(Slightly Late) September 2017 Favorites

Better late than never I guess. This month has been hectic and weird and everything I imagined it to be and more. I kind of hate doing these posts since I hate talking about products in such a tacky materialistic way but here we are. Cool.

+Music

-Feel like this section's only real use is to update on what Harry has done recently. ANYWAYS, I actually saw him last week at Radio City (tickets couresty of my friend's aunt who works for Columbia). The entire show was incredible- super minimal and Harry has become a perfect balance of Jagger and boyband. His recent Spotify session recording of "Girl Crush" is also noteworthy.

+Beauty

-NuMe's Octowand is kind of the greatest thing to happen to my hair recently (ok maybe my new Farrah Fawcett-esque haircut was better but you get the point). When I say I didn't know how to curl hair before this, I really meant there was nothing my hair was working with to get that Goy Curl I've always dreamed of. (Also everyone ever has made the joke about them looking like dildos. It's not funny anymore.)

-This isn't new but I think it's weird I've never talked about it here with it being my holy grail. Do yourself a favor and start using witch hazel. My red toned skin has never been more even or clean. Seriously.

+Television/Film

-I just got super into Community but also recently finished the latest season of Criminal Mind's on Netflix (my 8th grade self would be so disappointed to find out I was this late). I hate to say it was only because I wanted to see my true love, Matthew Gray Gubler, go to prison. Good stuff.

-I actually turned 18 last week and spent my last night as a "kid" watching Amelie and vomiting from eating too many raisinettes. I really do love Amelie. And raisinettes.

+Books

-I went to one of those 24 hour spas the other night and left my treasured copy of Ham and Rye on a couch I'd fallen asleep on. I really do miss it but also think it was a sign of some sort- really good book anyways. 

-Also after months, I've finally finished House of Leaves by Mark Z Danieleski and it was incredible. Still haunts me. Please read it. 

That's all I have to say. I really hate telling people to buy things but also have no other place to manifest my love in the tangible.

-Annie 

ONLY ANGEL (Harry Styles Album, +Secret Show)

(i never finished this post but it's here going strong) (this is obviously from may) (im sorry)

catch the back of my head 

For all those unaware, this Monday, the consistent love of my life, Harry Styles hosted a secret (invite only) show at Rough Trade in Brooklyn and due to my lovely friend Jules' aunt, we were able to witness the boy band messiah himself! I have far too much to say about the show itself, from the incredible intimacy, to the infamous stage dive (I was one of the lucky few to be completely body slammed! cool!), but alas have already sold my soul (piece) to Mad Sounds so check in super soon for that gem. Anyways, along with being pressed against a stage at a 50 person Harry Styles show (absolutely wild. wild.), I actually ended up being one of the even fewer attendees who got to meet him, which was a complete and total emotional roller coaster itself, amassing to being one of my most surreal experiences. I want to go more in depth than this but have been real anxious about writing at the moment and don't believe whatever I can produce will do this moment justice.

But yeah I've actually been feeling real nervous when it comes to writing as it seems whatever I create isn't as "legitimate" as I feel it should be which is quite silly since if this blog was based off professionalism, it'd be long dead. Going off this idea, I decided the only way to truly honor Harry's self titled was to do the least poetic way of a review and literally just go song by song with my every disconnected thought.

-MEET ME IN THE HALLWAY
really beautiful harmonies and just an overall ace opener. I've been really living for this re branding and this song is just so calming and slightly ambiguous that it really just sets the mood for the rest- I also am really big fan of the simple lyrics that's kind of Front Bottoms-eque. Good stuff. Also that repetition of "gotta get better" is real catchy.

-SIGN OF THE TIMES
I've said this previously, but this sophomore track is the exact power ballad needed at the moment. Just a huge fan of the Bowie aspects put into production and I hate to be "that guy" but this one is absolutely breathtaking live. Just gorgeous.

-CAROLINA
So fun!! This was one of the four songs played at the Brooklyn show (Ever Since New York, Two Ghosts, and Sign of The Times being the others)- it was his first time doing it live and from the first second, it was a bop. First off, one of those ear worm-gets-stuck-in-your-head-forever ones but also includes some real interesting pieces like that high repeat of "situation" in the second verse that reminds me of The Beatles for some reason?? Also that "LA/LA/LA" part at the end? So good.

