LINK LOVE with a TWIST, May 16, 2011

LINK LOVE with a TWIST, May 16, 2011

Do you dread shopping for new lingerie?  There was a time that I did.  I always knew what my correct size was, I just hated shopping for it!  I mean, seriously – who likes to walk into a Victoria’s Secret and be told that your girls are too big to fit into their bras?!  Sorry if I am over-sharing.  I am over it now, but the first time that happened it wasn’t pretty.

Wait, you say lingerie-shopping has never been an issue for you?  Sorry.  OK, well, perhaps you hate it when random strangers tell you “guuurrrrlll, you need a tan!”?  Really, who are they to tell you what shade your skin should be?

No, that’s never happened to you, either?  Sorry to bring it up then.

Well, what about that time you wanted to die your hair fire-engine red, or that time you wanted blue highlights?  Did you stop yourself because you were afraid you’d get into trouble at work?  No, that never happened either?  Sorry.

Sorry… I am over-apologizing.  I do that sometimes.  I hear it’s a common occurrence amongst fashion bloggers.  I’ll be quite now.

Read on for some great insight on all of these subjects and more…

*********

8asians – True Activism Missing in Asian American Fashion Designers: Jamillah of made-to-travel first came across this post on Taryn’s Design Diary.  She decided to share it here because it spoke to her background.  “As an Asian American, I found this post stirred a lot of agreement and disagreement in me,” said Jamillah. “But at large I wonder what everyone’s takeaway is of designers clearly using ethnic tropes as points of inspiration for their design.  I left my thoughts there and really hope more people do because I’m really very curious to see the a discussion on this.”

already pretty – On Paleness: To tan, or not to tan. Is that really the question?  Bella of The Citizen Rosebud has a knack for finding and sharing posts that are always relevant and this week is no different.  Both of her picks this week are hot topics of discussion right now.  The first is all about tanning!  “[In this post] Sally McGraw raises some colorful talk on people giving [her] unsolicited advice to tan,” says Bella.  Has this ever happened to any of you?

Bonne Vie – I Whip My Hair: Our styles visually represent who we are as individuals – but what happens when rules get in the way of that expressionism?  I loved this submission by Eboni Ife’ of The Fashionista Next Door because it explores how the rules of the workplace may dissuade us from expressing ourselves via hair color.  Eboni said:

“As [Birdie] says, everyone doesn’t have the privilege of saying “I realized that I don’t want to work in a place that doesn’t accept me head to toe,” especially in this economy, BUT her point is still valid. I think we’d all agree that at some point in our careers we’d like to be in a position to express ourselves freely in our place of business. It’s not reality for most people, but in a perfect world we’d be evaluated based on the quality of our work rather than our body art preferences. I say Kudos to Birdie!”

Dress With Courage –Outfit post: an exploration of blogger over-apology:  This is the second submission by Bella of The Citizen Rosebud and it’s yet another hot topic!  Do you find yourself saying “I’m sorry” a bit too much? Why?  What are you apologizing for exactly?  Here, Dress with Courage discusses the blogger bad habit of apologizing.

Grit and Glamour – The Unexpected Beauty of Social Media, Part 2:  Considering that Part 1 of this post was included in the April 25th edition of Link Love, it was no surprise that Part 2 also touched quite a few hearts.  “Well, obviously, I’m going to have to nominate V for this post,” shared Marissa of The Well-Appointed Catwalk. “It’s just so full of love and mushiness, I couldn’t resist.”

interrobangs anonymous? – FFB: Guest Post on Planet Holiday and Mrs Bossa Does the Do – Holiday Identities: time to experiment:  This is a double-nomination by Franca of Oranges and Apples who explains it best:

“I am nominating two posts that were part of this weeks Feminist Fashion Bloggers post swap, by Mrs. B of Mrs. Bossa Does the Do and Millie of Interrobangs Annymous.  Both their posts are based on an academic paper exploring how women use fashion to construct their identities while on holiday. I love a good bit of social research (I’m a social researcher by day) and the findings were not what you might expect. And both their takes on the paper were so interesting!”

keiko lynn – On Body Image:  I’ve noticed that many Link Love submissions are posts that unexpectedly touch the reader’s heart.  This one is no different.  Vanessa of my heart blogged “loved this honest, and heartfelt post from Keiko Lynn.”

