on May 14th, 2012
When Meg emailed me about participating in a challenge started by Ez and inspired by Jess about things we may be afraid to share with our readers, I was immediately intrigued. As Jess states so well, sometimes it’s easy to get “swept up in the beautiful images” online and their “promises of perfection,” and forget that the real world is rarely so put together. I know I’ve done this. So I jumped at the chance to share a few things that aren’t easy for me to admit. And so did all the wonderful and inspiring bloggers below. Continue reading for the things I’m afraid to tell you, and be sure to check out the other participating blogs today for a healthy does of reality.
Cassie: Coco + Kelley / Christine: Court & Hudson / Caitlin: Sacramento Street / Roxy: My Cup of Te / Crystal: Blog / Meg: MIMI+MEG / Ashlina: The Decorista / Katie: Modern Eve / Erin: Apartment 34 / Erica: Design Blahg / Victoria: Vmac & Cheese / Christine: Miles to Style / Franki: Life in a Venti Cup / Sue: The Zhush / Erika: Radiant Republic / Gabrielle: Savvy Home / Monika: The Doctor’s Closet / Naomi: Design Manifest /Tobe: Because It’s Awesome / Becca: {extra}ordinary wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small Shop Studio / AV: Long Distance Loving / Maggie: Maggie Rose Blog / Nicole: The City Girl In Me / Priscilla: The Best Laid Plans / Jen: Concrete Jungle DC / Janelle: Food Fashion Fitness / Natalie: East Coast Chic
Things I’m Afraid To Tell You:
1. I’m not always smiling. It’s funny how people assume things about you based on what they read from your blog. Now don’t get me wrong – I’m definitely a happy, optimistic person most of the time. But sometimes, life is really, really hard. Sometimes, I struggle with feeling nothing I do is good enough, or not knowing what I’m doing, or feeling alone, or too much pressure (from myself and others)… sometimes I am self-conscious about my body shape or fashion choices or whether I “fit in” anywhere – I once cried while trying to take outfit shots I was so unhappy about how I looked (see #3 below). And sometimes, I have to deal with things outside of my control that aren’t easy – like career (I still work a full-time job in government relations), family or health issues. Still, at the end of the day, I never forget how lucky I am and this blog will always be a way for me to share the things that are making me smile. We all need a happy place to escape to, and luckily for me, this blog makes me happier than I ever would have imagined.
2. When I started this blog, I was looking for inspiration to help me feel more fashionable. I didn’t actually think of myself as a stylish person – just someone interested in fashion, beauty, shopping, and dressing well. And even though I’ve come a long way in just a couple years, I’m still learning. Sometimes, I forget and pronounce “chic” like “chick” or “haute” like “hot.” When I have an event, I still try on a million outfits and run each of them by my roommates. But I’m learning.
3. I don’t think I’m very photogenic. My head tilts to one side, my eyes close more than I’d like, and I’m curvier than the majority of style bloggers I follow. I also have bad hair days, and sometimes, really don’t care about what I’m wearing (see #5 below).
4. I’m not crafty, I don’t enjoy cooking (but I really wish I did), and I’m pretty clueless about home decorating. My favorite food is Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and I eat it for dinner way more often that I’d like to admit.
5. I commute in flats.
Thanks again to Jess for her initial post, and to Ez for starting the movement. For more, here are the bloggers that previously participated in Ez’s Things I’m Afraid To Tell You:
Design for Mankind | Little Brown Pen | Beautiful Hello | Curating Style | Sweet Fine Day | The Jealous Curator | Happy Days | Sage & Berries | Really Handmade | Peck Life | Satsuma Press | Rena Tom | For the Easily Distracted | The Hemborg Wife | Vitamini Handmade | Courtney Khail Stationery and Design | Meg in Progress | Dando Photography Blog |Widdershins22 | Alison Citron | Pink Moon Daily | Just Pretty Things | From China Village | Tea with Me | The Darling Ewe |Not Your Average Ordinary | The Electric Typewriter | Elleby Design | Parsimonia {Secondhand With Style} | Life as an Artistpreneur | Hello Cupcake | Dellie | The A & B Stories | Pretty Little Things | Feistyelle | Nib & Zed | Well and Cheaply | I Ripple. I Dance. | Whitfield Awesome Blog | Foxtrot Press | Dry As Toast | The List of Now | Apple Blue | For the Love of | Four Flights of Fancy | Miss Modish | Snapshots & Secrets | Dirty Laundry | Bubby & Bean |Penelope’s Press | Little Nostalgia | Vale Design | Pikaland | Fleurishing | Print Pretty | Vespa Tales | Hazel & Agnes |Amanda’s Musings | Mo’ Funk Designs | Ordinary Mommy | Camp 1899 | In Honor of Design | Liberty’s Yarn | Love, Life & Pictures | Stacey Winters | Owl in the Rain | Living Life Creatively | Emma Elizabeth Clease | I Live in Vacouver Now | British Cream Tea
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What a fantastic pc! This is my favorite yet :) I think this makes you even more relatable to your audience :) Keep up the great work! Celebrate your curves! There is no made to order body type. I appreciate so much that you don’t fit into a box of what we have been conditioned to think is correct. Your insight is so valuable from so many perspectives! There is a place for all body types in fashion land!
Thank you so so much for your amazingly sweet words – the support of readers like you means the absolute WORLD! I seriously can’t thank you enough!
