Personal Reflection

I often think if I look at me now, how would people perceive me? Do I seem “alternative” or “creative”? Do people even think I have personal style at all? I have always been raised to reflect personal style in my appearance to be creative and not afraid of those risks. My mother, being the creative person that she was always made new ways to wear old things and she was always sewing me something that was “Melissa customized”. I see now it was because she may have not been able to give me objects my father gave me, she did what she could to personalize stuff that gave it a uniqueness. When I was 18 I got my first tattoo after years of staring at them and drawing my own I got a yin & yang tattoo. My parents hardly cared and now they offer to help pay for more. This I suppose is the difference between my families values and say my boyfriends, his mother would cry and my mother would be plotting the next spiritual tattoo or lotus flower. Of course though, in an area that’s not too reveling.
So back to me, I realize that now at the age of 25 I’m pretty much where I wanna be and my style reflects that. I guess I can say the reason why I dress in bright colors is because I work at American Apparel, and I work there because I support the vertically integrated business. I used to work in a business office for 3 years as a secretary and receptionist for over 25 people. Throughout those 3 years there, there were only a small handful of people who asked anything about me until I started cutting my hair. I look back at those 3 years of working in that environment and I had little personal reflection of myself and not to vivid of memories. After leaving and job searching a bit I decided why not get the piercing I’ve been wanting since I was 17 so I got a Monroe (a piercing above the lip). I have no idea why I was hesitant to tell people, I just thought they’d notice or they wouldn’t and that would be it… My mom immediately noticed months later and was enthusiastic about getting a real diamond set in the stud, this was not the reaction I was expecting. I think I make the choices I do currently to reflect this point in my life. I am completely aware of looking professional & acting professional. I just feel that its easy to loose yourself in its mundane. I want to be a journalist and in my opinion a journalist should reflect some style of whatever their interest.