Charlotte

"My name is Charlotte and I host a YouTube news channel for youth. I have just gone through a break-up, and lately I just don't feel like wearing make-up, looking good for anyone, or wearing a bra for that matter. Naturally the responses on the channel from viewers have been rude and sexist. 'What have you done to your face?', 'She looks like a man', 'she's flat chested' and so forth; which reinforces the fact that we live in a society where the value of women is determined by how much make-up they are wearing, how feminine and submissive they are, and whether or not their breasts are popping out of their shirts. I am not only beautiful, I am kind, I am smart, I am talented, I am funny and I am generous. I am a woman and I am so much more than my appearance. And I have nice tiddays so suck it!"

That's a direct quote from one of Charlotte's Instagram posts and when I saw it on my feed, I reached out to her to find out what led her to share such a deeply personal story.

Charlotte: "I always tried so hard to be this perfect girl with the perfect make-up and lashes, but now I want people to see me for who I am. Instagram posts are usually fake and I wanted to share something that was real to help people. It's been also therapeutic hearing some of my followers' responses. I don't know -- maybe I shared too much, but I was just so angry at the time. I just wanted something good to come out of it and inspire people to feel happy to be who they are."

TorontoVerve: "You're one of the hosts of Information Overload on YouTube. It must be tough feeling all that pressure to always look your best for the camera."

Charlotte: "Yeah, I don't have a make-up artist. I spend hours on my make-up and hair. I try my best to look like the ideal hot girl, but the fact of the matter is -- it's not about being a hot girl. I'm reading the news. I'm trying to inform people. I don't want people to stare at me because they like my outfit. I want people to hear what I'm saying. Long story short -- most people weren't used to seeing me without my make-up so they were being rude and sexist. I stopped wearing a bra. I have breasts -- I'm just putting that out there, but certain shirts make it look like I don't. An alarming amount of people said that I was flat chested. Why aren't they commenting on my ability to do my job? Would they do that to a male host? Probably not. And I don't think that's fair."

TorontoVerve: "I hate those paparazzi photos exposing female celebrities without make-up. Who cares?"

Charlotte: "Exactly. Everyone was freaking out when [singer] Alicia Keys walked the red carpet without make-up. 'How could she not wear make-up in public?' This is how you don't wear make-up in public! Who knows? I might grow out of it, but right now, I'm feeling good without it. Remember -- someone might fall in love with your face, but they'll stay with you for your personality."

Follow Charlotte on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. And catch her on Information Overload.

Rachel

My style is a clusterf@%# of vintage pieces. It's simple 90's mixed in with classic Calvin Klein and a dash of high fashion. I'm inspired by people who wear their clothes like they're wearing their soul on their body.

Follow Rachel AKA Blair Ryder on Instagram and Twitter.

Lex

Lex: I studied fashion and discovered that style is too personal to understand. I design gender and non-conforming clothing. I did a couple of shows and love exploring that dynamic. When I was a kid, I was never really considered feminine. I just conformed to whatever I wanted to portray. Fashion was an outlet for me and exploring what that would look like in real life.

TorontoVerve: I interrupted you while you were doing some hoop action. What's that all about?

Lex: It's a meditative practice. It's a way of expressing myself through movement. I'm quite uncomfortable in a lot of situations and movement helps me get over it. I do hoops in public and that gives me the confidence to do any daily task.

Follow Lex on Instagram.

Tara

Mark

Mark: My style can be described as everything from stag films to rodeos. I really like to take the imagination and push things as far as I can. 

TorontoVerve: What's the best advice that you've been given?

Mark: My father told me: "you can't save your face and your ass at the same time." 

TorontoVerve: Why did he offer that to you?

Mark: 'Cause I was always trying to save my face and I just needed to save my ass.

Follow Mark on Instagram.

Haley

My mom tells me to be myself and love myself. She knows who she is and that's something I'm still working on. Natural beauty is more attractive than being someone you're not. I'm at a place now where I'm soul searching. I'm leaving for Europe for a month and I'm not bringing any make-up at all. I want to be comfortable in my own skin and not depend on what others think to be happy.

Read Haley's 34 Days of No Make-Up on her blog.

