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screamingintp · 6 years

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more about my mc

this is a mess, please don’t read it unless you’re interested in what i come up with when i’m sleep deprived and creating my first rp character

https://character-resource.deviantart.com/art/Big-Ass-Character-Sheet-Updating-167182524 but i cut out a buncha shit

welcome to hell(or the place in which I can’t capitalize for shit and curse too much and am vague but that’s honestly my personality in general)

Full Name: Mark Knox

Meaning: Mark, derived from Martkos(Roman), related to the war god, Mars. Knox, derived from cnoc(Scottish), meaning hillock.

Origin: made it up on the spot because planning is for cowards

Signature: illegible letters - MKX

Gender: male

Orientation: pan(i wrote pam and don’t regret it)-aro

Blood: three-quarters pure, half blood father

Birthday: 6-6

Deathday: (May not have one yet)(oh gee, did you not expect me to have a day of death?)(well, i don’t)

Astrological Sign: Gemini(fun fact: Draco’s the only Gemini on the wiki)(why is this relevant)(astrology is weird as all hell)

____

Immediate Family: Jacob Knox(brother)

Distant Family: Shay Knox(mother), Clark Knox(father)

Parenting: non-existent

Upbringing(morals and ideals): considering he was raised by a person only a few years older than him, during the period of Voldemort’s rule, he is less screwed up than he could’ve been. However, he still possesses a rather vague and undefined sense of right and wrong - using his logic to bypass any sort of regrets if it blocks him from his goal

Infancy: (dropped at birth is an option and i’m living for it)

Childhood: that one kid who lit ants on fire and was ‘rebellious’ (you know that post about america being the asshole kid with neglectful parents? That’s the one)

Adolescence: canon

Adulthood: never. He hasn’t even gotten taller

____

Species: hooman

Preferred Hand: ambidextrous(he keeps injuring his hands)

Facial Type: like a face, why is this - oval, i guess

Eye Color: dark brown

Hair Color (Self Explanatory)(it isn’t when his hair is grey/silver/white)(the kid probably bleached his already pale hair)(he probably likes the smell of bleach)

Hairstyle: fringe-up

Complexion: blushes easily, relatively smooth unless you look at the cuts and bruises and scars on his arms, back and legs

Body Type: ectomorph

Build: skinny arms and legs, he isn’t the most physically fit and regularly damages his body due to his complete lack of care for his own safety

Height: 65 in

Weight: 120 lb

Shoe Size: (Shoe size doesn’t matter)(goddamnit i forgot this was an innuendo)(keep it pg, please)

Birthmarks/scars: no birthmarks, and has tons of ugly marks all over him, none of them particularly remarkable

Distinguishing Features: the contrast between his eye color and hair color - but other than the hair, he doesn’t have a memorable face

_____

Health: as healthy as a wizard without impulse control and emotional support could be

Energy: swings from highs and lows without any pattern

Memory: remembers the small stuff, the negative parts - forgets about major ideas or lessons

Senses: heavily relies on eyes, can’t taste for shit

Allergies: (Self Explanatory. May be optional.)(i mean, i would put animals, but we have transfiguration)

Medication: needs some, doesn’t take any

Phobias(irrational fears):

Symmetrophobia(fear of symmetry, an unnatural-looking but normal occurrence, which isn’t debilitating, but causes him stress and uneasiness)

Siderophobia(fear of the stars, the idea that there’s so much out there that he doesn’t know of is pretty awful and, again, while it isn’t going to freeze him up, it will cause him to become upset)

Addictions: none yet

Mental Disorders: undiagnosed

______

Style: couldn’t care less about appearance - he wears the school robes most of the time

Mode of Dress: doesn’t have a particular taste, as long as it’s passable, it’s fine - tends to wear a size or two larger

Grooming: somewhere in between messy and neat

Posture: he displays an air of aloofness and confidence - almost condescending in stance

Gait: quickly and efficiently - it’s brisk at his slowest

Coordination: not physically fit at all, he’s too reckless for that - exercises to the point of exhaustion without realizing that it’s detrimental to do so and has limbs flying all over the place

