My Hair: a Journey

I am a biracial girl (in case you haven't figured that out or haven't read my "About Me" tab at the top of the page). As such, I find myself hovering somewhere between White people's hair (fine hair strands) and Black people's hair (um, curly. Hopefully you all know that :P). So that's what's up: my hair is relatively fine - not thin, exactly - but thinner than most black hair. Yet I have very curly "s-shape" mixed with "corkscrew" curls. Theoretically this should mean that I have the best of both worlds, and to a certain extent that's true. There are days (and certain curling methods) that give me the most fabulous (and dare I say enviable) curls ever. But for the most part, my hair drives me nuts.

I've always loved bangs. But as any curly-haired girl knows, bangs simply won't do. Sigh. I guess the grass really is greener on the other side. I've had countless people tell me they love my hair and it's so hard to take the compliment graciously because for every "good" hair day I have there are hundreds I wish I could just forget about. What I would give for beachy, wavy hair!

To New Beginnings...

Hello world! 

This is the first post of my first REAL blog (I've had some testers before). Instead of giving all my info and a quicky bio (you can read that stuff by clicking the "About Me" tab at the top of the page), I thought I'd talk a little about why I wanted to start a blog.

This is me! :D

I've always been obsessed with fashion. When I was in elementary school I thought I was going to be the world's next fashion designer - I would even make little sketches for some of my classmates. I would dress for middle school like every day was an event. Seriously - I wore heels on a regular basis. I got a little off track in high school. There were some incidents that made me lose confidence and veer off in a different direction in life that, unsurprisingly, didn't make me any happier. I'm not saying I was a drug addict or anything, I've just always had problems with serious bouts of depression.

To make a long story short, I went to college confused, switched my major twice, lost tons of time (and probably money) only to come to the obvious conclusion at the beginning of my third year that I should be doing what I love for the rest of my life - fashion. Now, I am SO happy to say that I've developed a style of my own and will be transferring to OSU this coming fall to begin studies in Fashion Merchandising. I've decided that I would rather be a buyer for a major retailer than a clothing designer and I'm very happy with that decision. Buying clothes is one of my major skills after all. ;P

Being a plus size girl has made me realize how important it is to have more women who look like me in the fashion industry. There is a huge niche (no pun intended) in the design market for FASHIONABLE plus-size clothing, and while a few companies have stepped up, the market remains mostly...pathetic, for lack of a better word. It is still ridiculously hard to find on trend items for a reasonable price that are made well (not to mention the fact that I'm plus-size AND petite!) and it makes me so frustrated. Why can't designers see us? Why don't they notice us? The average-sized woman in America is a size 14! Yet stores I see rarely go up to a 12! WTF designers? Don't they realize the money to be made in our market? Some stores offer a plus-size line that is horrible! I'm talking shapeless tops, lumpy skirts, and god-awful prints. I want what straight-sized girls wear in a BIGGER SIZE. That's all.

I've gotten to the point where I've actually begun to learn how to sew. It's a great alternative for plus-size women. You can pick the fabrics like a designer, tailor things yourself (instead of paying someone else) to your body, recreated designer/on-trend pieces and keep prices relatively low. I'll definitely post some of my favorite DIY projects in the future.

Anyway, I won't keep your attention any longer (if any of you are still reading this, haha). I just wanted to let you guys know a little about what I'm about. I will try to avoid rants - the idea is that this will be an exclusively fashion blog (mostly OOTD pics, some DIY, maybe some designer bios...). I'll also try not to get too deep with the emotional stuff. I want this to be fun and I also have the tendency to overshare stuff.

Okay! I'm going to stop talking...now!

--Lauren

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