I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but trust me, take a minute because it’s worth the read…
THE STORY
…I’ve been fortunate over the course of the last three years of blogging. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve received a snarky comment; and that’s across all of my social media channels. Any of you that have been around awhile know that I could truly and sincerely not give a crap about what other people think about me. Normally, I delete the comment, block the person if possible and move on. Ain’t nobody got time for that. But this time I was curious. You see, the comment was fairly well written and it started out rather nicely and then it turned just plain mean. It was meant to be cruel. Fortunately, after about a millisecond, I shook it off and got to wondering about the author; because of course they left no name. When we think about all of the trolls lurking about the cyber world, we (at least I) picture some overweight middle-aged dude sitting in his mom’s basement with Cheetos dust-covered fingers pounding away at his keyboard leaving nastiness (and Cheetos dust) everywhere he goes. Or perhaps an angry immature teenager with time on their hands and nothing better to do. But this particular comment sounded female to me.
Little known fact about me: I’m a master at digging stuff up on the Internet. If any of my family or friends need something found that’s hiding in some dark corner of the web, I can typically track it down. I’m like a virtual bloodhound. It took me all of about ten minutes to find out who my troll is.
Ya, I’m calling you out Linda. I’m obviously not using her last name, but I will say that Linda is about my age. Hmmm…interesting. It’s interesting because a) Why does a grown ass woman feel that it’s okay to be so nasty to someone, especially someone she doesn’t even know? And b) Seriously Linda, your 50-something year old knees aren’t getting on the wrinkly side? What are you, a freak of nature? Please share your secret to the knee fountain of youth. I’m sure millions of us would like to know. The funny thing is, I considered polishing up those knees a bit with my photo editor, but then I decided f**k it. We all have knee wrinkles and if we don’t, we’ll be getting them. Thanks for liking my dress though, that was super sweet of you.
I have to tell you guys, this really got me going because I’ve coincidentally been on a tear this week in real life about people (and by people, I mean adults) being mean for no reason. And I think if you’re going to be mean, especially when you’re doing it hiding behind a computer screen, you need to be held accountable. So guess what? I decided to email Linda and say the following:
“I’m sending this email in regard to a comment you left on my blog this morning. I’m not really sure why it is you felt the need to be so mean-spirited, especially to someone that is a perfect stranger to you.It’s apparent that you are unfamiliar with my blog and me as a person, because while the intent of your comment is unclear, all it did was amuse me, but at the same time make me sad. Not sad because I felt badly about myself because of your words, but sad for you. The world is an ugly enough place, we certainly don’t need to make it uglier by being intentionally cruel.You might be interested in Monday’s post. Please feel free to comment. But this time, be brave enough to include your name.”
I’ll continue to wear dresses, skirts and shorts and share my fabulous knees with the world. Ya, I’m a rebel like that. Could be I’ll start a wrinkly knee revolution. Maybe I’ll start my own Instagram hashtag and create a movement. #lovemywrinklyknees.
**My new pen pal did indeed email me back and respectfully (yes, the word “respectfully” was actually used) declined to stop by and comment today.
Hopefully though her curiosity brought her here today to read this. Plain and simple, the point is there is no need to be mean to people. There are plenty of times that I see things on blogs, Instagram and real life when I think, “Um, that’s just not good…”. Do I comment? No. Why would I? If the person is happy with what they’ve got going on then who am I to rain on their parade. On the other hand I’m sure a lot of people look at me sometimes and think, “What on God’s earth was she thinking when she got dressed this morning?” Do they say it? 99.5% of the time, no. Why? Because it’s important to be kind to people. And use manners. I model and directly teach that to a room full of special needs middle school kids on a daily basis. And they get it. They try their best to be kind, helpful and empathetic every single day. Like I’ve said before, anyone that comes in my room gets a round of applause because they want everyone to feel good about themselves. And I didn’t teach them to do that. They just do it. I think more adults in the world should take a page from their playbook. Instead of putting people down, do what you can to lift them up.
The intent of this post was not to be vicious or to bully Linda. I just want her, and everyone really, to stop and think before you open your mouth or touch your damn keyboard. You do not know people’s stories. Not even in the real world. What if I was just getting the courage to come out of my shell and feel pretty again after leaving an abusive relationship? What if I had just survived a bout with a life-threatening illness and just wanted to get my confidence back? What if I suffered from depression and was trying to gain some self-esteem? Fortunately, none of these situations apply to me. I’m just a weirdo who likes to share my outfits with the entire world. But what if you said something hurtful to a person in one of those situations? Do you realize the damage you could do? Stop and think people. Stop. And. Think.
THE OUTFIT
Ahh…that elusive moment that comes around all too rarely. You know, when you find an item, whether it be shoes, jeans, or maybe a coat that is just absolute perfection. In this case it’s the striped tee I received from Shein. No, I am not just saying that because the top was gifted. It is honestly absolutely perfect, especially for right now when we’re transitioning between seasons. I call it a striped tee, but the material is far more substantial than typical tee shirt material. It’s not as thick as a sweatshirt; it’s more like a lightweight french terry. Just the right weight for when it’s slightly cool outside, yet it still drapes beautifully when you do a front tuck like I did today. It was actually warm enough to rock open toes again without socks. Originally I was going to wear my black peep toe booties, but decided the more prints the merrier and the bag added a nice little hit of red to spice things up.
THE TIP
I’ve offered tips previously for the print mixing beginners out there. This one is more on the semi-pro level; adding in a third print. The most important thing, in my opinion, is a cohesive color palette. The striped tee and windowpane print shirt tied at my waist (and yes, I wore it like that all day) are both obviously black and white so that means they play nice together. I then added the leopard wedges as a third print. Not only are the colors in the leopard within the same palette as the tops, but I also consider leopard to be a neutral that can be mixed in with most anything.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Striped tee: c/o Shein; Wedges: JustFab (Similar); Jacket: JCPenney (Similar); Jeans: GAP (Similar)
