My Essay on Yahoo: “As a Woman With a Disability, I Felt Validated By the New Aerie Ads”

Aerie adsYou all know I’ve got a passion for fashion, but it’s always been a challenge to find clothes and styles that accommodate my disability. It can be frustrating, especially when I see something I like and then realize, “Oh, that will never work on me!” And, unfortunately, my experience is all too common. The fact is, fashion is just not disability-friendly. So you can imagine how happy I was to hear about the Aerie ads featuring women with disabilities and illnesses modeling the clothing brand’s lingerie — so happy, actually, that I wrote my first essay for Yahoo about how meaningful this is to women like me!

Although we’ve been seeing more and more companies taking steps to be more inclusive in 2018 (thank goodness; it’s about time, isn’t it?!?), it’s still pretty rare, especially when it comes to people with disabilities. We’re typically an after-thought, if we’re given any thought at all. Needless to say, I had a lot to say in this essay and, honestly, the words just seemed to flow from my fingertips to the keyboard — words about how women with disabilities are typically seen and how these Aerie ads help squash long-help (and false!) misconceptions about what it’s like living with a disability.

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, in which I try to find a very respectful way to tell the world that I’m not here for any of its blatant ableism…

There’s an underlying assumption that people with disabilities shouldn’t be comfortable in their bodies because disabilities aren’t “normal.” A disability can’t be normalized or seen as mainstream. A disability can’t be sexy. Women with disabilities are often not even seen as women. Our sexuality and femininity takes a back seat to our disability. A part of ourselves, a part of our identity is erased in the process.

I’ve struggled to belong, to live my life as a disabled woman in an able-bodied world. Seeing women like me in national ads makes me smile at myself in the mirror and makes me hold my head a little higher. Instead of feeling like I need to hide the disabled parts of myself, I now want to show them — real and unafraid.

You can read the full piece here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo

Found: Cozy Pajamas For Fall

Cozy Pajamas Cozy Pajamas Cozy PajamasHere’s a fun question: Are you a big fan of pajamas? I’ll admit, I always thought PJs were just too bulky and cumbersome to ever be comfortable (heck, I don’t even like to wear socks to bed usually!), but these cozy pajamas from UK brand Yawn just might be enough to push me over to the Pro Pajama Side.

Aren’t they cute? And…they look so comfy! They’d definitely be the perfect lounging outfit for cool fall morning, don’t you think? Ahhh, I’m feeling snug as a bug in a rug already! xoxo

P.S. Lots of Family Photos are coming up later today!! Get ready…

The Prettiest Keds Collection for Fall

Keds CollectionThinking about cooler weather and fall days yet? Well, if I could wear normal shoes, I’d most definitely be sporting these pretties from Keds collection with Rifle Paper Co.

I’ve always loved Rifle Paper Co. for their beautiful floral designs on things like cards and notebooks, and now they get to showcase that iconic aesthetic on some pretty snazzy shoes! Aren’t they gorgeous? There’s a distinct ’70s vibe to them, which I really like. It sort of makes me think of an early-fall hike through the woods.

Keds Collection Keds CollectionWhat do you think, friends? Which pair is your favorite? Would you wear them? xoxo

Obsessed: Victoria Beckham Target Collection

Victoria Beckham Target collection Victoria Beckham Target collectionBy now, it’s public knowledge that I have a slight obsession with all things Target. So when I heard that Victoria Beckham was releasing a collection with Target? Well, I about died — OK, not literally, but there was definitely some hyperventilating involved. The fashion maven injected her talents into the Victoria Beckham Target Collection, which just hit stores yesterday, and the entire line is seriously drool-worthy! Some items are already sold out and the collection is already selling on eBay for more than twice the price!

But, really, I don’t see how that’s at all surprising, actually. I mean, how awesome is the retro vibe? It makes me want to travel back in time to the mod era of the late ’60s and live it up at a disco nightclub! Or maybe that’s just me? Either way, I’d say the collection is a hit!

Victoria Beckham Target collection Victoria Beckham Target collection Victoria Beckham Target collectionHave you bought anything from the collection yet? What’s your favorite piece? Could the mod vibe be making a comeback in 2017? I certainly hope so, friends! xoxo

Dreamy Beauty and the Beast Fashion

Beauty and the Beast Fashion Beauty and the Beast FashionSpeaking of my essay on SheKnows recently, I couldn’t resist sharing this dreamy Beauty and the Beast fashion! The clothing line from Torrid brings to mind the essence of the film and seems to channel the classic French countryside. I can even picture the opening scene of the film where Belle is strolling through town in her blue dress, with lyrics from the soundtrack even making an appearance on a blue dress from the collection.

Beauty and the Beast Fashion Beauty and the Beast FashionYou can browse the entire collection and dream til your heart’s content! How cool is that? I love all the little details and the fun, feminine vibe of the pieces, don’t you, friends? Have you seen the movie yet? I’m SO excited to go see it next week! #TaleAsOldAsTime… xoxo

[Via Bustle]