That's what graphic T's and mini skirts are for me.

I used to think that my style had to fit in a box. I thought I had to be the cricket-jumper-and-knee-socks-prep wannabe OR the ripped-knee-and-band-t-rock-and-roll enthusiast - I could throw my heart and soul into one or the other, but never both.  I'm not sure where this mentality stemmed from (perhaps something to do with society's incessant desire to pigeon hole women in general, but that's a post for another day), but I'm glad that I'm now free from this mindset.

I love the feeling of being able to easily alter or reflect how I'm feeling simply through a quick rifle through my wardrobe. I love being able to jump from sixties chic to low-key goth in the space of five minutes, without feeling like I have to fully commit to someone else's ideal, or even explain myself. 

What's the outfit that makes you feel most like yourself?

I hope everyone is keeping safe and well.

xxx

Looking on the bright side

top - H&M

blazer - Topshop

trousers - vintage

shoes - ebay

These photos are a serious throwback to simpler times back in London. Meanwhile, Happy Saturday. I feel like I've finally moved past the 'this is really weird' stage to the 'this is really weird but I've sort of accepted it's the best thing to do' stage. And this week I've actually felt fairly OK.

As well as working from home - which I'm so thankful to be able to do - I've taken the time to sort out a whole load of my stuff, make excessive amounts of pancakes, and try out some post-lockdown outfits. I've done my best to actually respond to my texts and Facebook messages (I'm a serially slow responder), drunk a fair amount of wine and binged a hell of a lot of Netflix.

I've also really tried to make a conscious effort to reconsider the kind of content I'm consuming. What with my screen time having increased tenfold, it's very easy to go down an Instagram rabbit hole, and come out two hours later, convinced you're not thin, tanned, or Victoria's Secret runway show ready, enough.  It's one thing trying to convince your best friend that she shouldn't have to change for anyone, but it's a WHOLE other thing trying to convince yourself.  

I thought I'd share some of the creators I've been watching recently, because along with Tiger King, I think some positive content is something that we're all fairly in need of right now.

Lucy Wood

Helen Anderson

Sierra Schultzzie

Samantha Maria

RawBeautyKristi

Safia Nygaard

Samantha Ravndahl

What have you been watching during lockdown?

Sending good vibes to all, stay safe. 

xxx

 Photos by @ed2too

All dressed up and nowhere to go

Femme Luxe top

Primark jeans

ebay boots

Femme Luxe dress

ebay boots

Femme Luxe bodysuit

Primark jeans

ebay boots

All dressed up and nowhere to go. I mean, other than Sainsbury's.

Femme Luxe were kind enough to gift me a few pieces to test for future night outs out, and I have to say, they delivered. Though I definitely don't feel cool enough to wear these clothes - contour and brow game have a LOT to live up to - I really was pleased with the quality and how easy everything was to style. Something which is incredibly important when shopping online.

If nothing else, I thoroughly enjoyed going back to my OG outfit sharing days against that infamous white wall, and let's be honest, dressing up always has the power to make you feel that much more upbeat.

Which would you wear?

xxx

How much are you being influenced?

As an avid internet user and someone who's buying habits have become slightly more indulgent post student living, I am - perhaps somewhat ashamedly - very easily influenced.

Whether it's that Acne jumper of dreams I've spotted on Instagram or the must-have-hyped-to-the-ends-of-the-earth-bag that's splashed across the pages of Grazia, odds are that I will take the purchasing plunge, or at least be very tempted. After all, it's hard not to be.

As I've explored in a previous post, the power of social media is a double edged sword; whilst it's great for browsing new brands and exposing up-and-coming designers, the pressure it places on every single one of us to showcase our 5-star existence can be almost unbearable. Namely because even with all the Afterlight editing in the world, noone's life is in fact picture perfect. (I'd say that mine is a three star at best, and that's with about three filters and a heavy dose of brightening.)

What's funny is that this is far from being a secret - even though we all know that the lives we portray on Instagram aren't totally real, that pressure to try and live up to a certain standard or fit a particular box is still very much there.

It's important to mention that where being influenced is concerned, there is still a significant part of me that is complicit -probably the same part that is showing my boyfriend the witty slogan shirt I've spotted on my explore feed in the small hours of the morning ('Mind The Pay Gap' in case you were wondering.) 

But naturally that means there is another part that is uncomfortable about being shown things that I, or at least the demographic that I've been assigned to, are supposedly interested in. For example, whilst I thought and had hoped that so-called ""Skinny Teas"" were finally on their way out, I still see them occasionally crop up as sponsored posts, making me wonder who else might be seeing them. And more worryingly, who might be buying them. 

On the subject of buying more, the power of being influenced has certainly had a part to play, especially where my own wardrobe is concerned. 

Of course, it's important to remember that influencing is the fundamental reason we buy anything and everything, it is after all why we part with our hard earned cash in the first place. But, it can also contribute to excessive buying - in my case purchasing things I really don't need or maybe won't even wear, all because of FOMO. To be honest, I don't even know if 'fear of missing out' applies to clothes, but you get the idea.

Talking about fast fashion specifically, I for one certainly know just how persuasive those sidebar ads which pop up right before you 'proceed to payment method' can be. 

Of course, whilst that extra 'going out-out' dress might only add an extra £5 to the total bill - with the influencer discount code you've been given - the cost to the environment might be slightly more significant than you'd first think, and definitely one worth considering.

As Stacey Dooley recently highlighted as part of her 'investigates' series, the impact of fast fashion has been detrimental, given that the industry is the world's second biggest polluter after oil. Even though I should probably have taken my own initiative and not left it to a BBC documentary to educate myself on the extent of this global damage, I feel as though my own lack of awareness is reflected in the mainstream media. Whilst efforts have been made to shun the 'disposable' attitude where garments are concerned, it's clear that more needs to be done by brands themselves to shift attitudes in clothing consumption. 

With the war on plastic having recently been established by those in power, it's surely not long until the ethics of big fashion houses and online stores become subject to legislative scrutiny. Given that they are after-all profit driven businesses, it will be interesting to see how brands adapt and in turn, how influencing will change too. 

Whilst right now for many companies the focus is very much on maximising quantity of sales, time is likely to see this focus switch to means of supply and rather than simply cost, the ethics of how each garment is produced. 

So, could this mean a movement towards utilising reclaimed and recycled materials? Environmental ambassadors gracing our newsfeeds? 3-D printing skinny jeans from the comfort of our own living rooms? Who knows. Though at least keeping my printer ink levels high would be less embarrassing than trying to explain my multiple ASOS orders to the postman.

Are you easily influenced?

xxx

photos c/o the lovely Karol Debski