“Welcome to something, whatever you want it to be.” This beautifully understated salutation is brought to you by this week’s campus celebrity at HC Western Ontario, Abby Guthrie. Abby is the creator of The Unsavvy Trend, a raw, bold (but in all the right ways) life-style blog that inspires readers to embrace their weirdness in too-big-and-embarrassing-for-public hugs. The UT includes weekly musings from Abby, a beauty and health page, and a new Fashion Feature where Abby showcases “unsavvy trendsetters”. While she admits that the internet is exploding with advice columns, life improvement tips and the infamous “12 Ways to Know You’re Going to Marry a Prince” articles, after speaking with Abby it is clear that she is adding a new (and important) layer to the life-style blogging scene. She is quick to laugh at herself and in addition to a thoughtful mind and a keen fashion sense, she has a wicked-intelligent sense of humour. The UT dares to play-up the uncomfortable, and refuses to sugar coat life because it can already be so sweet; Abby Guthrie is onto something, and the weirder it is, the better.
Age: 21
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario
Year @ Western: 4th
Relationship Status: Single
Instagram: @theunsavvytrend
Twitter: @theunsavvytrend
Blog: theunsavvytrend.com
What is The Unsavvy Trend?
The Unsavvy Trend is a blog I started in October 2014. I have battled with depression and anxiety for some time now, and I decided that I was just over feeling uncomfortable and out of place in my own skin. I created a stigma-free place for expression through writing about raw, honest, experiences the way I believe that we, as humans, are entitled to feel them. The UT celebrates the weirdos: we are all unique in our own ways so I find it ironic that we try to hide the very thing, weirdness, that we all have in common.
Why did you start The Unsavvy Trend?
I started The Unsavvy Trend for a ton of different reasons. University has always been a bit of a struggle for me, and I have contemplated multiple times taking a year off. But then in 2014, I decided that I was sick of feeling so unsure of myself. I spent a good portion of the first week back at school in September Googling self-help books. #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso kept coming up so I finally took the plunge and read it, and I haven’t looked back. It was like Sophia Amoruso was the better part of my conscious, vouching for this bold side of me to finally show my colours. So I blogged, privately, then it took off, and then went public and I shared with my family and friends via social media. I told myself: as long as I can inspire and reach one person then I have met my goal. I cried when I got my first subscriber. It meant that much to me.
What is your mantra, “Evolve x Inspire” all about?
I always want to inspire, whether it be one person or hundreds. I think it’s important to support and inspire our peers and while competition is healthy, it can also be very detrimental and intimidating. I don’t want people to get caught up in the notion of being better than someone, but instead believe that we should strive to just be better. Period.
The Unsavvy Trend allows me to evolve in order to inspire others and myself. It shows truly who I am and what I believe in. It’s a form of validation that I am finally at a place where I want to be. I wouldn’t call it a destination as I am constantly evolving—hence the mantra. But it is definitely a milestone that I am proud of: I am feeling brave enough to share my story with the world.
Your most recent addition to the blog is the “Fashion Feature” – what inspired you to add this layer to the UT?
The Fashion Feature is art, but not in the conventional sense. I think that art is an amazing form of expression: from your style, hair, makeup, nails, drawing, photo editing, singing, everything can be artistic! I want the Fashion Feature to feature all different kinds of girls and guys. We’re all different and each carry a unique beauty. I wanted to showcase each model’s uniqueness and have some fun in the process. That’s what the Fashion Feature is. Too often we are scared to wear what we want or whatever because we “can’t pull it off”. I disagree. I think we can all be rockstars and I want to remind people that even “ordinary” people can do extraordinary things…if they want. All the models are styled by me and are not only uniquely beautiful on the outside, they have a certain badass, edge, to their personality…which is why I call them Unsavvy Trend-setters.
Who are your biggest inspirations?
That’s a funny question to me. I have often thought about what on earth I would say if I ever got asked that. Oddly enough I don’t have one. I find inspiration in so many funny, random things…like toddlers and their ability to say and do whatever they want because social norms haven’t got the best of them. I know we’ve all made awkward eye contact with a two-year old stranger for too long.
The funny thing about inspiration is when you go looking for it…you end up with nothing. My sisters have definitely played an inspirational role in my life. They have a way of making everything look effortless and cool. They never cared about who was who in high school, versus the way I got caught up in it all. They’re both brilliant and beautiful…I swear I’m not biased! And despite their success, they’re both so modest, it’s humbling just being around them. I’ve always been inspired by their unconditional support…it’s incredible. No matter if I’ve done something they don’t understand they will still hear me out. I’m the loudest out of us anyways so they kind of have no choice.
If I had to pick a celebrity role model it would be P!nk, Demi Lovato and recently Jessie J. I love the way they are phenomenal vocalists and complete badasses at the same time. Their lyrics are straight-up and honest, and that’s what I am drawn to…that’s what inspires me, when people are realistic about the challenges of life but big dreamers at the same time.