My Story

Hello beauties,

My name is Charlotte, I am 16 years old and I live in London. But that tells you nothing, right? You're probably wondering, who is this girl, what's her story, should I even stick around to wait and see? Well, let me tell you a little bit about me.

I'm a feminist; writer; all round chatterbox; and proud owner of a very cute yet mischievous miniature schnauzer called Suki.

I love:

• My family

• Books

• Fashion

• Skincare

• Avocados

• Armani perfume

• Peach Bellini’s

• Made In Chelsea

I hate:

• Patronising people

• Wasps, bees, flies, basically every insect on the planet

• China dolls

My ideal man: Hands down would have to be none other than Shawn Mendes (I mean could you be more perfect?)

3 things I can't live without: Dark chocolate; Pilates; and sparkle.

Dreams:

• To start my own magazine

• To work in New York City

• To empower girls to be themselves and accept how utterly fabulous they are

Just Chilling

Anything else you should know? Hmm, let me think. I'm a sassy girl who just happens to be blind.

Yes I know what you're thinking: that was a bit of a plot twist. The reason why I just threw in that fun little fact at the end is purely because I don't think my disability is relevant. As a girl with a visual impairment, I have come across people who have criticised me  and underestimated my abilities. I've been made to feel inferior, inadequate and somewhat shunned at certain points in my life. But the most common reaction I get from new people is that they simply do not know how to act around me. Often I'll meet people for the first time and they will speak to me as though they would speak to anybody else. Yet as soon as they realise I have a disability, they become visibly uncomfortable. It's like the filter to their brain disappears. They start babbling, making random comments, asking weird questions or worst of all, they stop talking altogether. And the thing is, disability shouldn't be this game-changing, deal-breaking and out of the ordinary thing because I'm still 'me' with or without the sight. Look at it this way. People might think disability is this exclusive club but believe me it's really not. Any one of us on this planet could potentially acquire a disability at some point in our lives, whether that be at birth or as an adult. Today you may be without a disability and tomorrow that may not change. Yet in reality, you just don't know what the future holds. So if you look at it like that, disability is just normal.

I decided to start this blog for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I wanted to tackle the many misconceptions surrounding disability and I figured what better way to do that than just be myself. Unfortunately, much of our media is built on a myriad of one-dimensional stereotypes, images and ideals which need to be challenged and erased. But whereas once upon a time, we had little control over media misrepresentation, nowadays we are more powerful than we know. Through means of blogging or social media, we can now create our own image and portray ourselves how we want to be portrayed. So I suppose this blog is a kind of statement to the world about who I am and what I'm about. Additionally, I wanted to help ensure that every girl has the opportunity to make her voice heard. For too long now, it would appear that women and girls with disabilities have been excluded and marginalised from the feminist narrative. Therefore what I am hoping to achieve from this blog is the creation of a new, inclusive and supportive community. A place where all you sassy gals can come together and share your stories, your experiences, your opinions and tips on everything from life, feminism, beauty, fashion, fitness and more.

What people need to understand is that  disability may be a part of us but it does by no means define us. Although it may change the way we do certain things, disability cannot change who we are in any shape or form. It cannot change the fact that we are bold and beautiful, that we are strong and independent, that we are influential and empowering young women in our own right. It cannot control us or dictate our lives. After all, we are the ones who make the decisions. We are the ones who make our futures. And sitting back, letting others be the ventriloquists of our society is not enough for us. Because we are women. And we are strong women at that. Yes we may deal with our disabilities in different ways and yes, at times things may not be easy. But ultimately the struggles and the ups and downs that we go through in our everyday lives are the same as every other young woman living in the 21st century.

So what can you expect here at Miss Honesty? Well for one thing, there will be no sugar-coating. Here at Miss Honesty, we say it exactly how it is. We might not agree with each other all the time however we accept that every one of our voices are valid. We strive to support, entertain and empower girls to be proud of who they are. We encourage and motivate one another to always dream big and never let anybody stand in the way of our ambition. Most importantly, we embrace and we celebrate our every flaw. Personally, I have come to find this pressure we are putting on ourselves kind of claustrophobic. Right from the moment we are born, society has ingrained in us an insatiable desire to change ourselves, to fix ourselves, to spend our whole lives chasing after an unattainable perfection. But the thing is, we don't need to do that. We don't need to airbrush or hide our imperfections because we are real and for that reason, we are stunning and we are striking. As a sisterhood, we need to help each other feel confident in our skin and learn to love our bodies. We need to stop criticising and just tell each other how gorgeous we are.

Before I leave you, I have one more thing to say. Each and every one of you have a voice so don't ever be afraid to speak out. Be honest with others, and above all be honest with yourself. If times get tough, please don't suffer in silence. Tell someone you trust because believe me things will get better as soon as you make that first step.