Habits and Mannerisms: taps his foot or fingers when excited, nervous, or anything that deviates from his usual ‘cool’ facade

Scent: earth, smoke, and grass - faint but noticeable

______

Mood: ‘calm’ - probably plotting though

Attitude: he’s charismatic and charming until you dig deeper

Stability: hA

Expressiveness: can act like he’s wearing his heart on his sleeve but can never fully give his true thoughts

When Happy: smirks - invades personal space and slows down

When Depressed: smiles - talks louder and speaks faster

When Angry: (trolls online is an option and if that isn’t Mark, i don’t know what is) smirks - wide eyes and tense hands

______

Friends: Rubeus Hagrid - but not really

Enemies: Rita Skeeter - but not really

Bosses: Filius Flitwick - but not really

Followers: not even himself

Heroes: Filius Flitwick - “short people are closer to hell and he’s gonna whoop my ass if I do anything stupid”

Rivals: Ismelda - “for most edgy teen”

Relates to: Dumbledore - impersonal but seemingly close, full of contradictions and ulterior motives

Pets/Familiars: does his jar of bug bodies count?

______

Wardrobe: mostly consisting of Hogwarts robes, formal robes, and the identical grey-blue sweater and jeans

Equipment: carries a wand and a pencil(but not paper, because he has problems)

Accessories: a single dangling silver piercing on his right ear(family tradition)

Trinkets: carries hair ties on his wrist all the time(why? He doesn’t even know)

Funds: his family is relatively well off, being a respected branch of purebloods

Home: almost like his personality, warm and nice on the outside, cozy on the inside, but dead silent and empty when no one looks - not large but not small either, seeming normal by all accounts if you don’t look into any of the rooms(jacob’s windows are taped shut and Mark broke through the locked door that connected their bedrooms)

Neighborhood: the woods

Transportation: running because stamina apparently is infinite in this world

Collections: bug bodies, herbs, and lighters

Prized Possession: his wand, after seeing Jacob’s broken one

_____

Lovers: yeet

Marital Status: yeet

____

Experience: works in the three broomsticks in his off time to get experience and money, nothing serious

Organizations/Affiliations: changeable, he doesn’t plant many roots or make any long-term promises

______

Education: i mean, Hogwarts. But is it even ‘education’?

School: (What was their school like?) bitch this is Hogwarts

Social Stereotype: “least favorite cursed student”

Intelligence: mostly interpersonal, linguistic and logical

Extracurricular Activities: would do theater if given the chance

_____

Morals: don’t exist - but he honestly has a problem with reasoning his way into committing seriously wrong deeds

Crime Record: hasn’t been caught yet ;)

Motivation: adrenaline, change - nothing truly meaningful or satisfying

Priorities: knowledge, humans, self

Philosophy: gen z nihilism

Etiquette: usually practices ‘correct’ etiquette - does not give a fuck if his behaviour offends someone though

Influences: everything and anything he finds intriguing

Traditions: tries to run away from them, always moving and staying ahead of the past

______

Career: spell-inventor or wand-maker/seller

Desires: uncertain

Accomplishments: undetermined

Biggest Failure: failing Jacob

Secrets: his manipulative side, his genuinely mean streak and the fact that he regrets having those traits

Regrets: a shit ton of things

Worries: Jacob, being nothing in the grand scheme of things, being a hypocrite, betrayal, a shit ton of things

Best Dream: having a greater purpose

Worst Nightmare: dying alone and being left behind as a ghost

Best Memories: finding his brother’s secret room, meeting Billingsley

Worst Memories: losing his brother, lying to his teachers, accidentally calling Chester: Jacob

_______

Hobbies/Interests: explore the wilderness, identify flora and fauna, observing other people

Skills/Talents: pyromancy, charms in general, debating, acting, singing

Likes: mint, sharpies, fire

Dislikes: himself, close-minded people, pity

Sense of Humor: sarcastic, self-deprecating, relatively dark

Pet Peeves: the guy scratching his quill the wrong way in the front row whenever they write essays