-TWO GHOSTS
Without a doubt my favorite off the album- really easily gets stuck in your head but is just so pretty and lilting that it's enjoyable. Just such poetic lyrics and is one of those slow songs I can bop to.
Kind of sounds like a song I've head before that I don't think exists but still feels familiar.

-SWEET CREATURE
Not a super fan of this one honestly- compared it to the "Little Things" of the album- boring yet kind of heartfelt enough. Not particularly interesting.

Style Icons, Actually: Jane Birkin

Forever and always Jane. Off the record, I was really that person who got bangs in order to emulate the British singer/actress. It's funny referring to Jane as my beacon of everything couture with her simple way of dressing but there's something timeless yet nostalgic about Lady Birkin's way of dressing. As horribly pretentious as it sounds, there's a sense of her aura I feel to emulate at all times. 

-Annie

Weekly Moodboard (3)

Yellow has taken over as my favorite color for the past few months, Leonardo DiCaprio is also a fan favorite but that's besides the point (not pictured: my newfound obsession with young Brad Pitt).  

-annie

if it's just between us (+some favorites)

Things have been okay lately and I mean that in an indifferent manner. I haven't been in love with much but have been dying for the validation that others love me and found myself trapped this week hoping some guy thought I was intelligent because a small, yet ever so present, part of me longs for the word  "brilliant" to come out of a man's mouth in reference to me.

from a picnic in Tompkins with How Fitting old-timer, John

some misc things I'm into these days:
-Lorde's Melodrama, I used to be hardcore against the singer but think I've hit the perfect point in which every word that comes out that woman's mouth seems aimed at me. "Liability" is a lot for me but undoubtedly the greatest. Thank you Lorde for this one.
-Difficult People is also a hit at the moment for me. I'm always drawn to surreal and bizarre depictions of the narcissistic with shots of New York I can recognize. Billy Eichner you've done it again.
-Lavender incense deserves a real shoutout for helping me ease into my summer sleeping schedule/I've been trying this self curing technique for my chronic anxiety in which I continuously say "I'm not anxious" whenever I smell lavender in hopes that the scent of lavender will instantly cease my spiraling. As bizarre as it sounds, it's working surprisingly well.

-I kind of fell in love with Charli XCX's video for "Boys"??? It satisfied not only my emo phase (Brendon Urie laying amongst rose petals and Oli Sykes being his usual dapper self is enough to see the video) but that weird in between pastel goth "buy me candy floss and call me baby girl" period I had in sophomore year. Overall really good time and I'm unsure if it was commenting on the boy obsessed stereotype that is pushed on teenage girls but I thoroughly appreciated it regardless.
-My latest subway book has been Available by Matteson Perry- I don't think I've genuinely enjoyed reading something this much since Jessi Klein's You'll Grow Out of It. I actually originally heard of it through NPR's Modern Love podcast (something I *highly* rec) in which an excerpt of manic pixie dream girls was read- Perry is just so entertaining and I almost too much enjoy hearing of other's experiences in romance.
-Podcasts! Podcasts have resurfaced as my favorite thing (my ultimate dream of ending up as marketing director of NPR is yet to die) and I'd heavily recommend How I Built This (the Rent the Runway ep is a personal favorite, listening to Jenn Hyman speak about sexual harassment as a woman in power is incredible), This American Life  (a classic- the one on middle school continues to be my absolute favorite but they just recently did one on summer camp that I listened to on the way to a date and felt painful nostalgia for), and Mortified (this one is a little more lowbrow but very entertaining, I especially liked "Mortified Interrupted" in which in the second act, a man talks about how he convinced himself he was a writer/comedian/actor/musician when he'd done none of these things).

-I'm not going to pretend I like Neck Deep again but I was really feeling their video for "In Bloom". Nothing gets me like random artsy objects alongside pastel colors- it all reminded me of a concept for a Dazed or Wonderland editorial. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't vibe with the lyrics, I sometimes think I make up problems for myself to connect with moody pop punk but that whole "we're never going to put the pieces back together if you won't let me get better" bit got me on a weird level because I don't even understand how that situation connects to my life in any way, shape, or form. I blame it on my excessive empathy due to being an anxious-avoident lover.
-very vintage How Fitting but I made a playlist summing up my music taste over the past couple weeks- a lot of french pop and Jake Bugg. I think I'm just reliving another odd in between phase of mine.
 

