Don’t Be Scared to Show Your Flaws

StyleMeSunday - 15 Mar 17

I used to be a midwife before I started my fashion blog 5 years ago. ‘Style Me Sunday,’ is a fashion blog for mums. What makes it different is that I don’t just stand there and talk about the latest must-have item. I want to connect clothes to how they make us feel. I now do style confidence talks and work with brands through my Instagram and my blog. I’m extremely passionate about what I do, and I just want to keep doing it for as long as I can. The two go hand in hand really well.

My tag line is – Fashion with Feeling, which really evolved fully after what happened with my daughterLast year my eldest daughter (now 7 years old) was diagnosed with a rare condition called Brittle Cornea Syndrome. She is now severely visually-impaired having had two ruptures last year. There is a high probability that she’ll go blind but when this will happen we don’t know. She has had a very rough ride in the last year or so, which is very difficult to deal with as a parent, but we remain extremely positive and we are doing all that we can to get her the support she deserves and we’re always researching the latest medical advances.

I started the Warrior Woman Project to help women, especially mums, get their confidence back again. I’ve found that babies can seriously dent a woman’s self-esteem. Paradoxically when we become mothers, it’s more important than ever to not pass on our insecurities. We are role models, the most important role models there can be. And those little ears and eyes are soaking it all in…even when you think they’re not.

My first project saw me teaming up with professional life coaches such as Jessica Rogers and Super Charged Club, as well as other inspirational business owners like Southwood Stores. We did a week long ‘confidence challenge’ with prizes each day to encourage people to participate. One challenge involved looking in the mirror and saying 5 things you like about yourself. Easier said than done. It’s also a really nice exercise to do with the kids.

You should really try saying things you love about each other rather than picking at faults.

My most recent, second project was about showing your vulnerable side. Instagram can be a fickle and slightly fake forum. We are bombarded with super slick images and sickly, sweet tales of happiness. I wanted to get more of a truthful backstory to an image. I wanted people to show more of their souls. What I found was that when you share your vulnerable side there was a really positive response and an amazing strength in exposing this dirty, little secret we’re often so careful about hiding from the world.

I showed a picture of my wobbly, stretch-marked stomach, which was really difficult for me to post. Someone showed their bald head after chemo, and another showed hair growing on their face because of their polycystic ovaries. Someone else discussed being confused about their gender identity. All in all it was really brave and inspiring.

The project is a series and I will keep coming up with more ideas as people have reconnected with it and it’s really gaining traction. I have so many ideas, it’s just choosing which one to do next!

So my advice would be – try and be as authentic as you can, show your vulnerability to the people you meet and don’t be ashamed of your flaws. They might just be the thing that draws people to you even more.

StyleMeSunday

I started my ‘Style Me Sunday’ blog in July 2012, after I fell pregnant with my second girl. I wanted a creative outlet to talk about the things I love most and something that would work around my little ratbags. It soon became apparent that, for me, just talking about fashion was a little boring and unfulfilling and whilst I still LOVED fashion, I wanted to talk about more than just what this season's must-have colour was… Fashion with Feeling was born. www.stylemesunday.com

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