Dreams/Nightmares: doesn’t dream usually - when he does, it’s usually flashes of color and abstract black and white shapes

Quirks: can’t sit on the fucking couch correctly

Understands: how people think, the reason they fail, mistakes

Can't understand: quidditch, values, structure

Closet Hobby: burning shit(though that isn’t really a hidden thing with him)

_________

Strengths: charismatic, diplomatic, quick-witted, inwardly caring, able to understand his flaws, patient, logical, able to read other people

Flaws: lies often, manipulative, lazy, lenient, passive, harsh, inconsiderate, enjoys pushing people’s buttons, doesn’t understand people

Perception of others: beautiful, incomprehensible, vast

Instincts: wants approval(deems it irrational)

Lures: leadership roles, secrets, problems

Soft Spot: innocence but not ignorant, optimism

________

Ability: capable if he puts his mind to it - employs unpredictable and risky techniques instead of having a fear of consequences

Weaknesses: stubborn opponents - he expects change and gets caught off guard when someone seems set in their ways

Patronus: non-corporeal

Boggart: fire(irony i guess is easy to use when you don’t have anything else)

Wand: spruce, phoenix feather, 12”, springy

Amortentia: lime, smoke, sharpies

House: Ravenclaw(that post about the kid wanting to be put in Ravenclaw since ppl will trust you but got in Slytherin)

_____

Favorite Color(s): grey, blue

Favorite Animal(s): swedish short snout

Favorite Drink(s): coffee and soda(probably together because he can’t function like a normal person)

Favorite Genre: mystery or myths

Favorite Subject(s): charms(Flitwick is the man) and divination(where you can bs your way through anything)

Least Favorite Color(s): black, white

Least Favorite Animal(s): flies

Least Favorite Drink(s): does soup count? Because he does drink it in a cup

Least Favorite Genre: manuals and biographies

Least Favorite Subject(s): flying(impulsive idiot) and care of magical creatures(he’s a screw up around animals)

________

Languages: english and he taught himself some Latin

Voice: average in tone, a bit nasally, rather forgettable except for the speed

Greetings and Farewells: doesn’t

Ask your character "how are you": yes.

Character tries to compliment: you have eyes, your name is ___

Tries to insult: passive-aggressively drags a person

Expletive: damn(dam)(loopholes, my friends)

Laughter: snorting, definitely not normal

Tagline: ___, yeah?

________

Reputation: other than the whole ‘brother’ problem, is relatively well-liked

First Impressions: charming, confident guy

Stranger Impressions: a bit loud but not strange

Friendly Impressions: goddamnit Mark, shut up

Enemy Impressions: please keep talking so we’re allowed to punch you in the face

Familiar Impressions: ah yes, the hair pops up from time to time

Compliments from others: bright, energetic, optimistic, honest

Insults: dangerous, unstable, chaotic

Self-Impression: am shit

_________

Compare to: forest fire(destructive and necessary for change)

Symbols: flames, ashes, duality

#you guys are wonderful people who don't deserve this disappoitment #but i am a disappointment so what can we do?

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mikqueen12 · 4 years

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Week 13 Draft (Read Me!)

Sheridan Clark is a friend of mine I’ve taken a few classes with. When you look at her, you might get the overwhelming feeling that you just have to be their friend. Her quiet and bubbly personality meshes well with her perfectionist tendencies. Considering I am also quite shy, it took me forever to get up the nerve to talk to her! We went through almost an entire semester before I was giving more than a friendly nod. I learned that we were both taking our same professor the next semester, and this moment is when we both blossomed and really started chatting!

On the day of the interview, I picked her up at campus. I had already heard that she doesn’t like driving places she doesn’t usually go, and I can relate entirely. I had to grab gas at the nearby gas station, and it was right at 5:00. After struggling with my gas cap and pumping gas, we prepared for take-off. I went to turn left on a busy road and instead turned right, defeated.

“Oh, well I should have known that wouldn’t work during rush hour. I’ll just make a u-turn up here. That is if I can…” I drawled off. Sheridan pointed out the sign and said “There it is! Canada has some weird laws dealing with u-turns.” “Oh, really? I thought you said you were like 3 when you moved down here, how do you remember?”

