Behind The Blog Post

Social media is weird. When it comes down to it, we all are much too familiar with VSCO filters, face tune, texting our friends for caption ideas, and re-taking a photo 67 times. But as we consume media, whether it’s looking at blogs or mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, we take what we see at face value. We make assumptions that others don’t go to the same lengths as us for the ‘gram. We assume that the photo and the person’s body hasn’t been edited and that capturing the image was effortless.

I’ll be the first to admit that this is almost never the case. Especially in the blogging realm, photo shoots have a lot of difficult and un-camera-ready moments behind the scenes. As a blogger, it’s my job to create refined and aesthetically pleasing images. However, this doesn’t mean that I want people to think that it comes easy to me, that I’m perfectly styled every moment of the day, or that I’m always doing something blog-worthy. My hope with this post is to show you the typical effort that goes into a blog photoshoot and to help shatter the misconception that the images you see on social media are true to real life. I'll be giving the behind the scenes of a photoshoot where we shot this post and this post, because the situation was not as glamorous as the photos make it seem!

A TYPICAL PHOTOSHOOT DAY AGENDA

5:00 - Head to Whole Foods to buy sunflowers
5:30 - Take the plastic wrap off of the flowers, then wrap them in a brown paper bag for that #farmfresh vibe
6:00 - Shower, blow dry my hair and start getting ready
6:30 - Do my makeup and straighten my hair
7:20 - Pack the car with three outfits, shoes, jewelry, a picnic blanket (which was actually a scarf), and flowers

7:30 - Drive over to Rachel’s house, jamming music the whole way to get myself pumped
7:40 - Arrive at Rachel’s (I was supposed to get there at 7:30 and I’m embarrassed to say that 10 minutes late is the earliest I’ve ever been to a shoot...)
7:45 - (90 minutes until sunset) We arrive at our location, none other than a local NURSING HOME.
7:47 - I change into my dress and shoes in the back of Rachel’s car, hoping not to flash any elderly people. The dress zipper got STUCK so it's literally unzipped in all of the photos from behind!
7:52 - We literally SPRINT down the street to get to the nursing home lawn that we want to shoot in
7:55 - Stage the picnic area
8:20 - Finish shooting in the lawn and neighborhood
8:22 - Change into my next look while Rachel drives to the next location
8:30 - Finish shooting look #2
8:35 - Change and HYDRATE

8:45 - Finish shooting look #3 (our final look) with 15 minutes to spare before sunset!

A couple days later...
Rachel finishes editing the photos! While we choose to never edit my face or body (there’s quite enough of that in media already), she does things that are way beyond my capability to make sure the lighting, coloring, and shadows of the photos are perfect.

Next time you're looking at social media, just remember that the photo...

...isn't as effortless it seems!

Bloggers: I want to hear from you! Tell me your funny behind the scenes moments :-)

Stay Sunny,

Meg

Photos by Rachel Issler

University of South Carolina Dorm Tour

Finally, the post I've been absolutely dying to share, MY DORM TOUR!

I'm a big believer that the physical space you live in has a huge impact on your mental state, so I made it a point to create a room that was not only functional and well-organized, but also fit my personal style and felt home-y. My roommate Abby and I worked really hard to create a space we both loved, and we're so excited to finally get to show it off. So, without further adieu...

My Bed

My bed is the actual comfiest ever. I transformed the hard, plastic-y dorm mattress using a bed bug cover, cushy memory foam mattress topper, and a body pillow between my bed and the wall, topped the softest organic sheets, a weighted blanket, and a light duvet. It's extra and it's heavenly.

We decided to go with matching comforters, shelves, and nightstands, but style them in different ways to fit each of our aesthetics and not be aggressively matchy.

We tacked Christmas lights up around the room and they make it feel so much cozier, especially in the evenings so we don't have to use our harsh overhead light.

Above each of our beds, we hung these adorable circle shelves which are unique and add a modern touch to the room.

On my shelf I have pictures of some of my favorite people, fake peonies, my favorite Bible verse, and a cute "M" from Abby!

