Consistency is Overrated

January 19, 2018

Winnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera at Red Rock Canyon wearing a white Tobi dress and Sezane sandalsPortrait of fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera wearing Anine Bing Los Angeles sunglasses and a Tobi dressWinnipeg fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera walks at Red Rock Canyon in Nevada wearing a Tobi dress and carrying a rattan bagOutfit details on Canadian fashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera, including a rattan handbag and Sezane gladiator sandalsFashion blogger Cee Fardoe of Coco & Vera at Red Rock Canyon in Nevada wearing a Tobi dress and Sezane sandalsTobi dress (c/o)
Sezane sandals (similar)
Ellenn James bag
Anine Bing sunglasses
Leah Alexandra ring
Madewell ring
Location: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area – Las Vegas, Nevada

January does my head in. Every. Single. Year. It’s such a long month, and there is so little to do except work, drink wine and wait for spring. Which is to say that I have been overthinking again. (After all, I’ve just made it clear that I have nothing better to do with my time.) And what I’ve been overthinking, specifically, is all the things we constantly hear as content creators.

Growth is the goal.
Consistency is key.
You are your brand.

And all I want to say is, enough already. I am not a colour scheme. I am not a collection of shoes and dresses and handbags. And for heaven’s sake, I am not a brand, I am a person. People are not, by nature, consistent. We aren’t necessarily fickle by nature, either, although some people would argue that point. Our needs, dreams and desires change because we change and evolve, constantly, consistently, as we absorb new concepts and live new experiences.

If I am not the same, from year to year, or even from day to day, it doesn’t make sense to share content that looks the same. At a certain point, it actually becomes disingenuous – if I still posted nothing but photos of myself wearing gauzy gowns when in reality, I spend most of my time in Levi’s and mules, I would be lying to you all, image by image. To make matters worse, we are all so inundated by content – images are everywhere and if, like me, you aren’t great at putting your phone down, you look at them all the time. If the content we view all looks the same, it becomes boring and we stop engaging with it entirely.

There is something to be said for certain forms of consistency. For showing up on time to appointments, to meeting commitments you’ve made and making yourself available to people who matter to you. But as far as consistency on social media is concerned, I’m over it. Consistency is just another word for conformity. Anyone who says we should be consistent is just telling us, in a more subtle way, that we are not good enough as we are; that we have to make a nicer, simpler, more palatable version of ourselves to share with the world.

If I am too challenging for someone, the problem is with them, not with me.

So from now on, I’m embracing my inconsistency, whatever that may mean. I will share whatever I feel passionate about, whatever inspires me – even if it isn’t all the same colours, even if it isn’t all the same styles, because however it may look from the outside, it’s all me.

8 comments so far.

8 responses to “Consistency is Overrated”

  1. As the queen of inconsistency this post is SO me and I couldn’t agree more. I feel like my style / vibe changes all the time! I’m constantly using different IG filters (though I’m trying to get better at that), and my fashion aesthetic can change from season-to-season. But like you say, that’s so real & true, because as people that’s what we do. We’re always evolving, changing careers, changing our minds, learning and growing, and what worked for us yesterday… may no longer be relevant today. So I agree, do you, don’t be afraid to change and screw all the “shoulds”! ALSO TGIF!!! xo

    http://www.girlandcloset.com

  2. I love it when you “overthink” things because it results in these fantastic posts that make me, in turn, start to think a lot. And I’m all for embracing the inconsistencies wherever they arise. I mean it’s what make us interesting and multi-faceted and just plain fun most of the time.

    Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines

  3. Keit says:

    Overthinking is my specialty, and I totally agree with you, we humans tend to change our lives as well as ourselves constantly. I have changed so much for an year that I barely know the person I was back then. Consistency is overrated.
    And btw, where the hell are you? The sun is shining and you’re wearing a dress, I want toooooo!!!!

    • Cee Fardoe says:

      We were in Red Rock Canyon in Nevada when we took these photos – which, I admit, was months ago… I’m very bad at posting photos in real time because we tend to take a whole bunch in a short time and then none for weeks 😛
      xox,
      Cee

  4. Lyddiegal says:

    Thank you Cee, that is always good to hear and you are so right, I’m tired of everything and everyone wanting to look the same! Here we are, millions of people all different and unique, all clamouring to be the same. I can admit, I’m guilty of seeing a dozen bloggers in the same sweater and secretly wanting it for myself, but there is also a big part of me who would like to forgo the mainstream and try to curate a wardrobe of only secondhand items. But consistency, I’ve been anything but lately. Of course I lost the person who filled the role of photographer over the last few years, and getting back into the habit of tripod photography has been undesirable and unmotivating. But I’m trying to get to know more local bloggers and hopefully meet some people who can help get me back into the groove.
    It’s hard to feel inspired in January, the world is grey, wet, and cold. Anyone who can remain consistent through it has my respect. Everyone else is with me in their PJs all day.

    Seeing these beautiful desert photos is making me think I really should just take some time off, head to CA and enjoy some time in the sun.
    Chic on the Cheap

  5. Cecilia says:

    I loved reading this: I am not a brand, I am a person. It resonates and lifts so much pressure one feels today- across different industries. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and may 2018 bring us less conformity.

  6. Loved this Cee! Thanks for keeping it real. That’s why we appreciate you. There’s so much expectation in blogging that sometimes I just have to take a step back and keep in mind what I want. LOVE your dress, sandals and purse. They look so good.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

Cee Fardoe is a thirty-something Canadian blogger who splits her time between Winnipeg and Paris. She is a voracious reader, avid tea-drinker, insatiable wanderer and fashion lover who prefers to dress in black, white and gray.

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