“That’s a good question,” she says as she laughs with me. “I guess sometimes you just remember random details for life.”

I must have made a grimace, because Sheridan and I broke out into a little laughter. “How long have you lived in the U.S.?”

“Uh, for about as long as I can remember. I think for about 17 years?” She ended her sentence, as if questioning if she was fact checking herself. When I asked her about her memories of Canada, most of them involved her family.

Sheridan was not a U.S. citizen, and had never had been. One time in class we all showed younger pictures of us (old drivers license photos and such) and we all saw child Sheridan on her green card. She’s a passionate Canadian, usually representing her country with a little button on her hat. The rest of our conversation was rambles about classes and any little thing we felt like talking about.

The apartment isn’t the cleanest one you will ever see, but it is far from dirty either. The bar separating the kitchen and the living room tries to fool you that people use the common space. The wax warmer was turned on, illuminating the side of the wall with good lights and a slight cherry smell. The key rack is varying shades of blue, it looks as if it was painted with care at home and was hung up with an off colored green string. It was at an angle and the wall behind it had a few scuff marks, showing continuous use. However, the unopened mail and the red money gun that gets used only when guests are over begs to differ. It seems things are tidy simply because the common space isn’t usually used. Two wood panels hang above the TV in completely different styles. The first looks rustic with blues and beiges. It states “The more people I meet, the more I like my cat.” The second one would be an important item in a mystery video game, if the game was about this apartment; it is brightly colored with orange, turquoise, pinks, and purples and says “Stay Salty.”

We sat on opposite couches, which faced each other perfectly for this type of activity. The lamp behind us helped fill the room, both with light and space. The furniture in this apartment doesn’t match, but it doesn’t look completely out of place either. The dark brown coffee table housed a few figurines: a snowman left behind from Christmas storage, handed-down coasters holding our halloween cups, and a very round green frog wearing sunglasses playing a saxophone. The TV stand was located in front of us, and held some of my artwork from classes we shared. A pumpkin was painted with a panoramic view of the night sky, with a cat walking on its fence. A metal bust of a cat with his tongue sticking out hides beneath my favorite 3D art. Made of only foamcore, masking tape, and a little glue after it was turned in, these triangles scream activated space. Activated Space was a meme from our 3-D design class, threatened to become a T-shirt design several times.

Sheridan would have a lot to say about this scene. When asked “What do all of your buttons on your bag and hat say about you?” She responded with the idea that it’s a way to learn alot about someone right from the beginning. If you look at her beanie, you’ll see LGBT+ pins, Twenty One Pilot pins, Canada pins, and many more. This shouldn’t be the only way you learn about someone, but you can find out if you will get along if you see some of these little signs. I can relate to this, as I watched back the interview footage I noticed I was wearing a flannel I have dubbed the “Bi Shirt” due to its color scheme. Nods to things like these can go unnoticed, but can become a conversation starter if one wishes.

Expressing yourself is one of her favorite qualities. This can be done through everyday life, but it can also be expressed through art. I once in the interview asked her, as a fellow artist, how she is able to express her emotions so well in her art. As children become teenagers, they obtain more vocabulary to express how they feel. One study done by Nancy Johnson took school age kids and asked them how to answer the question “What is art?” or “What do you think art is?” (61). The younger the child, the more their response would have been like this: something fun to do, making something, using clay, etc. As the grade levels rose, so did their responses. Once you ask the third graders, they began to use emotions along with actions. One student said “it’s just something you have fun with!” and others art as beautiful or playful (Johnson 63). High schoolers who were asked these questions responded with things that please you, an opinion, something that is relative, and other answers (Johnson 64). As we get older, we can describe our feelings better, and Sheridan is very in tune with her feelings.

Back in Professor Peterson’s class, our classmates were shy. However, by the end of the semester, we were all cracking up. The class was Concepts, Creativity, and Studio Practices. This class had little rules; the first project was simply to “make a time machine” and no further explanation was given. The last project was a research art project. It followed the usual frame of do whatever you want, no restrictions. This allowed everyone to create what they wanted, and the class had varying projects. Mine was a poster I created to advocate for the cats on the Marietta campus, and call for them to be TNR’d (trap, neuter, return).