In between our beds we keep our essential oil diffuser, oils, and letterboard (I hope you guys all get my Vine reference)!

Abby's Bed and Desk Area

If you look closely, you can see the Matisse Abby recolored on photoshop to match our room. I LOVE it.

My Desk

Quick shoutout to The Everygirl for the print above my desk that inspires me daily! It reads, "You're not the kind of girl who settles, so keep not settling." They have the same one in their office and I adore it!

My desk doubles as a vanity, so my friend Sydney helped me cover one of the pull-out sections in marble contact paper just for fun. I love my light-up mirror for getting ready in the morning without waking Abby up.

Jewelry Storage

I use a peg board with hooks for my necklaces and bracelets.

Abby holds her stuff with these neat cork hexagons.

Food & Other Storage

Next to my desk is our coffee cart, microwave and fridge, and my wardrobe.

The coffee cart has to be one of my favorite parts of the dorm, we can keep all of our teas, coffee, and mugs in one place with the Keurig.

We store laundry/cleaning supplies on Abby's side of the room along with some food and dishes.

And that's all! Thanks so much for taking a look into our little corner of USC.

SEE MORE ON INSTAGRAM

Tell me in the comments: what's your favorite corner/part of your dorm, home, or apartment?

Stay Sunny,

Meg

Photos by Abby Dodson

VIDEO (!) | What I Did in LA

Some things can't be fully conveyed in a blog post. Words and photos can only do so much, and sometimes there aren't enough (or too many) to share the full extent of an idea or experience! And so I present to you...

MY FIRST VIDEO... WHAT I DID IN LA

I made a YouTube video! It's just a short, fun montage of the places I went, food I ate, and things I did in LA. I shot it on an iPhone and it's only two minutes long. I don't know how many more videos I'll make, if any, but I thought it would be fun just to dip my toes in the water!

Here is a list of locations you'll see in the video (in order of appearance):

Dream Hotel LA

Mama Shelter Restaurant

Glossier Showroom

Alfred Tea

Dream Hotel Highlight Room

Amoeba Music

Byrdie Beauty Lab

Huntington Botanical Gardens

Lemonade Pasadena

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

In-n-Out Burger

Runyon Canyon

I hope you enjoyed this! Would you want to see more videos in the future?

Stay Sunny,

Meg

My Rush Outfits

Aside from joining an awesome sisterhood, my favorite part of rush/sorority recruitment was the OUTFITS, of course. Each morning I loved getting to plan my outfit in order to best represent who I am, as well as see other girl's looks for the day and how they choose to show their style through the different rounds. I thought I'd share my outfits with you, along with a little bit about each round of recruitment, mostly to be a guide if you're rushing in the spring or next year or just to share a little bit about my rush experience!

ROUND 1: GO GREEK

Go Greek round, the first round of recruitment, is just getting to see the surface level of each sorority. Between two days, I visited all thirteen sorority houses and talked to one or a few of their members. This was the most casual round attire-wise and I was given a t-shirt for each day! It was also the hottest weather and had the most standing/walking, so wearing a tennis skirt and sneakers was definitely a good move.

Day One

For day one I went with my trusty New Balances, a tennis skort from Marshall's (GREAT for the heat because it's moisture wicking), simple pearl studs, and my Madeline and Co. backpack!

Day Two

On day two I wore basically the same thing (another Marshall's tennis skirt), but added some fun mini hoop earrings.

ROUND TWO: PHILANTHROPY ROUND

During Philanthropy Round, the dress is slightly nicer but you still wear recruitment t-shirts. Some girls wore fancy skirts and heels while others wore just flowy shorts and sandals! During this round, you really see a mix of both but what's most important is wearing what you feel comfortable and yourself in.

Day One

VERY excited for another day of recruitment

I dressed up the tee a bit adding a horn necklace and wearing paper bag shorts (sold out in navy-- shop the green here or a striped here). Since I knew I would be going back to fewer houses and therefore walking less, I was able to wear my leather slides!

