Do you ever feel overwhelmed or fatigued by the number of things being constantly sold to you? Often we’ll jump on to Instagram or Facebook and be assaulted by stories from our favourite bloggers sharing the new “must have” item for their wardrobe, face, kitchen or kids. It’s a lot.
On Sunday, I got out of the shower and starting dancing in front of the mirror – just hips and tiddies flying everywhere. Then it hit me (a realisation, not a tiddy). While I’ve never been in love with my body, I’ve never been ashamed of it either. I’m a fine art drop-out so I’ve always had a certain comfort level with nudity, including my own. So where was this discomfort and often self-loathing coming from? Upon mental investigation I discovered that it only started the minute I would stuff myself into an unflattering garment. The premise of fashion has always been two (rather exclusionary and damaging) traits — not just skinniness but extreme ‘size zero’ skinniness, and of course youth. You’re expected to have the body of a pre-pubescent gymnast and have the same youthful glow too. With the body positivity movement, fashion has taken huge strides by becoming more inclusive – flaunting fashion for every shape, age, and skin tone. But what happens when you arrive in store? Are the advertised sizes available? Are …
Nikki and my No-Buy June is well underway. If you’re hearing about it for the first time, a no-spend month is basically when you go a month without spending money on any luxury or unnecessary items, like new clothing, entertainment, dates, uber trips (unless you REALLY need one), and only on the essentials like groceries, rent, airtime (in moderation), utilities, petrol and basics for the kids. Though it’s the 7th of June, I’m already on day 10 – I simply wanted to get a head start to identify the pitfalls and I can already say that the income at my disposable is a lot more than I’ve had in previous months. Only my debit orders have gone off, and I’m rollin;’ in kesh y’all.
I have too much stuff.Why did I buy that?I need to pay off my debt.I need to get my $#!t together and organise my life.That croissant was terrible. Why did I pay R36 for it?I would go on holiday if only I could afford it.I don’t know if I can afford to retire.I need to save.My life has spun out of control.I need advice on planning my budget.I’m bombarded with sales and ‘shop now’ emails.I feel anxious all the time.The burden of clutter is killing’ meThat wide open space makes me want to fill it with new stuff.My friends keep booking extravagant outings, and I don’t know how to opt out.I’d like to lower my carbon footprint. If you ever uttered any of the above words, then this is the perfect post for you. I heard the phrase ‘Modern Frugality’ for the first time last week. And my first instinct was “Guurl, being broke is finally trending!” Frugality sounded like this cool, new app, all the young kids were using. But it’s become more than …
Today I am going to be sharing five moments that cover the diversity of my work life and my current wardrobe. Dressing for work can feel like a challenge but since I started dressing to a “personal uniform”, it’s a challenge I have been comfortable rising to.