Even sunshine will eventually meet rain. Sheridan briefly mentions that she meets with her therapist to manage her anxiety and depression. One of the things that I can resonate with her the most on is these topics. Just by looking at her, I can tell she was called “mature for her age” as a child. When I was smaller, I took it as a compliment, thinking I was one step closer to being an adult. However, as I got older, I started realizing it was a soft way of saying “you’ve been through some stuff, and it’s made you into a peacemaker.” Despite the origins, Sheridan appears to be one of the most peaceful people I have ever met.

However, Sheridan’s project was a real show stopper. She chose to research some of the most common mental illnesses and recreate them in her own way. The below piece she named “Anxiety.” The eyes everywhere to her represented the feeling of anxiety, and other ways of expressing that feeling. She also created 3 more types, with her interpretations of depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Her determination for a perfect project-- or 4 for that matter, is prevalent here. This piece represents the feeling of being anxious in its entirety; sometimes when we feel anxious, we might wonder if we have general anxiety too. That’s what the research done by Takeshi Hamamura and Christian Chan focused on. The mere concept of being anxious correlated with increased googling “symptoms of anxiety” and reports of self diagnosed anxiety rise as well (Hamamura and Chan 2). The good thing about Google is how soon we can pull up information, and in this case someone might be able to schedule an appointment if they need to. (Hamamura and Chan 1). If not, researching the symptoms can give you some piece of mind!

Something I envy about my interviewee is her determination to have a perfect, well, anything. This expresses itself most often in the form of art projects. For example, in our 3D Design class we had a project called “Paper and Metal.” The goal was to make a casting of pewter and have it suspended in air only by paper and glue. The class met 6 hours a week, and she never had a moment of downtime; she was always creating the paper trees, grass, or leaves for her project. Whereas I only spent about 7 hours on my project (pictured below so you can get the idea) outside of class, I’m fairly certain she spent twice that on hers. Hard work pays off, and I hope she got a well deserved break after the completion of this pristine project.

Sheridan doesn’t stop at expressing herself through art, or style. She also has a new hobby: Furbys! In the interview, she described them as the toy she always wanted until right before Christmas, when she forgot it existed. Now that she’s out on her own, she has more freedom and goes to buy them, clean their fur, and revamp them! The tech that hides within these furbies is quite impressive. The article “There’s a lot of smart electronics inside a furby” describes this perfectly. For example, furbies are programmed to begin speaking “Furbish” and progressively learn English. (Edgar 28) To a child (or even me until I read this article), it would look like the Furby is learning directly from you! The realism packed into the fury creature is shocking, as many of its responses don’t seem to have a rhyme or reason. If you hold a furby upside down at first it will giggle, but if you keep holding it upside down it may say “I’m scared.” (Edgar 29)

Out of all the furbies I’ve seen, Cabbage is the one I’ve seen the most. But she has a variety, ranging from Big Mama, Shifty, and Maw. Since most of the ones she owns are ~15-20 years old, few of them work. She enjoys taking them apart, “deskinning” them and attempting to fix them. A project she’s had in the making is to make a rainbow pride furby by dying their fur. This furby is beginning to come together as of me writing this, and has been named June. Although Cabbage doesn’t work yet, I still have hope for him!

Being LGBT+ is an important part of both of our lives, and we both identify as Bisexual. A paper that Sheridan is writing this semester focuses on more education for LGBT+ students as well as just acceptance in schools. When I went to look up this topic, I found this research that came from Canada and thought it was fitting. Catherine Nash and Kath Browne talked about the importance of these topics being taught in school. With LGBT+ issues being more accepted and acknowledged, we have to remember that our society is centered around a hetronormalitive lifestyle. It has to be remembered that “The drive for LGBT integration often works in concert with broader efforts to teach multiculturalism, diversity and inclusiveness.” (Nash and Browne) School is the place where you can learn things you wouldn’t have at home, and these schools need to be a safe environment where a student won’t feel judged. Not only in Canada do LGBT+ students in school feel they are not accepted or wanted. If the environment you learn in isn’t a good one, there is a likelihood this student may not want to do work.