-Annie 

weekly moodboard (2)

Been feeling more "posh" and "feminine" lately after a phase of getting kicks out of coming off as grimy and masc. I don't know what this newfound love for the matronly means but I'm trying to embrace it with its full force. 

-Annie

weekly moodboard (1)

I thought if I did something simple and beautiful it'd get me back into blogging. I don't want to count on it but it is what it is. My recent fashion inspiration has stemmed from the likes of Michael Kelso off That 70s Show and that suit Harry Styles wore on SNL back in april. I'm becoming a senior in high school in a matter of a month or so and that's kind of wild I guess. I was stoop sitting with these people I didn't know last month but now love madly and wanted to stop and think about how fast and painfully slow my life has been lately. Like running down the subway steps with one of my new favorite people screaming after another, "you've never heard THAT story" in reference to everything wild I did as a freshman, reflecting on how beautiful it is that I am no longer that person and people don't know that. 

best,

-Annie 

Wrap Up (April 2017)

April has kind of been an up and down in which I have hardly been productive yet still kind of feel good. It's complicated I guess. By the way, I kind of feel like a tacky kitschy YouTuber by going back to monthly favorites but that's how the "I-Need-More-#relatable-Content" cookie crumbles.

+Television

Documentary Now: Season 2

I didn't have much to say (don't you fucking dare talk to me about 13 Reasons Why. It's a shitshow. It's stupid. I don't want to talk about it further. I feel drained.) about television this month aside from Documentary Now Season 2 coming to Netflix. Though I'd have to say season one was my personal favorite, this installment had its moments. For anyone new to watching Doc Now, you have to start with s2 episode three, a parody of Swimming in Cambodia, in which Bill Hader literally just talks about having to move from one apartment to another for twenty one minutes. It's such a ridiculous and surreal ordeal, the two main components for the best DN "documentaries". On the topic of this show, I've watched "The Eye Doesn't Lie" at least four times this month and I'd highly rec it to literally anyone, it's up there with the best episodes of anything I've seen. Very general but extremely worthwhile.

+Music

Harry Styles

I have way too much to say about this and will most likely write an entire essay (expect that on WC soon) because I could spill my heart out on this one. I'd like to start off by saying "Sign of the Times" is the power ballad 2017 needed desperately. I'm fully aware that I'm incredibly bias since I practically live up Harry Styles' ass but I truly stand by it; his lyrics are simple and slightly Bowie-eque, it provides everything a mainstream power ballad needs in having easily singable moments with a swift change in tempo, and he is just such a gorgeous man. Also can we talk about how he really looked like a Father John Misty type on SNL? And his female drummer/keyboardist? Hands down the wildest and most impressive rebranding I've seen in a minute.

actual (slight problematic but not really) love of my life.

All Day: Speeding

Ok so since I want to say for about a year now (??) I've been lowkey in love with this white Australian rapper (you may know him from that weird interlude in "for him" where he goes, "I'm about to bring emo back if you leave my home, I'd Panic! At The Disco and you'd rather watch a tv show... if not you should be familiar with it because it's the cringiest musical endeavor and I live for it). Like I can't even say he's all that objectively good but something about his persona really gets me hype so I've just kind of gotten accustomed to running with it (love can be blind as well deaf). Anyways, his new album is actually a pretty decent bop (I found it really good for when I'm writing because I can tune it out at points). Along with that, his latest photoshoots and videos are admittedly interesting and reflect back well onto his style. Am I in love with the Australian Eminem? Will boys with hair longer than mine wearing thrifted sweaters eventually ruin my life? Who knows.

April Playlist

I've curated about twenty songs that kind of sums up the funk I've been in the past thirty days. Sort of depressing sort of surreal.
 Sidenote: one of my favorite songs on here is Regina Spektor's (I've been getting quite back into her obviously) "Man of a Thousand Faces"- the line, "Smiles at the moon like he knows her" just really sticks out to me for some reason.
Anyways, if you're interested, my emo set of songs is located here.

