I woke up this morning and like every morning my phone was lit up with some sort of notification for me. Todays set of morning notifications included a message from Facebook letting me know that a friend commented on a picture I was in.

“What picture,” I wondered.

My slight case of Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO compelled me to immediately flip open my Macbook to check out the picture on Facebook.

It turns out my friend had noticed that the Express, a local newspaper, had referred to me as someone who had deleted their Instagram account after word broke out about the change in its Terms of Service effective January 16, 2013.

I am assuming they read the following tweets from my twitter account (@akaanuli_tweets):

I created an Instsgram acct two days ago. I haven’t uploaded any pics, but now I may delete it because of the new rules.

— Anuli(@akaanuli_tweets) December 18, 2012

Its been real Instagram. I’ll stick to Flickr, thanks. Buh bye.

— Anuli(@akaanuli_tweets) December 18, 2012

 

This is the picture my friend shared with me on Facebook from The Express.

However, I think they missed a tweet I posted later in the day revealing my real reason for deleting my account:

In all honesty I deleted my two-day old Instagram because I wanted an excuse to not keep up with yet another social network.

— Anuli(@akaanuli_tweets) December 18, 2012

 

Although I am about everything new media and social I have to be honest. Sometimes I just don’t feel like having to keep up with yet another social network. I’ve been on social networks since middle school back when Xynga and BlackPlanet were cool. However, these days I feel as if there is a pressure to keep up with every new network that a group of savants dreams up about in Silicon Valley. I get it, we should be connected, and they should be able to aspire to be the next Zuckerberg. I can’t knock down a good hustle.

However, as someone who professionally aspires to help brands develop authentic online identities I caution against joining a social network just because it’s the “next big thing.” What happens is that we join these networks just to say we have an account and that we’re “hip,” but then we don’t maintain the accounts. That to me, counter-productive waste of resources and effort.

Take a look at the sidebar to your right. I’m very social. There are seven social networks there. Seven places online that I have to constantly make sure are up-to-date and maintained. That doesn’t include maintaining this website and maintaining my sanity in real-time.

Sure, I am the kind of person that a network like Instagram wants to have as a member. I’m young, social and love to take pictures. However, I’m also busy and I have seven other mouths (eight if you count this site) to feed.

So, yes, I deleted my Instagram account. Maybe one day I’ll create a new one. But, I honestly believe that when it comes to adapting social networks quality should overrule quantity. I want to make sure the content on my current networks is interesting, authentic, and up-to-date before hopping onto another social network.

Honestly, there are only 24 hours in a day and I can’t spend them all on my laptop or mobile device.

Something has to give and in this case it was Instagram.

So, there you have it: 

(FEATURED IMAGE: Astro Playboy)

“Vogue Africa” by Mario Epanya

Vogue magazine currently boasts nineteen international editions and plans to release a twentieth edition, Vogue Thailand, in 2013. In 2010, photographer Mario Epanya created magazine covers for what he imagined a possible “Vogue Africa” to look like. The release of the images sparked debate on the neccessity of a “Vogue Africa.” While Vogue publishes editions in countries from five out of the seven continents it has yet to produce any editions in the continent of Africa.

This month, the fashion industry drew attention back to Africa again in hopes to discuss the future of the continent. Suzy Menkes penned an article for the International Herald Tribune entitled “Rebranding Africa” which discussed Franca Sozzani’s decision to dedicate the May/June issue of L’Uomo Vogue to the continent.

While I believe that wanting to create a “Vogue Africa” and sparking discussion regarding “Rebranding Africa” are admirable I would like to point out just one thing: Africa is not a country.

People discuss Africa as if its problems can be solved like those of any other country, ignoring the fact that Africa is a continent made up of literally thousands of ethnic groups. My family hails from Nigeria which is considered Africa’s most populous country and alone is comprised of more than 250 ethnic groups. To create just one magazine in order  to represent such a large continent is insulting because it would be impossible for such a publication to truly capture the essence and the distinctive qualities of the continent’s 54 countries.

Similar to the problems with America’s education system, we are trying to use the same cut and dry methods across the board to solve the individual problems of people with dissimilar needs and characteristics.

I am not saying that the fashion industry (or any industry for that matter) should ignore its African consumers, but  they should respect the consumers enough to distinguish them from one another.