I love his Liz! I feel you w the curves and commuting on flats! hahahha I feel like I just got to know you a little better! Have a great week.
xo
Carlis
spicycandydc.com
I’m so glad Carlis! You are an inspiration to me, for sure! Have a wonderful week yourself!
I absolutely LOVE this post…as bloggers we def aren’t perfect and it’s nice for readers to see that we’re much more down to earth and have other interests besides looking pretty all day.
LOVE!
xoxo
Cathy, your Poor Little It Girl
http://poorlittleitgirl.com
I totally agree! There is so much more going on than the pretty posts!
I love this post…
Thanks Jen!
Great post, Liz! Thanks for sharing- I think most of us can relate to all of this and it’s nice to hear others feel the same!
It’s so nice to know others feel the same, like you said! Makes me so happy! Thank you!
I love posts like this! And I love Kraft M&C, too. also, curvy = awesome. you’ve got brains, style, and the guts to show them all!
Oh my dear you are such an inspiration to me! Thank you for your kind kind words, always!
GREAT post! i always commute in flats. there is nothing less fashionable than taking a full blown nose dive down the Metro escalator. ;-)
Haha this is SO true!
I love this post. It’s nice to know there is more than what meets the eye!
Absolutely – there always is!
i love this Liz! I just read Jess’s prior to yours…& P.S. i wear flats to work…everyday! more practical for me!! :) Great job, thanks for letting us in…
Of course, Jasmine! And yes, flats are sometimes just more practical :)
I love this Liz. Glad to hear you don’t always smile…haha. Neither do I!
Haha I think it would be impossible to smile ALL the time! So glad you enjoyed reading!
I love this Liz! Am I am totally with you on a few of those things ;) Even if I am afraid to admit it! Now I am a little less afraid. It’s nice to feel like I’m not terrible for doing so, so thank you for helping remind me that I am human and it’s ok! XO!
~Natalie
Yay! It’s so nice to know I’m not the only one who feels this way sometimes! We are definitely all only human!
This makes me SMILE! Thank you for being real and honest – your amazing style and fashion sense aside, your ability to stay true to yourself and admit it to all of your readers makes me admire you so much more.
<3
I really appreciate hearing this! Thank you thank you!
You are so photogenic! You might not always be smiling but you blog posts makes me smile all the time.
Oh thank you so much! Such sweet words :) smiling now, for sure!
Love your honesty! I drive to workin flats too and change into heels when I get in.
Also, I Love your number 2 reveal. I too started my blog because I was interested in fashion and looking classy, but I don’t consider myself to be a “stylish person” :o)
http://www.xoxotrishelle.blogspot.com
I love heels, but when I’m running late for work, they just don’t work! And yes, you don’t have to think of yourself as super stylish to have an interest in fashion!
Great post – I feel ya on every single one. So refreshing!
Thanks! You know, it’s funny that we are so not alone in some of these feelings!
Love this post Liz…thanks for sharing!!!
I’m so glad! Thank YOU for reading Sheila!
[...] wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small [...]
Liz, good for you for sharing this, so honest!
Oh thanks Gaby! I tried!
I’m so so glad Meg organized this second wave. Today was seriously awesome, learning more REAL things about all the bloggers I follow. Thanks for putting this out there, Liz!
I’m so glad too! It was so nice to share and read everyone else’s posts! Seriously awesome!
[...] wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small [...]
[...] wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small [...]
[...] wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small Shop [...]
Love this post, Liz. It’s so refreshing to read such an honest blog post. But I have to say that in my professional opinion, you have some of the most beautiful hair I’ve ever worked with! And that’s a fact. XO
Oh my gosh, thank you! You were amazing to work with on it!
[...] Things I’m Afraid To Tell You [...]
P.S.- I’m not as skinny as alot of the bloggers I “follow” either……..Which is why I dont take photos of my outsits etc, plus they just arent that wonderful. Idonno. Curvy is more real life! I’m a size 8. Holla. :o)
3 words: Air Bacara Ballet–by Cole Haan. They are a bit of a splurge, but if you have to walk around in flats for commuting, they are the most comfortable shoes you can do it in (w/o wearing sneakers or something really ugly). I end up walking about 30 minutes each way to and from work and these babies have made all the difference. Love your blog!
[...] somuchtosmileabout.com/ [...]
[...] wonders / Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha On The Go / Note To Self / So Much To Smile About / Blogstar / The Goods Design / Style & Pepper / Small Shop Studio / Long Distance [...]
[...] wonders / Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha On The Go / Note To Self / So Much To Smile About / Blogstar / The Goods Design / Style & Pepper / Small Shop Studio / Long Distance [...]
[...] wonders / Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha On The Go / Note To Self / So Much To Smile About / Blogstar / The Goods Design / Style & Pepper / Small Shop Studio / Long Distance [...]
[...] wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small [...]
[...] And you still make mistakes you thought you’d gotten over making? No? It makes me think of this post and how there was probably so much more I could have shared! I think I’m panicking a bit [...]
Not photogenic??? You have an entire blog of beautiful pictures that proves otherwise :)
If you aren’t stylish then I think I am in big trouble haha your blog is one of the few I check daily for inspiration! Thank you for helping me get dressed!
[...] (and I think especially as a blogger?) it can be hard to keep up. If you missed it before, you can read my post about the “Things I’m Afraid To Tell You,” which touches on some of the things [...]
[...] wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small Shop [...]