“Not false or copied; genuine; real…” or “Representing one’s true nature or beliefs; true to oneself or to the person identified…” These are both definitions for a word that gets bandied about with frequency these days…
THE STORY
…The word is “authentic”. A friend and I were discussing authenticity yesterday and it got me thinking about what it really means. I see and hear the word often, and like any word or phrase that becomes trendy I believe that it’s losing some of its true meaning. In our social media driven world, authentic is the current “cool” thing to be; everyone now wants to be viewed in the light of authenticity.
I think that in a lot of instances though its being used as a descriptor simply because it is trendy and it sounds good to say that one is authentic. After all, if you are authentic, that means that you’re genuine, you’re honest, you’re real…people can trust you.
But authenticity can be used as just another mask. Just like any other descriptor it can be used to hide what is really underneath whether it’s blatant dishonesty or simply a lack of true self-awareness. In order to be truly authentic, you have to know who you are. It’s true that each of us is a work in progress. Change happens over and over again during our lives. So when I say that you have to know who you are, I mean on the very deepest levels; the parts of you that form your foundation. The parts that don’t really change much over time.
You have to know and be committed to your own personal values. You have to know what really matters to you, and you have to be willing to stand by those beliefs no matter what because those values and beliefs make up the very essence of your identity. It really isn’t necessarily a matter of chronological age as much as it is recognizing and acknowledging that which is fundamentally you.
If you don’t yet know your true self or if you’re simply not a very good human, saying that you’re authentic, and saying it with conviction, fools many, perhaps even yourself, into believing that it’s true. However saying that you are authentic and actually being authentic are two entirely different things.
The issue with saying that you are as opposed to being authentic is multifaceted, especially if you are in the public eye in any way. First of all, even if a blogger/Instagrammer has only a small following, that small following trusts what the blogger says. Whether we believe it or not, those of us who put ourselves out there do have influence and therefore authenticity is even more critical. If the material and images being shared are disingenuous, then not only are you misleading your followers, you are not being authentic…with your followers or yourself. No amount of saying it will make it so.
The second issue is the unrealistic expectations that develop when inauthenticity is masquerading as reality. We see the pretty images…we see the perfect life filled with travel and fun activities…we see the delicious perfectly plated food…and our brains tend to start questioning what we are doing wrong. Why doesn’t our life resemble what we see in our feeds? The answer is because that is not reality. Let me rephrase that. What we see in our feeds is perhaps the reality of that moment in time, it is not however the reality of the moments that exist outside of that one little square.
Does that mean if we post only our pretty moments that we are inauthentic? If we edit our photos or add filters/presets to them to enhance their visual appeal (I’m talking small tweaks here, not editing to the point we’re unrecognizable) are we being fake? No, of course not. That would be like saying that since I color my hair pink and put on makeup before I leave the house I’m not being authentic since those things are actually artifices.
Do I look like this every day? Hell no. Am I always honest with you about that? Yes, yes I am. The images that I share with you on the blog and social media are one aspect of who I am; the words that I write in my posts typically give you more context and allow you to see that there’s more to my life than a pretty picture.
Of course we only want to put the best part of ourselves out there in the world, but we need to also acknowledge the not so pretty parts and be truthful about the tweaks that we make. We need to be real. We need to be genuine. We need to be honest; with ourselves, the people we love and the world at large.
“Representing one’s true nature or beliefs” is the part of the definition of authentic that resonates with me the most. I believe that if what you’re putting out there, whether it be via words, images, actions or all of the above, is a true representation of who you believe yourself to be…of who you know that you are then you are being authentically beautifully you. If you own your “you-ness”, all of it…the good, the bad and the ugly…and remain honest about all of it, that is true authenticity…no trendy buzzwords required.
THE OUTFIT
Typically when you think orange jumpsuit, you probably think prison. However this particular orange jumpsuit couldn’t be further from prison wear. The color on the tag said “coral”, but I beg to differ…this definitely leans more into orange territory. Normally I’m not attracted to true orange; I usually prefer deeper shades like a burnt orange or sienna. True orange can be intimidating to style, but the minute I saw this jumpsuit I was immediately drawn to it. It’s definitely not a shade for the faint of heart, but sometimes you just gotta go bold or go home. Wearing a shade this bright is definitely a statement, so you have to be prepared to own it.
Like most jumpsuits, it’s super simple to style. Getting dressed doesn’t get much easier than this, you just throw it on and go. It looks cute with my block heeled sandals and when I first wore it back in early spring I paired it with my over the knee boots. Today though, I went with my trusty adidas which I’ve been wearing a lot since school started. For some reason this year my feet are rebelling against shoes and boots with pretty much any sort of heel so I’ve been subbing in sneakers pretty often. Lucky me, they look great with just about anything!
The denim jacket was the finishing touch and I think the blue plays really well with the orange. It added some visual interest and made me feel a little less lazy since the jumpsuit itself required zero effort. I actually could have added my brown braided belt to break things up a bit, but after I had it on I felt uncomfortable so off it went…maybe next time.
THE TIP
Like a good dress, jumpsuits are at the top of the list for easy style. They require little to no effort and if you want to change up the look simply add an accessory or two, some jewelry and/or a jacket and you’re good to go.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Jumpsuit: JCPenney; Sneakers: adidas (Similar); Jacket: Express (Similar)