+Food 

BAOHAUS

This cult, slight Instagram trap, fast food restaurant has won my heart for the month. I don't have much to say on the topic because food is food but I'd really encourage you to check it out since it's fairly cheap (for NYC) and actually decent unlike most other "trendy" places in the city (I'm looking @ u By Chloe). 

Also relevant to this topic, Trader Joe's coffee mochi  is really fucking good. I ate an entire package of them last week. Really fucking good. Also vegan. 

+Books 

Just Kids: Patti Smith 

Yet another thing I have far too much to say on. For the abridged version, after reading this autobiography of essentially Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe's love story, as cliche as it sounds, my perspective has shifted. At least in the way I view Robert and my own approaches towards art. It's just one of those books that stay with you long after you're done reading. I can't recommend this enough- even to someone uninterested or unfamiliar with both. 

(also on the topic, I've been trying to pull a Rosie and read at least 16 books a month. A bit of a reach but I'm really going for it- let's see how this goes.)

+Misc. Links

Soko: I'm At Peace When I'm in Danger
I've been getting really back to my middle school roots of my obsession with Soko. For starters, I just find this such a calming video to watch but also she's so beautifully spoken and the editing done, skipping conversation through conversation, just ties together every little unique bit of this woman.

Healing Crystals To Cope With Depression
Really simple and straightforward article on how to harness healing powers of crystals (pretty obvious that I've been getting into that lately). I just appreciate how easy to read and "user-friendly" the writing is- would totally rec Energy Muse for anyone starting to get into mindfulness and crystals.

Finding Your Soulmate By Finding Yourself
I think I watched this when I was maybe in my freshman year but on a binge watch of Stylelikeu (which I could write an entire article about- think modern, more casual tedtalks- they're incredible) I discovered this gem yet again. Amy Van Doran first off is such a force to be reckoned with like I genuinely find her to be the coolest, but also her points on what finding love entails and just listening to her talk about her childhood is fascinating.

WHY IM A LONER 
Whenever Hitomi Mochizuki speaks gold comes out. The entirety of these twenty two minutes are so raw and conversational, I'm so drawn to the way Hitomi records herself. I can't recommend watching the full video enough.

why you should read more (a lot more)
As if I haven't plugged her enough, Rosie Leizrowice is a writer I'm constantly mesmerized by. Every single one of her blog posts are easy and straightforward reads that somehow also pack these huge messages.

Hope May brings you everything and more,

Annie 

Mystery Blogger Awards (blast from the past)

So I completely didn't realize these were still a thing but I was nominated by the lovely Cait and I remember a good blogger "award" being a rather ace time. However, the last occasion I did one of these was when I got a Liebster in 2014 (it's SO cringey oh my god) so who knows??

Part One: Three Facts About Me
1. I have a black Siamese cat named Nova who I genuinely believe has some form of mystical properties.
2. I'm horribly superstitious and have developed the odd habit here and there due to this that I have obviously normalized in my own brain.
3. I have a deep and ongoing love for flowers, specially hyacinths. My biggest desire is to open a flower shop somewhere lonely and hot like Arizona.

Part Two: Cait's Questions

-Does pineapple belong on pizza?
I actually hadn't tried pineapple pizza until a good week ago in which I was about to get on a train back from Northampton and was at this really overpriced pizzeria with this inconveniently large slices and impulsively asked for the controversial topping to feel like I was getting my moneys worth. Final answer: No. It doesn't.

-Do you think you can have breakfast food for dinner?
OK first off, why do I always get landed with questions involving breakfast food when I do one of these? Final answer: yes. Of course. Pancakes for every meal.

-If you could pick one film to watch for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Rather hard question in that my answer isn't essentially my favorite film of all time (it's Almost Famous if you were really dying of anticipation) but I'd have to choose Superbad just because of the entertainment value and that I've essentially tested this theory already through having watched it too many times to count and still finding humor within it. They Came Together is a close second for the same reasoning.

-Do you have a favorite makeup brand?
Though my makeup routine has been reduced to a good two steps, due to my lack of interest in cosmetics at the moment, I'd have to say NYX since their eyeliner is killer and they don't test on animals.

-What're a few things you're excited for in the next few months?
Probably the weather getting warmer, ending my junior year, and Pageant by PWR BTTM coming out next month. Also my e-book should be released sometime in the fall which is overwhelmingly cool.

