A BRAVE NEW WORLD

A BRAVE NEW WORLD

May 15, 2020

 

As the world slowly starts to emerge out of its pyjama/blanket clad cocoon, I wonder what we can take away from this experience. What have we learnt? What will we miss? And what will we want to change moving forwards?

COZY SOCKS

At the risk of sounding like our parents, and our parents parents, I’d been lamenting the state of the world for quite some time and reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ on more occasions that I’d like to admit. I’d grown tired of the finger pointing society we’d developed into, with our holier-than thou mindsets, despite the fact that not a single one of us are in fact anywhere near perfect. I’d grown tired of our online addiction which often resulted in FOMO and unhealthy comparisons with people and lives that are nothing more than a highlight reel. I’d grown tired of running a clothing company that still has to compete against Fast Fashion, even in light of everything we know about it. But most of all, I had just grown TIRED. Tired of the constant HUSTLE life had become – that crazy supersonic pace we were moving at that so much of what really matters in life, was being missed. And despite all the positive shifts that had been happening alongside – they just weren’t happening fast enough. But then, Covid 19 happened.

It goes without saying that none of us would ever wish ill to another person, and many have become sick, lost work, income, and even their lives during this global pandemic. Yet, even from the beginning, there was a part of me that hoped, somehow, that amidst this uncertainty and tragedy we could find some light.

BAKINGI think the first sentiment was that ‘we’re all in this together’. For the first time, at least in my lifetime, I felt somewhat of an equalizing effect. On so many levels Covid 19 has impacted the world in much the same way. The lockdowns. The travel bans. The shortages. The impact on jobs. Of course anyone living in a tiny condo with small children and no outside space is going to experience this wayyyyy differently than a celebrity ‘cooped up’ in their mansion, with pool, gym and possibly home spa too. But having said that, don’t forget those gaps always existed and their lives will still have been impacted one way or the other as well. But all comparisons to one side, the way I see it, we’ve had an opportunity here. The world effectively hit the ‘pause’ button in many areas of life which meant that for many of us, the race wasn’t being run, at least in the same way.

Lockdown granted many of us a ‘break’ of sorts (sorry mums and dads - shit got real, real fast, I should know!) A chance to literally bring much of our lives to a grinding halt leaving us to question – what do we do now? At the beginning many felt the urge to continue at the same pace, and somehow use this time to ‘maximise the opportunity’. Some decided to learn a new language, write a book, or even redecorate. For those of you that achieved that – wow, YOU ROCK!! But if like most your accomplishments were more along the lines of baking banana bread, organizing your kitchen cabinets or just seeing how many different ways you could style your blanket, just be proud to have gotten through it (or be getting through it), if you've managed to. As a society we deserve a break from the madness and the judgement and the constant curation of our lives both online and in real life. Sometimes it’s good to just let loose and get messy and become comfortable with not trying to be perfect all the time (big note to self here!!)

WORK FROM HOME

As a parent I know this has been a very challenging time. Once the initial horror of ‘they are never going back to school!!!!’ subsided, and the overwhelming obligation to become school teacher, come nutritional chef, come head entertainer, house cleaner and God forbid, even try and do our own work alongside; many parents had no choice but to accept the simple fact that doing it all, and doing it all perfectly, is just NOT POSSIBLE. Personally I decided to accept what I could do and what I could not, and be OK with that.

Over the years we’ve grown into a society that puts so much pressure onto us from every possible angle – our looks – our fitness – our diets – our manifestations – our work – our goals – our parenting – our homes – our mental health – our pet’s mental health - our carbon footprint… should I go on? I mean is there even an area of our lives that we aren’t constantly trying to perfect? Quite frankly it’s exhausting. I don’t remember my mother worrying whether she was doing the most Pinterest-worthy crafts with me – I’d be lucky if she glanced over her cuppa to look at whatever I was showing her. I don’t think she even did crafts with me and yet she was an awesome mother and I never felt unloved, or demanded the kind of attention my kids do. But something about growing up in the internet generation has brought everything to light – we no longer compete with the Jones’s but with the God damn world. We strive to be the best at everything; have everything; be everything. There’s hustling and then there’s hustling and I think many of us have been hustling so hard we didn’t even know what we were hustling for anymore.

