Final Freshman Seminar

Community

 

I believe that there is community on social media it just depends on how you put it together and how you use it. You can form a positive community on social networks such as twitter or even Facebook. Facebook is a great way nowadays that people are coming together as communities, such as putting a business out and advertising themselves. It's pretty great. I know my father used it for his campaign; he created a like page for people to keep up with him and what he was doing on his campaign trail.

 

To me, it's all about who you want in your community and who you want to let in into what you're doing. My personal community on social media is really just with my friends and keeping up with those that I left back home. All the people that I was close with when we graduated, it's all about creating a community with them and keeping up with them and letting them know how much I miss them and we'll be together again soon. That's about it for me!

 

 

 

Always,

Nia Imani

Fashion Website Review

Nia Williams

November 15, 2013

English 1010

Mrs. Koester

Review

   Both Elle Magazine and Vogue Magazine are great fashion magazines online and do their job very well informing women who are excited to learn and search more about fashion and anything else that that women may be looking for, but Elle is doing a better job because of their organization, appealing appearance and clear cut navigation rather than Vogue.

   

   Elle and Vogue magazines have both been around for a long time and have developed far enough to be posted online. But both websites possess pros and cons which can hinder the website usage by some. Elle has a very clear cut design using black and white which makes it very simple looking and still very appealing because black and white is a classic combination which is a great route to take. Vogue uses the same approach but adds a pop of color: red, which is a great approach, too because black, white and red can still be considered very simple and classic just the same as black and white. Another great asset that both websites hold is the speed of the websites. Both move like the speed of lightening and are able to switch from one subject to another without even having to load for a very long time.

   

   As well as there are pros, there are also cons and differences between the two that make one of them not so great as the other one. Vogue magazine is the one that holds the most negatives to me rather than Elle. Vogue’s website has a lot of advertisement and not saying that that’s absolutely horrible, but it just takes away from the website and trying to explore what they’re all about. Instead it gives you a bunch of other sites who, yes, they’re relevant to the magazine, but it goes overboard and it makes their website look a little crowded. As for Elle, they have advertisements, too but theirs doesn’t look so crowded or like they have too much on one page.

   

   Another positive that Elle and Vogue both have is that sometimes when you open a new page on a website or something, it’ll open up a new window or a new tab. Thankfully, neither one of these sites do that which makes is absolutely wonderful because that can be extremely irritating. Another thing that both websites both have is that they both have the same topics that I think are very appealing to women. Nowadays, it’s not extremely hard to find a magazine that can appeal to your personal taste, but sometimes the information given about whatever topic a woman could be looking for is stupid. It can be really corny and sometimes it can leave you feeling like you don’t have the information that you came looking for which is quite upsetting. And while they both have interesting topics, within those topics they have articles that I think appeal to all women as well.

   

   Lastly, one thing that I noticed that Elle has that Vogue doesn’t is that they have pictures inside their topics so you can kind of get a glimpse of whatever the topic is. Of course it may be very clear with words, but sometimes having pictures helps because there are visual people out here that like stuff like that.

   

   All in all, Elle seems to be doing a better job on their website rather than Vogue because Elle is more clear cut and is more orderly and organized to me rather than Vogue. They have points that make their website look better and just seem to be a better running site than Vogue. They both have thriving points though, but Elle is just exceeding Vogue a little more.

November 14th 1994 #NiaDay #SheMeHerIs19 !!

She, Me, Her is 19!!!!!

   I just recently turned 19-years old and so I thought for my final post this semester (tears drip here), why not post my birthday fits!

   If I may say so myself, I think I definitely did my birthday outfits and did them very well. I actually struggled a little bit about what to wear on my actual birthday and for my birthday dinner. But it's actually kind of weird how it all panned out though because I actually think of outfits sometimes in my sleep and that's exactly what happened. Now, I'm not gonna lie! Whenever I think of my outfits in my sleep, once I actually put them on, they don't always look as good as they did in my dream, but then again they sometimes work out really well to.

   Actual birthDAY outfit:

   For this outfit, I wanted to go with a sort of grunge kind of look. You see I have the sweatshirt, the leggings, the high socks and the plaid shirt tied around the waist. I really liked this look! And it looked great on me (pats my own back).

