Wear Purple for International Women’s Day & Your Own Twist Link Up #18
It is time again for Your Own Twist which is a monthly series hosted by Monica of Jersey Girl, Texan Heart and myself where we showcase our own interpretations of a chosen style theme. We share the theme with you ahead of time in case you are interested in joining us. You can see the upcoming themes below if you would like to create your own post around the theme and share it with us in the link party at the end of the post.
With all the current strife and worry in the world right now, Monica and I nearly forgot about our monthly link up. But in an effort to keep some sense of normalcy in our lives that are changing more drastically than any of us could have imagined, we are going about business as usual. Happy distractions should be welcomed everywhere and we should try not to lose sight of certain issues that were once important to us. Even as these issues may seem irrelevant in the current atmosphere, things will eventually settle into new state of normal and our interest in the things we are passionate about will return.
We chose this month’s theme in honor of International Women’s Day which was celebrated on March 8 this year. It seems odd to me how long ago March 8 was. In just a matter of days, the world as we have always known it looks like a completely different place. A scarier place. A more uncertain place. A place that may require our survival instincts to operate at full force. And if we get to that point, both genders will be equally important to further nurture and grow our communities and rebuild our world in the aftermath of current events.
That being said, I am going to invite you to read an article that I shared on Medium in response to the writing prompt, “What Does The World Tell You About Who And How To Be? Expanding on the Be A Lady They Said Video.” If you are unfamiliar with this powerful reading of an inspiring yet haunting poem, you can watch it here before reading my response.
If you are interested in exploring your own thoughts on this topic, you can find the original writing prompt here. However, you may need to be a Medium subscriber to access it. But at $5 a month, this subscription is money well spent. There are so many wonderful writers who submit articles on just about any topic you can imagine. I have found so much helpful and inspiring content in this forum that I highly recommend it to all.
There is also a similar writing prompt for men here. Because when it comes to harmful messages delivered to us by society as a whole, no one is immune to the negative effects regardless of their gender. We have this strange way as human beings of collectively setting a standard for all that is nearly impossible for any to meet. I am not quite sure why we set ourselves up for this type of failure, but we have been doing it for generations. Although there are fantastic communities of people who have banded together over the years to advocate for changes in these ridiculous societal standards, we still have a lot of work to undo generations of negative messaging.
It also baffles me why the human mind is so ready to grab hold of negative feedback and internalize it so deeply that it has terrible psychological effects on us. Yet, any positive feedback we receive, we question it, we disbelieve it, we discount it, and we do all matter of things to not absorb it into our self image. Why do we resist the positive so whole heartedly while we remain so very open and vulnerable and ready to accept the negative? It is such a curious paradigm and perhaps one that I will address in my Baked Sage series on Medium.
Let me leave off here and let you all give some thought on these topics. Please feel free to write a response to any of the writing prompts I have shared above. Or if you love writing, go sign up for a Medium membership as well as join the Medium Partner Program where you can start generating some income from your passion.
Also be sure to visit Monica to see the details of her purple fashion! And remember, the discount code SHELBEE10 is still available for use if you are needing some fabulous indestructible tights or stockings. You will be glad to have your own pair of Sheertex tights if you are anticipating remaining fashionable during the apocalypse!
Get ready for our next Your Own Twist Link Up which will go live on April 16, 2020. We will be featuring our favorite boho looks in celebration of Earth Day!
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.
Shop my look…
Outfit Details: Coat-Torrid / Sweater-The Bon Ton / Skirt-Thrifted / Lace Extender-c/o Rosegal / Tights-Sock Dreams / Beret-TJ Maxx / Shoes-Aerosoles / Necklace and Earrings-Old
47 Comments
Anna Shirley
I know that in the light of the latest events in the world, something like fashion link-up might look unimportant. But we need to find happy moments every day, so why don’t to have a little fun and continue with our lives – as much as possible. I love your joyful purple outfit honoring the international women’s day. Stay safe, Shelbee.
