A Plus Sized Inspiration: A exclusive Interview with Georgina Grogan!!

I am still relatively new to the blogging industry and when I first created Little Miss Plus Size it took a while to get my blog/brand out there. I first found Georgina Grogan on twitter and fell in love with her blog She Might Be Loved!

The thing that stood out and shocked me the most was how a blogger with such a huge following was interacting and chatting to 'normal' people as you may find bloggers who are well established tend to not have the time to respond to everyone!

So right from the start of my blogging journey I have been a huge fan and very inspired by Georgina and the work that she does so I thought who better to ask for advice and find out a little more about this down to earth blogger, and guess what? she actually said yes!!!

I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed creating it and I will now hand you over to the lovely Georgina Grogan, creator of She Might Be Loved!

What inspired you to create 'She Might Be Loved' and begin blogging? (i know this is explained in your 'About me' page but thought that it would be a good introduction.

I couldn't decide if University was for me or not, so whilst working in Retail, I decided to defer my application and just save money/find myself. It was actually a combination of a customer encouraging me to start, being compared to a blogger in looks and being at an all time low, where I decided I needed to do something for a release. So I started blogger. I called it 'She Might Be Loved' after the Maroon 5 song 'She Will Be Loved', back then I was really down about my life with a sick sense of humour, so I thought it would be funny to have a pessimistic name. It means a lot now as I love my life and I feel very loved, so it's a reminder to me that things will always get better.

Being nominated for blog awards is such an achievement, what was it like when you won 'Best Fashion Blog' at the Plus Size Awards 2014?

The Plus Size Awards are something I had no idea existed, until I found out that enough people had nominated me to be short listed! I didn't think I had won at first as they said 'Georgina Grogan' rather than 'She Might Be Loved', so I kind of just sat there, then jumped up almost crying. It was rather overwhelming and I forgot to thank my mum in my speech which I really wanted to do, but as I didn't think I would win, I didn't really prepare.... I couldn't even take a selfie afterwards as I was shaking that much!

What would you say to somebody sitting at home reading this post who is thinking about blogging but unsure of where to start?

Pick any old name and just start writing. I really wish I would have started sooner as it has made me so happy and now it's my actual job. I can't recommend writing enough, it's so therapeutic and rewarding to yourself to publish your work and be able to have that outlet.

I understand that you created 'She Might Be Loved' in June 2013, how has your life changed since then?

Well I was unhappy, borderline depressed (as I could never pick myself up to go get actually diagnosed) and I hated my life and 99.9% of people in it. Now I'm a Social Media Manager working for myself, a Full-Time Blogger and I have never had so many loving, caring people around me. I'm finally happy.

Personally I am very new to the blogging world and will and still do make mistakes, did you make any mistakes and how did you overcome them?

It's hard to determine what mistakes are with bloggers as it's your own website and you can do as you please. I mean, I make spelling mistakes, I'm human. I've had a couple dodgy brand collaborations and worked for a lot less than I am worth. But mistakes with blogging only make you learn faster and you don't make them twice. Blogging is still very new and although most of us have tutorials on just about everything, it's whatever works for you and not what people tell you will work.

Can you remember your very first blogger event? If so what was it like?

It was the House of Fraser Fashion event in Leeds and my Mum and Dad drove me down. I ended up standing 20 minutes on my own as I didn't realise the bloggers were already sat down and as soon as I walked over, I have never felt more comfortable. The Leeds bloggers are now some of my dearest and nearest friends who I am so grateful for. They took me right under their wing and it was one of the best events ever, because they didn't care how knew I was or that they hadn't met me before, it was amazing. I even had another blogger come over and tell me how much she loves me blog, which was obviously surreal at your first event as you don't think anyone would recognise you at all! The Leeds bloggers even all started talking to my parent's and since then, my Mum and Dad have come to a lot of events if they have been there, simply to catch up and hang out! Bloggers are amazing.

I have really been enjoying your posts about getting into the gym and living a healthy lifestyle, what has been the best and worst thing about being a plus size lady attending a gym? I know for me it was feeling comfortable in gym wear.

I will point out that I was in a car accident and started going to the gym solely to help my back get better, and not to lose weight, otherwise I sound like a walking contradiction. I never wanted to lose weight at all, I actually cried when I dropped a size as I have lots of frumpy clothes now!
The best part was definitely the stress release, I used to laugh at people when they said exercising made them happy, but I genuinely felt amazing afterwards. I'm a very competitive person so beating silly little goals or peddling faster than perfectly healthy friend was rather a good feeling too as it meant that I was getting better and that my back was healing.
Unfortunately, being competitive also comes with overdoing it completely and I ended up unable to move much for quite a while, so I've had to take a step back. Definitely the worst part and I miss it. I am planning on slowly starting back up when I'm back from Rome though.
Gym clothes aren't amazing but I got mine from State of Mind and they make me feel super comfy and not to out of place as I LIVE in dresses/skirts.

Throughout my blog I have a few Lush hauls, what was it like working at Lush? Were you ever tempted to put all your wages back into the till and splurge?

Lush on the outside is an amazing place to work as everyone is so happy and friendly, but it's actually one of the hardest jobs in retail as the level of everything you do has to be outstanding. It definitely taught me a lot of life lessons, but mainly that I can't work for other people or constantly have to run everything I want to do by someone. I much prefer working for myself as I'm still half that bitch boss everyone works, but I always praise myself after a good job or new client with shopping treats! I spent A LOT whilst I worked there, mainly for the massive 50% off discount which made everything affordable. Now I don't, the only things I buy are perfume and bath bombs because they are my favourites and necessary. Although, if you're around London, go to the new Oxford Street store because it is magical. I worked at Lush for two years and had some amazing times, but going to that store as a customer and having the 'Lush Experience' was the BEST.