   Birthday dinner outfit:

   This outfit came together in my mind instantly. I was actually trying to decide between a jumper I have or this outfit and once I put this on, there was no way that I was changing. I loved it! I had a fabulous birthday and most importantly to ME, I looked fabulous. Of course there was no way that I was going to have it any other way, but just the fact that it all came together was fabulous.

   As far as my birthday attitude, it was wonderful! Everything I wanted to do was wonderful! I'm so excited that I'm growing, changing and flourishing into a wonderful woman that I want to be. That other people desire and hope for me to be. And in the process of growing and flourishing that I'm looking snatched ALWAYS! <3

   Now if you think I'm going to stop blogging because my English class is over, you're crazy! I love this! So stay with me, don't leave me because I'm still going to teach how to get snatched, hunny! MUAHHH!

Fashionably Yours Always,

Nia Imani

Birthday Outfit:

|Sweatshirt: Gifted|

|Plaid Shirt: Target|

|Socks: Forever 21|

|Combat Boots: Borrowed|

Birthday Dinner Outfit:

|Blazer: Belk|

|T-Shirt: Gap|

|Harem Pants: Urban Outfitters|

|Heels: Target|

My First Semester !

IT'S ALMOST OVERRRRRR!

   My first semester is over and I can't believe it! But throughout this class I have learned so much about how to use different methods of social media! I've learned new ways to tweet using:

   I've learned how to really make twitter work for me using different methods like creating lists and making different groups.

   This class has had a big impact on me because I am a total social media lover! I use all types of social media from:

to

to

   So it taught me new ways to be able to make all these networks work for me and how to work them better. I'm definitely going to take advantage of Storify because I could see myself making stories when I'm totally bored and it gives me a chance to Facebook or Tweet whatever I'm making a story about and let people see the things that I'm interested in and the things and people that I find appealing to me.

   Using social media is also a great part of life because it also helps with networking with others. Others meaning people who are in your specific career path or people you want to get to know or even connecting with old friends, current friends, family members, etc. It's a great invention for everyone to use and so to be able to learn new ways to know how to use it and make those connections better and faster is a great resource to obtain. I'm definitely grateful for my class that taught me everything about social media and making it work better for me!

Boys, Boys, Boys

   So of course, I couldn't just run a fashion blog and talk about my little ladies and forget all about my little guys. Although, this post isn't focused around the same age of girls that I did. This one is going to focus on boys ages we'll say 6-10 years old.

   There are just as many exciting pieces out there for little guys as there are for any other ages. I find it a little easier to dress boys rather than girls because it's not that their options are limited, but that's really what it is! Now, do I find this a "sad" factor? Absolutely not! I believe whole-heartedly in working with what you got and with what you got you can make that work to the best of your ability and still look amazing!

   Some of my favorite places for little boys to browse through are the same as the sites I got for my little girls and that's also one of the great things about shopping for kids. You can find them on the same sites; except for Forever 21. They don't carry clothes for little boys. But sites like:

• zarakids.com
• gapkids.com

   They have them all! Here are a couple of  winter pieces that I really admired on Zara's and Gap!

Plain Colored Knit Cardigan via Zara Kid's

Knitted Cardigan via Zara Kid's

Trousers w/ Belt via Zara Kid's (I LOVE this color by the way)

Casual Leather Ankle Boot via Zara Kid's

Leather Desert Boot via Zara Kid's

Cable Mockneck Sweather via Gap Kid's

Peacoat via Gap Kid's

   I'd say our little guys are greatly prepared for the wintertime! Happy shopping!(:

Fashionably Yours,

Nia Imani

Fashion Manifesto

Nia Williams

October 22, 2013

English 1010

Instructor Koester

Manifesto

   As I walk around from day to day, I observe certain things. I see people, I see places and I see things. But one of the saddest things that I think I could ever lay my eyes upon is a messed up, badly-dressed child. I can’t even fully express how much it hurts me, scares me, and makes me just want to snatch them up and help them. And then what will make it even worse and make me want to throw myself on the ground and cry is that their parents (generally the mom), looks absolutely flawless! Does anyone observe the problem there? Because there is definitely a problem there!

