I think I’m right in saying that we all have access to social media platforms. (Very grateful) otherwise you probably wouldn’t be reading this.

I feel that we need to use our social media platforms. By “use” them I mean do good with them. Either spread positivity or make an impact.

If you have a social media platform just to stalk people, post a photo occasionally then that’s okay! That’s great! If you enjoy it (I know I enjoy the occasional stalk) then carry on! I’m just speaking to the people who want to create a positive platform and either don’t know how / where to start. Here are a few tips and questions to ask yourself:

The first and I think main thing to is to BE REAL. Don’t lie. Don’t pretend. Post how you feel, on the bad days and the good days. Everyone has good and bad days, but not everyone talks about it. Especially not on social media. So don’t be afraid to show and write about how you feel. It’s hard at first because it’s such a judgemental space. But being real and relatable will help your positive platform.

Be engaging. Engage with others, with accounts that feel / post and do the good that you want to do too!

Influence. Who are your influencers and why? What do they post? What do they write? You can take lots of notes from influential accounts.

Who. Who do you want to positively impact? How can you do this. What do your target audience love and hate? Talk about topics which you and your target audience are passionate about.

Hopefully some of this has helped you to gain more inspiration on creating a positive platform on social media.

I think it is so important to start making social media a fun, positive place to be. Less judgement, less caring. But the only way we can do that is if you start.

Thank you for reading! Continue reading →

Have you ever visited the Carrot Banana Peach store in Knutsford? If not, then you are truly missing out on a fresh experience.

The store is located just on the main streets in Knutsford (8A Minshull St, Knutsford WA16 6HG)

The store stood out to me. Simply from walking past. I noticed the unique activewear and accessories (and the word ‘sustainable’ through the window!) so I had to enter to see what I was missing out on.

I can honestly say that I haven’t seen another store like it, it was fresh, unique, spotless and extremely aesthetically pleasing (perfect for Instagram) plant- based activewear was hung and folded so neatly on beautiful wooden shelves. The store was bright, open and came with outstanding service. I had a question about the fabrics used for the garments and the woman working (sadly I didn’t catch her name) but she was able to answer every one of my questions in so much detail. Employees who know the details about the brand they work for are clearly devoted and passionate which just makes me want to shop more!

Now, the clothing..as you can see online the clothing beautiful. However, in the store you have the opportunity to feel how soft the soybean fabric is! (It is incredibly soft, it’s unreal) as well as feeling every garment in store..you can also try on your favourite pieces to find the perfect fit.

Yoga mats, long sleeved tops, vest tops, sports bras, yoga/ gym leggings, men’s activewear, they stock everything you could possibly need in order to do an environmentally friendly and sustainable workout! As well as looking amazing in their flattering pieces.

Slowly but surely we can save our planet by cutting down on our fast-fashion intake, and by doing this we need to start shopping sustainably and plant-based.

So if you get the chance to visit the store and contribute to sustainable fashion brand then please do. If not, then have a look at their website and support the brand in saving our planet!

https://carrotbananapeach.com/

Their Instagram: @carrotbananapeach

To be honest, I don’t think this blog post will immediately stop you from feeling any kind of embarrassment / fear of posting on Instagram but I certainly hope it helps.

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I hate the feeling of being physically scared to post a picture on Instagram. Because I will either be worrying about likes, or what people will think.

Even though this makes absolutely no sense. We shouldn’t care what people think about an image / caption we like.

We have these social media platforms to post anything we want to.

Likes and followers don’t define you.

It may take a while to finally realise that. I think I’ve only just realised this in the past few months. The pressure we feel from other people makes us think the likes and follows are the only thing that count, when really it’s what counts the least.

I find that you can post an image you love, write a wonderful caption and get “no” likes whereas if you post a photo of your face / body you find all the likes come in. (This happens to the majority of us anyway) I’m referring to Instagram mostly, and this proves that it is a platform highly based on physical appearance. It’s sad. So post whatever you want! Likes really don’t mean that much.

Don’t work yourself up over a post. If you like it, post it. And other people like you will like it too. And they’re the likes that count.

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Here is a link to my new podcast! Where I will be discussing with various guests, topics ranging from mental-health, social media, eating etc. And trying to get shit together. Please listen!

https://anchor.fm/frida-waywell

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6lgiOLENVnhj56hkj4Vd8Z?si=YPXdZWl1QNeJ5nBE38eRXw

Privilege is a term I have recently come across, mainly from Instagram and listening to podcasts (my two fave things) And I am so interested.

Privilege definition – a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.

I never really considered myself a privileged person, or never thought about it really, until it became SO obvious how privileged I am.

