Why am I writing about influencers? Because I’m not one of them? Because I am? Am I? We all are in some degree. In the past we would have role models, people who we’d look up to. Today we have Influencers, people who we look up to. Not much has changed from our perspective. We find somebody who we respect, who seems to have similar values, who comes from the same background and shows us how easy it is to achieve something. Just need to try your best, do your best, believe in yourself. That’s all well and good, but… have those influencers deserved to be your role models?
The idea behind writing this post has been building inside my for a long time now. I kept putting it aside, there was always something easier, less engaging to be done (I’m currently sick, trying to use as little tissue as possible, so do not judge me on being lazy). Until a few days ago, when I read somewhere on the Internet, that one of the influencers I follow, released a book. A book on how social media damages your mental health. My immediate reaction was- swipe up, add to basket, oh look it’s Amazon Prime and it’s discounted by 5%. As I was about to double click the side of my phone, to authorise the transaction, I came to realisation, that I didn’t need that book. Why? Because I know all about it, I have been told about it, I read about it, I talked about it. Why on Earth would I need another source to tell me I should be cautious? The reason is- I was under the influence. I was disgusted in myself at that particular moment, forced quit from the app and played Mariah Carey on my sound system, as you do. If you watch The Good Place on Netflix, it was just like Tahani’s book about Getting out of the Spotlight. Irony, isn’t it?
You follow a person on Social Media, you trust them, they show you they are exactly like you, they tell you it only takes some work and you can become anything. You try, you learn it’s not that easy. But why? Why does everyone on Social Media success and you don’t? Why does everyone’s life look so cool and you’re so far behind? How is that possible? Is everyone better than you? Nope. You only see what people want you to see. Same as news on TV. You only hear what journalists want to tell you. It takes some real effort to do your research and find the truth, and even then, is it actually the truth? Who knows? My point it, don’t trust what you see, because it is simply marketing. If you never bought that super duper vacuum cleaner with 7 different functions, that was advertised on a TV channel, back when you were younger, why would you buy something you were told you needed now? Like a 10th coat for winter, 7th pair of washed blue jeans… Just going to leave this here with you.
For the last few months I have been very inactive on here. Partially because I was lazy, impatient, partially because I didn’t quite believe in my motives behind this blog. I have been told I was good at fashion, but I think that black and white are the best colours and matching them is as easy as it gets. I have been told I was good at make up- I might be, I am good at painting, so that comes naturally. But the results you get, depend on quality of products you use and skin prep. Am I better at make up, because I use expensive brands, that I pay for with my overdraft allowance? You see, my brain takes me places, I don’t like, asks me questions I don’t want to answer.
I think it’s fair to say, we all get lost sometimes. With the amount of information we have to process every day, number of images we see everywhere we look, opinions we hear, podcasts we are forced to listen to, advertisements on underground, email subscriptions with deals and offers and, but of course, influencers on every corner.
Just to clarify, I do not have any issue with a person being famous and making money. What I do mind, is when they use their popularity to gain ever more money, not putting an effort to think about consequences their actions have. I am so so tired of vouchers for the NA-KD fashion website. I do not want to buy every single H&M jacket with a hashtag #mydaymyjacket, I do not support extreme consumption and mass production. If you see me wear Zara, I’m sorry, I must be having that moment of weakness. That, or it’s a really old piece that I’ve had in my wardrobe for ages. For the record, I do not wear about 80% of my wardrobe, because it’t not black, or white. If I wear any high street item, it’s probably because I was in need for pants, or some basic and was too broke to save money for the quality one. Oh and if you’d like some of my clothes, please drop me a line, I’d be happy to sell/swap/donate.
My ootd contains of (most of the time) a 1,5 year old Zofia Chylak bag (or vintage Dior Saddle bag), black denim from Levi’s (or washed blue), a tee from TK Maxxx, loafers from Gucci/white sneakers from Veja/black low rise Dr Martens. Everything else you see me wear is either from a charity shop or my sister’s.
Last month I have been a part of #gannigirls project. Here’s some of the insights from the now completed sustainability project:
- 100% of #gannigirls would support a fashion brand changing its operations to have less of an environmental impact
- 56% of #gannigirls surveyed are extremely concerned about the environment
- 88.9% have knowingly bought a sustainable fashion item – and 42.2% have gone out looking to buy sustainable fashion
- 66.7% would pay more for a fashion item if they believed it made less of a negative impact on the environment
It’s heartwarming to see brands take responsibility. It’s time to make conscious choices, so please, DO join me here.
Join me on this journey to a mindful, grateful way of living. You’re smart, you know what’s good and what’s not, so please do not let anyone tell you what to do. Just do your thing, go outside, eat healthy, drink water, call parents, take care of your friends. Do not lose yourself in this world of instant gratification, fake admiration, artificial intelligence.
We can do it.
M x
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