   

   It is beyond me as to why parents can walk out the house after having spent so much time on themselves that they just neglect their child(ren) and think that it’s ok. It absolutely is NOT! Your child is a reflection of yourself, a reflection of how you look, how you think, how you act. Your child is a piece of yourself. So when I see a child that looks like they just came out of wardrobe and makeup for Annie, yeah, I just think that their parents, (AGAIN! Mainly the mother), needs help. Parents demonstrate real issues letting their child go out in different states as such. For instance, letting a child go out with their hair uncombed: that is absolutely atrocious and uncalled for. Letting a child go out wearing a shirt that is too small or pants that are too high (often called high-waters), is absolutely revolting! A child shouldn’t have to be exposed to such horrible measures of life. You have money, clearly because you look so good, so why not take the time and money to spend it on your child. Some parents can be considered extremely selfish and really superficial for doing so and that is not love or care. Should they lose their child for such ugly measures? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It’s not even that serious, but as the same time it is. So therefore, that is why We SNATCH & Then We SNATCH Group is here!

   

   We are here to help the children and school the parents in all different aspects of fashion. We believe that as much as you need to looked snatched and well put together, so does your child and if you neglect to be able to do so. We believe that all families should have chance to walk around in fashionable peace and look good together. We don’t believe that they should be harmed in any unethical way, but we will go to the necessary measures to make sure that we are bettering our fashion world and we all look good together. Therefore, it’s only necessary and we see it it fit to automatically place you and your child in our program to teach you how to do better, since you can’t seem to be better already. We go by 9 rules in our program:

• When we think you need help, go with your gut feeling and help.
• The client is never right, they’re always in denial.
• Always make sure the parents and children fully understand their place.
• Always hold the parents accountable.
• Show compassion, understanding and love to the children.
• Make sure the parents fully understand what to do next.
• Make sure the children will hold their parents accountable.
• Never underestimate who you’re dealing with.
• Make sure they leave our presence UNDENIABLY snatched! (Because if not that will come back on us and we just cannot have that).

   Should one of our group members not follow these rules there are major consequences. Not only will they not be allowed to be a part of our group anymore, but they are not allowed to speak our name, contact any of us anymore, etc. We hold our job to a very high aspect because there are families in need that need our help and when you can’t follow the simple rules to help them, it shows that you don’t care at all and that’s not what we’re about.

   Parents, we’re all about helping you all to become better people and learn from your mistakes that you’ve made. And that’s ok because that’s what mistakes are all about: learning so you won’t do it again. We believe in making everything better and seeing you all leave in a fashionable manner. There are no laws or acts or political jargon that can go into this specific topic, so therefore we can’t sue you or anything. But we don’t even need to bring the government into this because we got this! We got you! We’re going to teach you and guide you so you’ll be able to dress your child accordingly and guide them.

   Children, we wouldn’t dare harm you little angels because you all have done nothing wrong except stand aside and be dressed in absolute monstrosities of outfits. And we understand that you couldn’t stop it or tell your parents to stop, but that’s what our group is here for. To teach your parents, so they can teach you all. Now provided that you all are in our program, we’ll also teach you all as well how to do little things by yourself. Such as: say ‘NO’ when someone wants to get you dirty. Teach you how keep your hair kept up for our little ladies. Teach you how to say ‘NO’ to high-water pants for our little boys and girls. And for our boys we’ll show you how to keep your shirt tucked in when needed for the outfit because we understand that you all forget sometimes and that’s ok, that’s why we’re here.

   Parents have got to do better and that’s what our group is here for. We’re fed up with the fashionable monstrosities put out on these kids and we want everyone to look great! We want parents to understand that their kids don’t have to look like they’ve been snatched out of a homeless shelter; they can look like they’ve been snatched right off the runway for Gap Kids! And that’s what we like to say. That’s what other citizens like to see. We like to see that kids can look just as good as their parents and that others can tell that there’s been time put into them. But until we can reach every family that needs our help, we continue our search. The search for those neglecting parents who just don’t seem to care. Don’t worry precious angels, we’re on our search, we’re looking for you to help you fashionably.