TorontoVerve made #9 on Street Style News' Most Popular!

Jessica

"My high school music teacher said that I wasn't enough," Jessica told me in a crowded Kensington Market café. We had just finished an hour of shooting photos around the neighbourhood and sat down to talk.

By the way, if you're looking at the photos thinking that the saxophone is just a flashy prop, it's not. Jessica is a talented musician and the saxophone is her creative outlet. It's also a hurtful reminder of her past.

It happened near the end of her senior high school year. She arrived with her saxophone to play for her final music exam. After her performance, her teacher approached her and would abruptly change her life with a few simple words and gestures. "It wasn't even really what he said," She explains. "It was the way he looked at me and shook his head. I didn't understand why he said what he said, but I knew enough to quit music."

Before that day, she had planned on pursuing music in her college years, but that didn't happen.

Instead, she chose to go to theatre school, where she eventually regained her confidence to express herself artistically. After five years, she picked up her sax for the first time and started playing again. Now, she wishes she could go back and share her words of wisdom with her younger and disheartened self. "I would hug [myself] and say, 'Take your time. Be patient. What's hard now won't last forever.'"

We don't always remember the words that people say to hurt us; however, we do remember how they made us feel. That's certainly the case with Jessica who shared her feelings with the utmost clarity. I asked her why she feels her teacher failed her as a mentor and she responded decisively.  "I think [he] was afraid of me and my potential. I don't think he could handle seeing a fierce, young woman -- especially a woman of colour. Looking back now, I know that I was a force to be reckon with in high school, but I didn't know that at the time. I definitely know that now."

Thanks to the support of the Latin theatre community, Jessica found the strength and courage to not allow anybody to get in the way of her dreams.


More importantly, she's happier now that she's assertive and has taken control of her life. "I've walked away from my abusive relationships and I've learned to accept the things that I can't change. That's my process. It's why I continue to find successes and blessings in my life."

Jessica's street style was previously featured last fall.

Follow Jessica on Instagram.

Juzar Dean

Juzar Dean is a model and singer. "My music is like new age pop. It's my own vibe -- creative and easy to listen to."

Check out his vibe on Soundcloud and follow him on Instagram.

Alison Smyth: Center Stage

We featured actor/singer Alison Smyth's "gangsta street style" last winter. In our summer shoot, she shows off her lighter side and talks about life on stage.

Smyth's professional debut began with the musical Hairspray at the Princess of Wales Theatre, where she understudied for the lead character, Tracy Turnblad. "It was beyond exciting to play her three times," Smyth says. She also played various roles in Jersey Boys. "I could have performed in that show for years on end," but Smyth's feelings are quite different when it comes to her role as Cheryl in Evil Dead: The Musical. Like the cult horror film from which it is based on, Cheryl is demonically possessed, chained in a cellar and terrorizes her friends. "I've had to lay Cheryl to rest -- at least on stage, because of how physically demanding the role was. It was too much for my petite body."

When she's not performing, Smyth indulges in another passion. "Yoga teaches me something almost everyday," she explains. "It reminds me to be here now. To acknowledge what the facts are in each moment." Smyth goes on to say that yoga's spiritual discipline also follows her on stage. "When I'm under the spotlight, yoga allows me to trust my training and preparation for each role, and reminds me to appreciate my job."

Smyth is also helping budding performers fulfill their dream with her travelling showbiz workshop, Toronto Talent Intensive. "It's a stellar faculty of Canadian musical theatre artists who bring the professional audition experience to cities and towns across Canada," she explains. "Our goal is to give striving musical theatre artists a chance to experience a professional audition so they can succeed in getting roles or acceptance into post-secondary performance programs. We want to see a continued success in Canada's arts and culture scene -- especially in musical theatre."

Smyth shares one last bit of advice with artists going on auditions: "Do your homework," she emphasizes. "Prepare and practice for that audition so that when the physiological effects of nervousness kick in, you are still ready to give a good performance. Also, practise in front of friends and family before, and remember, on the day of your audition, dress well and smile. It's performing -- not heart surgery."

* * *

Next, Alison will be playing the lead in the thriller Wait Until Dark in Perth at the Classic Theatre Festival from August 7th to 30th. The role was made famous by screen legend Audrey Hepburn.


