The nicest (and easiest) way to say you hate someone or something is to blog. The best way to get photos of yourself out there for the masses to view (besides Facebook) is to blog about yourself. The best way to describe the love / hate relationship between politicians is to blog about it. The best way to let the world know about how big your baby is in your belly, how bad it hurt coming out and how fast it is getting bigger afterward is to blog about it. And, according to the slang dictionary above, bloggers do not have lives (agree to disagree). The best part of blogging is that you can say just about anything that you want and most of the world’s population will never even know the opinion exists. The beauty of blogging is just that, not every one has to know what one particular blogger has to say. But, beyond that beauty is the allure of knowing that everyone can know what one particular blogger has to say which is why most bloggers blog.
I am not going to flaunt this amazing opportunity called blogging because I am so far from the first person to realize this that it is almost shameful to say that I have just realized this; but I have realized it nonetheless. So, why did I decide to blog? Because I can. But, really, I decided to blog because I feel there is a lack of true lust towards true Southern culture, hostility and style. The only ‘racist’ remarks that people can make while still being politically incorrect are about Caucasian Southerns. Example: “That boy over there is just a redneck, I bet he can't even read.” If we were to really look at that statement and play it out, that boy would probably laugh and respond with “well, you may be right about my 7th grade reading level, but I sure as hell can till a field and feed an army with the amount of produce that I put on your table every year with my crops.” Never thought of that answer did you? And yes, we Southerners like Paula Dean’s cornbread and biscuits and we will always fix everything thats broken with WD-40 and duct tape. There is no shame or timidness there.
It is not just the men that get ridiculed for being a southerner. Women usually get hit harder. We southern women are “women folk” who should be “barefoot in the kitchen with a baby on our hip.” Granted, there is nothing wrong with that picture, but its not all of us. Southern women are also compared to songs like “Redneck Women,” and yes, most of us do know every line to every Tanya Tucker song and sure as hell are proud of it; and that's OK. We have all screamed at honkie tonks and line danced in our boots that we bought at the 3 for the price of 1 boot shop on Broadway in Nashville, TN. We also went to and SEC university and have one hell of an education.
Well, as I made clear above, this is my opinion and not everybody in the South, much less America, agrees with this. But I would bet that the majority of Southerners do agree. There is no joking about the “Pride of the Southland.” Our pride for our land, family, country and soldiers is forever unfading and defines what we stand for. I am not trying to step on the toes of northerners and Yankees, but I truly am Southern by the Grace of God.
Now that I have rambled on about the South and the marvels it holds to true Southerns, it brings me to the actual point of this blog. I have lived up north, New York, NY to be exact. The Mecca of rude and pushy people who really do move a lot faster than Southerners, talk faster than Southerners, think they are smarter than Southerners and hold the biggest industry in the world: fashion. Just because I am Southern does not mean that I own a farm, wear cowboy boots (but thank God they are ‘cool’) and a hat, wear my hair in pigtails and have no clue what is going on in the world. My whole life I have dreamt of being involved in that biggest industry in the world, fashion. When I was little, I would watch the fashion shows at 5am on E! (before it cared more about the Kardashians and Kristen & Rob). I was amazed and knew then I would have to be in this industry to be happy. I was accepted to the one and only FIDM in LA. I showed my Dad how much that pretty school was going to cost and he laughed a little, cried a little and said “why don’t you check out The University of Tennessee.” I then cried and did waht was I was asked. I got accepted to The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and was now wearing a very bright Orange.
This is where my whole tale really begins. I last minute decided to rush a sorority and jumped in head first to the Southern School experience at none other than The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. FIDM was out of my mind quicker than I could finish my first jello shot. I did not loose sight of the fashion industry, but mixers and date parties shoved that to the back burner. Studying an aspect of the fashion industry, selling it, is what I settled on at UTK. I loved it.
All of this changed when I got a call from one of the biggest fashion names in NYC, and was told I got the internship of a lifetime, be here in 4 weeks. I had to sit down, soak it up and pack.
Jumping forward 2 years, I am back in NYC, loving life and hating my job. It was not worth it to me. I had no yard, no dogs, no golf, and no SEC football games I could even think about attending. The draw of the South really brought me back down here. I worked it out to where I could work in the heart of this industry from my home town, Nashville. The music industry holds so much over what Fashion does, so I just moved to another Mecca of Fashion, Nashville, Tennessee.
This is where I am now, and my goal is to show how truly stylish and appealing southern style really can be. I never lost sight of my southernness when I was up north. I embraced being southern and was made fun of all the time, and just smiled at those Yankees because they just do not understand it. I am so proud of where I come from and the style which it encompasses. I would not change it for anything.
So, what is the straight point of this blog? (Now that the rambling has taken over, I’ll get back to the point.) To prove that having Southern Style is one of the best styles out there. We take the ideas of New York, Paris & Milan, mix it with some country music and boots and make it our own. We throw some of the most stylish parties and fashion shows in the world. There is a complete fashion scene here in the South and I have now jumped head first into it. I want to show everyone how being Southern is beautiful, stylish and sought after. I hope that I can do this and that you all enjoy it. Anyone who wants it or not, its always important to know that we Southerners love what we do and love having our Style that is Southern by the Grace of God.