Kendi Everyday – Less is More: Are there any fashion bloggers out there who haven’t heard of the 30 for 30 Remix Challenge?  It has become a sensation in the blogging world yet some of it’s original purpose got lost along the way.  “As the creator of the 30 for 30 Remix, Kendi has become a leader in the blogosphere,” shared Stephanie of The-Loudmouth. “However, she’s realized that the Remix has lost its focus and initial purpose. A humble, honest and heartfelt post, it’s a must-read!”

The Lingerie Addict – Can We Please Stop Making Women Afraid of Their Lingerie?: Courtney of Those Graces tackled the subject of lingerie in her Link Love submissions this week.  “Treacle of The Lingerie Addict wrote an eye opening article… where she reveals that most, if not all, studies that state figures like “85% of women wear the incorrect bra size!” are done by lingerie companies,” shared Courtney.  Interesting, no?

From Head to Toe – Ask Ms: Bra Fitting 101: As a compliment to the post by The Lingerie Addict, Courtney of also shared this post by Jen of Frm Head to Toe.  “I think Jen has one of the best articles on how to find the right bra fit!” she said.  That is something we can all benefit from (unless you are a male!).

Looks Good from the Back – Pouty Goth Hotness. (Not really.): “I am nominating Amblus and Mariane of Looks Good from the Back for this post. I only found their blog a few weeks ago but this post had me rolling with laughter.” said Cate of inkblot*photography.  “I don’t read a lot of partner blogs, but this is an excellent example of how to make different personalities work.  Their chemistry is amazing and hilarious and I’m so glad I’ve added them to my blogroll.” Cate is right, this post had me laughing out loud!

Oh LaLa Curves – OOTD: Glowing in Coral:  I’m going to let Madison of Fashion Tales do all the talking here:

“I’d like to submit the beautiful LaCara. I’ve just recently came upon her blog and really loved her inspiring post about her beauty and being who you want to be. Of course there have been countless posts about this, but not like this & within another themed post— so brief. After reading her OOTD post about her sporting the lovely colour coral, I was inspired by the way she put this post together & with such a great ending quote: “Real girls are curvy. Or skinny. Or fat, or thin, or chubby, or slender. Real girls are whatever the hell they want to be!” I’m a fan! -xxoo”

Style Through Her Eyes – Living Glamorously in a Small Space:  This second pick by Stephanie of The Loudmouth was one of my favorite reads the past week as well.  “This post is by Casee Marie of The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower. She also blogs over at SHE,” shared Stephanie. “It’s seriously amazing what she’s done with her clothes, shoes and accessories! I loved reading her organization tips and seeing the final result. Read this and I guarantee you will find a new way to display your items. It’s a wonderful resource!” Agreed, and as for me, I would like to hire Casee to come organize my closet for me, please!

Those Graces – Audrey Hepburn: Service and Grace Beyond Age:  This post was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in a long time.  Courtney takes what you already know about Audrey Hepburn and presents her in a different light. “It is a wonderful dovetail to Casee Marie’s piece last week further expanding Audrey Hepburn,” said Jamillah of made-to-travel “Courtney’s selection of quotes and pictures brought me to tears and these images of Audrey Hepburn’s service with Unicef are the MOST stunning images I’ve ever seen of Hepburn by far.” I think you’ll agree with her.

a thrify LA life – The Sartorialist vs. Personal Style Blogs:  This is the first Link Love submission by Debbie of Thrify Girl Vintage and goes hand in hand with this decoding dress post which was featured last week.  “Kris of a thrifty LA Life wrote a wonderful rebuttal to The Sartorialist’s [now infamous] comments regarding personal style bloggers,” shared Debbie. “I AM a fan of personal style blogs so I enjoyed hearing Kris defend us!”

**********

Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit their favorite post of the week!

If you would like to submit a post for inclusion in the next edition of Link Love with a TWIST, please do so here.

If you would like to publish this post on your own blog, the code can be found here.