Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Show Your Real: Elise

Every time someone emails me their post for this series, I am refreshed. I love that everyone has their own take on what to write, and I'm always surprised with what these contributors come up with. 

Today you all get to hear from Elise. She is such a cool mix of stuff, wrapped up in a beautiful package. She's an accountant...who is fashionable. She is quiet...but spunky. She's spiritually deep...and lightheartedly funny. She's been writing a series on her blog about finding her passion, and I've loved following along as she tries her hand at poetry, painting, art...I think a little part of me is jealous of the stage she's in- newly married and still free to explore all life has to offer. I don't always feel that open, or filled with possibilties anymore, but watching her is reminding me how good it can feel to step out of a rut and try new things. Or old things, all over again.

Oh- and her post here is about the "behind the scenes" world of fashion blogging. She was a little worried that it might not have been what I was looking for, but I love how she approached the topic. After all, "real" doesn't always have to be baring the most intimate depths of your soul. It can also mean being honest enough to laugh at yourself. And inviting others to join in the fun.
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Hi, guys! My name is Elise. I am a newlywed, cat mama and blogger over at Sunday Charm. I am so, so thrilled to be included in the "show your real" series!

So let's get real right off the bat. I had REALLY bad hair growing up...like nasty chunky bangs with some weird side swoop going on. And then add to that a "style" that consisted mostly of t-shirts and flared jeans. Here's a preteen picture to confirm the hair (I'm the one front and center).


Sorry for the poor quality! It's actually an old newspaper clipping because our 6th grade softball team won our league tournament. Anyhow, I'm getting off track! The word style was lost one me until late college when I realized how fun it was to play with clothing combinations. Since then I started a blog and have been building up my outfit portfolio.

The thing about fashion posts, or blogging in general, is that it's easy to get sucked into the "image." Perfect photo, pose, outfit, smile, lighting, etc. But how much of it is real? What really goes into pictures published on blogs?

My husband is my photographer, most of the time we use an iPhone because it's convenient, and we have a lot of outtakes. A normal outfit post, consisting of 3-5 pictures of me, means that we take well over FIFTY photos. Here are a couple types of photos that never make the cut ;)

1. The mid-blink. Classic! My husband, while extremely gorgeous, likes to snap photos on a continuous basis. I shouldn't consider this a character flaw, but since I'm showing y'all my real, I have to admit I do (sometimes). We've had more small fights over outfit pictures than leaving the toilet seat up. It's gotten to the point where I emailed him a list of blogs with phenomenal pictures (and husband photographers) who understand the best angles for flattering their women. Whether or not he's looked at the email is still to be determined...but his iPhone-graphy has gotten progressive better!


2. The awkward pose. I can't tell you how many pictures are deleted based on pose alone. Have you ever tried getting in front of a camera and posing? It will reduce you to sweaty foreheads, uncomfortable smiles and fake laughing when nothing funny was said. Sooo, let me share a few of my awkward poses with you... In the first one, what are my hands doing? In the second one, the expression I was going for was "coy" and what came out was "smug" - great look, right? (Plus, my shirt is crooked and my ends are doing their own messy thing.)


There you have it! The very, umm, real and not at all embarrassing pictures of myself. Courtney, thanks for letting me "show my real" to your lovely readers today! 
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Show Your Real is a bi-weekly series of guest posts centered around the concept of authenticity. The goal is to encourage each other to expose the reality of our lives- good and bad- and to foster a sense of community that goes beyond the often suface-cy interactions of social media. We invite all of you to participate! Please comment, link, and hashtag to spread the showyourreal love. If you would like to contribute a guest post in this series, please email me! 

    2 comments :

    1. Okay, so a fashionably challenged person myself, I had to click on over to your blog to see what a gal could learn. I got more than fashion, though. What talent! Love your passion, Elise. As a mother to four daughters, two of them dating teenagers, I especially enjoyed the "Why I Waited" post. What a beautiful heart you have. Thank you for sharing your real.

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    2. thanks for stopping in to share with all of us! looking forward to checking out 'your place'! blessings!

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