So raise your hand if it's a legit job for you to put a good outfit together. Yes, ladies, ya girl is a lifetime subscriber to 'comfortable and convenient chic', proud and loud, and lately, have yet to put any effort into anything else. So needless to say, you can usually catch me, with a closet full of clothes, in workout gear every day. And because of this, when it comes to fashion, the struggle is real. I'm serious, like I need you to send me the inspo photo, I need step-by-step instructions on what she did to achieve the look.
Amen? Amen.
But for some, fashion comes as a breeze. We all know that one girl that just has that eye. And I'm not talking about just throwing on a bunch of gaggy labels and calling it fashion, sis can literally take a curtain and trash bag, and strut down Park Avenue with the best of them. She naturally sees couture in loungewear, and vintage is her jam. She's both a thrifter and an effortless visionary. She sees what none of us can, and she'll tell you that it's OK to pair those sweatpants with a blazer.
Well, fortunately for the dressing-impaired, the world wide web is full of "her". Here's a list of 7 ladies that slayyyyy any outfit they put together:
@samjahiman
Samjah Iman is a New Orleans fashion blogger and writer. She's created the blog, Style & Energy to document her colorful journey in hopes of inspiring others and demonstrating how simple outfits can stand out when accompanied with a pleasant aura and the right amount of confidence.
"Style & Energy is my contribution to society. It's the vehicle I use to promote individuality, healing, peace, and love. Through this blog, my mission is to fashionably inspire, to advocate for self-love, to encourage others to exercise their intuition and become more self-aware."
Follow her on Instagram @samjahiman!
@Shesofly
Now, if you know style, then you know that Tawana is top tier. Her eye-catching content and flawless looks are something that every single one of us has seen before—not because her looks shake the 'gram, but because she has built a game-changing style network.
There are sayers in this industry, and then there are doers. Well, Tawana is something like a beast at each.
Follow Tawana on Instagram @shesofly!
@sophslayz
Sophie is a beauty and style content creator that represents for the tall ladies. Based in Atlanta, she worked in retail cosmetics and apparel for three years before adding makeup artistry to her resume, gaining numerous television credits and celebrity clientele. Her experience in these industries began her journey into creating stylish and eye-catching content through her Instagram, where she is quite literally featured in multiple scrolls across the globe.
Catch sis on Instagram @sophslayz!
@stylishlybritt
Meet Brittany, a Dallas-based style influencer who specializes in fashion and home decor. She prides herself on doing all things with "a dash of style". A digital marketer by day and a fashionista by passion, Brittany is certainly among the ranks of those to watch for.
Follow Brittany on Instagram @stylishlybritt!
@fashion_dollface
The queen of layers, Dollface is an all-around image goddess, from style to hair, to all the above. A self-proclaimed "everything girl", this Nigerian Los Angeles transplant has figured out the game. She's a true advocate of doing what you love and getting paid and preaches the word through highly desired content.
You can follow Dollface on Instagram @fashion_dollface!
@rhondamarierawls
Rhonda is a southern belle, born and raised in Atlanta, GA. Her passion for fashion started back in college at Savannah State, where she would help girlfriends choose their outfits and makeup looks for job interviews, date nights, and other special occasions. Ten years later, she started pursuing her style dreams to help other plus-sized women make fashion more enjoyable and less stressful.
"My approach to style is attainable for the modern woman, mixing premium and affordable brands to develop a signature style."
Follow her on Instagram @rhondamarierawls
@goodgirlseason
Shay Regis has her Masters in Education, and rightfully so, because style is what she teaches best. Sis literally has segments where she transforms "grandmother's clothes" into a whole look for the people. And she does it all in cute and engaging ways. Her mission is to inspire you to create and maintain a well-balanced, sustainable lifestyle.
Good Girl Season is her brand and where she creates her magic.
"[I'll give you] tips and life hacks on everything from fashion to finance, self-care to side hustles!"
Yasss, we stan a multi-faceted queen.
You can follow Shay on Instagram @goodgirlseason, as well as visit her website for more information.
Who are your favorite ladies to look to for style inspo?
Feature image courtesy of Shesofly/Claudio Robles
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RELATED
While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
Feature image courtesy
The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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Now, while it’s another message for another time that if this type of sex-related craving feels impulsive or out of one’s control, it could be a sign of someone who is leaning into some level of sex addiction; however, that is not what we’re going to unpack today. Today, we’re going to look into what could be going on with you if it seems like, lately, you’ve been having a greater desire for sex, and you can’t quite pinpoint why.
Because, just like, say, a craving for a particular type of food oftentimes reveals something that is going on with you physically or mentally — sex cravings tend to bring certain things to light in those same areas, too.
Let’s dig in…
Hormonal Shifts
GiphyAlthough I don’t have social media accounts, I do tiptoe out there to see what’s going on — and boy, do I roll my eyes whenever I hear folks act like being over 40 is old. SMDH. It’s especially annoying when I hear about it in the context of sex because, believe it or not, there are a lot of late perimenopausal and menopausal women who are “gettin’ theirs” more than some of these 20 and 30-year-olds are (just ask them).
