Yo, can I dead have a phone like this in my hands...in at least a close proximity? This year...? This year and the one prior has be nothing but an onslaught of actual bull's shit, like when people say "bullSHIT" it's just this figurative expression. And, honestly, yes, there's a whole heap of figurative B to the S....but I feel as though the levels of BS have crossed over from figurative to literal (cuz that's how funky, putrid, and wack, shit is). The scope of BS, the way it flowed through life's bowels and casually (catastrophically) contaminated EVERYTHING in it's path......? You can only admire the bull SHIT symphony at this point, you almost can't get mad (I said almost...but not quite), like the expertise, the fluid and majestic cosmic dance of destruction. It's like when you watch mother nature devour lands and it's one part devastating (for obvious reasons) and one part a song beautifully sung, a story beautifully told (with the most perfect climactic ending). How can one, after fully processing what's transpired, fully be mad at it? So here we are, scrambling as yet another bullshit year comes to a close and all I can say (what little advise I can impart), take a moment, breathe, #ReclaimYourTime, appreciate the glory of it all, the magic of it all, inhale the good shit, exhale the bullshit, and remeber to brace yourself for what's to come. If all else fails, just getchu a existential phone. -Jamila Pierre #NaughtCouture {NaughtCouture.com}

So the caption above was under my most recent post on IG (Instagram: @NaughtCouture), I felt compelled to drop a lil' sumthin' sumthin' due to the end of the year's fast approach. This is the time when people's insecurities and self doubt tend to surface, and do so with a vengeance. This is the time when people stereotypically begin to resolute, making promises to themselves and professing change....when they know damn well that they aren't changing shit, and hey...that's OK. There's all this pressure to change, to do better, to be better, to have accomplished and achieved something better than years past. And though I am all about change and betterment....I think that there is very little balance involved, perpetuating #FailureFeels, and propelling people into downward spirals.

We live in a world that looks down upon mental illness while simultaneously making the cycle practically unbreakable. We drag people into our projections and own ideals, leaving people to feel....well...less than, all of the time.

It's important, as the person being dragged, that you fight to get loose, to get free, and that if you still get dragged in...that you maintain a sense of self because it is entirely too easy to let yourself be swallowed by the expectations of others. And though there's a thin line between expectations and standards, there is in fact a difference, there is in fact a line. Educate yourself on those differences and protect yourself, not just from those around you...but from yourself. It may be cliche but it's true, you ARE your own worst enemy.

It is also common practice to to shrink ones self, especially if you're a part of a marginalized group (POC, Female, LGBTQIA+, Disabled, etc..), this is the expectation. You're not allowed to have a voice, not allowed to feel or express said feelings, your plight, the fact that you need help or recognition of your struggles, the fact that you are falling apart in every way imaginable, is to NEVER be put out there. So you essentially just have to shut up and smile for the cameras. With that said, the biggest wish, hope, and dream I have for you this upcoming year and the years that follow....is that you become louder, is that you find your voice and use it, is that you no longer feel the need to shrink.

I'd also like for you to be able to find as many moments as humanly possible, to breath, regroup, asses, and push through. This message isn't just for you, it's very much so for me, for I struggle with all of these things to the tenth power.

Wish me luck and send all your good juju and blessings this way, I will return the favor. Here's to a new year and may it be exceptionally better than the years past. #Make2018YourBitch, and if you can't...remember it's OK, you're still good enough, you're still worthy, you're still the bomb!

As for this outfit? I know, I know, it isn't exactly season appropriate because winter is currently raging against the dying of the light, but ehhhh....whataya gonna do? Hope you enjoy it none the less.

What I'm Wearing:

Sunnies from Rainbow. $5
Head-scarf from a street fair. $3
Vest is from Target. $7 (On sale) Alternative HERE
Sweater is from Forever21. $19.90 (Alternatives HERE, and HERE)
Necklace is from Burlington Coat Factory. $13
Bracelets are from Burlington Coat Factory and street vendors. $2-$7
Jeans are the most expensive jeggings of all time and are from HSN, circa many yrs ago. (Gifted $54) (Alternative HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE)
Boots are from Charlotterusse.com. $ (On sale) Alternative HERE HERE, HERE , HERE, HERE, and HERE