Saint Mary’s juniors Erin Hall and Anna Sullivan are two of the newest Belles jumping on the blogging bandwagon. The pair recently began writing as correspondents for fashion and lifestyle blogs targeting the Saint Mary’s community. Hall blogs for U lala, a fashion and lifestyle website for college women with correspondents from more than 28 campuses around the nation. Hall said she knew she wanted to be involved the first time she came across the website. “[I] thought it was a great place for college women to get ideas on everything from fashion to DIYs so when they accepted my application to start the Saint Mary’s branch I was super excited,” Hall said. Hall said she enjoys writing about a variety of topics, including travel, cooking, crafts, and music. “I love to switch up what I’m writing about and pick new things,” Hall said. Sullivan writes a blog for College Fashionista as the Saint Mary’s contributor. This website focuses on fashion style and trends making their ways on college campuses around the country. Sullivan contributes photographs and feature articles that highlight different looks and people around campus. Sullivan said her page on the blog is called “Fashionista Spotlight.” “Basically, I choose a girl once a week to interview,” Sullivan said. “I ask her a variety of questions ranging from her favorite designer to what her favorite trends are. Then, I take a few pictures of her to accompany the article once it goes live.” Hall said her blog not only offers the women of Saint Mary’s something unique, but also this writing format complements her own work as a student. “I was eager to do something other than just work and take classes,” Hall said. “I figured it would be a fun way to gain experience.” Sullivan said blogging enhances her academic experience. “Writing for College Fashionista or any other blog allows your work to get out there and [be] taken seriously in a different setting other than the classroom,” Sullivan said. Professor Helen Ho, assistant professor of communication studies at Saint Mary’s, said simply reading blogs and certainly writing in this format can be helpful for students. “When we are pushing students to become better writers, which Saint Mary’s does so often, part of being a good writer is to keep up your reading,” Ho said. She explained that any form of reading and writing, even online articles and blogs, all contribute to this. Hall said her inspiration often comes from other blogs such as ‘They All Hate Us’ by Tash and Elle, ‘Tuulavintage’ by Jessica Stein, and ‘LovelyPepa’ by Alexandra. Sullivan said she emphasizes fashion at Saint. Mary’s instead of focusing on national trends. “I really like writing about why girls dress they way they do. Most likely they have never thought about it themselves, but actually they way we dress says a lot more about us than we think,” Sullivan said.