One reason is that the fear of experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, for many, is now in their rearview mirror. Another is because some are taking a form of hormone therapy to treat the changes that their system is going through — and when you’re getting more estrogen, progesterone, and/or testosterone into your body (in order to level things out) — HUNNAY.
For other women, even consuming phytoestrogens (plant-based estrogen) like peaches, garlic, berries, spinach, and cabbage can make them want sex more than when those aren’t a part of their diet. Bottom line here, a shift in your sexual hormones can definitely cause you to desire sex more than you have before (or have in a while).
Ovulation
GiphyBack when I was a teen mom director for the local chapter of a national non-profit, something that I used to tell “my daughters” all of the time is when you know that you’re ovulating, that’s when you need to be hypervigilant about using wisdom when it comes to the sex-related decisions that you make. I’m thinking that most of you get why: your body was designed to feel its horniest when you’re able to get pregnant — and that is during your time of ovulation.
That’s why it really is a good idea to keep up with your cycle and, if a baby is not something that is on your priority list right now, you either avoid having sex during that time of the month or make sure to use some form of birth control. Chile, even women with low libidos can find themselves wanting to hang off of a chandelier or two when they are ovulating. It’s nature’s way.
A Healthy Diet
GiphyIf you happen to be someone with a sluggish sex drive and you know that you spend most of your time in a drive-thru, there is probably a direct correlation there. No joke. There is plenty of research out in cyberspace to support the fact that a wack diet and low sex drive have a lot in common. While processed foods and unhealthy fats can throw your (sex) hormones off, foods that are filled with zinc, vitamins B12 and D, and iron can ramp up your desire for intimacy.
This is why many people who decide to make a lifestyle change as far as their eating habits are concerned are oftentimes surprised by how much sex is on their minds and how much easier it is for them to orgasm because of it. While a part of it can be due to a boost in their sexual confidence, a lot of it has to do with consuming foods that will literally feed their libido (in a healthy way).
More Exercise
GiphyPlainly put, exercise makes you hornier. Not only does it boost your testosterone levels, (consistently) working out also lowers your stress levels and gives you a boost in the self-esteem department. On top of that, exercise makes you more flexible, builds up endurance, and increases blood circulation which can turn around and intensify your climaxes as a direct result. In fact, this is oftentimes why people will want to have sex right after a workout session.
While we’re here, let me also share that too much of a good thing can end up being counterproductive. What I mean by that is, that although it is wise to exercise on a regular basis, make sure to not overdo it. Something known as overtraining syndrome can result in fatigue, insomnia, and irritability; no one can really have amazing sex when all of that is going on.
Being a Certain Age
GiphyWhile it used to be said that the sexual peak for men is in their teens and for women, it’s in their 30s (some believe it’s because after 35, it’s more challenging for women to get pregnant and so our biological clock plays a role in it all), some research believes that coming to that conclusion isn’t fair because aging affects people differently. For instance, while on one hand, people in their 40s tend to see a dip in their sex hormones, as we’ve already discussed, hormone therapy (for both men and women) can level some of those issues out, if not increase some people’s sex drives altogether.
Adding to that, it should also go on record that some studies indicate that women between the ages of 27-45 actually have a stronger desire — or craving — for sex than women between the ages of 18-26. So honestly, there goes the myth that being younger (automatically) means that you’re hornier. #Elmoshrug
Certain Medications
GiphyIf you used to have a higher sex drive and you’re currently on an antidepressant, that could be why your desire for copulation has decreased. Some studies say that as much as 40 percent of people who are on these types of medication end up having a lower libido (by the way, antihistamines and beta-blockers can have this effect, too).
On the other hand, if you’ve been taking a prescribed drug to increase your sex drive (perhaps like Vyleesi or Addyi), then it would make sense that you may have an increased libido level. Other meds that may have a similar effect include birth control pills (since they alter your hormones), medications that help to treat Parkinson’s disease, along with dopamine-related drugs.
Less Stress
GiphyIf, on the days when you don’t seem to have a care in the world, you also desire sex more than usual, that’s not a coincidence either. Thing is, when you’re all stressed out, that can cause the stress hormone known as cortisol to work overtime and, when that happens, that can end up suppressing your sex hormones which can deplete you of sexual urges. Ironically, there is a flip side to this because when you engage in sexual activity, that actually elevates feel-good (and bonding) hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins, which can also de-stress you.
So basically, if you’re craving sex, you probably aren’t very stressed out (right now), and if you want to stop being stressed out, you probably should have some sex (some protected sex, if you don’t want to be stressed later up the road…if you know what I mean).
Having an Amazing Sex Life
GiphyTo me, this one right here should be a given because when something is both good to and for you, why wouldn’t you want more of it? So yeah, if you have a great sex life with someone, it’s common sense that you’d want to engage in that act with them as much as possible. Hey, not to mention the fact that orgasms activate your brain in a way similar to a drug high does.
So, if while reading this, you’re thinking about sexting your bae to make arrangements to — eh hem — satisfy your craving, I say go for it! To “greatly want” to connect with your partner in order to have some fulfilling and satisfying sex? What in the world could possibly be wrong with that?! Not a damn thing.
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Featured image by Giphy