Men's Fashion

   If there isn't one thing that I love more than a man, it's a man in a suit or even a man dressed up! There's so many exciting things out there for a man willing to be fashionable and when I say fashionable, to me, that doesn't mean a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and some matching shoes or sneakers. A fashionable man to me is a man in a suit! A man who knows how to do color blocking! A man who just walks in a room and you say, "YES! He did that outfit today!"

   Now I know some of you all may be wondering what in the world is color blocking? Color blocking is an outfit that consists of finite blocks of color. So for instance here are 2 examples of color blocking:

   So with these 2 pictures you observe that there are more than one color put together, but they all work! For instance, the first picture he has the blue blazer, green slacks and a bowtie, (which by the way I absolutely adore bowties), combines 2 of the colors so it seems. In the next picture, they've color blocked using green and orange which works very well with the brown shoes he has. It's all a matter of finding what colors really work together. As my "other mother", Zakiyyah tells me: "It doesn't have to match, but it has to make sense."

   There are notable men in my life and in the celebrity world that I observe their fashion. I watch them closely and see how well they put their outfits together. To some they may seem very outrageous and some would say that it doesn't match, but remember our new rule! So it may not match, but it definitely works! Take a look at the men that I observe at how careful and well put together their outfits are:

Fonzworth Bentley

Gospel Artist, VaShawn Mitchell

My Pastor, Pastor André Landers

My Daddy, Vince Williams

University of Memphis student, Keon Prewitt

   Aren't they all so handsome looking?! I think so!(:

Fashionably Yours,

Nia Imani

Little Girls

Dressing The Little Girls

   If there isn't one thing that I love more than dressing myself, it's having the opportunity to style a little girl. Now, I have no children of my own and I'm pretty happy for that because I am way too young, but at the same time I do dream about what I'm going to be dressing my little girl in. Fortunately for me, there are lots of websites out there that I love looking at for little girls!

   Websites being:

• laceylaneshop.com
• forever21.com (YES they do sell kids clothes)
• gapkids.com
• zarakids.com
• oldnavy.com

   Nowadays, I'm finding that all the shops out there that I love to shop at most of the time time have a kids section as well. It's becoming very clear that kids have to look just as snatched as us women do because kids are a reflection of their mamas. So therefore, when you're looking snatched, why should your child have to run around looking like some type of ragamuffin that appeared out of an Annie musical?! NO MA'AM! As much time as you spend on yourself, spend it on your kids, too.

  Like I said, though I'm not a mother, I do like the browse around not only for my dreaming mind, but I have "sisters" and other "mothers" who have kids that I love to refer cute finds to. Here are some selections that I absolutely fell in love with on Zara Kid's and Lacey Lane.

Charlie Suspender Bloomers via Lacey Lane

Sayla Petals Shorts via Lacey Lane

Josey Blouse via Lacey Lane

Summah Large Bow Clip via Lacey Lane

Printed Jeans via Zara Kid's

Printed Trousers via Zara Kid's

Floral Basketball Boot via Zara Kid's

Metallic Leather Boot via Zara Kid's

Trenchcoat via Zara Kid's

   Now if those are not some of the CUTEST pieces you've ever seen in your life, I don't know what are. I absolutely love all of those! Especially the little trenchcoat. Most of the pieces that I picked and even the focus of this post is based on girls ages 3-36 months, which is 3 years old in years (I had to look it up to be sure). All in all, check out these websites and make sure you're little diva in training is on the right path to growing up snatched!

Fashionably Yours,

Nia Imani

Deena Poythress : Styling & Profiling

Nia Williams

Instructor Koester

English 1010

September 30, 2013

Profile: Deena J. Poythress

   Driving through Hampton, GA with her 2 kids in tow and her musician husband, Deena J. Poythress, 33, has no time on her hands except for work and her family. She’s a dedicated wife and mother, but most importantly it’s the passion and dedication to her work as a stylist that makes her as great as her other two jobs. Starting off as a little girl fascinated with Barbie and her many clothes, Deena has elevated herself from styling plastic Barbie dolls to styling actors and musicians. But it doesn’t stop there because it’s only the beginning for her. She has many hopes and dreams for the future, herself, and fashion. She’s seen who she was and what fashion was. She knows who she is now and what fashion is now. And she’s optimistic and adventurous to find out for what’s to come for her and for fashion.

   Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Deena always loved clothes. She was always fascinated by fashion and style. Like all little girls, Barbie was the inspiration to dress up and play around with various outfits. She loved all the different outfits that Barbie had and was fascinated that she had so many! As she got older, she started picking up magazines and looking at the various trends and, once her mom allowed her to start dressing herself, she started developing a fashion sense of her own. While studying marketing at Tuskegee University, she still had a burning passion for fashion. “My parents were paying for school, so therefore I had no choice but to study marketing.” Deena states. She looked into possibly transferring into a program at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in California, often called FIDM, but found that it was rather expensive and turned down the thought.

   While she was still in college, Deena worked at a small boutique near Auburn University called Behind the Glass. Once she graduated she was able to elevate her career from manager to becoming assistant buyer for the boutique despite her degree. From there, her fashion career started going up and up! She moved from Alabama to Atlanta and began styling by taking on various jobs from styling artists for album covers, to styling actors for films and TV shows. Before the elevation of her career, she had hit a wall where she hated managing Behind the Glass and decided that if it wasn’t going to go up from where she was she either needed to give up or find another outlet for fashion and start building her portfolio. She finds it a blessing that she’s made it to where she is in which her title is now a contracted assistant wardrobe stylist.

   What exactly is an assistant wardrobe stylist you might ask? Well, as Deena describes it, “I purchase all the clothes for the designer. So, I’ll be at the stores in the mall when it opens and I’ll be there until they close. I’ll bring all the clothes to the set and lay them out for the designer to choose what they want. My day probably starts at about 9 and doesn’t end till about 11.” she says. Hectic I know! You probably wonder how she even manages that and her musician husband, Abe and her two kids, Aiden, 5 and Zoe, 2. And even with the 2 she has she still wants to expand her family. But she does give some helpful advice for anyone who may want to pursue the type of career she has. “On a creative level, it would have been much easier for me if I’d started my career first and then had a family later. So, that’s probably the advice I would give is that if you want to do this job, focus on this job first and worry about the family later.” Though she has her hectic job and family, she still talks about adding more jobs to the resumé. “I would love to get into interior decorating and event planning. But nothing that I would have to go back and stay in school for a long time for.” In the meantime, until she starts these ventures, she loves spending her own time doing absolutely nothing except sitting in her pajamas on the couch and watching her favorite movie, Sweet Home, Alabama.

   Deena’s personal style and choices is something worth marveling at; she describes her fashion as, “Vintage. Comfortable. Easy.” She loves jewel tones such as emeralds and rubies. Colors are also a favorite for her; she loves fall colors: deep, rich colors. But what she does try to stay away from is wearing trends that have become overdone. “Right now, for me, it’s leather sleeves. Like, I have a blazer with leather sleeves and I love it, but it’s starting to get played out. When you start to see it everywhere, that’s how you know a trend is on its way out.” according to her.

   I asked Deena what she sees in the future for herself and for fashion. As far as future plans for herself, she says she’d love to open a trendy store for women. “I’d love to have a store for women to come in if they’re feeling down or something. Have them come in and have it feel familiar and make it a setting for them to feel at home and get a jolt of fabulosity and then go on with their day!” And she tells me that as far as fashion goes, “I’m interested to see the technology that’s going to merge with fashion. Anything that can make a job easier is great, but as far as clothing goes, I’m interested in seeing how it’s gonna work.”

   Deena is a woman of fashionable excellence! From growing up dressing Barbie, to dressing herself, to dressing various artists and actors there’s nowhere for her to go from up. Jumping the wall of going to school for what her parents paid for, to still coming out pursuing her passion it shows that she has drive and there’s nothing and no one to stop her. She focuses hard on her career and she loves it: passion at its best. Before our interview ended, I asked Deena if there’s a quote that she lives by for her fashion; she tells me, “Know who you are, and adorn yourself accordingly.” She has certainly proved that she knows who she is and she’s excited about it and at the same time adorns herself accordingly with flawless fashion sense. She knows who she was and what fashion was. She knows who she is now and what fashion is now. And she has a burning passion and excitement to find out what the future has for her and for fashion.