Part Three: Favorite Blog Post You've Written
Ugh I wish this one was harder. Undoubtedly One Direction (and other): Why I Need Feminism. Kind of depressing since I wrote it nearly two years ago but I really went for it and it got such an intense response- exciting stuff.

Part Four: Pass It On! My Questions:
1. What are some of your superstitions?
2. What was the last show you went to? Do tell.
3. Least favorite trend?
4. Is 13 Reasons Why an unrealistic and offensive depiction of mental illness?
5. Do you believe in the law of attraction?

Kind of embarrassing in that I can't even think of anyone to tag due to being so out of touch with the main blogging community (my attention has been diverted more so to the online publication crowd lately- lovely people. Truly.) And I guess that's a good segue as any into a request for bloggers to leave their links below/ PLEASE rec me some good bloggers (esp. those that are into sustainable fashion/mindfulness/ethical shopping) I could really use a refresher.

Anyways, thank you to Cait for tagging me- it a pretty gr8 throwback and I love the nurturing and positive side of blogging like these tags. Good stuff.

-Annie 

Here's How I Completely Gave Up Fast Fashion (and Transferred to Exclusively Secondhand)

Ever since I discovered Forever21 in the 6th grade, I've been hooked on disposable, trendy, and cheap fashion. It's natural, I mean every middle, and even high schooler has an instinct to wear what their friends are wearing and within the past decade, mall shops have made it the easiest to do so. Large companies such as H&M, Zara, and Forever21 are a phenomenon that isn't all that mysterious within essence, trends are able to drift through and consumers are able to own large, trendy, wardrobes at a seemingly low cost.
There are so many separate issues within shopping fast fashion, yet I also hate the condescending and classist way many influencers have talked about giving these stores up, and believe they're experts because they saw The True Cost once (not to knock this film, would highly recommend). A world without fast fashion is incredibly ideal to most people, but you also must look at the flip side of these buyers. Fast fashion is cheap and for majority of its followers, makes up most their wardrobe because it's affordable. Telling someone to give it up is much harder than it sounds, and in reality, will cost marginally more. Yet as I read more on ethical shopping, along with simply evaluating my wardrobe, found it not as big a sacrifice as I thought to gradually purge my habits.

one of my prized dresses from Urban Jungle in Brooklyn

Quitting was the hardest part. To do so, I first took a look at my wardrobe that was mainly filled with far too many shirts of the same variation of a black crop top, a collection of band shirts from Hot Topic I haven't worn since freshman year, and two pairs of ill fitting American Eagle boyfriend jeans. Not so appealing. How did I own so much clothing yet wore seemingly the same outfit everyday? The first step was the purge. I chucked the jeans, packed away the band tees (who knows if they'll seem "vintage" in twenty or so years?) and left the black crop tops be. You can never have too many of those. Before deciding this was it, I looked at my basics pile (spaghetti strap tops) which was more than full. There's no pressure to trash your fast fashion pieces, in fact one of the vices of supporting it is how much people dispose of the low quality clothing. In 2016, 12.8 million textiles ended up in landfills. 

My next step was replenishing. Winter was coming, and I had trashed all my cheap sweaters last year. This is where the actually fun part came in. For starters, I'd have to confirm thrift shopping is far from being a new concept for me (and tragically have these cringy 2014 posts to prove it), shopping solely from it a little less so. Four years ago, I actually made an incredibly embarrassing (and alright, kind of cute) post about how to actually thrift shop and my own tips (which I'm surprised are still extremely similar) which I'm hoping to make an updated version of soon. 

part of my piece for Mad Sounds featuring this awesome camo jacket and plaid mini skirt I thrifted

Not only have I become an ethical shopper from switching over to exclusively secondhand clothing, I've also witnessed a whole laundry list of benefits from my new shopping habits. For starters, and this is pretty obvious, almost everything I own is one of a kind, or at least not mass produced. I always used to hate seeing someone wearing the same top as me and now it's kind of off putting to see a million of the same shirt on a rack. Thrift shopping also makes all my clothing so much more sentimental, everything has a story behind it. I love varsity jackets with names stitched on and worn denim and broken in Doc Martens. I love imagining the past lives of the items in my drawers (one of the coolest being a denim jacket in which I found train tickets all throughout France in the pocket). 

