Ridiculous, Moi? (An Open Letter to the Haters)

Not Dressed Equally Lamb: ridiculous? Yes, maybe!

On Thursday I checked my web log stats and saw there'd been an enormous surge of hits in the space of one hour.

And, as you I'm sure you all do, I checked to run into where the traffic had come from, and information technology was mostly all from one source. And boy, what I read really fabricated me laugh, admitting in a rather self-masochistic mode.

To summarise, a mum calling herself "1234ThumbWar" asked for way advice on a mums' web forum:



… in reply to which "MinnieBar" gave a recommendation with a link to my blog. Which was really nice of her, of course, and great for my stats. Now obviously this wasn't the bit that made me express mirth. No, information technology was the resulting reactions to my outfits that were so entertaining. And believe me, they were non positive – far from it, in fact:



(If yous desire to read the actual forum yourself, here's the link:
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/1135530-Best-style-blogs)

I have been very lucky so far to escape whatever directly negative comments on my blog; I'm sure the mean solar day will come. But when I've been mentioned in forums outside of fashion blogging the response has not been and then positive – and this was clearly no exception.
Once the comments had sunk in, and although I knew I wasn't bothered, information technology dawned on me that I was in fact annoyed. What got me – and I'm being truly honest hither – was not the fact that they said I look ridiculous/had only pissed myself/really am dressed as lamb (I don't care, I've heard it all before from my mostly-joking elder brother).

No, it was the fact that someone took the time to respond and gave a link to my weblog, thinking that 1234ThumbWar might get some inspiration… and she has effectively been told that her suggestion was ridiculous. I'd rather someone say I looked ridiculous than boring and then it was a "whatever" from me, but poor MinnieBar, I wonder how the comments made her experience?

Information technology is, in fact, merely like beingness at school: The instructor asks the form for answers to a question to which at that place's no correct or wrong respond. Y'all accept a call back and reckon yous've got a valid, intelligent answer. You enhance your manus and give your answer. Before the teacher'due south had a chance to reply, several of your classmates – who are supposed to be your friends – turn round and laugh and point at y'all for coming upwardly with such a stupid response. The teacher may well have liked your answer, but you already feel about this big… and you determine non to suggest anything once again. Yep – it's playground mentality.

I didn't see any request from 1234ThumbWar for any critiques of suggested fashion blogs. She didn't give a list of blogs and enquire for opinions; she merely asked for suggestions. If others didn't like the mode of the bloggers listed, why was it necessary to give their ain negative opinions on them when they weren't asked to do that? Surely she should have been allowed to make upwardly her ain mind every bit to whose mode she liked, and whose she didn't.

Spots and stripes and Bowie… probably a bit ridiculous, merely who cares? I liked it.

So if 1234ThumbWar thinks I looks stupid, fine – not everyone will love what I'grand wearing, I go that (I wouldn't have started blogging if I were over-sensitive to people's opinions). Merely what if she'south looked at i or two of my outfits and thought, I would never accept put carmine and pink together, or mixed stripes and polkadots; mayhap I'll give that a try? I can't run across her trying some of those styles now that she's read comments saying I'g ridiculous – which is a total shame.

What also gets me downward is that the website is a forum for mums. Women raising children and instilling beliefs and values in them every twenty-four hour period. And so with their comments in mind, what kind of values practise they teach their children? Are they as quick to criticise their children, their partners, other people, other women in real life – gosh, I do hope not. Just I can't see how they would be the sort of mothers to instill a sense of tolerance and credence of other people, to accept what others do and similar and believe in… and wear. My female parent always taught me that if yous tin't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

And so although I won't be joining their discussion directly myself (I'm neither a parent nor an adversary), in my quest to be constructive I thought I'd give a few examples of some of my favourite non 20-something bloggers who I call back deserve a special mention for not dressing in the socially accepted "age-advisable" [she rolls eyes] fashion. If those mums idea I looked ridiculous, I'm sure they wouldn't see these women for what they really are: creative, fearless and downright fabled (I wish I were more like them – I feel quite wearisome by comparison)! So these lovely ladies are only for you, dear fashion bloggers.

Rita featured @ Advanced Manner

Kasmira @ What I Wore 2Day

L-R: Desiree @ Pull Your Socks Up, Sacramento @ Mis Papelicos

And a special mention goes to Audrey Leighton (Exist Frassy) – I love this girl's style because she wears fabulous, totally crazy outfits and pulls it off every time. And although she's but a twenty-something, you only know she'll still be dressing this way in 40 years' time:

Audrey @ Be Frassy

Take yous noticed what all these fabulous ladies have in common? I don't mean pattern mixing, or rule breaking, or bright colour palettes… it's that they all look then happy. Yes, if wearing crazy-ass outfits make you that happy, then who is anyone to criticize.

Just as a final annotation, I'd like to thank the very sugariness "AgeingFop" who came to my defense force on that forum (I likewise dear her attitude to style):

andersonconalothe1964.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.notdressedaslamb.com/2012/02/musing-ridiculous-moi.html

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