Check out Alison's website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Matthew

Matthew: "My style is timeless and clean. The essence of the Italian style is what truly inspires me. The greys, the blues -- the browns, and then you add a little pop with a floral or pink tie."

TorontoVerve: "What has surprised you the most about yourself this year?"

Matthew: "The unrelenting chase of success. I'm a financial advisor and I'm building a client-base in the industry. So it's just the perseverance of chasing the dream."

Follow Matthew on Instagram at @More_Money.

Liliana

"My mood influences my style. I'm an artist. I like to paint and I'm an interior designer so I'm very creative with my style. I love to play with colour and different fashions."

In addition to being an artist, Liliana is a Quantum Healing Hypnosis Therapist. Check out her website.

Alex

"I love shopping vintage. 60's fashion inspires me."

Follow Alex on Instagram.

Yavi

"My style is a fusion of classic with a modern twist."

Follow Yavi on Instagram.

TorontoVerve made #6 on Street Style News' Daily Most Popular list!

Amanda

Amanda: "My style is feminine and classic. I like to keep forward with the trends, but not exactly trending.  Coco Chanel's femininity inspires me."

TorontoVerve: "What's the best advice you've ever received and from whom?"

Amanda: "My dad always said, 'Never trust a man with a camera."

TorontoVerve: (laughs) "Seriously?"

Amanda: "No, I'm just joking (laughs)."

Chelsea

Chelsea: "My style is minimal and androgynous. Artist Vashtie inspires me because she likes to mix menswear with women's wear."

TorontoVerve: "What is the best advice you've ever received"

Chelsea: "Just be myself and don't care about what anybody thinks."

Follow Chelsea on Instagram and Tumblr.

Windy

Windy: "I love Japanese street style. It's really cute. I'm especially inspired by the beautiful characters drawn in manga."

TorontoVerve: "What has surprised you the most about yourself this year?"

Windy: "Putting away video games to pursue other interests like learning Japanese."

Check out Windy's blog and follow her on Twitter.

Jennifer: "Flower Child"

Jennifer: "My style is very bohemian and flower child-inspired. I always like to add a touch of whimsical to everything I wear. I wish I was born in the 60's or 70's. Everyone was free. The style was cutting edge."

"I'm a gardener so I really love nature. That's why I wear the flower crowns whenever I can. I also love going to a lot of festivals, which really inspires my vintage fashion."

TorontoVerve: "What has surprised you the most about yourself this year?"

Jennifer: "Becoming a professor at Seneca College. I teach the business of fashion -- digital marketing and business communications. I feel that I've learned a lot about myself from teaching."

TorontoVerve: "So how did you get the nickname Big Deal Dawson?"

Jennifer: "It began in university when a friend started calling me Big Deal Dawson. It was an inside joke from the movie Anchorman and it stuck ever since. I  ended up using it for my Twitter and Instagram, and now I also do consulting for fashion labels under the name."

We previously captured Jennifer's street style last summer.


Follow Jennifer AKA Big Deal Dawson on Instagram and Twitter.

Eli

Eli: "My style is handmade. I make the clothes I want to wear. I'm a visual artist so I eventually found myself customizing clothing. I taught myself to sew. I made this bag and hat. I make clothes for friends, but not for anybody else right now."

TorontoVerve: "What's the best advice you've received and whom?"

Eli: "I follow my own advice: just do it yourself. Don't let anything get in your way and be confident doing it."

Natalie

Natalie: "My style is casual and chic. Grace Kelly inspires me. She's so classic."

TorontoVerve: "What has surprised you the most about yourself this year?"

Natalie: "Taking risks with fashion. I would never have shown this much leg before. I was a lot more conservative."

Follow Natalie on Instagram.

Marina & Simon

Marina: "My style is loud but professional."

Simon: "I guess we're all trying to show our unique flair. I like to look back to Steve McQueen's style. I appreciate his trimmed and utility look. I'm going to a gallery opening so this is my gallery outfit."

TorontoVerve: "What has surprised you the most about yourself this year?"

Simon: "My capacity for patience."

Follow Simon on Instagram.