J’Nae Writes: A Year In Review
J’Nae Writes is a newsletter exploring fashion, design, and style.
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I sent my first official newsletter dispatch, Hi, I’m New Here in June 2020, and my oh my has this newsletter come a long way since then. How has it been a year and a half already?! In 2021 I’ve sent out 34 free emails, grown my subscriber base, and hopefully provided you with some enjoyable content in the process.
In September I pivoted this newsletter slightly, focusing more on fashion, design, and style. I’ve introduced a monthly Best in Fashion post, as well as ‘J’Nae Fixes: Fashions Agony Aunt’ where I use my decade of experience in the fashion industry to tackle reader related fashionable scenarios - over the years solving fashion dilemmas has kind of been my thing, and I’m enjoying exploring it in this new form.
Here on J’Nae Writes, 2021 looked a little something like this:
New Year, Same Me - setting intentions instead of goals on how to live in 2021.
The Wild and Chaotic Year That Was 2020 - I mean, pretty self-explanatory right?
Social Media and Self-Promotion - impersonal connections over the web have become how we market ourselves in a world that's online 24/7, but when did social media stop being so sociable?
Madam Vice President; Fashions New Icon - fashion has always been political, few may recognise this but with the first female Vice President being elected in the United States this year what she wears was bound to come into question.
Things I Haven’t Done During the Pandemic - and the less than impressive things I have done.
The Distance Between Celebrity Narrative and Ordinary Life - some may argue that a small section of society were blind to the truly perilous state we've been in over the course of the pandemic, leading many to ask: is the age of the celebrity over?
The Gut Feelings I Can’t Shake - a personal essay discussing the wild ride of emotions I’ve experienced over the past year. A little depressing, but really real.
From Blogger To Editor-In-Chief - Margaret Zhang’s appointment as EIC of Vogue China may signal a changing of the guard, who would've thought content creators could ascend to such heights.
Online Activism vs Real-World Consequences - being online has its ups and downs, but the internet has provided a platform where underrepresented and marginalised people can have a voice. Is online activism the 21st century way to get things done?
Oprah x The Sussex’s - my thoughts on THAT interview.
Is Food The Cure? - this has been one of my most popular pieces of content to date, and I can see why. J’Nae vs food: my relationship with eating over the pandemic has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.
How Did Women’s History Month Take Such A Drastic Turn This Year? - the week of Women’s History Month 2021 was wild - there was the hounding of Meghan Markle, a police offer was arrested on suspicion of murdering a young woman and in Georgia an American terrorist killed 8 people - 6 were Asian women. What's gone so horribly wrong?
The Gap Between Where I Am and Where I Want To Be - taking a risk on myself, for myself, always.
If We All Looked The Same, The World Would Be A Very Boring Place - on filters, plastic surgery, and warped realities.
Life After Lockdown: Why I’m Dreading Restrictions Easing - did the thought of ‘returning back to normal’ have anyone else on edge? I cant have been the only one who felt uneasy about our worlds being turned upside down yet again.
George Floyd: The Verdict: what's it going to take to see real justice in a world that weaponises the colour of your skin, that demonises you simply for existing?
Celebrity Motherhood, Pandemic Pregnancies, and Society’s Expectations - when celebrities announce they’re expecting, the world watches and waits. But should we expect anything from soon-to-be mothers in the limelight?
Does Perfectionism Kill Creativity? - tales from a burnt out creative, who’s succumbed to perfectionism and writer's block many, many times.
The Post Lockdown Pressure To Glow Up - we now know that #hotgirlsummer never really happened, but it didn't ease the pressure to look like the best versions of ourselves in the run-up to warmer weather this year.
Memes As A Form Of Self-Expression - the 21st century way to express yourself in a digitally savvy world.
BACK SOON! - everyone needs to take a breather now and again…
Knock Knock, It’s Me! - back and raring to go after a brief hiatus.
Met Gala 2021: The Good, The Questionable, and The Unexpected - hailed as one of the biggest fashion events of the calendar year, the Met Gala was back in full force this season - providing a wealth of red carpet outfits that needed careful dissection.
September 2021: Best In Fashion - the first of my monthly fashion round-ups. Celebrity looks, street style outfits, and new-in product drops worth mentioning.
Is Fashion Fun Again? - street styles revival, red carpets renaissance, and the return of fashion month. Post-pandemic dressing has got people excited about fashion again.
J’Nae Fixes: Fashions Agony Aunt - a thread that's worth returning too.
The Fashion Industry and the Black Experience - crucial conversations about diversity and race are done with a fair amount of lip service, but can an industry that thrives off of exclusivity really change?
October 2021: Best in Fashion - you guessed it, October's round-up of all things fash-un.
The Power of Fashionable Celebrity Couplings - entire brand identities can be created off the back of some carefully crafted celebrity power dressing, mirroring each other's style can be incredibly lucrative for stars and their significant others. But who gets it right?
J’Nae Fixes: Fashions Agony Aunt #1 - the first edition of my monthly - fashion orientated - agony aunt column.
Creating Fantasy Scenarios For The Clothes I’ll Never Buy - while living vicariously through the outfits I’ll never wear.
November 2021: Best In Fashion - all the autumnal feels in this edition.
Virgil Abloh: “You can do it too” - Abloh pushed us to dream, and to dream big. There was no one quite like Virgil Abloh.
J’Nae Fixes: Fashions Agony Aunt #2 - tackling a lack of clothing inspiration, how vintage shopping can feel out of sync with some, and how to dress for the festive season when you've put on weight.
This is the last dispatch for the year, J’Nae Writes will be returning to your devices in early 2022. As you can imagine this newsletter takes a lot of time and effort to create, all of which I enjoy and plan to continue doing. So next year I'll be turning on paid subscriptions for some posts, and I hope you'll be able to support this newsletter as it grows - but don't fret, some content will always remain free and accessible to all.
See you next year!
Let me know your thoughts and feedback on this post, I want to know what you want from J’Nae Writes. Comments are open…
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Twitter to see more of what I’m up to, and I’ll see you back here soon!
Catch you next time,
J’Nae
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