Do you have family? Friends? People who care about you? Then that’s a huge privilege!

Do you have nice clothes? Shoes? Can you afford to go out for meals? Then you are so lucky! And so am I. To even be able to write this is such a privilege, there are people without the education, the knowledge or even the facilities to be able to write and upload a blog post.

We automatically think that all of these things included in our everyday life are just ‘normal’ or that everyone has all of these things because we’ve always had them. But it’s not ‘normal’ for a lot of people.

In this post I just wanted to emphasise how privileged we are to live in the country we do, to have had the childhood we had, and to even have the option to go to university! Or study abroad. Or the option to get a job because we were lucky enough to get the qualifications from school without even having to choose.

We were all pushed into a cycle of privilege when we were born without even knowing it.

When I realised my privilege, being a white, slim, young woman surrounded by loving people, I felt guilt. Guilty for not appreciating and realising it sooner. To be born into a loving family rather than be born into poverty where there is no way out it something I am grateful for.

But time spent feeling guilty will do nothing. Spend your time now feeling grateful, because you all have a privilege, so make the most of it.

You are here for a reason. Use your privilege and do something with it.

15th March – 22nd March 2019.

I am so grateful to have been able to afford a skiing holiday with my boyfriend, no adults to pay for anything just our own wages. And to be able to do that at the age of 18, the feeling of independence was incredible.

Here a just a very small selection of photos taken from our holiday put into little collages, we took a lot of photos..so I hope you like these ones. Continue reading →

It’s hard to know whether the reason why you feel upset / angry / not good enough is down to someones actions or your own insecurities.

Is it a me problem? I ask myself when something effects me.

No one can make you truly happy but yourself. The people you surround yourself with can help or really drag you down. But the only real person who will give you true fulfilment is you.

I struggle with feeling insecure (as I am sure most of us do) and I have a boyfriend, friends, family who help me with that extremely well, and I love and appreciate all that they do. The reassurance does make me feel better. At the time.

But eventually that feeling of being insecure / not good enough will come up again. That’s when I realised that no one else can fix you. They can “fix” you temporarily, but when you are alone it is down to you, and your mind to respect yourself.

I find that I usually feel this way after checking my social media. Seeing pretty girls with amazing intelligence and amazing body’s. I would say that social media is toxic.

But there is absolutely nothing wrong with posting photos you think you look good in. We all do it ?? And we don’t do it to make other people feel insecure. We do it to make ourselves feel good, to feel validation through comments and likes.

So, is it a me problem? Yes. I think it is.

And it’s a problem I am willing to work on.

When you feel lost, upset, angry and it’s out of your control, ask yourself why do I feel like this? What made me feel like this and why am I reacting like this? And you will learn a lot from yourself.

I found that when I am upset / angry it is best to sit with myself first before I take it out on others.

It’s all about self-respect rather than self-confidence. Respect yourself then it will be easier to love yourself, your insecurities, and your flaws.

But I love shopping? But I have no clothes? I need a dress for next weekend? I need a new coat? I need more jumpers?

Is this you? Because it’s definitely me (or maybe it was me..I’m trying to improve)

Recently I have become SO concerned about fast fashion, using less plastic, buying sustainable products and saving our planet..basically. I am sure that we all care about the environment on some level. Or I can certainly say that we care about how much money we have. How many things we own. Whether that be clothes or objects.

So I have decided to write some tips on how to consume fashion consciously. I hope these help and give you inspiration. Because you can make a change.

Thrift shop-

It’s fun! It’s exciting! You can find your own individual style without worrying about what is on trend. Just buy what you like! And it’s unlikely that it will cost an awful amount. It can take time..to find good pieces but it is so possible! And worth the wait when you do.

Maybe take a day out to go thrifting with a friend. Then if you buy a lot in that day you won’t feel the need to keep buying throughout the month. You can find some crazy, unique pieces when thrift shopping. And no one will have the same as you?? Amazing.

Depop-

Wow. Thank you whoever created Depop. Not only can you sell your clothes but you can buy clothes too! And good quality clothes (most of the time) when searching for a dress for a night out, or a new hoodie, or something branded why don’t you look on Depop first. They’re likely to have what you’re looking for because they have basically everything on there! And you pay a lot less than you would buying the product new. Also reducing our fast fashion consumption! *yayyyyy* if we stop buying from these fast fashion brands (for the morality) they’ll have to change something about the way their clothes are made. So let’s start here. Reducing your intake and buying second hand.

