Girly Girl

So I know my posts have been few and far between lately. Mostly it's because I've been in a rut style-wise and I want to only put things on this blog that I think are really worth posting. I don't want to just slap something together for the sake of having a post, you know? But now I have some things to show you guys that I feel good about.

First order of business: I went to my favorite thrift store the other day and discovered that there is a treasure trove of fabrics in the 'material' section. There was some adorable vintage fabric with a hippo print, a fleece with wolf faces on it that my sister bought, and something that looked like an old bedsheet with surfer dudes on it. The best thing by far, though, was this amazeballs microfleece blanket with angels and vomity pastel colors.

Look at those colors! And the little angels with their fluffy wings and Rookie-style flower crowns! Plus it's really soft. Best purchase I've made in a long time. It is everything I love.

On the same shopping trip I ran across this floaty little pajama thing. I'm not sure if it's a top or a really short nightgown, but either way it's the cutest piece of sleepwear I've ever owned.

I took these in my sister's room because the lighting was perfect. Also my room is really messy, and not in an aesthetically pleasing teenager-y way.

And lastly, my daisy manicure that I'm really proud of.

Everything in this post is really girly. I've been gravitating towards very feminine, even girlish things recently. It may have something to do with these two girls on tumblr, who post beautiful femme pictures and talk about reclaiming their girlhood and live together in a pretty pastel apartment. I've also been introduced to the idea of reclaiming femininity and using girly things to feel powerful. Looking feminine is a way to challenge the idea that to be powerful and successful, you need to take on masculine traits. Femme people are looked down on and are told that frilly clothes, pastel colors, exaggerated makeup, and other feminine things are frivolous and unimportant, but at the same time are told that they should be ladylike and put effort into their appearance (at least in the case of cis women). By dressing femme, I'm taking control of my gender expression and being "ladylike" on my own terms.

When I was shopping for dorm furnishings for my upcoming year at college, I gravitated toward baby-pink sheets, floral prints, bunny figurines. I hesitated more than a few times and wondered if I should get some more refined things in basic black or white. I eventually realized that my love for girly things doesn't make me any less intelligent, powerful, or interesting than anyone else. If someone can't take me seriously because of my pastel cardigans and ukulele, that's their problem. I won't apologize for my femininity, because even though western culture places a higher value on traditionally masculine traits, I  believe there is just as much value in feminine traits and it's time we speak up about it.