Anna
http://www.glamadventure.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Anna! I agree with you…we should just keep doing our thing in blogland. Not only is it a pleasant distraction, but there is really nothing else to do! And since I work from home, just me and my laptop, there is no point in stopping now! Stay healthy, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
I love all of the purple!!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Jennifer! It is such a happy color!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Oh I love purple very much since I bought lilac ankle boots. And I have always been a fan of a monochrome look! Fabulous!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Nancy! I want your lilac boots! I have those fabulous purple velvet booties that I don’t wear often enough. The heel is super high so they are definitely sitting boots!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
Love all these different shades of purple in this look! Thanks for sharing these prompts. Need to check this out soon!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Kathrine! I do love style prompts myself because they give me new ideas.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
There’s where it all started with, with sitting it’s! Lol!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Haha! I know, right?! I still hold onto my siting shoes, too. Because I can’t give up on the cuteness.
xoxo
Shelbee
Anne M Bray
Wow! No more snow! My cousin, who used to post “Good Morning” photos when she walked her dog, left IG, so I’m no longer getting upstate NY weather reports. I miss her! I miss seeing my extended family’s seasonal outlook! The onus has now fallen upon your shoulders!!!!!!
Yeah, 3/8/2020 is a lifetime ago. A whole mindset ago. I’m going in to work today (for the first time since last Friday, which is also eons ago) to get files and a project from my fake boss. Otherwise, I’m home 24/7. With occasional forays out for Fresh Air. Trying to meet my hours quota for the money job (not salaried, I punch a time clock, and I’m tracking my time). The teaching job is a whole other complication — I still need to set up my computer configuration with a web cam and microphone (not in monitor) because we’re using Zoom for class meetings. Gah.
I really feel for you and all the parents who now have to home school. “They” say LA Unified will be out for the rest of the school year. Hang in there! I’ll keep posting worthwhile educational links for you on FB.
Try to stay sane! At least Spring is on the horizon. You can send The Beasts outside more often. Maybe have them do some tree identification? In May, foraging for edible plants? (skillz for the apocalypse)
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Anne, thanks so much for sharing resources with me! I will definitely take all the help I can get. I feel for you as well trying to figure out how to teach remotely. We are out of school until April 20, but I have a feeling that will change and the kids will not be back to school this year. The best we can do is do our best, right?! I am glad that the snow has moved out although I do still have a bunch of photos with snow in them…check back tomorrow for more North Country snow!
I am definitely looking forward to warm enough weather to go foraging in the woods! Beasts do better in the great outdoors than locked inside anyway! We are all about to learn a new way of life, aren’t we?
You hang in there as well, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Pam Ecrement
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all the purple!!!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Pam! It made me happy!
xoxo
Shelbee
Rena
Shelbee, purple and black … won’t go back. LOL. Great outfit and tribute to women. You know, I’m weeks away from retiring from the day job but I’m was not prepared for this whole WFH experience in basically social isolation. All things considered, it could be worse I guess. Take care and be well.
Rena
http://www.finewhateverblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Rena! I don’t think any of us could have prepared for such a situation! Stay safe and healthy, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
ellese
I love everything about this post, thank you.
Xo, Ellese
Rock.Paper.Glam.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Ellese!
xoxo
Shelbee
Ashley
Loving all the purple, Shelbee!!
Make Life Marvelous
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Ashley!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Wowzers, looking very nice. Love it and we should try to find as much normalcy as we can. Everyone’s world has changed and it may be scarier but it will return to what ever normal is. It may be a different normal but somewhat of a normal.
The funny thing is that I am being called a rebel anarchist because I am not sitting here curled up in the fetal position. I am trying to get out of the house at least twice a day and have some kind of normal life. I am taking the positive approach to this and trying to make it through.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Patrick! We will return to some sense of normal at some point. Heck, this might be our new normal. At least for a while, so rather than resist it, I guess it is better to try to adapt to it in a positive way. I am so confused by responses from people. Because it seems like the same people who are telling us to get outside for fresh air are the ones who then call us “part of the problem” when we step outside for fresh air. It is situation where you simply cannot do anything right! As a result, I have been hiding myself inside for fear of public chastisement!
xoxo
Shelbee
Darlene
I love all those shades of purple! Yes, we do need to strive for as much normalcy as possible. While it may seem trivial to talk about fashion, it’s these very distractions we need! I will definitely check out your response to the prompt this afternoon. Happy self-confinement! Lol!
xx Darlene
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Darlene, thanks so much! I tend to confine myself anyway since I work from home. So not much has changed for me except having to keep my kids busy and on task throughout the day. I will keep going with my distracting posts!
xoxo
Shelbee
mireille
I love purple!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Mireille! I go in phases with purple, but right now I am absolutely loving it! It makes me happy.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jacqui Berry
Great color on you Shelbee, not a shade I wear, but maybe I should. Jacqui x
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Jacqui! Oh, I think purple would look lovely on you!
xoxo
Shelbee
jodie filogomo
I love all the purple Shelbee. You have the best collection of tights ever.