In the end, I feel I got to know Sheridan on a more personal level than I did from small talk from class. It’s important to listen and understand in friendships and relationships, and if you do it might help you grow. It reminded me that expressing yourself is important, and perhaps you should consider more ways than one. Picking up a hobby that others might think is quirky might just be the thing you need to ease your mind at the end of the day. If asked “Who is Sheridan?” I feel that I can confidently answer this question. Sheridan is the single beam of sunshine that sneaks through your window to wake you up gently. She is wise beyond her years, and typically acts as a “Mom Friend” in her friend group. She won’t let herself get walked all over, and she will find a better way to live! Sheridan is the definition of expressing. Whether it is through art, furbies, buttons, music, or plants, you can find a bit of Sheridan everywhere.

#draft

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theconservativebrief · 6 years

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Before Meghan Markle’s May wedding to Prince Harry, the expectation that she would raise the royal fashion bar was almost unreasonably high. Given that she’s American, ran a lifestyle blog, and supports indie brands like Mackage and Black Halo, Markle’s admirers hoped she’d use her newfound status as a duchess to give the British royal family a much-needed dose of sartorial flair.

“I think she will become the new face of the royal family,” Katharine Polk, a celebrity stylist and designer, told Racked before Markle’s May 19 nuptials to Prince Harry. “I believe that she will remain true to her style and … not be swayed by the pressures of becoming a royal.”

The excitement over her taste in clothing was tied to the widespread delight at what Markle represented to the British aristocracy. As the first openly mixed-race member of the firm, not to mention a divorcée in her late 30s with a history of charity work, Markle’s entry into the royal family marked a historic shift. The actress was not the blushing bride that 19-year-old Princess Diana was, nor Waity Katie, the snide nickname given to Kate Middleton for spending her single years seemingly waiting for Prince William to propose.

Instead, Markle has been regarded as her own woman, one expected to use the throne for social good and to dress in a way authentic to her identity. Before she got married, she showed off this individuality with messy hair, moto jackets, and pants, styles that generally don’t conform to fashion protocol for high-ranking noblewomen.

Meghan Markle in ripped jeans at the Invictus Games with Prince Harry before their marriage. Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation

But now that she’s a royal, the duchess of Sussex’s fashion sense appears to be more about blending in with her new family than standing out from them. That’s meant muted colors, loose dresses, and no public outings in pants so far. Fans who anticipated that she would make bold fashion statements as a royal have been underwhelmed. The criticism started on her wedding day, when she wore a wedding dress that was dismissed as “boring.”

The disappointment stems from the fact that Markle, a feminist and activist, appears to be playing it remarkably safe in her self-presentation as a noblewoman. She’s not challenging royal fashion protocol but following the rules, even those that might be deemed sexist, such as the requirement that women royals wear pantyhose. In her first public appearance after her wedding, Markle was spotted in hosiery, an undergarment People magazine noted the fashion world generally regards as “dated and dowdy.”

It’s not altogether fair, however, for Markle’s detractors to expect her to use fashion as either a creative outlet or a source of rebellion. As a newcomer to both Britain and the royal family, Markle is under tremendous pressure to show that she’s serious about fulfilling the obligations of her new role — and dressing appropriately is one way to demonstrate her dedication to being a duchess.

Markle with Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla at one of Charles’s 70th birthday celebrations, following her marriage. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Fans who imagined that Meghan Markle would walk down the aisle in a trendsetting wedding dress had their hopes dashed on May 19. There were no beads, lace, or tulle. Compared to Middleton’s lace dress, Markle’s looked almost austere. She wore a simple boat neck dress that garnered mixed reviews and some unflattering press. The minimalist Givenchy gown was described as “boring.” Yet Markle, reportedly an admirer of the late minimalist dresser Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, embraced simple looks with clean lines well before her nuptials.

