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Spring Blog Reflection

I really liked creating this website, but one thing that I’d want to improve is the layout. For my posts, I wanted to have to have the text wrap around the images like in a magazine or yearbook, but I could not figure that out in WordPress. A stronger theme for the website would be nice, too. 

I could have better promoted my content if I’d used my personal social media accounts. I created a new Twitter account for this project and relied on tags to get blog views, rather than promoting to my existing twitter followers. 

My best experience of this project was getting to talk about things that I love. I enjoyed the work for this class because I had the choice to explore a topic that I’m actually interested in. 

Doing this project could benefit me in the future because I now have some opinion based writing experience under my belt. I could take and implement the skills and tools I’ve gained to an internship or even a career in my future. 

Looking at the statistics of my blog, my most popular week was May 4 through 10. However, this is in terms of visitors and likes, not views. I had a total of seven visitors, two likes, and 18 post views, with 2.57 views per visitor. The week of Feb. 17 through 23 had more views, with 31 in total. I only had five visitors, but they averaged out to viewing 6.20 posts each that week. 

The most popular of my posts is my blog introduction with 18 views. This isn’t too surprising since it has been published the longest, but I do wish the other posts had been more popular. 

The thing that surprised me most in the statistics was that I had any viewers at all. My blog currently has 94 views, 29 visitors, and four likes. When I wrote these posts, I wasn’t expecting anyone to read them, and I’m glad my writing got at least a couple of views.

The social media I use is Instagram, and if you’d like to check that out and follow me, click here.

Thank you for taking the time to view my blog, and I hope you enjoyed reading!

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2020 Jewelry Collection

Jewelry is an essential and very fun component of fashion. Accessories have the ability to elevate an outfit to a higher level of beauty and pristine. Having options in your jewelry can be fun when it comes down to creating an outfit, and gives you the ability to accessorize yourself in a way that will make you feel great. Aside from wearing press on nails, I like to pump up my outfits with earrings, bracelets and necklaces when I’m going out. In today’s blog I’ll be showing you a few favorites from my collection.

Earrings are an essential for me when I’m putting together an outfit. As someone who does drag, my goal is to feminize my face as much as possible, and earrings are a great way to do that and shape the face. My favorite are hoop earrings, but if I know I’m going to be moving around a lot, I’ll stick to a smaller earring that won’t dangle. All of these are clip-on earrings, purchased from the hair store Quarter To Ten in San Marcos. They sell them for very cheap along with other jewelry.

These are a few of my favorite necklaces, most of them purchased from Goodwill and Walmart. My favorites of these are the gold and silver chains, and the “pearl” choker. I usually go with these for outfits because they’re plain and they get the job done.

These are a few of my favorite bracelets. These also come from Goodwill, Walmart, and Quarter To Ten. I usually always wear at least one bracelet, and they look amazing if you have some stiletto nails on to go with them.

These are my favorite rings in my collection. They hold a special place in my heart because they belonged to my grandma before she died. She loved to buy and collect fake yet convincing jewelry, and now I feel like the job has been passed on to me. All of these besides the ring on the right were hers, and the other one is from a friend. I love these rings, and I always like to wear them when I’m going out.

I hope you enjoyed looking through some of my favorite jewelry, and if you’d like to see how I style them, you can check out my Instagram here. Thank you for reading, and check back tomorrow for my next post!

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Favorite Clothing From My Drag Closet

As someone who’s been loving and hating on other people’s fashion in this blog, I think it’s time to share some of my own fashion! As a man, I don’t try too hard in dressing-to-impress. But as a drag queen, it is my duty to look incredible and serve up some good looking fashion (even if it is from Goodwill). In today’s post, I’ll be sharing some items from my drag closet that I’ve grown to love and tend to wear a lot.

The first item in question is a mesh shirt from Forever 21. While this item is very simple, it has become a huge staple in my wardrobe. I’d never wear this on it’s own, but it’s a great addition to wear under something else. I like wearing this shirt underneath other pieces that are sleeveless or have a plunging neckline. This is a basic item, but definitely one of my favorites!

The next item from my closet is a colorful dress I purchased from Fashion Nova. I love this dress for a few different reasons. First, it’s tight, so it fits really well and hugs the curves of the body I’ve created. I usually wear this with a belt so it can show the curves even more. I like it too because it’s really 80’s style, so I can wear it if I’m doing an 80’s themed show, or just want to be colorful! This was a great and cheap dress, and one I feel amazing wearing.

