By Latashia Figueroa/Earned Beauty
About 17 years ago, a friend of the family asked me if I would be interested in getting my foot in the door of a well-known company in the Fashion Industry. She said I would be a perfect fit; I was young, stylish and willing to work hard. I took the job as a receptionist and worked my way up. Eventually I landed a position with a great company as a production coordinator, a design assistant and finally a product development manager. I got to meet great people and shallow people, famous people and infamous people. I lived for Fashion Week and Market Week and couldn’t wait to tell my friends and family who I met that day, who I rubbed elbows with. I soon discovered that I was allowing the industry to take over my life and I loved it… at the time. I was told I was a valuable asset to the company. I felt special, significant. My friends coveted my career.
Two years ago, like so many others, I was let go from my coveted position. It was a blow. Not just to my bank account but to my ego as well. I hated having to file unemployment, it felt like a hand out. The friends I thought I had in the industry stopped keeping in touch after a while. I slumped into a depression. I felt almost nameless. My husband commented on my change in attitude and my attitude on life. What did he know, he still had a job. Then, I became ill and hospitalized for a week. I was a wreck. After several tests, what was discovered was not life threatening and was released with a prescription and a bit of advice from my Physician: “What you are suffering from is curable, many people leave out of here with less than promising diagnosis. Enjoy your life.” He was right. Life was still ahead of me and I was forfeiting it because I lost a position that I allowed to define who I was. I quickly got busy doing what I have loved doing since I was a child, writing. I soon forgot about the job and am grateful that I am able to stay at home. I take walks with my dog and enjoy the fresh air. I have lunch with friends and relatives (something I was not able to do when I worked). I even have lunch alone occasionally, enjoying my company. Most importantly I appreciate who I am. I was a whole person before the job loss. Being unemployed allowed me to discover me again. It has been a fun journey actually.
I still love fashion but I find creating a personal style has little to do with the designer and more to do with the person wearing the garments displaying a quiet confidence; confidence that cannot be received because of your position but because you have discovered who you are apart from that position and are in love. I am working on my novel and once I am published, I will dedicate it to all those on the journey to being in love with themselves minus that position.