Mrs. Deena J. Poythress

Fall Is Coming! Fall Is Coming!

I AM SOOO EXCITED!!!

   I know you're probably wondering what has me so excited and it's the fact that fall is really coming now! It's as if this weather played a trick on all of us. For the longest time it seemed like our summer was going to keep on until I don't know when, but now out of nowhere we have all this coolness and really cold nights. And it's only getting me more and more excited for fall/winter fashion!

   I thought that I would share a few pieces that I found online that I really liked and *cross fingers, knocks on wood and prays hard* that I'll be able to purchase.

Uggs w/ Bows

Minnetonka Mocassins

Floral Print Scarf via GAP

Sweaters via Urban Outfitters

Oxfords via Urban Outfitters

   So, as you can see, I am clearly picking out pieces that I'm truly excited about. In the fall/winter, I don't believe that there should be a slacking in fashion. It's actually my favorite time of the year to get all cute and stay looking snatched! Though most of the season my fashion will consist of sweatshirts, long sweaters and shirts, leggings and boots. But every now and then I'll mix it up with a pair of cords and a warm blouse or even a skirt and some tights.

   There are so many options to explore for fall/winter! And as we get more into the season, I will be posting more and more of what I'm loving and what I see, so you can go snatch it up! But I'll also be delving into fall/winter no-no's as well so you know what not to snatch up.

Fashionably Yours,

Nia Imani

Get It Together! It Is NOT That Cold!

LET'S GET IT TOGETHER!!!!    

    Ladies! Let's get one thing together. We all know that there is a time and a season for every piece of clothing that we own. For some, fall/winter may be our favorite time of the year and it irks me so much to see women getting overly excited about boot season by WEARING THEIR BOOTS TOO EARLY IN THE SEASON! Generally in the south, you won't pull out your tall boots till maybe the end of October/early November'ish and it should stay that way unless the cold hits us really early which generally doesn't happen.

   Now, some may be confused by what type of boots I'm referring to. I'm referring to boots such as these:

Uggs

Tall Boots

Mocassins

   Let's not get into the habit ladies that as soon as a little cool air hits us at night or we get some very cool breezes during the day that we decide to pull out our tall, yet hot fall/winter boots. Now I understand that for some they may be very comfortable in that and they don't get hot during the day and I'm not trying to knock anyone's style; but since I am blogging about fashion advice, I would advise you NOT to do so because you look crazy as all get up walking around in some tall, hot boots while I'm still walking around in shorts and some sandals!

   The only types of boots that I personally deem necessary to be year-round boots are combat boots.

   I love combat boots and I find them to be a great touch to any type of outfit. You can pair them with a cute skirt and a nice blouse. Or you can wear them with shorts and they always work well with a pair of skinny jeans! THESE boots ladies, I encourage you to wear year-round, but tall boots, I discourage you from doing so except in seasons necessary: fall/winter.

Fashionably Yours My Snatchers in Training,

Nia Imani 

Freshman Seminar -- #UofMNights

     So, I am part of a freshman community learning group and my group is heavily based around social media. One of my FAVORITE topics to talk about.! And, it is 3:53AM and I have to wake up in approximately 6-7 hours. That's wonderful, but still I'm not going to want to get up though. I just finished my assignment for this class and let me tell you something: THE STRUGGLE IS TOO REAL!!!!!!

     These college nights really will get you caught up. You meet different people everyday and every night and you all begin a bond! That's really awesome, but it's good to also find a balance between social life and working life. And trust me, I know it's hard because I'm still trying to juggle it all myself. No one is perfect and no one will have everything all figured out the first time, but I'm still learning. So that's why I titled my Storify that you all need to check out by the way, U of M Nights...... 

