Tatiana Prisiajny, Features Editor
Featured images courtesy of NNYU
After countless failed blogs and an undying penchant for photography, first-year financial business economics student Meeky Britanico noticed an opportunity to start a fashion blog that would be like no other.
At a campus that has students strutting down York Lanes as if it were a runway, Britanico’s Not Naked at YorkU fashion blog highlights that one can still look hip despite the student budget struggle.
“I started NNYU at the beginning of this semester in January. I’ve always wanted to blog and have many failed blogs. I never really had any blog ideas that translated into consistent content, so they all eventually flopped,” she says.
“But then I thought of NNYU and that allowed me to produce consistent, quality posts and it has been working out the best.”
Since its launch, NNYU has quickly grown to gain a considerable following over social media, bringing the York community together through a variety of online platforms.
“I really wanted to document the diversity at York because it’s apparent in so many ways, probably most evidently through clothing and fashion,” says Britanico.
Clothing and style are so personal and unique to the individual that it’s like another level of diversity.
The individual’s own taste is showcased, as opposed to different ethnic groups, religions, or other larger bodies we typically use to describe York’s diversity, she adds.
“Clothing and our personal style says so much, not only about our personalities, but also about how we want the world to see us,” she says.
For Britanico, NNYU is a not just a display of outfits, but of how different people choose to present themselves to the world.
“We don’t really think about it, but our choice of dress and embellishments of our bodies put out some type of message,” says Britanico.
With a blog that focuses solely on fashion at York, there is no doubt that some trends have seemed to reoccur this past season.
Britanico laughs and asks, “Am I the only person on campus who doesn’t wear [Canada] Goose or Parajumper?”
“Jokes aside, there is a big trend in massive scarves. I had a friend tell me, ‘it’s as if girls at York have a secret competition of who can wear the largest scarf’,” she says. “There has not been a day when I didn’t notice someone’s outfit.”
“I have also noticed that as I go closer to residence complexes, most people are usually in sweats and loungewear. So outfits also depend based on where you are on campus,” adds Britanico.
While NNYU has done a great deal to bring the online York community together, Britanico is often on the forefront building this network to overcome personal challenges.
“My goal was also to become more comfortable in going up to strangers and talking to them,” she says. “I’ve never had terrible social anxiety, but I think most would agree that talking to random people is kind of unsettling, and it’s a skill I hope to hone.”
“I also think we should say more nice things to each other and put out more positivity. Complimenting strangers’ outfits seems to be achieving that for me,” says Britanico.
NNYU has also been a great way to practice photography.
“I hope to really improve as a portrait photographer. People are my favourite subjects to photograph and trying to capture a person at their best in an uncontrolled environment where I can’t choose the lighting, location, amount of bystanders, and more is such a fun challenge for me,” she adds.
As for future plans, Britanico hopes to continue the blog for as long as she’s a student, maybe take it to the streets of Toronto after that, and hopefully work with some indie magazines and clothing brands who have already showed an interest in her blog.
“All in all, I hope York students feel like they’re being represented as individuals a little better through NNYU.”
So York, what does not naked mean to you?
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