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jodie! I want even more colors of tights now, too!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lauren Renee Sparks
I didn’t know you were supposed to wear purple for Intl Women’s Day. We wear it for Epilepsy Awareness in honor of my daughter. My fave color.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Lauren! I did know that purple represented Epilepsy Awareness but it is the “official” color for International Women’s Day as well. So two great causes represented by a vibrant, beautiful great color!
xoxo
Shelbee
Maureen
Bright and vibrant! It’s exactly what we need especially in the past few days when the world seemed to come to a halt. It is a scary time. But how we react is important too because it can make or break the next few weeks for us. Like you, I choose joy. I love your outfit Shelbee. The purple is striking and bold! I hope you are having a great week so far and also staying safe.
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Maureen! I am trying to stay positive and so far I have been just cruising along, accepting our new way of life. But things just keep getting weirder and weirder. It makes it difficult to stay motivated. Keep shining your light, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
First, you know how much I love purple, right? I adore everything about this outfit! So much purple-y goodness right there.
I’m going to go read the prompt, but I did want to comment about how we are so quick to internalize the negative while questioning the positive. Something I read in the last several months discussed how our brains are wired to seek danger, because back in our caveman days failing to notice that lion creeping up on us would be fatal. Unfortunately, our brain still does this, magnifying merely unpleasant situations into feeling like life and death. I would surmise that a little self-cognitive therapy can teach the brain to recognize when merely unpleasant doesn’t belong in the lion is going to eat me category.
I have a personality that tends to give credence only to the people in my inner circle, while being indifferent to everyone else. But I still have to work on it sometimes. The Corona virus is causing me some anxiety, but it really does kind of belong in the lion is going to eat me category. That said, once you see the danger and are following the precautions, the rational thing would be to chill out a little, because we are in this for the long haul. Unlike the lion where you live or die in a matter of minutes.
Well that went off on a bit of tangent!
Michelle
http://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michelle! I am glad that you enjoyed my purple outfit! And I always learn something new from you. That is a fascinating theory on why we grab on to the negative and it makes sense! But still, we are a very strange species. Anyway, I choose to not worry about the things out of my control because my anxiety will in no way impact the outcome. So I am just going with the flow and kind of feeling less stressed because I have no where to go, no where to be, and basically no responsibilities other than the ones that exist inside my home. Stay safe and healthy!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
I am also endeavoring to focus only on what I can control. Most of the time it works. And when I start to slip I get myself back on track. Oddly, as an introvert, I am enjoying the feeling of no pressure to socialize. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my friends, but some feel the need to get together more often than I do.
I’ve been trying to follow the science updates. I think you are on to something about this being the new normal for the foreseeable future.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
It’s funny how being ordered to stay inside, while it feels strange, it really does ease some pressure especially when I am in introvert mode. So we hang in and socialize online…which is very much my preference most of the time anyway!
xoxo
Shelbee
Anne/The Cajun Couple blog
You look great in purple! I have some Louisiana Iris blooming a beautiful shade of purple right now and loving it. Take care, Anne
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Anne, thanks so much! Oh, I bet that Louisiana Iris is absolutely beautiful! We have nothing blooming in Northern New York yet. In fact, it is snowing right now. Where is spring?!
xoxo
Shelbee
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Karren Haller
Just stopping by to say I hope you are staying safe and to let you know that your post is part of the Friday Features on Oh My Heartsie Girls Linkup this week!
Stay safe!
Hugs
Karen
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you so much, Karren! I am flattered and filled with gratitude that you found my post worth featuring. We are doing well. I hope you are staying safe, healthy, and sane!
xoxo
Shelbee
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