The next item is a black jumpsuit from Forever 21 (a common theme among my wardrobe). I was scared to wear this when I first bought it, but this has become an item that I wear very frequently. I like it because it’s black and simple, but it has the rhinestoned wrist collars for an extra bit of flare. I also like wearing this because it’s easy to move around and dance in compared to a dress. Super simple, super comfortable, and easy to dress up. This is the perfect outfit for me and one I’ll hold onto for a while.

This red dress I got from Uptown Cheapskate is one of my favorite things to wear when I’m in drag. It’s classy and it hugs the curves well, and it can’t get better than that. The neckline is really low, so I usually wear this with the mesh shirt I mentioned above. Overall a great dress and another staple in my closet.

The last item of this post is a blue dress I got at Goodwill. I love this dress because it’s tight and short, and it sparkles under light. I usually pull this dress out if I’m doing a Dolly Parton number, but it’s a great piece for me to wear anytime. This is another great and cheap dress, and a gem I’m happy to have found at a thrift store.

All in all these are some of the pieces I love and always gravitate towards when I’m going out at night to do a drag performance. If you want to see more of the looks I’ve done, you can check out my Instagram here. I hope you enjoyed this little look into my life, and stay tuned for my next posts!

-Urethra Franklin

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DapperQ Blog Review

Hello, and welcome back to my blog, Hi, Fashion! In today’s post, I’ll be talking about the queer-friendly style and fashion blog, DapperQ, the online magazine that is working towards”ungendering fashion.” DapperQ is a publication that writes for readers of all sexual orientations and gender expressions. Their goal is to help queer people learn to use clothing and fashion as an art of self expression, activism, “and ultimately have a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with style.” DapperQ is currently the most popular queer style magazine in the world, and they’re changing the way people view and utilize clothing.

The website is loaded with content, with different sections of articles like editorials, designers, and even lifestyle and travel. My favorite section would have to be the editorials page. This page features many different columns, videos, and photosets written by and written about queer people. One of my favorite articles in this section is titled “Victor & Victoria” Editorial in 7Hues Magazine Plays With Androgyny. It’s an article highlighting an editorial from 7Hues Magazine that discusses what androgyny really means and how powerful it can be. It discusses how mainstream media has taken the word androgyny and assigned it a masculine, white representation. The word has gained this meaning because masculinity is more “neutral” than femininity, and is easily palatable to most. Several images are included, showing clothing with both feminine and masculine features. I think this article has a really unique take, and an important message about pushing boundaries, and living to appease yourself, not the world around you.

I really appreciate this blog because it involves two subjects I love: fashion and the gays. I like their central message and goal of the website, and I enjoy looking through all of their photosets and editorials. It’s inspiring for me to read as a much smaller fashion blog. DapperQ has been around for a decade and they’re an established publication, with many artists and writers working together to bring the site to life. These are all things my blog doesn’t have, but it makes me want to produce more creative content and become more invested in queer fashion. I’m really happy I stumbled upon this website, and I would strongly encourage anyone to check it out.

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“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Episode Four Runway Review

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Welcome back to Hi, Fashion! The poorly constructed blog where I give my unsolicited and uneducated opinions on fashion. I’m back again with another Drag Race review, because my life does, in fact, revolve around the show. In tonight’s post I’ll be discussing and presenting my favorite runway looks from episode four of Drag Race. The episode, titled, “The Ball Ball,” features three different runway categories, with 36 looks in total. We’d be here forever if I critiqued all 36 looks, so I’ve gathered my favorite looks to present to you in this post.

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@thegigigoode Lady Baller Look! Toot or boot.

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The first category of the night is titled, “Lady Ballers,” and my favorite look of the bunch would have to go to Gigi Goode. There honestly weren’t too many from this category that I loved, but I thought this one was very nice. First of all, it’s a reference to the movie, “Heathers,” that I, myself, enjoy. Anytime a queen throws a reference into a challenge, it elevates their look so much more and makes it that much more enjoyable for the audience. The look itself is simple, but it has clearly been tailored to fit her very nicely. Her makeup looks polished and the style of her hair is a really nice addition. I love the fact that she came out on stage with a croquet ball and mallet, which brought the runway look to life. You can tell she’s comfortable on the stage, which makes the runway so much fun to watch. To top it all off, she turns around and you can see her red-bottomed heels, which matches her outfit and brings the whole thing together. Overall this is a really nice look.

