Rediscover Fashion: Magazines Over Social Media for Style Inspiration
I have been following The Notorious K.I.A, a fashion influencer, for YEARS over on YouTube. At the time I sported a huge afro and I found one of K.I.A.’s hair tutorials for her also huge afro. After the hair stuff, I continued to follow her because I liked her offbeat fashion style and she was into recycled clothing (thrifting).
Early this month K.I.A. posed the question, “Is personal style dead?” Her answer, “It’s not dead. It’s been hijacked!”
Fast fashion, endless trend cycles, and algorithm driven style have drowned out individuality, making it harder than ever to hear your own voice.
And I had to admit, she was absolutely correct.
For the last five years Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube influencers have driven my fashion decisions, but what did I do before social media, before fast fashion was even a thing? I relied on the world around me.
If I saw someone wearing a cool outfit in public, I would commit it to memory and then work to recreate it. The same went for magazines, television shows, and even commercials. There wasn’t an algorithm feeding me the same styles over and over again because I clicked and saved one picture. No, my personal style was driven by the world around me and my imagination.
Last week K.I.A. started a challenge - Notoriously You—a personal style challenge designed to help people like myself to reclaim our style, take back ownership of our wardrobe, and rediscover what truly makes us feel like ourselves.
Thursday I was invited to a Women History Month luncheon that was sponsored by the New Orleans Sheriff Department, so I decided instead of allowing Pinterest to dictate what I would wear, I stood in the middle of my closet and allowed my imagination to take over. Here’s what I came up with:
Jacket: Thrifted from Goodwill by Forever 21
Jeans: Thrifted from Goodwill (new with tags) by Sofia Vergara
Shoes: JustFab
And yes, I chop off all of my hair two weeks ago and had my hairstylist to add some color. Then this past Wednesday, I visited a local barber and had him to even out my hair (it was still too much) and cut it down some more! Yes, it’s just hair and it can and will grow back, but right now my menopause head is enjoying the cool breezes.
But back to fashion…
After the women’s history month event, I stopped by Walgreens and grabbed two magazines (ummm what happened to the price of magazines being under $10?!) to help with my inspiration moving forward. Instead of turning to social media, I am going to allow my teenage self to flip through the pages and imagine how I can bring certain looks to life and add my own flair with what’s in my closet.
I do believe that between algorithms and influencers pushing us to buy fast fashion that we don’t need, many of us have lost our way when it comes to defining our personal style. I’m excited to see what outfits I create over the next 30 days without relying on social media, and if I am able to rescue my personal style from Pinterest prison!
Comment below. Do you rely heavily on social media, Pinterest, or both for your daily fashion?
Dr. Carey Yazeed is a Behavioral Scientist and 3 x bestselling author. Make sure you check her out over on YouTube where she discusses life after being fired and current events impacting us in midlife. To learn more about Dr. Yazeed please visit www.drcareyyazeed.com
Thank you thank you thank you for this wonderful post. I don’t look at any particular social media platform. Saw a few things on YouTube but they then algorithm you to pieces and most of them try to fit one in a nice box. (Like if you’re over 50 you NEVER wear…). We have a good friend who owns a wonderful shop near us. She’s an artist who has great clothing ideas. And she’s usually ahead of the curve. I’m going to show my daughter the KIA book. I think younger women need a push to truly be their own fashion selves.