The past week and a half has both flown by and dragged in the wrong ways, moving out was stressful and consisted of me shoving everything i thought I'd need into random bags and freaking out that I'd forgotten chargers or cables or shoes. Moving in to uni meant creating lots of mess and realizing that I've left most of my clothes, pillows and lamp at home and that I need all of those things. Living alone has meant wandering to the shops all the time to buy one thing then returning to my flat and realizing I had to buy something else as well. It also means hours of little to do and distracting myself with films and tv shows till late into the night. Freshers has been fairly tame but meant getting drunk way too easily and dancing on bars, meeting random people who will walk you home or invite you to their flat party for free beer and *gross alert* throwing up grapes in the sink the morning of induction week.
I will probably do something big and proper about moving out and being in uni but I've been super busy but not doing anything interesting or blog worthy to write about. I'm also trying really hard to get things sorted for Factory Girl, Pages are being finished and people have been sending me in really cool articles and illustrations and photographs and I'm so pumped up for it to be finalized.
There's still plenty of time to submit work - anything from photography, writing or artwork is greatly appreciated! Here are some of the images I've been working with.
↑↑↑ I couldnt think of a cool title for this lol ↑↑↑
I get kinda bummed with youtube sometimes, because I like fashion and clothes and style but hate the 'fashion + beauty community' on youtube. Well its not that I hate them or their videos it just brings me down when the majority of fashion related content is a pretty little white girl holding up a huge bag of shopping that she probably spend £100+ on with twinkly music and cutesy font. I don't like sponsored videos (although I understand the reasons behind making them) I don't like 'back to school hauls' and 'mid summer favourites ' and 'I decided to buy these basic t-shirts in five different colours for only £8 each!'
I don't like them because the message behind them feels like 'buy this clothing/make up/miscellaneous and you can be like me and have my cute happy expensive Instagram filtered life' and if you cant drop £50 on one outfit....then you can't be a beauty vlogger. I doubt any of them do it spitefully but most vloggers tend to have a lot of privilege (rich families to support them) or a certain marketability that propelled them into fame *cough*Zoella*cough*
But there's a shining light of fashion vloggers taking a different route going to thrift and charity shops, looking for second hand cheaper alternatives to give inspiration and relief from 'here buy this £15 stripey t-shirt and look just like me!' So lets all say no to blind consumerism and go hunting for cute second hand fashion!
Showing off her almost entirely thrifted wardrobe with cool editing and music tastes in thrifted look books and haul videos. I love her dancing and dedication to the 80's sitcom kid look and video tips on wearing what you want
Lauren departed youtube some time last year but like many others I still check her channel with crossed fingers looking for a new video but end up binge watching her old styling and thrift videos. She has a cute 60's/70's hippie nostalgic style and the bleached bangs of Cherie Currie and gives great cult film recommendations.
I first saw Ashely's heelying video which is like the coolest concept to me, because really who doesn't want to skate round town in cool outfits pulling rad tricks? But then I stayed for the amazing outfit video's and off the scale editing skills.
While not strictly a 'thrift' channel Heather has the best DIY fashion videos, going beyond some of the 30 minute videos on how to diy a pair of cut offs - like do you really need that long to learn how to draw a puffy paint heart on the ass of you shorts? - also puffy paint?!? - As a fashion student most of the DIYs are based on looks she's seen on the catwalk or magazine editorials and are cool ways to jazz up that old thrifted t-shirt or jeans.
She's so positive and cute and like if a piece of modern art came to life and started dancing! I love her diy videos and get real jelly of her thrift hauls because how does one girl find so much American Apparel stuff in a second hand store?
So I hope you like these links and get all jazzed up to go and find cute second hand clothes and not fall into the trap of consumerism!
Recently I've been scared - not scared just nervous to the point of scared - about leaving home, I move away in less than a week and I have spent it panic buying food with my mum, cuddling with my cats, stockpiling books and records I want to take with me and drawing relentlessly in my new journal to avoid thinking about it.
I get the feeling that maybe I've wasted this summer, I should have done exciting things and made memories like all the kids in the movies before they leave for college, but instead I spent most of it curled in my bed watching tv shows and drawing. I really shouldn't feel bad - it's not like its a particularly foreign concept, most teens - especially with society's emphasis on 'the past was amazing! the youth of today are wasting their lives!' - probably wish they could have bunked off school like Ferris Bueller did or have stood up to there bully or had that special moment at prom. I think movies really screw with your expectations, because even movies that focus on 'finding the beautiful in the mundane' still have the characters doing exciting things - sneaking out after dark, running away with the bad kids, seeing their favourite band live - never does a character just spendn an evening alone watching a film without it seeming like their 'missing out on something great'
It was my friends 20th birthday yesterday (well actually it was her party - today is her b-day) and it was weird celebrating the end of someone's teen years. I turn 20 in a few months and I'm so not ready, I still feel like I missed out on so much as a kid, there's so many supposed 'milestones' I still have to reach that I just want to lie and say I'm eighteen again.
At her party we just chilled and decorated cake's, chatted and laughed and watched The Truman Show, which kind of brought up my thoughts about movies. It's weird to watch the film now, with the easy access to everyone's lives and the mass marketability of everything. It must have been mad to watch back when it first came out, when the idea of reality tv was just beginning and people argued over invasion of privacy.
This has been an unexpectedly somber post but I plan to try and come back with some lighter topics before I leave
