| posted on January 11, 2018
I LOVE bling.
There is no denying the fact.
Everywhere I go, no matter the circumstances, I am shining.
Be it glittery rings, glistening bracelets or sparkly necklaces, you can always see me coming a mile away.
Even that time I went crabbing down at the smelly mile, decked out in waders and a head torch, I was wearing my blingy chandelier earrings.
I think I was a magpie in a former life.
Or is it crows that like shiny stuff?
Ah well, some bird.
Which is funny, actually – I have a slight fear of birds.
Anyway, back to bling.
I don’t know when my love of bling started, but I do know where and how it started – my mum.
If you see a diamante phone case on a shop shelf, or a strawberry-flavoured jelly with glitter in it, you can guarantee either my mother or myself has purchased it at some stage.
We have glitter radars.
If anything even remotely shimmers, our eyes instantly turn to it and we head its way.
So, you can see how we have issues wandering around jewellery stores and shoe shops, and why my mum can’t understand her classroom cleaner’s dismay at her “overuse” of glitter on year 1 art projects.
Bling is my thing, and I think most people have a ‘thing’ – they just might not be aware they have it.
I think it is pretty cool to be known for having a particular trait or doing a particular thing, because it emphasises your uniqueness.
For me, it’s bling and pink things.
Put the two together?
BOOM.
Heaven on a stick.
If I could buy a Ford Mustang in a pale, pastel pink with a hint of sparkle, I’d be happy.
Actually, hmm, borderline Barbie, and I already have blonde hair…
I’ll rethink the Mustang custom job.
What I’m trying to say is that everyone deserves to shine (bad pun, I know).
If you are renowned for something, and you love that something, embrace it.
Ignore people who tease you for always carrying a yoyo with you, or for having Britney Spears custom ringtones for each of your friends, or being unable to go anywhere without three water bottles.
I’d get the odd face pulled from people when I’d rock up to the beach in glittery thongs (or “bejewelled shoes” as my mum likes to call them), or for buying the same stationery as everyone except in pink, but now I’m older, I don’t care.
Uniqueness is something that is often the cause of bullying or put-downs, which is such a shame because uniqueness makes us who we are.
We aren’t made in a factory; we are all weird and wonderful creations influenced by our parents’ DNA, our environment and trends.
Why bother trying to be a robot, saying and looking and feeling the same as the next person, when you can be you?
So, for those of you out there whose ears stick out a little bit, prefer Justin Bieber over Justin Timberlake, have hips that don’t fit skinny jeans or who’d rather stay at home instead of go out to a party, don’t be afraid to stick to your guns and be who you are.
Don’t feel the need to force yourself into a mould that society has shaped.
Be your own person, and don’t be afraid to let that person shine.
Someone told me that once, and I took them literally by becoming obsessed with bling, but hey, no matter how you shine, don’t let anyone dim that light.
