Identity and Style

I guess I was feeling pretty cultural today, as my outfit and accessories pointed out. I don't know what it is, but I've really had traveling on my mind lately. Check out these ocean inspired pieces I wore today as homage to my previous travels and the travels I hope to take in the future.

Ring- A trademark blue lapis lazui stone from Greece that is said to bring good luck. I got this ring on a school trip to Greece, made financially possible by my generous grandmother.


Earrings - Tear shaped abalone shell earrings gifted to me by a thoughtful friend who bought them on  her trip to Hawaii -- a paradise I have yet to visit.


Bracelet - Silver bracelet holding a beautiful blue piece of sea glass. Purchased on my first trip to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.


Thinking about traveling has also got me thinking about my culture and where I'm from. A lot of people ask me about my ethnicity, and it's a fun question for me to answer sometimes. I have a unique background that I am happy to share that. My great grandmother was native to the Caribbean island St. Lucia. She married a white French man who lived on the island. My grandmother still lives in the Caribbean in St.Croix, where my dad spent most of his childhood before moving to the United States. So, on my father's side I have inherited French and Caribbean ethnicities. On my mother's side I have inherited Italian (her mother being from Italy) and French-Canadian (her father being from Canada). I was born an American citizen, on a military base in Germany in 1992.

If you were to ask other members in my family about their ethnicities, they may have varied responses, given that there is more to our cultural background than the brief summary I just gave. What is really amazing to me is that so many cultures have been accepted into my family. From an American perspective, my father is Black and my mother is White. Although I am biracial and have been raised believing that skin colors shouldn't be a basis for judgment, I have fallen prey to believing stereotypes about other cultures at times like many other people have. Society frequently markets racial stereotypes, but it's important to resist believing that ethnicity determines personality, or who you are. There are many things that make up the person I am, including fashion. I love expressing my self through clothes. I also love rock music. I have a favorite color, a favorite restaurant. I am an individual. Who are you?

To diversity.

-Bell