I stumbled upon NastyGal.com a few years ago by complete accident. I was online looking for something to wear with a pair of converse kicks, a cut up old Fleetwood Mac shirt of my dad’s, and a leather jacket–kind of a random combo, and there wasn’t a lot out there at the time that showed me a good way to pair it. In my searches, through pinterest and other blogs, I happened upon a pair of white distressed boyfriend jeans that worked perfectly with what I already had, and was in fact, paired similarly in the photo. When I clicked on the link to the website where they were sold, I thought it was a joke, Nasty Gal? What a name. I honestly thought it was some type of scam. Despite my hesitation and judgement, I made sure it was legit, bought the jeans and from there, developed a love affair with the brand.
Nasty Gal has the perfect mix of feminine and edge, vintage and trendy, and unique and classic. At first, I thought nothing of how Nasty Gal was created, just thought it was another online shopping site. That was until Sophia Amoruso, founder of Nasty Gal, released her book, Girl Boss. Her book chronicles how her life went from selling finds from Goodwill on eBay making a few extra bucks on the side, to being one of the most influential female fashion entrepreneurs and overall inspirational badasses out there. The book gives advice on how to become a #girlboss, deciding what success looks like for you and how to achieve it, and not letting everyone else’s opinion deter you from accomplishing those goals. Whereas, I once judged a company with a crazy name, I have now realized that this crazy name, the nonbusiness school approach to a creating a company, and a dedicated and devoted woman, has become a staple of not only my closet, but my way of looking at life.
I think my favorite thing about Amoruso and her story, is the one she is writing now. With any success story, there are hardships and obstacles that come about that can really throw a wrench in how a business (and the person in charge of it) continues to grow. For some, these circumstances can break them and their company. In the past year, Amoruso has stepped down as CEO of her company and had to lay of 10% of her staff all while being hit with lawsuits. Throughout all of this, the company and Amoruso grew by staying true to the goal that she started when her business was just an eBay store, and doing what was best for the company as it continues to explode into the Nasty Gal empire.
The newest piece of this empire is the Girl Boss portion. In a world where there is constant comparison and competition between women, Amoruso has instead created a culture of individuality, empowerment and support. Her #girlboss website is not only a testament to all of those women out there who are following their dreams and becoming girl bosses, she has also created a foundation to help women get their ideas off the ground. The #girlboss foundation awards grants to women in design, fashion, music, and the arts, to help them to becoming the boss of their own life. Along with podcasts from women who share their #girlboss stories, the #girlboss book and other projects they are promoting the boss lifestyle and articulating the brand and voice of Nasty Gal all the while, encouraging women to take control of their life.
Reading #girlboss and learning of the vision that Amoruso has of her brand has led me to realize the importance of surrounding myself with #girlboss friends and work on becoming one myself. Giving support and countenance to other women who work diligently to making difference in their own lives and the lives of others, will only strengthen the cause that we are all fighting for. That’s what life is really all about. Celebrating people for their accomplishments and encouraging them to know that what they are doing really is making a difference, even if it is just to a small blogger like me. So here’s to all the girls who are already #girlbosses, to all the girls who hope to become them, and to all who help to get us there!
Checkout a few of my favorite girl bosses!
Velvets Edge –a blog and brand developed and dedicated to empowering women and keeping all of us in-the-know with fashion, interior design, fitness, travel and news. Created by some of the most fabulous women that Nashville has to offer.
Jennifer Diaz —a blog created by one of the sweetest and down to earth women I know, this blog is dedicated to creating a life of overall wellness, including some great fitness tips.
The Inspired Realtor—brand new to the blog scene, follow Amber’s adventures through DIY, home reno, and flipping a foreclosed home into her dream home.
The Vogue Trip —in this blog, Hayley, wife of Flordia Georgia Line member, Tyler Hubbard, documents her life on the road with the best fashion, beauty and travel advice.
Define Your Win — created by two of Nashville’s badass moms, they created a platform for women to share their story and how they decide to prioritize themselves, their fitness, and their family.
and of course the reason this blog was written, Nasty Gal and Girl Boss
Here are a few of my favorite excerpts from the book. These words keep me going, to one day be able to inspire others and live out what my version of success looks like.
“The energy you’ll expend focusing on someone else’s life is better spent working on your own.”
“Instead of sitting around and talking about how much I care, I’m going to kick ass and prove it.”
“Living a comfortable life can allow you the psychic space needed to focus on other, often bigger, things, and when you read your possessions as emblems of your hard work they inherit a meaning that transcends the objects themselves.”
“I think that part of the reason Nasty Gal has been so successful is because my goals were never financial ones. I believed in what I was doing, and fortunately other people believed in it as well.”
“You can’t act like you’ve arrived when you’re only just receiving the invitation.”
“You get back what you put out, so you might as well think positively, focus on visualizing what you want instead of getting distracted by what you don’t want, and send the universe your good intentions so that it can send them right back.”
“You’ll see that fortune favors the bold who get shit done.”
“When your goal is to gain experience, perspective, and knowledge, failure is no longer a possibility. Failure is your invention….It is she who listens to the rest of the world who fails and it is she who has enough confidence to define success and failure for herself who succeeds. These words were not invented for an incremental life. ‘Success’ and ‘Failure’ serve a world that is black-and-white. And as I said before, it’s all just kinda grey.”
Love,
One hopeful #girlboss
Love, American Beautiful 