A Call To Motion

Hello

I can't come to this post without addressing what's going on. 'Which THINGS are you gonna address Yarnelle??????????' 'Great question, well Imma talk about all that shit." 

I live in New York City and the city has been shut down since about March. Around 100,000 people in the U.S have already lost their lives to Covid- 19. I have lost people I've known personally and cared about. Nearly 40 million people have filed for unemployment, food banks are flooded. The very way we interact day to day as human beings is being altered. We fear touch, we fear closed spaces, large crowds (I was scared of small spaces and large crowds before it was cool) we can't be around the ones we love and care about.

Information is changing every minute of the day, how the virus spreads, how to treat it, what the symptoms are, what to do if you think you have it. Is changing all the time.  Distance is key, it is vital to protect us. Stay home, stay inside. Everyone who cares about anything is scared. We don't know when this will end if it ever will end. A vaccine is so far away. Across the globe, the virus is continuing to spread. The world over, no one knows what is happening or where we are going. Fear and uncertainty are commonplace. Except for the places where dusty ass people think this is still somehow a fucking joke. 

Amongst all of this, being Black in America still warrants a fucking death sentence.

Yes, we are still being murdered in the streets while others are forced to stand and look on in horror. 

Yes, we are still being chased down and gunned down in broad daylight.

Yes, the justice system only responds if we are viral enough, if there's enough outrage, if there is yet another hashtag. 

Yes, during a global pandemic we still have to flood the streets in mass to say Yet Again 'stop killing us' and Yes, there are still people who respond with a 'but...' 

As a black woman, I am tried. There is just so much, we are bombarded with these images day in and day out, there is already so much happening and still the load we bare as Black people is made even heavier. I need to escape all of it, and to be honest this blog as started as an outlet for me. So that is what I intend to do here. However, it would be an injustice itself not to acknowledge what is going on around us all, and not to use the teeny tiny little platform I have to raise some money. At the bottom of this post will be linked to how you can actually help, I will continue to include these links in my posts moving forward. Give what you can and if you cannot give at all, share the information. Urge those you know to do the same. 

So the post ! Given that we are in lockdown and will probably be in some form of it for a while, I have recently started getting up and getting dressed for nothing. I have heard that getting up each day and forming a routine of some sort is supposed to be good for your mental health (mine needs ALL the help it can get right now). So I have been trying to do that. I enjoy getting dressed and picking out outfits anyway so I thought why not see if it works the same if I am not going anywhere at all.

This look was born because, I love a good beach or a pool or just anywhere I can lay in the sun beside water (ugh remember laying in the sun, sheesh I miss her). As of right now, the beaches in NYC aren't going to be open, and neither are public pools so my bathing suits for the foreseeable future will not be getting any use....... unless.
I wear them as tops ! (insert forehead tapping meme) I have about four ways to rock a one-piece as a top, or which can honestly also be used for e bikini top as well, here is look one !

I am wearing a pretty old Gabi Fresh x Swimsuits for All one piece, I think I bought this around 4 years ago, while I was in college, I've literally worn it I think 4 times cause as much as a love a beach I don't get very many chances to go. Because of that, this baby is still as good as new ! I am also wearing a pair of shorts that I made myself from a pair of mom jeans that tore and no longer fit how I liked them too. (honestly, the shorts could use a belt but I don't have one at the moment and am in the market for a new one, please recc me some below).

 Cutting jeans into shorts is a pretty fun and also straightforward process that you can use to upcycle items you no longer wear. It is also double helpful to me because, it seems like short short shorts are the only thing that is ever sold and my thighs double C Thicc and will eat them like groceries. I always tend to cut the shorts longer than they need to be so I can have the options of cuffing and uncuffing them to different lengths.

On my feet are a pair of super old Steve Madden white slides (these are destroyed at this point, but fear not I have quarantine-purchased a new pair of sandals, watch this space for that. It's an item I literally never thought I would purchase). and I tossed on my favorite pair of sunnies another super old purchase. As I was looking back on this outfit I realized you literally cannot buy any of these items, ah the beauty of having a capsule wardrobe.

Over the course of quarantine, Yarnelle has been quite Aint Bra™. So maybe these swimsuit outfits are just an excuse not to wear a bra. 

x Y 

Stay safe

A super super comprehensive list of ways to get involved: here 

More links: here

FreeThemAll2020 bail fund (bail funds are incredibly important during these times, folx who are arrested at protests don't have access to PPE while in lock-up): here

This is a link of bail funds by state and city: here

Don't know which bail fun to donate to? No problem, this will split your donation between a bunch of them: here