I’ve had this idea running through my mind for some time now and it has almost been haunting me to write this post. Hold on tight everyone, you are all in for a good read. I find it somewhat ironic that even though I consider myself an operator of a fashion & lifestyle blog, I’ve yet to write about the importance of cultivating your own personal style! What sparked the idea of writing about the growth and development of my personal style has to be from the many blogger / influencer Instagram stories and feeds from over two years ago. It’s almost hard to believe that I created Fabulously Floridian two years ago (even though I don’t think I really became seriously invested with my blog until about a year ago, but hey.)
Looking back at the beginning stages of my blog, I am somewhat ashamed of what I saw from myself. What struck me, maybe not to you all, was that I almost saw myself as a bit of a hypocrite. Being authentic and original is something I thrive off of. One of my all time favorite quotes has to be: “There is only one you so why try to be someone you aren't?” I saw this raggedy, structured sense of writing and a style that was “obnoxiously preppy”. It almost became like a second uniform to me, rather than a form of self expression. I was completely going against the “purpose” of starting my blog and created this facade that would gain a certain following.
I started Fabulously Floridian as a way to display my two favorite forms of self expression: my fashion style, as well as writing. I had to take a few steps back and reevaluate staying true to myself, as well as to the readers of my blog. I certainly was doing the opposite and it didn’t resonate well with me. I’d seemed that as a beginning blogger, it was easy to get caught up in following the image of other bloggers instead of my own, which in my opinion, was completely flawed. I realized there is a huge difference between being inspired by a certain blogger/style, as opposed to trying to replicate it.
This post may seem like a bit of a rant, but definitely a necessary one. I find it difficult to categorize someone's sense of style as just one word or adjective, because it’s almost a cultivation of what influences an individual. For example, I realized that from my strong ties of living near the coast, laid the foundation for my airy, breezy, light colored style and my love for my favorite icons such as Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn always draws me to the structured, feminine look. A combination of this is what creates, my own style! A style that makes me confident, happy and excited to share to the blogging community.
Developing your own sense of personal style as an individual allows you to become confident with who you are, expressing your interests and passions others. Projecting who you are and where you draw your inspiration from what you wear, to me, is why developing your own personal style is essential to anyone, anywhere.
Xoxo,
Jillian