What would be your three top desert island products for hair, skincare and makeup?

Hair - Crazy Colour Vermillion Red, my favourite hair dye ever for red.
Skincare - Lush's Ultrabland, I'll always go back for it for a consistently good cream cleanser.
Makeup - MAC DIVA. I always wear it because it is amazing.

Have you found the secret to a flawless base and what would be your tips for maintaining it throughout the day?

Sometimes I think I have and then another day it doesn't work again.
My latest discovery was Urban Decay's Setting Spray but then some days that makes me melt.
Younique (I know everyone hates them, but this is actually good) keeps my makeup on amazingly.
I just have that type of skin where my makeup doesn't wear off throughout the day, it just comes dry and patchy despite looking oily?
Personally, I think mixing things up help and when it looks like your base needs to come off after hours of wear, just take it off and reapply!

Recently brands have listened more to plus size women when it comes to fashion, do you think the blogging industry has influenced this in anyway?

Without a doubt! People are turning to bloggers now more than magazines, everyone knows that and it's amazing. Bloggers show what clothes look like on an actual plus size women as opposed to a 10 with padding like in the magazines. We tell you what works, what doesn't, wear to shop for quality, do you need to size up or down, we cover it all and we do it in a body positive way. Brands have us in for focus groups, collaborations and so much more all the time now as they want to know what we and our audiences want.

I recently shared my blog with friends and family and honestly, it was one of the scariest things I have ever done. Luckily all the feedback has been positive and the support has been great. What do your friends and family think about blogging as a career and what was their reaction to your blog?

Everyone knows about it, they didn't at first but now my friends and family are some of my most loyal readers and have probably seen every single post. They tell their friends about it, link to me, ask me for advice, hand out my blog cards and even get me business sometimes. It's amazing when you can share with your family as often they'll be so proud and tell even more people. It's amazing!

Can I just say you rock a bold lip, whats your secret to making sure it stays in place?

Foundation over the lips, add MAC Diva, go around the lips with foundation to neaten and then apply powder. Ideally powder helps it set but it can get messy, I just neaten and reapply when needed!

How did you begin working in social media & what would your advice be for someone wanting to go down that career path?

I was emailing companies to ask if they wanted to get involved with the blogger event I was planning and I got a reply saying the company wasn't ready because it's still starting up, but did I know anyone interested in a small social media job. I obviously said me as I was working severely part time and had so much free time, I got the job on my interview as I was far too enthusiastic and did a full evaluation and plan! I still work for them now and from that, I set up myself and now have several clients!
I basically taught myself everything from building my accounts, reading and seeing how companies run theirs.
I didn't really have the choice whether or not to start working for myself as after my car accident, I was unable to keep working at Lush as I couldn't lift or be stood up for long, it was too much. So I took a leap of faith and instead of being off sick for months on barely anything, I tried to get more clients and I've never looked back.
Ideally I would say it's best to have some knowledge behind you and would recommend offering your services to a charity to work on techniques and methods to get your posts seen more. Here you then have a portfolio to pitch to others, especially if it does well as they'll be raving about you. This would be amazing to show companies you're applying to or if you want to go freelance. Financially, I had nothing when I started working for myself, last month's wages were gone and I wasn't sure I would get sick pay at all because of my contract, so it was really risky. Thankfully, I've come out on the better side but I would definitely say to save up and have a safety blanket!

When I was growing up there weren't any plus size models or even role models. How do you feel that for young (and more mature) women you are a role model?

It's absolutely incredible. I get a tad teary whenever anyone says that to me as I find it hard to believe, but when people have explained, it makes sense. Seeing someone of my size talking about their weight in a positive light and always be supportive to other women of all sizes, helps people. It helps them to see that if I'm happy with my size 20 body, they can be happy with theirs too. I really hope I can reach more women in this way as I really didn't realise my impact at all and it's a wonderful thought.

Have you always been so body confident growing up?

Yes and no. I never fully hated myself as I always thought I was good looking and had an amazingly sarcastic and friendly personality but there have been times that enough people have told me not to like how I look, so I didn't. I would talk of diets, but slowly and overtime I have got to the point that no matter what size I am, I will be happy with myself because I love myself. I will admit it got a lot better in College when people were old enough to not comment on weight anymore because it's ridiculous. But also finding myself, my style and clothes that I look and feel amazing in really helped. I'll still have days where I might not feel amazing, but I'll always love the way I look because it's me.

What advice would you give to young girl?

Put down the magazine and go read blogs instead. They are far more body positive and you'll learn a lot more about hair, beauty and fashion through people who are writing about it over love and not because they've been paid to feature a product.
If you're insecure about your weight, go read a plus size blog and watch them wear bikinis without a care in the world even thought everyone tells them they won't suit them. It's amazing to have positive role models, and magazines aren't the place to find them.

Red hair?

Colour Wow and Revlon 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner are my all time favourites for keeping the colour in. Simply don't wash it too much, check the ingredients on what you do use and never steaming hot water!

I hope you are as inspired as I am by Georgina! If you do not already, you can follow Georgina over on twitter and Facebook and let her know your thoughts on the interview and please say Hi from me too!

This is a bit of a different type of post for me so please let me know what you think and whether you would like to see more posts like this. I am always available over on Facebook if you would like to find out more!

I would just like to end this post by saying a massive thank you to Georgina Grogan, She Might Be Loved! You have certainly gave me and my readers some great tips and an insight into your life and career!

Where to find Georgina?

Facebook-She Might Be Loved 

Twitter-She Might Be Loved 

Blog-http://www.shemightbeloved.com

Thanks for Reading!!

Tracy xx

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