There is one common thread that connects the current international editions of Vogue. It is that each edition is focused on one country. There is no “Vogue Asia,” “Vogue South America,” or “Vogue Europe,” but there is a Vogue China, a Vogue Brazil, and a Vogue Germany (just to name a few). To create these international editions Vogue chose markets that they thought were profitable enough to run a successful publication. Instead of trying to “rebrand Africa” as a fashion capital the fashion industry should choose a few countries to highlight such as Nigeria or South Africa which are among the 10 countries that account for 75% of the continent’s GDP. The industry should then create publications that speak to the needs of each country’s citizens. For example, with a population that is half made up of muslims, a Nigerian publication would need to address different issues than a South African publication.

Instead of grouping all the countries together as if trying to create “A United States of Africa”  the fashion industry should respect the continent enough to treat its individual countries as just that, individual countries.

While there may never be a “Vogue Africa” why can’t there be a “Vogue Nigeria” or a “Vogue South Africa” to start off? I don’t believe in big reforms, but I do believe that strategic small changes can make for a big difference. In order to “rebrand Africa” we must first try to understand the distinct qualities of its individual countries.

(“Vogue Africa” Photo Credit: Mario Epanya)

(FEATURED IMAGE: Superfem)

It always feels as if time slows down during the last month of school. When you realize that it’s April and you only have a few more weeks left you wonder where all the time went, but as you are beginning to complete papers, present projects and study for exams time seems to move oddly slower than it did before.

I am so elated to be finished with this school year-my junior year in college. However, I can’t help but feel as if this year was supposed to be MY year. I graduated from high school in 2008 which by conventional standards would mean that I should be a graduating senior right now. Well, I chalk my remaining year to two things- (1) I enrolled into Northeastern University’s  5-year college program right after high school, (2) I transferred colleges during the second semester of my sophomore year and took a semester off. So, when you really think about it this year was not meant to be my year after all. However, when I see my high school friends preparing for their next step I can’t help but  want to take that next step right along with them. Even though we all started on the same foot we are not completing the same race.

I think that this extra year was neccessary. My goals have changed so drastically over this last year as signs that I have ignored made themselves more obvious to me and opportunities for growth have opened up for me. Now, if I were to go back in time would I do it all again? Would I have enrolled into Northeastern? Took a semester off from college? Applied to Howard University? I can’t say because who I am now is different than who I was then.

Right now, I get to observe my peers as they enter the “real world.” Scratching and clawing their way into the job market and figuring out what to do next. I’ve heard a fair share of cautionary tales of life in the “real world.” I’ve heard some tales so frightening that they have made me question myself and my goals. However, I remind myself that even though we all started on the same foot we are not completing the same race. I cannot live in fear of what could happen based on the experieces of others. It is up to me to create my own experiences to go by.

Truth be told, I never liked when people told me about the “real world.” That whole phrase is laughable. Am I not living in the “real world” now? Are the people I interact with and places I go figments of my imagination? No, they are not. Whether you are in college or not we are all living in the “real world.” The way I see it college and work are not that different. College students and young professionals are always trying to figure out how to make it by financially. We all have jobs to go to everyday except in college our job comes with super overtime in the form of homework, studying, etc. We are all evaluated and judged by our superiors and peers. We all worry about the future and what will come next. No one wants to be in school forever or work the same job forever, but there isn’t a point in our lives when we are not living in the “real world.”

Congrats to everyone who graduates this year-look for me in my cap and gown next year. While in my opinion you have already lived in the real world I do congratulate you as you enter a “Different World than where you come from.”

(FEATURED IMAGE: Sean MacEntee)

 

This saying has been interpreted in several different ways over time. There are people who believe that if a man’s shoes are scuffed or dirty then he doesn’t care about his shoes and therefore won’t put care into his relationships.

Another school of thought categorizes men by the type of shoes they wear. A man is presumed to be bohemian if he wears Birkenstocks and athletic if he maintains a wardrobe of sneakers.

Personally, I don’t go around categorizing men by their shoes. Walking around with your head only looking down can lead to a lot of accidents. Not only is there a potential of getting hit by a car because you are not paying attention, but there is a high potential of misinterpreting a man’s personality by the shoes on his feet. Who knows if the “bohemian” sporting the Birkenstocks is a major player on Wall Street or if the sneakerhead’s shoes are so clean because he’s never actually worn them on any type of court?

