Minneapolis blogger Sally McGraw has chronicled her style journey on her blog, Already Pretty, for three years. Daily outfit photos, fashion how-tos, and thoughtful essays on fashion, feminism, and body image led to gigs with Glamour and the allegiance of 200,000-plus daily monthly readers. Here, some things she’s learned.
When I was young, I was a brain and not a “pretty girl.” I wanted to fit in, but nothing beyond that. I didn’t want to adorn my body. I had incredibly low self-esteem.
My journey to becoming a stylish being is rooted in my struggles with body image. I’m not sure if I could have come to accept my body without fashion.
Understanding your body as it interacts with clothing is a wonderful way to access yourself and your personality.
Dieting never changed how I felt about my body. It’s not about height, weight, or perfect breasts. It’s about learning to dress the body you have. My inadequacies quickly dissolved when I figured that out.
Style blogs the world over have blown fashion open in a very positive way. They make me want to keep playing and exploring.
People who went to design school will understand clothing in a way I never will. But I am approachable. People won’t write to Anna Wintour about what to wear to their 30-year high-school reunion, but they will write to me.
True style is intensely personal. Any attempt to apply “the rules” across the board will fail.
A lot of people are afraid of failure or embarrassment when it comes to fashion. I think there are more important things in the world to worry about. Take a risk.
Society is suffering from a single construct of beauty. It’s so counterproductive. We don’t need another style guru telling us to be as tall and thin as possible.
Find Sally’s musings at alreadypretty.com
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