For the past two years, I've been incredibly insecure when it comes to standing out and have missed the thirteen year old version of myself who just played dress up everyday. At the moment, my dressers are spilling with cheesy $2 graphic tees, grass grazing $5 skirts, and $1 slip tops, I don't think I've ever been so happy with the way I dress. Along with this, by supporting stores like Goodwill, you are creating jobs for disabled people who normally wouldn't be hired, and patronizing charity shops like Housing Works or Out of the Closet**, your cash is going to a worthy cause instead of some CEO's pocket. 

**there also most likely is a hospice or church thrift shop near you- one of my favorite places ever is a small secondhand shop in the basement of a church two towns over where all the proceeds go to helping the local women's shelter. I once got a vintage Christian Dior slip top there- incredible. 

for my upcoming piece on Mimp about 70s style- floral blouses are a recent obsession of mine

For reference, here's a list of my favorite thrift shops (in order of preference):

-Unique (unsure if its mainly a NY/NJ thing)

-Urban Jungle (Bushwick) 

-No Relation (LES)

-L Train Vintage (Williamsburg/Bed Stuy/East Village)

-Monk Vintage (Williamsburg/Greenwich/LES)

-Out of the Closet (Atlantic Ave) proceeds go to AIDS Healthcare Foundation

-Housing Works (all over the city- my favorite is in the Flatiron district) proceeds go to both stopping AIDS and homelessness 

-Junk (Williamsburg)

-Buffalo Exchange (my favorite location is in Chelsea) 

-Goodwill

*I also have a very condensed version of this list here

ALSO for further reading on fast fashion, my two favorites are The True Cost, Overdressed, this, this, this,  and this 

Hope this was a break from the classist talks on purging your $20 dresses. 

-Annie 

Answer My Text U Dick!! (+Links)

So here's all I know:

-I'm writing a book! That's wild that's crazy and it's really a thing that makes me feel so incredibly amazed at how far things have escalated in my life. Though there'll definitely be way too many posts about it to come, look out for a collection of personal essays told in the format of stand up comedy.
-This is my favorite song at the moment. I may or may not have splurged on a maroon vinyl preorder of Pageant. (I also really miss doing music reviews?? Anticipate for one?? PWR BTTM is like my favorite band??)
-This is also so good.
-I'm trying to be a happier person and I've decided the solution is by writing more. Will I actually write once a week like I promise every other post?? Stay tuned.

-I went to my beloved New Museum Sunday (hence the photos) and made a pact with myself I'd never accompany anyone else here to never ruin it.
-I'm really proud of this poem I wrote for Crybaby Zine !!!
-Is Allday a good rapper?? Have I been listening to a lot of him?? Like I think at this point, I've accepted he's lowkey not a good musician but I'm so hardcore in love with him I think I'm ok with it.

-!!!!!!!this video!!!!!!
With this I leave you for now.
-Annie 

Here's Why I'm Incredibly Grateful I'm No Longer a 13 Year Old Blogger

(inspired by Rosie's post) (prepare for a plethora of horribly embarassing photos)
    So I have been here quite awhile haven't I. Before I kick this off, I want to just put out there that I
love writing and I love HF and most importantly, I love myself and anyone and everyone who has continued to follow me on this quite odd part of my life. Along with this, I do not say any of these words as a "kick in the face" or idea that I didn't love the attention I received years ago, I simply have different views about my past than I did previously.