Day Two

Sorry for the wacky photo quality!

I dressed up my look for the last day of Philanthropy round by wearing a paper bag skirt (on sale), platforms (similar styles on sale here, here, + here), and my classic Kendra Scott earrings.

ROUND THREE: SISTERHOOD/LEADING WOMEN

Sisterhood Round is the last round leading up to Preference Round, so things are definitely more serious and formal. On these days, girls wear sundresses and rompers with sandals or heels. This is when you can really start showing your style and get out of the t-shirts!

Day One

This was the day I was visiting the least amount of houses, so I knew I could handle my somewhat-heavy Lisi Lerch earrings and block heels. My dress was great to wear too, not only for the pockets but it was something a little bit different from the rest (without being too out there) to differentiate me from the group!

Day Two

Another day, another morning getting HYPED for recruitment!

For the second day, I wore my favorite piece from the Fame and Partners summer collection! Day two was another hot one, so the light fabric was a godsend. Plus, it was a great conversation starter to segway into talking about my internship with Fame. I wore the platforms again (they are so comfy), my Cuffed By Nano choker, and my hoops. 

PREFERENCE ROUND

Preference round lasts only one day and is the most formal round. The attire is similar to what you would wear to homecoming and was the most fun to dress up for!

I wore my Fame & Partners Amelia dress which I had previously worn to my graduation party and Father-daughter dance. I love it because I have styled it lots of different ways with sandals and platforms, but I gave it a formal touch with block heels for pref.

BID DAY

On Bid Day, each sorority chooses a "bid day theme" and models their shirts and bid day party after it. At USC, we find out which sorority we got a bid from by unwrapping a t-shirt with their letters on it!

If you didn't see it on Instagram, I rushed Alpha Delta Pi! I was so grateful to have gotten a bid from my top pick, as well as join the same sisterhood as my mom and aunt! Our theme was "Adpi Jam," so it was everything Space Jam: alien themed costumes, basketball hoops, and fun photo backdrops. Bid day was so fun (and such a relief to be done with recruitment). 

Can't wait to share more about my time in Adpi and I hope this post was helpful!

Stay sunny,

Meg

Help Me Pick an Outfit For Rush! [Collab with Kohl's madden NYC]

This post is sponsored by Kohl’s. I was paid for this post and received the included shoes as compensation.

When people talk about “rush” or “sorority recruitment,” many words surround the topic -- emotional, stressful, busy, and exciting. Personally, when I think about how I’ll be rushing soon, a few things come to mind -- meeting new friends, talking to lots of people, and, most importantly, planning my outfits.

I've been getting tons of outfit advice from my friends who are in sororities, but everyone's #1 tip is always to wear comfortable shoes. That’s where madden NYC comes into play! When I saw madden NYC's block heels, I knew they'd be perfect to wear to rush. I’m a big block heel fan because I love the stability they give (I have terrible coordination) while still adding height. Plus, they're only $49.99, and Kohl's has sales all the time. They make them in tons of colors, but I chose the blush and navy pairs. I’m currently deciding between two looks to wear during rush, and I’d love your help choosing! Take a look at the outfits below and let me know which one you like better in the comments or on @asunnystateofmind.

LOOK 1: FLORAL WRAP DRESS WITH NAVY HEELS

Shop the navy heels here!

LOOK 2: STRIPED FIT AND FLARE DRESS WITH BLUSH HEELS

Shop the blush heels here! 

SHOP THE REST OF THE PRODUCTS: 

FLORAL DRESS | HOOP EARRINGS | STRIPED DRESS

Shop madden NYC's fall sale (most sandals are $39.99 down from $49.99!) and transitional "open but closed" styles here.

Stay Sunny,

Meg

My blog may contain links to other websites. I am not responsible for the privacy policies of those other websites. When you click on a link, your information may be collected by those websites so I encourage you to read their privacy policies. Any affiliate links are not associated with Kohl’s.

Photography by Rachel Issler.