Every year since 1985 people of all ages have bombarded shoe stores worldwide clamoring to get their hands on a pair of Jordans. Not only have these shoes become a fashion statement, but they have become a cultural statement of both individuality and conformity.

The shoe’s namesake, basketball star and businessman, Michael Jordan was fined by the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he first stepped onto the court wearing the now iconic sneakers. In fact, he was initially fined $5000 every time he played wearing the shoes. Despite the fines he wore the sneakers in the 1986 playoffs against the Boston Celtics where he scored a playoff high of 63 points.

It is safe to say that this made consumers more keen on trying to, “be like Mike.”

The release of Jordans resulted in a cultural shift in which sneakers became a symbol of status. When the Air Jordan I was released in 1985 they became the most expensive sneakers on the market at $65. Since then the price of a pair of Jordans has grown to cost an upwards of $200.

Despite the fact that our country is currently suffering hard economic times people still lined up yesterday to purchase a pair (or two) of Air Jordan 2011 Concords. First released in 1995, the Air Jordan “Concord” marked Michael Jordan’s comeback to the NBA after his first retirement. A pair of Air Jordan 2011 Concords runs for $180, which makes them some very expensive grapes in my book.

If the old adage of judging a man by his shoes is true then what can we say about a man who boasts a closet full of Jordans? Can you infer that the man is financially stable? Having met many guys that complain about various financial woes, but have no problem dropping serious cash on a pair of sneakers I’d say no. Is the man athletic? I remember boys in middle school who may have had shoes like Mike, but that’s as far as their athletic prowess went. Buying Michael Jordan’s shoes is one thing, but having his talent is another. Are clean shoes an indicator of a good man? Not necessarily. I’ve met guys who spend hours carefully cleaning their Jordan collections with a toothbrush and a bucket of soapy water. Unfortunately, the care they put into maintaining their shoes does not always equate to the care they put into maintaining their relationships.

While I do not subscribe to the belief that a man should be judged solely by his shoes I do agree that a man’s choice of shoes says a few things about him.

There are always reasons behind the choices we make when it comes to our outward appearance because fashion is a form of iconography, which we all use to express ourselves as individuals.  A man that lines up to purchase a new pair of Jordans each year is expressing his desire to both stand out and fit in.

Air Jordans are known for their unique designs and vibrant colorways. Wearers of the sneakers want to stand out from the crowd, or at the very least be noticed. It’s one of the reasons people waited hours in line to purchase the limited edition Concords. To some men nothing says style like matching your hat with your shirt and your Jordans. It is the shoes that say, “Look at me, I have style and money.” However, just as much as the shoes are bought to stand out, they are purchased so that its wearers can fit in. When a man matches his hat with his shirt and his Jordans he’s also saying, “Look at me, I’m just like you.” If pop culture has taught us anything it is that all it takes to turn someone from “geek to chic” is a new wardrobe because nothing says “I belong” more than wearing the new “It” item.

Humans are complex creatures. We seek to stand out, but also need to feed our desire to fit in. The overwhelming popularity of Air Jordans represent that.

(FEATURED IMAGE: Mike Bindrup)

Last week I sought the advice of a lawyer regarding my concerns about pursuing a career in law. I told him about my desire to pursue a career that meshes together my interests in fashion, art, journalism and law. He told me that he could tell from our short time together that I was more of a journalist than a lawyer. I wouldn’t say that it was an earth shattering revalation, but it did put a tiny dent in my ego. He said he saw a gleam in my eye whenever I mentioned journalism or writing.

I still intend to follow the plan I mentioned in my last post. It took me all of 21 years to come up with it, so I might as well give it a shot, right? Now don’t get me wrong. I am not a journalist trying to feign an interest in law. As much as I appreciate the law you have to admit it is not a very inclusive field. I will not truly understand what it means to be a lawyer until I am in the trenches of a court room, or at least when I find myself drowning in a sea of torts during my first year of law school.

Technology has made the field of journalism more inclusive. So inclusive that anyone with a few ideas and an internet connection can call themselves a journalist. It’s easier for me to call myself a writer or a journalist than a lawyer because writing is something I have always practiced whereas law is not. The gleam that the lawyer saw in my eye when I spoke about writing came not from a lack of passion for the law, but rather a lack of experience in it.