me, circa 2013, long hair was never flattering on me 

   I started How Fitting in February of 2013. I was 13 years old and midway through 7th grade. For all those who aren't aware, I am currently 17 and in my second semester of 11th grade. Weird right? I want to give a little background, draw a picture of 13 year old Annie if you will. For starters, I was very depressed. In a regular middle school fashion, my closest friends (since elementary school) had recently left me and I was having horrible waves of loneliness, self loathing, and routine panic attacks. Though my rather upbeat and excitable style of writing at the time didn't show it, I was in an incredibly unstable place with myself and emotions. Actually, the reason I started How Fitting was (OK OK not just to be like Tavi Gevinson) to gain self esteem and self security. I began writing about the media I loved from my favorite band at the time, All Time Low, to the horribly questionable clothing I wore. However cringy they were, I had many many obsessions and needed a place to talk about them (I was yet to make friends who shared my loves). Though I am so (so so) happy I'm no longer the same, something me and my 13 year old self share is our constant curiosity and love for loving things. I really do believe if How Fitting didn't exist, I wouldn't be as fascinated with everything as I am now.
   Though we are only talking about 4 years ago, blogs and the Internet were quite different. I really mean it. I mean this was at the real kickoff of fashion bloggers becoming celebrities and brands getting on the bandwagon of collaborating. Along with this, there were *so* many less blogs- it almost seemed like everyone knew each other. I'm not going to lie, I really miss that mentality and state in which 13 year olds having no idea what they're doing could easily build a community. As I got more and more into it, I gained a larger and larger following until reaching up to 2,000 followers which was insane because if you saw how absolutely terrible I was, I have literally no idea why 1998 (not including my parents of course) people actually wanted to read 2013 How Fitting. I was receiving comments claiming I was a "precocious child" (I remember this comment so well because I admittedly didn't know what that meant at the time and originally took it as an insult) along with emails and opportunities to work with various companies (OK who allowed that?? What company actually wanted to work with a 13 year old??). It was all super surreal.

the classic photo I used at age 14 on here- I'm embarrassed to say I have this same dye job except it doesn't look nearly as good

   As I turned 14, my mentality became quite different as I was a year away from high school and on the brink of what seemed like false maturity. A lot happened throughout 2014 How Fitting; I tried (and failed) to create an online publication, I had my first "real" boyfriend, my first "real" "heartbreak", and holy hell I even came out as gay on here. I'm not going to go in the pretentious reflective direction, but HF really helped me become a lot more self aware. I was so unsure of myself before I started blogging and not only did my writing improve, having everything out there almost helped me "create myself" (or at least the side I wanted people to see). And that's where I get into the part in which I explain the title and arguably what this entire post is about. I went through a lot in the 8th grade- I still would rather not have most of these things public but for starters, my depression got a lot worse. I started Prozac. I went through yet another period of having no friends. Yet through it all, I continued to write as though my life was filled with picnics and cos playing and playlists with songs no one has ever heard of until the point where I got into the habit of being that character. A lot of 2014 How Fitting has no actual reflection on what I actually was. How Fitting almost taught me how to lie and put on a persona. Becoming a blogger yourself makes you pull back the curtain on everyone else you admire and understand how taxing and hard it can be sometimes to put on this "mask" on everything being OK. Along with this, though I love writing, I really do, I really wish I took some time out of how invested I was in this blog and actually could be thirteen and not pressured at seemingly every second.

me at LIM summer 2015!! I was such a cute n emo bb!

   Moving onto 2015, I not only began high school but also started interning at Nordstrom (at 14-15 years old, I was their youngest intern) which turned out to be a 2 year long anxiety attack. Thank god that's over. By 15, after spending the summer and fall of 2014 at FIT, I was describing my next summer of being at LIM's Fashion Lab (on scholarship) to the girls at Nordstrom before leaving for break. Like most times, this was met with a string of "wow I wish I could be as motivated" or "wait you're 15??" or something along the lines of matching my rather unusual level of determination and relative success with my age. Though I would love to continue to scriptually jack myself off, what I'm trying to say here is how pressured I actually felt on the inside. I hated being the youngest (which I always tended to be) and I hated being the constant wunderkind- it's honestly so much to put onto someone. The problem was I was putting it all onto myself. Ever since the age of 13, when How Fitting was born, I have continued to have the same mentality of "never enough"; there's always a new level of success, there's always a better offer, nothing is ever good enough. Though this, in theory, is a motivated and fine way to live life, I have set myself up to fail. I'll never be satisfied. This entire piece seems, like I said, textual masturbation but in all honesty, every single one of these things gave me so much anxiety.