We’ve developed so many ‘time saving’ devices and apps and yet we were getting burnt out at faster rates than ever before. We’ve seen more depression, more stress, and more anxiety than any other generation. Either that or we’re simply vocalizing it more, because that’s another area we have to work on too. So just maybe this temporary respite from the rat race has actually done us some good. Hell, it’s even became acceptable to home school your kids with a glass of Prosecco in hand! You can thank Molly Sims for that one haha. Whatever we have to do to make it through with a semblance of sanity left intact, is now considered OK, and we needed that. Boy did we need that.

Perhaps most of all quarantine provided us with the opportunity to figure out exactly what we like about our lives, and what we don’t. Some of us may have realised that we don't love the one we're with (I saw quite a few ‘husband for sale’ posts online!) Or perhaps we've developed a greater appreciation for those in our lives that wasn’t there before. Some of us may simply have gained appreciation for all that we already have, or faced the fact that we’re on the wrong path, or want to take another direction. Either way, hopefully it's been borne out of our own true feelings. Comparison really can be the thief of joy – think about it - if you didn’t have a glimpse into the lives of others, would you be content with your own? If you’re able to focus less on what others have perhaps you’ll get more clarity as to what it is you really want, and not what society makes you believe you want.

SUNSET

But if anyone really did have a break during all of this, it was Mother Nature herself. Air pollution in some major cities dropped by as much as 60% during the crisis, and photos of clear skies and clear rivers flooded the internet. Sure, we can’t keep planes out of the sky forever, or cars off the roads… BUT... we can be thankful for the recovery granted to our planet and be mindful not to return to the same levels we were at previously. There is so much we can do from here on in to positively impact our planet, ourselves and each other. So instead of trying to rush ‘back to normal’, let's take the best aspects of this experience and make a conscious effort to apply them to a far superior future. Wishing you all good health, sanity and of course elevating your Tik Tok game!

 

Miss Matahari xx

 

 

Just the musings of one person, through their own experience of life in the time of Covid 19. Love to hear about all your experiences too, and what you hope to see for our collective future. Or if you have any other blog ideas, feel free to send them in for our consideration. Thank you.

 

All photo credits ~ Unsplash.



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SIZE GUIDE
SIZE XS S M L XL
US/CANADA 2-4 4-6 8-10 10-12 12-14
UK/AUSTRALIA 6-8 8-10 12-14 14-16 16-18
ITALY 38-40 40-42 44-46 46-48 48-50
FRANCE 34-36 36-38 40-42 42-44 44-46
JEANS 24-26 26-28 30-32 32-34 34-36

Size Guide information - best viewed in landscape mode/on a larger screen.

The models in The Warrior Collection range from 5'5" - 5'9" in height and size 4-6 US (8-10 UK). They are all wearing our size S.

The main model in The New Frontier Collection is 5' 10" and a US size 2-4 (6-8 UK). Her bust is 34", waist 26" and hips 36.5". She is also wearing our size S. The petite model wearing some of the styles and accessories is 5' 3" and a US size 2. Her bust is 33", waist 25" and hips 39". She is wearing our size XS. If you fall into the petite category, you might find XS fits you better length-wise.  

Note on pants - The workout tights/capris in The Warrior collection fit a little larger than pants/leggings in The New Frontier collection, as they've been specifically designed to flatter all body types, with a slightly more generous cut on the thighs and around the waist. If you have very slim thighs, we recommend you go down a size in any of the Warrior collection bottoms. In general all of our pants are designed to accommodate curvy or muscular thighs. When in doubt, drop a size. 

We've also created all styles across all collections to fit a little longer on the sleeves and legs to provide more allowance for different shapes and sizes; not to mention we love the longer sleeved/legged look. 


If you have any queries on sizing, please drop us a line at info@missmatahari.com and we'll be more than happy to discuss your specific requirements.