The second category of night is titled, “Basketball Wife Realness,” and my favorite look is by drag queen, Jan Sport. The outfit was created by designer Thom Browne. This look is very clean, and the rhinestones covering the outfit look beautiful under the stage lights. Jan definitely executed this challenge well, as she totally looks like she could be in the front row at an NBA game, cheering on her husband. It’s really just an Adidas tracksuit, but she’s dressed it up with a black turtleneck and Louboutin high heels. Her hair looks slick and goes well with this outfit, and the custom bag she’s carrying is a really cute addition. Overall this is my favorite look of the category, and the one I think best represents basketball wives.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9-lHhnpTYq/?igshid=w8157ebmwq5j

My third favorite look of the night goes to Rock M. Sakura. The category, titled “Balls to the Wall Eleganza,” challenged the queens to create a look from scratch. They were provided fabric and a plethora of various balls that they could incorporate into their outfit. This look sadly put Rock M. Sakura in the bottom two this episode, but I really appreciate it for a few different reasons. Compared to the other queens, I think she really went all in with the decoration, and she did it without looking sloppy. I like the design and placement of the balls, and I really enjoy that she included strips of balls laying on her hair. On top of the fabulous outfit, her makeup looks so colorful and mystical, and it really matches with her outfit. This is a great look, and it’s sad to me that she was critiqued so hard for it.

That’s all for this post! Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you follow and stay tuned for future posts.

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“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Episode One Runway Review

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

In today’s blog post, I’ll be sharing my thoughts and opinions on the main runway looks from the first episode of season 12 of Drag Race. The episode, titled “I’m That Bitch,” features the first seven out of 14 drag queens that appear on the season. First, they have to come up with choreography and their own original verses for the song, “Im That Bitch.” After they perform their song and dance together as a group, they hit the runway with outfits they think suits the category, which in this episode, is “Sparkle.” In this post, I’ll be breaking down and giving my thoughts on the outfits as well as a rating for each look.

First up, is Brita Filter from New York City. Sadly, you can’t really see the full scope of this outfit from a photo alone. In the show, every inch of this outfit is sparkling under the stage lights. She says she looks like a disco ball, and I agree. It looks like there are tiny mirrors attached to her garment, and the design they’re placed in looks really nice. I love the matching headwrap, and her makeup looks stunning. I think this outfit is great, but I’m not too crazy about it. Also, it’s a pretty literal interpretation of “sparkle,” which is a reason it doesn’t stand out to me too much from the other contestants. I’d give this look a 6.7 out of 10.

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#CrystalMethyd Sparkle Runway Look! Toot or boot.

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I really love Crystal Methyd’s interpretation of this challenge and she executed it well. It’s really just a red sequin bodysuit, but the way she’s styled it is what brings this look to life. She has a long tail, devil horns, and she’s even put rhinestones in her hair. I believe the white collar is a reference to the character Him from “The Powerpuff Girls,” which I can appreciate. The collar also provides a refreshing break in color from the red bodysuit and shoes, and the red hair and face makeup. I really enjoy this look and I would give it a 7.6 out of 10.

This outfit Gigi Goode is wearing is made by the designer Christian Cowan. The look is pretty cool, and the contrast of glitter and latex is interesting. I’m not sure if the helmet was the right choice, but I can’t really imagine the look without it now. Overall this look is cute and polished, but what really impressed me was her runway presentation. She’s a very campy and funny, yet glamorous queen, which is really entertaining to watch. I’d give this look a 7 out of 10. 

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#HeidiNCloset Sparkle Runway Look! Toot or boot.

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This look worn by Heidi N Closet is a pretty gorgeous, classic pageant gown. However, the way she’s styled this isn’t great. Her earrings are huge, so they rub against her shoulders the entire time. I love the finger wave styled hair but it does look like it was thrown around in her suitcase a bit. Also, the gems around her hairline don’t do the wig any favors. I’m not sure if she put them there to cover the lace of her wig, but it’s pretty bad. I really enjoy Heidi and I think she’s a great entertainer, but this look is just not it. I think if she’d made some adjustments and planned better, it could’ve sold the look. But sadly she did not, so I’m giving this look a 5.8 out of 10.

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#JackieCoxNYC Sparkle Runway Look! Toot or boot.

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I love the big hair, the pink of the outfit, and the jewels in her big, teased up hair. I don’t have much to say but this is a cute outfit, and I’d give it a 7.2 out of 10. 