an outfit post at age 15

   I'm currently 17, as said previously, and since then have quit my Nordstrom internship, been taking FIT classes (for actual pure fun- that was such an odd concept to me at 14), and I don't know, became the fashion editor and staff writer for several publications I'm head over heels in love with. I like to analyze my rather atypical early teenage years and really wish I could tell my 13 year old self to please stop stressing out over stupid shit like your future twenty years in fashion (and *please* stop wearing that plaid cropped blazer). I'm not going to pretend as though the last 4 years haven't been beautiful in their own way, but god am I glad to no longer be a 13 year old blogger anymore. I love what I do now and I definitely see me doing this for years to come, but also wish I was able to separate my constant need to success from having fun. Having your 13 year old self imprinted on the internet is an odd thing. This isn't a cautionary tale, more of look behind the curtain of what it's actually like to start something like this at such an early age. I love How Fitting and everywhere it has taken me, I love the every single person I've gotten to work with on silly projects and more serious projects and this really cool project me and my friend Zoe one time did about sex ed that we never published, and most importantly, I love the friends I've made through ranting about Doctor Who and thrift shopping and dressing up and am so excited for my future of not being a 13 year old. Cheers to four years.

 

Back2Black (eSalon Review)

After chopping all my hair off over the summer, the possibilities were endless for my finally healthy hair. Ever since my ultimate flop at having blonde hair last year (and pretty much destroying it in the process), I had accepted that with the current backed up and colored state of my hair, having the platinum locks I wanted wasn't going to happen. However, now that about all my hair had never been colored, this was finally achievable. After a single (30 Vol.) bleach process, my hair was rather patchy and orange in some places, needing to be toned. I never got to that step though because after a month or so, I was pink. Though the bubblegum was a fun color for about a week or so, due to the orange tones in my hair, I ended up with an ugly fade after about two washes. With no possibility of going back to blonde and no desire for another crayola color, dying my hair black seemed like the ideal option.

Black is my fall back color for everything. Just like how a lot of my friends will shave their heads if they don't like their haircuts, if I ever fuck up my hair color, black is always there for me.
examples include:
-the ninth grade in which I let my friend dye my hair into a purple to blue to green ombre (why??? why???). After a solid hour of crying, I ended up with a blue black box dye.
-the tenth grade when I let the SAME friend (what was I thinking????) do a "color melt" (aka a plethora of neon shades randomly scattered around my head). Shoutout to Feria to that one.

So as I was not yet ready to go back to brown and wanted the pink as far away from me as possible, I was pretty hype to go back to my trusty shade. For those unaware, the first time I dyed my hair black, I regularly went to a salon, super pricey, and the second time, I used a box dye that did no favors for the appearance and health of my hair. Not wanting to repeat these mistakes, I instead went with my mother's recommendations to try out eSalon.

eSalon is an online service that claims to provide salon quality dye for a marginally cheaper price and more convenient home application. Having gone through many many many different brands of dye, all promising similar features, I was pretty skeptical. The setup of picking out your color is stupid-proof and admittedly kind of fun. After providing information on your hair type, length, and current color, a set of avaliable tones are shown for you to choose from, for the magical eSalon fairy stylists to mix for you- one thing I'd like to add is that I was pretty unimpressed by the options for black, having only one labeled "soft", and one labeled "blue". Having hated my black hair from sophomore year that featured purplish tones, I went for "soft".

 The kit features: a developer, your custom color, a stain remover, stain guard, two pairs of gloves, shampoo, and conditioner which is pretty good for an at home hair kit. In the beginning, the dye was a little bit frustrating because it takes longer than most products I've used in the past to develop (and when it did, it turned a dark brownish color which made me quite nervous). Even after leaving it on for an hour, the color seemed rather brown, but after washing it out (WARNING: This stuff will take FOREVER to get out. I'm not kidding it seemed almost impossible), I was left with a beautiful, shiny, black!

Overall, I was pretty impressed by the quality of eSalon's dye, as it has left my hair in the same state health wise and the tone is just as promised. I'm especially a big fan of their custom color and the way they show you exactly what tones were used to mix it on their website and in your custom directions (complete with very cute illustrations)!

I also hit up their other service, The Match Up, that provides a similar custom-to-you feel through handpicking hair products on a subscription base, and would super recommend their color safe shampoo and tone corrector that takes the bronze hits out of your color as it begins to fade. Though I definitely have my critiques (developing, the amount of time it takes to wash out, and a slight bit of fading after a month), reasonably priced dye doesn't get much better than eSalon and I'm very content currently looking like the bitch from apt. 23.