The public didn’t just criticize the style of her wedding dress but the cut as well. “I would have done one more fitting,” Katy Perry said. And the title of a Cosmopolitan article about the gown — “The Internet Is Being *Very* Mean About Meghan Markle’s Wedding Dress” — says it all about the reaction to the bride’s style.

Polk said she also thought Markle’s dress was beautiful but agreed that it was not the best fit.

“As royalty there is no excuse for less than perfection when everyone is looking at you,” Polk said. “For a modern-day woman, I think everyone was expecting something a little more daring, so it was a bit of an anti-climax.”

Still, she said, “The design was sleek and respected tradition. The dress is a timeless classic that will never date, and it spoke of elegance and simplicity.”

Amanda Dishaw, who co-founded the Meghan’s Mirror fashion blog with Christine Ross, said that the wedding dress was designed to be functional. In contrast, the sexy Stella McCartney gown Markle wore during the reception better reflected her personal style.

“The Clare Waight Keller dress Meghan wore to the ceremony did incorporate some elements of her personal style, however it also balanced the fact that she wasn’t walking down the aisle at a private church in a small family ceremony,” Dishaw told Vox. “The steps of St. George’s, for example, needed a dress with some volume in order to ensure Meghan wasn’t swallowed up by their size. This dress was perhaps not universally loved because it was Meghan balancing her personal style with her new role.”

The Givenchy dress Markle wore to her wedding ceremony was panned by some as plain and boring. Owen Humphries/WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Stella McCartney dress she wore to her reception was far better received. Steve Parsons/AFP/Getty Images

Conversely, Dishaw describes Markle’s slinky and sleeveless reception dress as “pure Meghan.” The duchess felt more comfortable expressing her fashion sense at a gathering that wasn’t for public consumption, she said. The newest royal is erring on the side of caution with her style because she takes her role as duchess very seriously and doesn’t want to leave room for judgment, Dishaw argues.

“It’s a balancing act, and one we’ll see her continue to grow into as she adapts to the overwhelming life changes she’s going through,” Dishaw said.

The attacks on Meghan Markle’s style have continued in the weeks since she got married. Markle has worn an assortment of muted oatmeals and blush pinks instead of the green, eggplant, and navy outfits she sometimes sported before her nuptials. At her most recent public event, the Royal Ascot, she wore a white collared dress paired with a black-and-white hat that drew comparisons to Audrey Hepburn’s My Fair Lady style. Almost all the other women attendees wore a similar color scheme.

And while she hasn’t totally abandoned her preference for stylishly mussed hair, she’s increasingly worn her hair in neat chignons and defined waves. Harper’s Bazaar noted that how Markle had ditched “her favorite messy bun for a sleek version” during her first public appearance as a royal. She’s also carried clutches rather than the crossbody purses she wore during the months leading up to the royal wedding.

Polk acknowledged that Markle’s style has become more reserved now that she’s a royal but said that some choices, like the muted colors she’s worn as a duchess, have “been gorgeous on her.”

“However, it has the potential of getting a little boring,” the stylist said of the neutral color scheme. “I think it’s also a seasonal preference. We are in the height of summer, and I think she’s leaning toward a softer, cooler palette. She may experiment with bolder colors in the fall and winter. I think she’ll take more risks as time goes on…”

When Markle accompanied Prince Harry to a recent family wedding, the press and the public skewered the material-heavy Oscar de la Renta gown she chose for the occasion. The white-and-blue floral dress overwhelmed her tiny frame, leading to criticism that she was swimming in all of the fabric.

Yahoo! Lifestyle suggested that by wearing the oversized $7,000 dress, “the Duchess of Sussex may have taken her first major sartorial misstep.”

But as with the wedding dress, there was likely a strategy behind Markle’s decision to wear this outfit. Dishaw of Meghan’s Mirror said that if Markle had worn a chic pantsuit or body-conscious dress, she would’ve made headlines for upstaging the bride, Harry’s maternal cousin. Dishaw believes Markle intentionally wore the baggy dress, which she said is “on-trend” at the moment.