Sustainable brands-

I have been looking into sustainable brands. And there are many out there. However, some are definitely out of my price range. I know that the garments cost more to make which is why the items are sold at a higher price, it completely makes sense. When you buy a sustainable garment you are paying for probably a lifetime use of that garment which was made from organic fabrics (which are good for your skin, not containing pesticides) AND the workers are actually paid fairly in good working conditions!! No child labour!! (That makes me very happy)

I do completely understand that sustainable clothing brands are costly but if you can afford a sustainable garment then go for it! I guarantee it will last you a long time and you will love it.

Knowtheorigin is a sustainable brand which not only sell fashion but also focus on sustainable living. Once you think about the clothes you wear you’ll start to think about the items you use. Makeup wipes? Shampoo? Your toothbrush? So if you are interested then please take a look at their ‘concious living’ collection. Not only is it ethical but it looks beautiful.

Brands-

A few high-street fashion brands are coming to the realisation that they will no longer be able to continue the production of their fast fashion garments successfully as this is such a growing movement. So if you love a certain brand research and see if they have a ‘sustainable’ or ‘concious’ collection. This will usually be made from recycled fabrics, natural dyes, or 100% cotton. Or if not then ask them to make one! Send an email! Send multiple emails! We need to get the message across to these brands so that they have to make a change.

I do hope this blog post gave you some insight into changes you can make. I will be writing more on small changes you can make to your everyday life in order to live a “0-waste life” based not only on fashion but lifestyle changes too!

Here are some links which have helped me to want to make this change to my life!

My previous blog post on fast fashion:

https://fridafashion.fashion.blog/2018/11/18/fast-fashion-impacts/

Videos:

https://youtu.be/DFajqEx9tC4

https://youtu.be/Z4wZ1Cmjfbk

https://youtu.be/TjAAM3avcus

https://youtu.be/RkK-TKHW5Vs

Articles:

https://www.fashionbeans.com/article/how-to-make-fashion-sustainable/

https://www.sustainablefashionmatterz.com/fashion-facts/

Podcasts:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2xO2fU4agBOWZg2r4ACgzR?si=Aa4UMO4NQtqqLZ4VBCD1VQ

https://open.spotify.com/episode/30KFw8mZRzh8M3PeKyDaeB?si=tjiJjoM5RjWsPmNC2zhGKA

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0umOKgI0Uamsp1M8Qutl7q?si=

It took me a long time to realise that I have to love myself before I can better myself.I need to remember how good doing exercise makes me feel. (Probably more mentally over physically)

I spend a lot of time criticising the way I look or comparing my appearance to others. When in reality that time should be spent taking care of myself, learning new things and doing things that make me happy. I know that I will never improve until I start to love and appreciate what my body can do. The worst thing I did was forget to take care of myself mentally and physically. If you feel your best you will perform at your best! So start with you. Make yourself feel good then you can make everyone else feel good around you.

Don’t compare. Just do you. 😁

I received this gorgeous coat as a Christmas present off my lovely boyfriend and I am in love! Honestly, I have never heard of the brand name before until he bought a coat for himself..and then for me.

Firstly, the coat looks amazing! Such a flattering size and fit, slightly cropped almost like a bomber jacket. as well as the look, the coat feels amazing! The material is perfect for the winter as it has a super warm lining on he inside.

The coat is stylish, affordable and practical. So if you are on the hunt for a perfect winter coat/ jacket take a look at ‘the Couture Club’ for affordable, stylish garments!

Does anyone else feel a kind of pressure when it comes to New Year? Almost like you ‘must’ have a goal and you ‘must’ stick to it?

It is so good to have goals. I think I probably make myself too many. But it is easy to write down a goal on a piece of paper, or on the notes page on your phone, but maybe it’s not so easy to stick to them.

So try and get rid of the pressures you have which tell you that you ‘must’ achieve your goal. You choose what you want in life so it is all down to you whether you achieve your ‘New Years Resolutions’ or not. And no one can make you feel bad for not achieving your goal, after all it is yours.

You will have days when maybe you don’t achieve your goal. For example, if your goal is to go to the gym everyday and you don’t feel up to it one day that is OKAY! If you go to the gym not wanting to be there anyway then it’s unlikely that you will get anything done. I find that I usually end up staying for about 20 minutes when I’m not up for it. It’s important to find balance between pushing yourself and cutting yourself some slack!

TIPS

Break down your goals. Take them on week by week, or even one day at a time if it helps. Each day do something which gets you closer to your goal/s then you will feel on track and as though you are achieving constantly.

• Once you feel the sense of achievement you’ll want to keep going
• Doing little is always better than doing nothing
• Acknowledge what you have achieved in order to achieve more
• Stay on track for yourself, not anyone else