#OWNYOURSASS

 

Outfit Details with affiliate links: Top (Forever 21) | Shorts ((Boutique) | Shoes (Ouigal) | Small Bag (Versace) 

Photography: Ashley Letourneau 

When I was in high school, I remember overhearing someone talking about me and commenting something along the lines of not liking me because I was too sassy. At that moment, I started to question my personality since “sassiness” apparently had a negative connotation associated with it. Over time, I realized that sassiness is just part of my personality. Maybe it’s because I’m a native New Yorker and I have been raised with a blunt mouth and thick skin, but I’ve never saw those attributes as flaws. If anything, I’ve come to embrace it because to me, sass is confidence. Sass is being comfortable in your own skin. Sass is not caring what others say about you and not letting those who don’t like you affect you. Upon this revelation, I decided to add this to my brand because I want to encourage those to look at this word in a positive and uplifting way rather than a negative one.

If you’ve ever been told that you were too bossy, too assertive, or too sassy, then this post it dedicated to you. Just remember to take that as a compliment and turn that around by embracing and owning your sass. I don’t want people to confuse this with me promoting arrogance or cockiness because there’s definitely a difference. I just want to start a movement where people, especially women shouldn’t have to apologize for who they are. At the end of the day, you can’t please everybody and not everybody is going to like you and you know what? That’s totally okay! Stick with those that you vibe with and as long as you surround yourself with positive people and they make you happy, then that’s all that really matters.

In an effort to spread the word about this #OWNYOURSASS movement, I’ve decided to approach four of my favorite, most sassy, confident bloggers and boss babes to get their insight on this word and here is what they said:

• Lynn Kim Do (@lynnkimdo):
  

  Sassiness has nothing to do with being rude, unkind, or being a bitch. Sassiness is unfiltered. Sass is personality. Sass is color, flavor, and swag. Sassiness is a side effect of a strong mindset. It’s often an unfiltered response to a situation. I mean, how often does someone come into a position where they don’t really want to smile nor do they want to fake some sort of response because that’s the “norm”. I’m normally described as “sassy” when I say what’s on my mind. And if it’s a bad thing, I rather take that than being fake.

  

• Shirley Yang (@shirley):
  

  My friends tell me I “sashay” when I walk. Maybe because I am tall (5’8″) and have a curvy body type, my hips have a wider swing when I walk. At times it may seem intentional, but I promise you it is not. The funny thing is, I think my sashay gets more obvious when I’m wearing a feminine dress that hugs my curves and I feel good in. When I’m feeling confident, beautiful, and connected with my inner self, I can’t help but exude that energy through each step I take forward, crossing my right foot in front of the left, each step with certainty and purpose. That’s what I call sass. 🙂

  

• Katya Bychkova (@stylesprinter):
  

  For me, being sassy means not to be afraid to speak your mind and go against the norms dictated by our society. Oftentimes sassiness has a negative connotation when it comes to describing women. For a guy, being outspoken and boldly smart is a positive characteristic, while for us girls being sassy is almost a taboo. I’m super excited to join the #OwnYourSass movement as I’m a strong believer that we girls are as powerful, intelligent, and talented as any other human being on this planet.

  

• Sunnya Sultan (@thesultaindiaries):
  

  I believe the term sassy is looked at wrong. People think being sassy is a negative attitude someone possesses. Usually you’ll hear things like “omg, she’s so sassy! What!” I have been called sassy many many times. I believe being sassy means you own yourself. You are confident in everything you do. You know who you are and what you stand for and nothing can change that. It means you’re passionate with the things you say or do. Now, I don’t mean you should just be full of yourself or act inappropriately towards others. You can be sassy, fabulous, and humble all at the same time! ♥️

These ladies are inspiring and I am so grateful that they were able to participate in this movement. I will continue to add whoever else is interested so let me know if you are! Also feel free to join by simply posting a photo with the #OWNYOURSASS.