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Welcome to my newly rebranded blog! I have retitled it as Real Chic, Real Cheap because I think that it more accurately reflects my blog’s content and my style than it’s former name of What I Really Wear. The tagline is the same and the blog’s mission is the same: to show real style on a real budget for real women. Just because I’m broke doesn’t mean I have to look like it.

Over the last six months have taken a hiatus from posting because I felt awkward about blogging.

Why?

Because I am awkward in front of the camera


Probably just like every other woman in America, I think too much about what I look like. And not in a good way either. Sure, I think I’m pretty and I am happy with my body and my style overall, but I still feel like a weirdo in front of a camera. Where do I put my hands? Why am I smiling like that? What is smize anyway? Stop squinting! What angle is the most flattering so I don’t look like thunder thighs? What the hell is my hair doing? Oh look, now I am just standing in the shade and you can’t see me. Should I be walking or standing still? Yeah, I don’t know the answers to these questions. I understand now that modeling is an actual job and that those ladies have honed some real skills for standing in front of the camera and not looking awkward. I am not a model, just a regular lady, and that’s okay.

Because I doubt myself and my style instincts


I started this blog because I did not wear anything crazy high fashion in my daily life. I wear jeans and sneakers a lot….well maybe jeans and cute flats. I don’t wear heels a lot because my feet hurt. I see a lot of amazing fashion blogs out there with great style but they often seem impractical (like heels every day), don’t fit my life (no, I don’t go to fancy dinner parties or balls), or my budget ($100 shoes are not “budget friendly”). I try to incorporate what I learn from style blogs, window shopping, or just divine inspiration to make cute, pulled together outfits. My friends compliment me on my outfits but I still often feel that I am not good enough to be a style blogger. Recently, a friend complimented me on my outfit and said how I always look cute. I thanked her and sheepishly told her that I have a style blog but that I have not been blogging much because I doubt myself. She said she would love to read it and that that gave me a boost of confidence to go ahead and put myself back out there.

Because I am afraid I’m doing it wrong


I am a bit of a perfectionist and worry that if I am not sure that I am doing something right then I ought not do it at all. I worry that I lack the wardrobe, style skills, photography chops, and blogging technical expertise to be a real blogger so I pull back and hide. I write down ideas for blog posts (seriously, I have a notebook that I have many pages of post ideas) then chicken out and don’t write them.

I am going to make some changes in 2016. One of those will be giving my head and insecurities a big old Eff You and start calling myself a blogger and acting like a goddamn blogger. I will post even if I am awkward as hell and share with you dear readers all that I know about budget fashion because hopefully it will help and inspire another awkward and broke woman out there.

And in the meantime, here’s me channeling my inner Audrey Hepburn.

Cheers!