Friend Friday-- Double Dose!

Only one outfit for today's post, though:



It was snowing AGAIN!!!! Rrrrrr.... So one more hair flower for a last-ditch effort to bring on the real ones:



I'm not sure if this jacket and these pants together were such a great idea. Your thoughts?



Jacket: Amanda Smith via consignment shop
Pants: Lane Bryant
Sweater: VanHusen outlet
Jewelry: made by me
Hair clip: I forgot

On to a double-dose of Friend Friday:

Friend Friday: Rules of Engagement

1. Guest posts are a good way to gain new exposure. What do you think is the appropriate way to go about securing a guest spot?

I haven't gotten involved with guest posting yet. I intended to a couple of times, but there has been too much going on in my life to really have the time I would want to devote to the project ie: coming up with themes, questions, etc. Maybe someday...

2. Leaving comments is essential to growing your blog. But how can you leave a comment without coming across as ‘Follow Me. Follow Me!’?

I try not to sound that way... but my blog isn't a big project for me, just a little fun/educational exercise. Sometimes I just leave a short comment when I'm coming up short on words (I'm not as creative and expressive as many of the ladies out there), but I want the blogger I've been by... not just lurking.

I try to comment on all the blogs I read, but the DISQUS thing is awful! For my own reasons, I choose not to blog under my real name. But since my gmail is under my actual name, I can't leave a comment with DISQUS using my handle.

3. We’ve all gotten a mass email at one time or another asking for blog exposure, a link exchange, etc… But the mass emails don’t work. How do you make your email stand out from the crowd?

Nope... never sent or received any.

4. In interacting with other bloggers where do you draw the line between seeking support and begging for exposure?

I just do my thing, comment on blogs I like, and develop relationships with those ladies who are up for it. I'm not "trying" to grow my blog past what it is... but I have to admit, I am truly flattered every time I see I have more followers! XO!

5. What’s one rule of engagement error you made and how have you remedied that?

Sometimes things come out sounding worse in writing, without the benefit of inflection and expression. I've probably unintentionally hurt feelings. I'm working on that.
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And last week's Friend Friday: Fashion and Feminism. This is the one I really wanted to get to last week, but my internet wasn't working:

1. Do you think there is an incompatibility between feminism and a love for fashion?

No, but it can be a slippery slope. How much of what we wear is because we truly would love it ourselves, and how much because society has programmed us to believe it's beautiful?

2. There is more to each of us than a love for fashion, how do you incorporate every aspect of yourself into your blog?

Um... I don't. I might touch on a tidbit of my actual life here and there, but my blog is largely limited to whether or not my outfit needs help.

3. With the fashion industry still being a male-dominated profession, how do you think it would differ if women played a larger role?

I was disturbed to read Christian Louboutin's recent comments about the *ahem* utter lack of importance of comfort in women's shoes. I can't find the link... but he admits he designs shoes to be sexy to men, not comfortable for women. Is it the way the shoe changes the posture, or the way it renders a woman vulnerable, that makes it "sexy"?
Women's clothing that impedes free movement is not only unfeminist, IMO... but potentially dangerous. Crippling high heels, hobbling tight skirts... how can we flee danger in that stuff?

I would hope that if women were more powerful in the fashion industry, that the emphasis would be on designing beautiful, practical clothing that flatters women while allowing free movement and comfort.

4. How is your self-image and the way you carry yourself informed by your beliefs?

I almost never wear heels of any kind... and almost never over 2 inches. I try to look pleasant, feminine, and put-together, but eschew "fussy" fashion. And I almost never wear skirts, but a large part of that, admittedly, is body-image issues. Besides, pants don't blow up in a stiff wind... or create social pressure to wear pantyhose.

5. Do you think clothing/makeup/hair helps communicate the truth about yourself or are those things superfluous add-ons?

They reflect truth and the image I'm trying to project... not always the same thing. They probably reflected more truly "me" before I had a "career", and could dress as I pleased. Purple hair, nosering, combat boots and concert tees... I'd still be in them if I didn't need to project a more "appopriate" image for my current circumstances.