The fact that the duchess has yet to appear at an event featuring just her and her husband explains some of her fashion choices, Dishaw pointed out. She’s not choosing looks with herself as the focus but with other members of the royal family in mind.

With pantyhose and coiffed hair, Meghan Markle may now be presenting as conservative in dress to her fans. And the one time she has diverted from those expectations likely shows why she has generally been so careful. The mere sight of her shoulders at the Queen’s annual birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, sparked a minor scandal. At the event two weeks ago, Markle appeared in a pale pink Philip Treacy hat and Carolina Herrera bardot dress in the same hue.

Because the dress exposed her shoulders, the press suggested it was inappropriate. The Mirror called the ensemble daring, suggesting it “pushed the boundaries of the royal dress code.” And while Vanity Fair and Hello! both questioned if she broke protocol, the Express outright accused her of doing so.

Meghan Markle’s Carolina Herrera dress at Trooping the Colour raised concerns because it revealed her shoulders. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

“Royal women traditionally wear long sleeves to Trooping the Colour with off-shoulder and revealing styles discouraged,” the Express noted. “The American had the most flesh on show compared with the other royals she stood next to on the balcony. Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, opted for a classy light blue knee-length frock with her shoulders and chest covered while fellow duchess Camilla had a dress suit in the same colour.”

The criticism of Markle sounds similar to that leveled at former first lady Michelle Obama for wearing sleeveless dresses that showed off her toned arms. An undercurrent of misogynoir likely runs through the disapproval these women of color have faced about how much of their bodies they expose. “It seems the new edition to the royal family is a fan of baring the flesh,” the Mirror wrote about Markle’s Trooping the Colour appearance, effectively sexualizing her.

Princess Diana wasn’t afraid to experiment with fashion. Tim Graham/Getty Images

Markle fans disappointed that her fashion isn’t killing it should consider that she’s primarily dressing for her job, similar to how members of any number of professions, from firefighters to flight attendants, do.

“I think she’ll move more to her true personal royal style as she steps out with Harry and by herself in her endeavors, like the trip to Ireland coming up, and then build a little confidence in her royal look that she will translate into the larger scale royal family events,” Dishaw said.

Polk questions the idea that Markle has lost her sense of style. The duchess may be dressing more conservatively, but that’s to be expected, she said.

“Her style choices are constantly under the microscope and I think she is pulling off the modern-day princess look quite remarkably,” she said. “She has a gift for blending tradition with the unexpected. Most of her ensembles are sleek, chic, and relatively fuss-free.”

Polk predicts Markle will use jewelry to add panache to her outfits. So far, Markle has leaned toward elegant diamond pieces that aren’t likely to fall out of fashion. She’s worn pieces by Cartier and Belgian designer Vanessa Tugendhaft.

“I think dainty diamond jewelry is going to be her ultimate enviable style statement moving forward,” she said.

Only a month into her life as duchess, it’s not really surprising that Markle is facing some criticism for her style. More than 20 years after her death, Princess Diana remains a style icon. But it took Diana time to find her footing. Her huge wedding dress, for example, was truly a symbol of ’80s excess and would look outrageous on a contemporary bride.

As Di aged, adapted to, and ultimately rebelled against life in the royal family, she increasingly took more fashion risks. The princess of Wales sometimes wore low-cut dresses but used clutches when entering and exiting vehicles to hide her cleavage, a royal no-no. Unlike Markle, however, Diana was born a member of the aristocracy. A fashion faux pas wouldn’t lead to headlines suggesting that she lacked class.

As an American and woman of color, the stakes are much higher for the duchess of Sussex. Her multicultural wedding service may have signaled that the British royal family was entering a new chapter, but it was just a ceremony, not a way of life.

As the firm’s most unconventional member, one who’s already been publicly humiliated by family members, Markle isn’t trying to shake things up as a royal — she’s trying to master her new role. That means, for now, fashion is not about self-expression. It’s a way to demonstrate that she belongs.

Original Source -> Meghan Markle isn’t the style rebel fans hoped she’d be — and that’s okay

via The Conservative Brief

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