Hey there! I’m Talia, and this is my blog.
I’m a 22-year-old graduate of the University of North Carolina currently living in the Washington, DC area after spending my entire life in North Carolina. I’m originally from Charlotte but moved to Chapel Hill for college until the COVID-19 forced me to finish out my final semester at home. This makes me part of the pandemic graduating class of 2020, and I now have a degree in Public Relations and Political Science with a minor in Business Administration. That’s a mouthful, but it’s a combination of me being an overachiever and changing my major six times while I was at UNC.
I’ve been creating content online for a few years now. Before this, I’ve had other (probably slightly cringey) iterations of blogs and, most recently, a YouTube channel. I was pretty on and off when it came to all of these endeavors. Phases came and went where I would be super into whatever my flavor of the week was, then eventually my other duties and responsibilities would pile up, leaving whatever I was working on at the time on the back burner.
I posted a YouTube video a few weeks ago explaining more about this, but more so in a YouTube context. However, when I tried to get back into filming videos, I just couldn’t create what I felt was engaging and entertaining content. My days looked largely the same pretty much all the time: wake up, work from home, relax, rinse, repeat. I found myself attempting to film vlogs, but I was left bored and uninspired by the clips I filmed. I couldn’t think of other video ideas that I wanted to film either.
That’s when the thought of blogging again entered my mind. I’ve always been a writer. While I was in school, I would always rather write an essay than take a test, and when I got to college, I intentionally chose classes (and then a major) where I would be doing just that. With videos, I was limited to things I was doing, or could do. With blogging, however, I could write about anything. I could share my dream outfit ideas with pieces I’ll probably never afford (hello, Gucci shoes and Chanel handbags) instead of being confined to only the items in my closet. I could also express myself with written words far better than on camera, where I frequently had to edit out myself saying “like,” “so” or “um.”
That brings us to where we are now. I am starting this blog as a creative outlet and a way to showcase my love of fashion, lifestyle, online shopping and everything in between. I plan to share anything from outfit ideas to recipes to my own ramblings and musings.
I chose the title Dresses & Democracy for my blog as a nod to what I feel are two of my biggest personality traits. “Dresses” comes from my girly side. I love a fun outfit, and I’m a sucker for a cute dress. They’re just so easy to throw on and instantly look chic, plus you don’t have to match two pieces! I wanted something alliterative to go with it, and I’m totally obsessed with politics (remember how I said that I have a degree in political science?). “Democracy” felt like a fun and quirky addition that represents who I am in the blog title. With that being said, I’m sure I’ll discuss what’s going on in Washington on here from time to time, just like I do on my Instagram and Twitter accounts. I’m vocal about my beliefs because they’re, well, what I believe in. Therefore, I’ll stand up for them. I don’t think that political views should be this super hushed and secretive thing that you don’t tell anyone about, so I proudly advocate for mine.
And there you have it! The backstory behind Dresses & Democracy, with a little sprinkle of who I am peppered in as well.