Hello luvs, can you believe it? It’s time for the 7th installment of the blog spotlight series. For the benefit of new readers to this blog new I will say I started the blog spotlight because being a full time English student, managing this blog, and writing for a online magazine I can not give you all the “skinny” on fat fashion. There are many, many blogs out there. Many of which that I read that cover a lot of things that I do not. As oppose to just featuring bloggers on my blog roll I thought it would be a good thing to not only link you to the blog but, give you a glimpse into the person behind the blog.
So, allow me to introduce you to 23 year old Detroit, Michigan Native, blogger, and self proclaimed “teacher by day, fashionista/stylist by night” Gabi Gregg.
Hello, how are you doing today?
Pretty good! I'm currently planning things for my blog and trying to organize my closet so I can make a vlog showing my readers my favorite pieces.
Can you define your fashion and body evolution a little bit? For Example what styles did you experiment with before you settled on your current one and how did your weight/size affect that if at all?
In high school I was chubby, and though I wasn't fashion forward, I still loved clothing and had a very unique personal style. I loved thrifting and finding kids' sports tees and pairing them with skirts and jean jackets. I also was obsessed with colorful sneakers and had a collection of Diesel shoes. In college I lost some weight, and I got into a more trendy style; looking back it's pretty embarrassing. I was really into graphic tee shirts, flared jeans, acrylic nails, and short party dresses. Not cute. Ironically, when I gained weight and began to discover Fat Acceptance is also when fashion became a real interest of mine. My style became much more mature and for the past three or so years, it's been improving each season.
Young Fat and Fabulous (YFF) is probably the most popular blog in the fatshionista niche and sometimes when people achieve a certain amount of success they can plateau. At this point in your blogging career do you see yourself catapulting blogging into a fashion journalism career or are you comfortable with your current position? If you are looking into fashion journalism what steps are you taking to get that career off the ground?
I'm considering pursuing a Master's degree in journalism, but it's not set in stone yet. My blog has granted me amazing opportunities and I hope to take advantage of those and continue a career in fashion. I need to organize things though. It seems like my blog has a lot of potential, but the more popular it gets, the more busy I am, so it's hard to keep it updated as often as I'd like. I am happy with where YFF is right now, but I will be the first to admit that it's definitely not as good as it could be. I am a perfectionist, so even though others say my blog is great and/or popular, I compare myself to the biggest bloggers like Tavi and BryanBoy and I know I have a really long way to go.
I have had an ongoing struggle to define my personal style because I like to wear so many different things. Do you feel pressured to define your personal style and dress accordingly?
Only in the last year have I really realized my personal style. I would always try different things--one day I'd wear a vintage 50s dress, and the next I'd wear leather pants and a rocker tee. I think I was trying too many different things, and I've finally realized it is okay to acknowledge that an item is nice or cute without needing to wear it yourself. I don't feel pressure to dress a certain way though. I know that in some ways, being flexible is a good thing and my style does tend to change over time so I go with it.
Because this blog is called Fat Shopaholic I have to ask you this next question. Do you consider yourself a shopaholic? Since you started your blog have you begun shopping more than you did before?
I am definitely a shopaholic, and it's not a good thing for me! I am so bad at budgeting, and I am a huge impulse buyer. I have way too many things in my closet that I have never worn or that I've only worn once. I need to change this ASAP! I have always been this way though, starting my blog didn't really influence it.
With so many blogs attempting to stake claim on the Fatshionista niche there has been some talk about the lack of style amongst fatshionista bloggers. Do you feel the same way? If so what do you attribute that to?
Hmm...I don't know. I try not to think of any fellow bloggers as "competition," because that's silly...I do think that it's interesting how many suddenly appeared overnight though. All in all, it's a good thing, because people find inspiration from everywhere, and if one blog isn't inspiring to you, it's nice to have a lot of others to choose from. Not all fatshion bloggers' style impresses me, but that's true of straight size fashion bloggers as well. Style is subjective, so everyone should just wear what makes them happy! If I don't like it, it's not a big deal.
Recently you have had the wonderful opportunity to work with vogue Italy. Do you worry about there being backlash regarding the collaboration due the fact that the stores you feature will not specifically cater to plus size women?
Not really. My whole motto is "make it work." Generally, I don't shop at many plus size stores anyway, so I am not bothered by it. I think I am going to try to feature more in the future, but in the mean time I wish people would stop being so concerned with that and try to realize that you can find inspiration anywhere. It's not about copying the look and buying the exact items, it's more so about translating styles you may admire onto your own body. In my next video, I feature Faith21, so hopefully more girls will find that helpful.
If you don’t mind, now I want to steer away from the more in dept questions and include some more fun ones.
When you are not blogging or working what do you like to do for fun?
I love road trips, photography, shopping, partying, sleepovers, movies and generally hanging out and talking with friends. I also love discovering new places in the city--restaurants, dive bars, thrift stores, etc. Nothing beats a night in with alcohol and board games!
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be and why?
This is hard! I tend to go through phases with music. I guess I would have to say Michael Jackson-PYT. It's a classic, and no matter how many times I hear it, it never gets old.
What movie do you think everyone needs to see in their lifetime and why?
These questions are so hard! I'm gonna go with The Sandlot. I don't even know why, it's just the most amazing movie ever to me. I still have a crush on Benny.
Do you have any guilty pleasure TV addictions?
OMG, doesn't everyone? I am obsessed with The Bachelor. One time recently I stayed up watching re-runs on Hulu and sobbing. It was amazing.
This is a question I’m starting to ask everyone. What do you like about Fat Shopaholic? Why did you agree to this interview?
Like others have said, I think your questions are really great. Doing this was refreshing because it's so nice not to have the typical "why did you start your blog" questions that I always get! Thanks for the interview!
Hey, If you would let to be part of a blog spotlight all you have to do is ask! While I can’t promise that everyone will be featured I will certainly try my best. Just email me at fatshopaholic@yahoo.com
6 comments:
this is a great interview, i'm currently working on my master's thesis and it is about fat fashion blogs and in the paper i argue that the growing number of fashion blogs is a positive result of the work that bloggers like gabi and others have done, I think its a great thing. Like the fact that other women feel empowered to represent themselves means that the world is being changed for fat women a little bit...
Awesome interview! Tiffany, I think your questions were different and more fun than any typical interview - just like Gabi said at the end. It can get old and boring when interviews become an autobiography. Aside from that, I think Gabi rocks! I mean she is truly an empowering inspiration and she should be proud of what she is doing and reflecting. Her blog was one of the first blogs I joined when I first realized that there was this 'movement' of self-acceptance, beauty, curves, fashion, etc... Lovin' it! Keep it up girls :)
Wow Tiffany! Amazing Interview well worth a read :D
Great interview! I love Gabi, have been following her for a couple of months now. She's got such a wonderful sense of style.
I so heart Gabi <3 Great interview Tiff, I loved it :)
Great interview questions and great answers! <3
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