Caroline Calloway Opinion

Caroline Calloway is an Instagram-er. A long caption format Instagram-er. 

Is she an influencer? Well, she’s influenced me to try Birch Coffee next time I’m in New York. So I’d say so. 

Is she a fashion instagram-er? She’s inspired me to only purchase clothes so soft that you can nap in them. Not actually, but I do keep that mindset while shopping now, so maybe she is. 

Is she a hot topic? Yes. 

I started following Caroline back in January when I was recovering from a Kidney infection. I was in a bad place physically and mentally drained. She inspired me to be more independent. To do what I wanted with my life (and on Instagram) for myself instead of for others. She inspired me to care less about the likes and more about how my content made people feel. Revolutionary if you ask me. 

But then, later this year, she was the focus of every controversial article you could ever think of. She wanted to inspire others to write and get to know other writers and dreams and do-ers. So she came up with this idea to create a workshop. I’m not going to get into the details, but people talked and the press wrote about it. 

And then, later this summer, her old “ghost writer,” Natalie, published an article that “exposed” Caroline for who she really was. In my humble opinion, Caroline might have mistreated her ghost writer, but Natalie also put herself in situations that she could have easily talked to Caroline about instead of bottling them in. 

So, also in my humble opinion, I love Caroline Calloway. She’s an amazing writer. She’s brave, bold, and willing to share pieces of her life that others really really aren’t. She knows how to elegantly move through life as if it were a fairytale, and even when it’s not, she somehow picks herself back up and keeps moving with her head held high. 

So yeah, she’s probably made some mistakes, but haven’t you? If you’re bored at work or procrastinating, I inspire you to scroll to the very last picture on her account and start reading her captions from there. Her life is very fun to read about. 

Thanks for reading!
chloe

Where the Crawdads Sing

When I was in elementary school, my mom had a rule for my brother and me that truly shaped my life, my interests, how I consume media. 

For every thirty minutes of TV time, we had to spend an hour outside. A ratio, when I was younger, that I absolutely despised. Of course I loved being outside. But I grew up in the deep south of Alabama. Which means mosquitos, devilish heat, and constantly dripping in sweat. It was fine, but spending more than an hour outside on certain days was brutal. 

So how did I stay entertained if I couldn’t watch TV like a “normal” kid? 

Remember, this is back before the days of YouTube and only right when Webkinz and Club Penguin were taking over youth culture. 

So essentially, there was nothing to do except read a good ‘ole book. And when I say I read, I mean I read a lot. Every day, every night before bed. I was the student in class that looked forward to the time in the school day where we had designated reading time. The trips to the library were like if I was Charlie visiting Wonka’s chocolate factory. 

I stopped reading when I got to college because by the time I finished my assigned readings of textbooks and unrelated articles assigned to keep us busy, I didn’t want to read for enjoyment. Not to mention, I was living with my best friends so there was never downtime to just chill and read. 

But now that I’m done with college, I’ve been reading like I was a kid again. I recently read a book that I can’t stop telling people about. It’s one of those “can’t put ‘em down, bury your nose, read until your eyes get too heavy” kind of books. Simply put, it was the best book I’ve read in a really long time. 

The essence of the story is simple, a girl against the world, quite literally. I feel like I can’t describe it in too much detail without ruining the ending, but I promise you’ll love it. The topics include those of loneliness, love, family, mystery, confusion regarding the purpose and meaning of life. 

So, in short, read it. It’s called Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. A work of art. 

stay soft

I’ve noticed something.

As people get older and older, it seems they also get harder and harder. They lose sense of their softer selves. They put a guard up. They become rough around the edges and in the middle. And for what reason? Because they’ve been hurt, maybe? Because they think life is out to get them? Or maybe it’s because they’ve seen other people become harder and they thing that they too must become hard. 

I challenge you to become softer. Become full of life instead of letting it leave you. Let inspiration fill you to the brims, and allow your cheeks to hurt and become permanently flushed from so many smiles. 

My mom had my horoscope read when I was born and it said that I will age backwards. And, so far, it is true. I was the most wise ten year old you’ll ever meet. I was a rule follower. A people pleaser. A bookworm. All in the fourth grade. 

I’m not saying I’m none of those things now, as an almost adult, but I don’t think I’ve become harder. I’ve chilled out. I have fun. I enjoy the time I’ve been given. I hope that I continue to. I hope I become even softer. I hope I can give the warmest hugs and the happiest smiles. I hope you don’t barf from the cheesiness of this post. 

Anyways, I hope you accept my challenge. Be a warm human. Be a soft human.