Read Surveys (By Author)
Natalie M
1. When do you feel at your most attractive?
When everything is on point -- hair, clothes, makeup, mood, etc...
2. Do you notice women on the street? If so, what sort of women do you tend to notice or admire?
I think everyone notices women (or maybe just people?) on the street, but for me, I notice women who play into fashion and perpetuate the idealized woman and those who do the opposite. I admire those who do not feel pressured to look and act a certain way, but mostly, I admire those who do whatever they want and look like the person they want to be and not the person they are told to be.
4. Was there a moment in your life when something “clicked” for you about fashion or dressing or make-up or hair? What? Why did it happen then, do you think?
When I was in middle school all of my friends started shopping at Garage and American Eagle, and I still bought my clothes from Gap Kids. I wanted to fit in and be the most stylin' 10-year-old in grade six, so I became engrossed with fashion and shopping because 10-year-olds are *way* too old to buy clothes from the kids side at the Gap...
5. What are some shopping rules you wouldn’t necessarily recommend to others but which you follow?
Don't spend all of your money on clothes! Fashion is fun, makeup is fun, but nobody is going to care about your cool wardrobe if your brain isn't there!
7. What is the most transformative conversation you have ever had on the subject of fashion or style?
In my third year gender studies class, we had a discussion about makeup and the unrealistic expectations placed upon women to look a certain way. Everyone who wore makeup or liked fashion said they liked makeup or they liked clothes, but every single person felt the need to justify liking it because women and girls are taught that they *need* makeup and fashion in order to be considered a person of worth because without, they have no value.
8. Do you have a unified way of approaching your life, work, relationships, finances, chores, etc.? Please explain.
I like everything to be perfect. Everything, whether it be school, work, relationships, life, I like order, and perfection is order -- unrealistic order, but I believe in doing things right or not at all.
11. Is there any fashion trend you’ve refused to participate in and why?
High heels! I can't walk in them, it takes a lot of practice to nail that walk down.
16. Please describe your body.
It's a running joke that I'm built like a man, I have wide shoulders and ribs, narrow hips, and no tits. I was a dancer growing up, so there was this constant pressure to be extremely thin and built a specific way, but I was not thin and not built the "right" way to be a dancer, so I guess I've never really liked the way I look. However, it's not nearly as bad since I stopped dancing.
17. Please describe your mind.
I am easily stressed. I am a perfectionist, so stress is huge for me -- I'm very hard on myself when I cannot achieve the expectations I have set for myself, so I am sad a lot, I guess. I have a melancholic mind.
18. Please describe your emotions.
Very emotional -- I've always been told I'm *too* sensitive, but I like being able to feel a wide range of emotion.
19. What are you wearing on your body and face, and how is your hair done, right at this moment?
Sweatpants and a baggy sweater from my university, my makeup is still on from work, and I have the highest ponytail ever, right now.
20. In what way is this stuff important, if at all?
It's not, or it shouldn't be. I like fashion, fashion is fun, but it doesn't determine my worth as a human being.
34. What do you consider very ugly?
A bad attitude, so me, I suppose.
40. If you had to wear a “uniform” what would it look like?
Tights, Blundstones, and a sweater dress.
51. If there was one country or culture or era that you had to live in, fashion-wise, what would it be?
Paris!
52. Do you consider yourself photogenic?
Not at all, I hate photos.
60. What do you think of perfume? Do you wear it?
Scented products give me headaches. Personally, I think it's a little silly to cover yourself in a chemical so you can smell like a flower, but I do have some essential oils that I'll wear occasionally.
69. If you had to throw out all your clothes but keep one thing, what would you keep?
A $30 sweater from H&M. It's perfect and so comfortable, I have it in four colours.
What’s your birth date? Where were you born and where do you live now?
Dec. 8th, 1993. New Brunswick, Canada.
What kind of work do you do?
undergrad and bookseller