The bottom half of this look is pretty basic, since it is just a panty with fishnets and thigh-high boots. However, the top part is gorgeous. It shimmers nicely, and I like the prop face mask she has with it. The slick hair goes well with this look, and the pop of red lipstick goes really nicely with the entire look. I’d give this a 7 out of 10.

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#WidowVonDu Sparkle Runway Look! Toot or boot.

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I’m not totally sure how I feel about this look worn by Widow Von’Du, but I think I just have to love it. Everything about this outfit is very dramatic. The huge hips, the hot pink, the huge “W” earrings, the multiple layers of collars, everything is so exaggerated. All of this drama is a little alarming, but I’m gonna go ahead and just appreciate it because I love drama. I’ll give this look a 7.2 out of 10.

That’s all for this review! Most of these looks are pretty spectacular, and it makes me excited to see the rest of the season. I hope you enjoyed this review, and please follow my blog so you can stay up to date with all my posts/

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Oscars 2020 Red Carpet Looks

In today’s post I will be discussing and critiquing some of my favorite looks from the 2020 Oscar’s Red Carpet. The Academy Awards, much like any red carpet, is a great and huge event for designers to dress and style actors and actresses to show off their creations. Sometimes they look amazing, and sometimes not so much! Let’s discuss.

First up is Timothée Chalamet wearing a nylon suit by Prada. First of all I’m relieved that he’s not wearing a simple black tuxedo. When most men grace red carpets they sport a black tux, and I totally understand, it’s a classy look, but I’m delighted when I get to see more creativity like this. However, I do think this look could’ve been pushed further; and he slightly looks like he’s about to park my car for me at a fancy restaurant. He’s wearing jewelry by Cartier, and maybe adding a little more would’ve livened it up a little bit. Overall I’m happy to see this look but I would like to see more.

Next up is Kathy Bates. First off, I love Kathy Bates so I may be a little biased. I’m not sure who Bates is wearing, but I’d like to know because I love this outfit. I think shoulder pads are always a great addition to a blazer, as it makes it appear very structured. I really enjoy the dark blue lining of the collar, as well as the really creative, wavy shape of it. I think she could use some more jewelry but overall this is a great look.

Last but not least is Blac Chyna wearing Dona Matoshi. I have nothing bad to say at all about this gown she’s wearing. The royal blue and black pair perfectly together, and her earrings and shoes match which shows attention to detail. The fringe works amazing on this dress, and the way it is dripping from her structured shoulders to her wrists looks wonderful in unison with the train dragging on the floor. I think the plunging neckline is very daring and it worked out great for her. I’ll also point out that her makeup and the use of only neutral colors complements the dress nicely. The makeup looks amazing while allowing you to really focus on just the dress and it’s colors. And finally, the fact that she’s wearing platform shoes seals the deal on this look for me. This is a great piece of clothing and my favorite of the night.

Overall I wasn’t too impressed by the looks at the Academy Awards, but there were some very nice ones and I’m happy to highlight a few of them. Make sure to follow my blog and keep an eye out for my next post!

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Hi, Fashion! Blog Introduction

Welcome to the first post of my blog all about fashion! My name is Scott, I’m currently a sophomore at Texas State University working to get my Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications, and I love fashion. In this blog, I will be researching and discovering the vast world of fashion. Whether this be runway modeling, magazine shoots, or popular trends, I will be highlighting some of the best fashion pieces and clothing styles that I find. I will also be writing about and critiquing fashion and outfits from popular TV shows, such as Rupaul’s Drag Race and Project Runway.

I decided to gear this blog towards the fashion industry because it’s a subject I’m very interested in, but don’t know too much about yet. I hope to explore today’s top designers and their histories, trends in fashion today, and I hope to highlight less popular fashion brands/designers that have caught my eye. I will be critiquing and presenting my favorite looks from runways, and will most likely get most of my information and photos from https://www.vogue.com/ . Vogue is a major publication for fashion around the world and has been around since 1892, making this a prestigious and reliable source to get my information from.

My audience will be anyone that’s interested in fashion, which will most likely women and those of the LGBTQ+ community. Not to say other demographics won’t be interested in my blog, but as a queer person myself, that is who I will be catering to more in my writing. This will be my only page for right now, but I could see possibly adding on an Instagram or Twitter profile if my blog progresses. Having an Instagram account would be a great visual way to gain attention to my blog.

This blog is going to be an amazing discovery of fashion, so stay tuned for more!

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