All writers have reasons for writing and I am no different. I can trace my love of words back to when I was in pre-school and my mother would take me to the library every Wednesday evening for story time. It got to the point that eventually I knew my local library like the back of my hand. My parents have always been advocates for education. My trips to the library were supplemented with trips to museums and “Camp Mommy” during the summer. My mother feared that over the summer I would not retain everything I learned during the school year, so many of my summers were spent brushing up on old lessons and learning new things for the upcoming school year. I always got special attention at “Camp Mommy” because I was the only camper.

As an only child I tended to keep to myself. I also had a bit of an accent due to spending a few years in Nigeria as a child. That along with my shy nature made me hesitant to speak out in certain circles. So, I would write. I would write stories, poems, short essays, and diary entries. You name it. It was not that I didn’t have a voice, it was just that I kept it to myself.

My brain has always worked faster than my mouth so sometimes when I spoke two distinct thoughts would come out jumbled into one causing people to say, “What?” and me to reply “Nevermind” and go back to my books.

I wrote because it gave me a chance to organize my thoughts. I wrote because it allowed me to say the things I didn’t get a chance to say out loud. I wrote to fill time. I wrote because I could.

The thing about writing is that eventually you want people to read it. As much as we writers don’t like to admit it we are fairly egotistical people. Just because I never posed myself as the brightest star in the room didn’t mean that I did not want a chance to shine. Eventually, people began to validate my writing by telling me that it was good (whatever that means). So I began to write more and more still not seeing it as a career, but as a small part of a larger plan. The plan has changed over the years, but now writing plays a much larger role.

While I have developed my own voice and am no longer afraid to speak up I am not that different from that little girl with jumbled thoughts. I still write to organize my thoughts. I still write to fill time. I still write because I can.

[FEATURED IMAGE: PhotoSteve101)

You know you have finally made it when people stop asking you what you want to be when you grow up. Since I am asked that question on a regular basis it is very safe to say that I haven’t made it…yet.

That question is certainly more than a handful. No really, it’s ten words. First and foremost, I want to be happy. However, that is never the answer people are looking for when they ask that question. They want to know what I plan to do career-wise because as unfortunate as it is we tend to define people solely by their careers.

How many times have you been to an event and asked someone what they did in order to break the ice? No one starts off with, “what do you like to do” it’s always “what do you do”  because how you make a living is assumed to be more important than how you like to live.

I suppose you want to know what it is I want to be when I grow up. It’s reason you decided to check out my personal website. A website I created in order to in someway showcase who I am. Admittedly, you won’t be able to fully grasp who I am by clicking a few buttons and reading some paragraphs, nevertheless I want to introduce myself to the World Wide Web.

I am Anuli and when I grow up I want to be happy. My professional interests are in journalism, fashion, art and law. Fashion and art have always been interests of mine while journalism and law came into my life a bit later. My goal is to combine my interests into somesort of cohesive career. I can’t say that I want to be “blank” or “blank” because I really do not like to limit myself to a few options. There are so many things I want to accomplish in my lifetime, so I’ll let you in on a few.

I want to become noted fashion journalist. I admire the work of fashion critics such as Robin Givhan and Cathy Horyn. While this is a blog I want to be known for my journalism because I believe there is a difference. That’s why I decided to add a blog component to this site. I have had many ideas for potential articles, but I would just let them go because sometimes they didn’t fit with the vision of the publication I wanted to send them to. That left me writing pieces in someone else’s voice instead of my own. This blog will feature articles on issues that I find interesting and relevant.

This leads me to my next goal. I want to advocte for creative professionals and help protect them in business and legal matters. It was through an internship with a fashion designer in high school that I was introduced to the idea of intellectual property. While I didn’t immediately seek a career in the field it  was something that I found fascintaing.  In short, I want to become an intellectual property lawyer.

The articles that I intend to post on this blog will stem from my joint interests in fashion and the law. I will also post about any progressions I make on my way to my goals.

So, what do I want to be when I grow up? As far as you know I want to become a notable fashion journalist and lawyer, but my plan for world domination future goals go way beyond those two titles. I am more than my future careers. I am Anuli and one day you will know what that really means.