     My late nights, early mornings are really the things that I think college is all about. Having discussions with other classmates, laughing, talking, eating and just everyone chilling and being themselves. To me, that's what college is all about. Those are the events that make college memorable. And yes, though I need to balance my late nights, early mornings life a little better, I still will continue to indulge in these types of nights with my fellow students. Those are the memories that matter, those are the types of stories I'll tell my children and my grandchildren. To me, being with others and just having fun, that's what life is all about.




Check me out on Storify though and check out my story: http://storify.com/loveis_vintage/u-of-m-nights

Memoir

Nia Williams

Instructor Koester

English 1010

September 10, 2013

Memoir

              “C’mon, Nia! You’ve got to smile for the camera! Your dress looks absolutely lovely and you shouldn’t be upset about it. There’s no need for you to be scared; Chelsea is right here.” A few minutes went by and I still wasn’t smiling; I was still on the stool sniffling and angry. “If you don’t straighten up, it’s possible that you’ll be sitting on the wall at recess for your behavior. There are other kids that have to take pictures, too, so you need to get it together or you can sit here in the corner until you’re ready.” The cameraman was pointing at the corner and looked at me with a serious look on his face and I didn’t like it one bit. I was already wallowing in my anger about my outfit and I didn’t appreciate that he was talking to me like this. I was a spoiled 5-year old who simply wanted to display how she was feeling to everyone! I didn’t care that there were other people behind me, I didn’t care that I could possibly miss out on recess with my best friend, Kristen. I didn’t even care that she would be upset with me that I got in trouble. I just wanted to continue drowning in my feelings about the fact that my mother put me in this ugly blue dress on the exact day that I was expected to take a picture.

            That morning, I was extremely excited. It was picture day at Counterpane. I was most excited to see what I was going to be wearing that day though. My mommy dressed me everyday and I didn’t know what she had planned for me that morning, but I knew it was going to be something cute, something with pretty colors, and something fashionable. At this time in my life, I might not have even known how to spell ‘fashion’, but I knew what I liked and what I didn’t like and for a 5-year old that’s making fashion statements. 

           I did my usual routine of hopping out of my wooden, twin-sized bed with my Winnie the Pooh sheets and skipping merrily to the bathroom to use the restroom. I always took a while doing this because I had to sing while I was on the toilet, this was just part of my happy child nature. By the time I finished singing, Jesus Loves Me about 2-3 times I would be ready to go speak to my parents. The smell of crackling, sizzling bologna was wafting throughout the whole house and it was the greatest alarm clock to me. As I walked straight from the bathroom and around the corner to the kitchen I walked in to see my daddy standing at the stove creating the delicious smell. He told me ‘Good Morning’ and then seated me in my chair for breakfast. A delicious meal of eggs and grits filled my little stomach within minutes and I was ready to see my mommy so that I could get dressed for picture day.

           When I walked in their room to see her she greeted me with a gorgeous smile, a big hug and a kiss. I told her that I was ready to get dressed for school and she got up and led me to her closet. When she opened the door, it was then that she revealed the monstrosity of what she and the designer called a “cute dress”. It was instantly then that my day was ruined. Everything inside of me just wanted to yell at her and run all over the house in every room, every closet, and in every window yelling to the mountaintops, yelling to God Himself how much I hated this dress and how ugly it was and how I would NOT be putting it on for my picture. I came to myself from my thoughts and I looked up at my mommy with a look of such disdain that I thought she could’ve been scared that some demon had attacked my body and I was the next omen child.

        “What’s wrong, Nia?” she asked me.

        “I don’t want to wear that dress. It’s ugly. I want to wear something else.” I told her in a monotone voice. I don’t think she fully understood how upset I was at this moment, because I was hot, I’ll even say that I was a little hurt that she was going to make me wear this. Her own child. I thought she loved me more than this.

          “Well, you’re not wearing anything else because I already ironed this dress. So c’mon so you can get dressed for school.” she scoffed at me and then walked towards the bathroom, expecting for me to follow. At that very moment, I looked down at the blue green carpet in their room and began crying my eyes out. I didn’t know what else to do. I wasn’t happy, I was upset, and it seemed like she didn’t even care.

             The rest of my morning began to go on like usual. My daddy drove me to school, and I sat in the back holding my purple and green lunchbox feeling the fresh warmness from my bologna sandwich, but I wasn’t as perky as I usually was. I looked outside at all the trees we were passing, I could still only think about the fact that I had on this ugly light blue dress that stopped at my knees. I wanted to rip off the frilly collar that had all the ugly yellow flowers on it. I literally would’ve been more satisfied taking a picture in my underwear, panties, frilly socks and black Mary-Jane’s rather than this ugly looking dress! Eventually, we pulled up to my school and one of the older kids were there to greet me and escort me to class. My daddy kissed me, told me he loved me and I got out of the car. Some of the older girls told me my dress was really cute and in that moment, if it was a relevant term then, I would’ve stuck my little hand in their face and told them to swerve and I would’ve walked myself to class. But since that didn’t actually happen, I was escorted to my class and I walked in and saw all the other boys and girls in their nice picture outfits and I looked down at mine: a hot, ugly mess!

My day continued to drag on: complete the pink tower here, do some preposition work there, have snack with Kristen, play mom to the classroom and wash everyone’s dishes and then came picture time. 

             My anger was still building up inside of me and a new feeling began to emerge with this anger. I was becoming scared. I was scared to take my picture; not only for the fact that I had on this ugly dress, but just scared because I was 5-years old and I just got randomly scared to go take this picture by myself. I was all alone. When it was my turn, I began to cry, and I’m not just talking about a tear here, a tear there kind of cry. I’m talking about my voice was raising into a scream, heavy breathing, slight choking on my spit, coughing because I was choking, snot oozing out of my nose, falling down on the ground crying! It was a disgusting display, and yet, I couldn’t stop it. The only thing that would calm me down was if Chelsea Ward, Kristen’s older sister, came with me to take the picture.

         As Chelsea and I walked out hand-in-hand from my bright classroom into the dark halls towards the front on the school to the cameraman, my crying situation seemed to have calmed down into a pout and looks of pure, obvious anger. I walked in, still holding Chelsea’s hand tight and stopping at the doorway and gazing at the room. I saw the dark gray backdrop and the cameraman summoning for me to come and sit on the stool. Chelsea nudged me forward and I let him help me up on the stool. He got me settled, got behind his camera and then told me to smile. But I wouldn’t. I didn’t care that he said I would get in trouble, I didn’t care that he said I shouldn’t be upset, and apparently neither did he, for within a matter of seconds I heard the shutter of the camera and him telling me that I could go back to my classroom. And with that, I hopped off the stool still mad, still chewing my fingernail,  and I slipped my hand back into Chelsea’s and she walked me back down the dark halls to my bright classroom for me to finish off the rest of my day.

Introducing.......

You Have Arrived!!!!

Hello everyone and welcome to To Be or Not To Be Snatched! My name is Nia Williams. I'm an 18-year old University of Memphis freshman. I'm extremely excited that I get to start this blog. My blog is all about fashion, so if you're not interested in that, then you just might've clicked on the wrong page. Or clicking on this blog might save your fashion life! Now, I'm totally new to this, so be nice, but I'm excited to be posting about fashion. I'm very passionate about fashion. I love to look good, I love for other people to look good and it really bothers me when other people don't look good. And one special thing I'll do is I'll even post where I got my pieces in my outfits from just so if you see something you like that I have on, you can go and cop that, too!

Now just for a little breakdown, a lot of people may not know what the term "snatched" means but it means that you look fierce and hot, honey. It means that you came out of your house looking all kinds of right! It means you knew what you were doing with your clothes that morning. It means you knew how to look GOOD! If you appear on Snatched, it means you did everything right!

Things to look forward to on my blog are pieces of clothing that really interest me, pieces of clothing that I've seen around that I totally love; and I'll even point out some pieces that I totally don't love. I'm ready to share my love of fashion with the world, and thanks to my college English class, I get to do this! So, I hope you're all as excited as I am and I can't wait for us to adventure together about what is snatched and what is not, honey!

So, without further ado, I welcome you all to To Be or Not To Be Snatched!

Top: Hollister

Shorts: Belk

Shoes: Old Navy

Jewelry: Claire's