Bridging the Gap with Taylor Aube

February 2017, on the 50th day of the year, 50 women bloggers over the age of 50 joined together to celebrate our demographic – our age, our gender, our style, our experiences. Through the Fierce 50 Campaign, we came out to celebrate all that we are and let the world know we were not ready to exit the stage and there would be more to come…

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Bridging the Gap campaign! Taking part in social change, 200 Influencers have stepped up to take part in an unprecented campaign for social change. This fall’s campaign united the Millennial and Midlife Demographics to blur artificial boundaries while encouraging Reciprocal Mentorship – a new and empowered way of bringing the generations together by each sharing their unique gifts with the other. By sharing our stories we can inspire each other. We are never alone, and I know in my heart we are stronger together!

For this campaign, I am partnered with the fierce Taylor Aube of Stop, Drop & Vogue. Though we are 25 years and about 2,800 miles apart, as I got to know Taylor I began to realize that we are more alike than we are different. Taylor may be 25 years young, but what she has accomplished in those years is beyond impressive. Creator of Stop, Drop & Vogue, she is bold, determined and fierce. Taylor lets nothing stand in her way of turning her dreams into reality! Like myself, Taylor has had to work hard and do the work, to get where she is today. And when she’s in need of a pick-me-up, she draws strength from her great accomplishments and keeps on going.

Taylor resides in Fayetteville, North Carolina right next to Fort  Bragg with her husband and their dog Khao, who is one spoiled pooch! This gorgeous, long legged, red haired beauty grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and attended Boston University. While attending BU, she took the opportunity to study abroad in Paris, and attended Paris Fashion Week. For most, attending Fashion Week is a once in a lifetime check off the bucket list, but Taylor didn’t stop there. She has been apart of NYFW 6 times! How does that even happen? Passion. As I got to know Taylor, I quickly realized, fashion for her goes way beyond shopping and style, it’s an artistic outlet. Her love of photography along with persistence and hard work has opened doors for her. Who wouldn’t love to have the opportunity to photograph backstage and runway shows such as at Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Prabal Gurung and Marc Jacobs? Taylor has accomplished that and more! 

You would never know looking at her gorgeous website, Stop, Drop & Vogue, it all began on a whim, 5 years ago in her dorm room. Deciding to just go for it she began blogging on Tumblr January 1, 2012 from her 12X12 dorm room. She told me she didn’t consider it a “real” blog, which made me smile because I didn’t even know how to log in to Tumblr! Tumblr helped open many doors for Taylor at NYFW and gave her a start to where she is today. 

A follower of more style blogs than I can count, I was immediately captivated by the beautiful aesthetic space Taylor has created in Stop,Drop & Vogue. Taylor’s website offers us a glimpse into her creative mind, through sharing her eclectic collection of outfits, New York Fashion Week backstage and runway photography, favorite travel destinations, and so much more! I found her eclectic style to be so inspiring. To quote Taylor, “my style is inspired by the type of woman I want to be – carefree, daring and artistic. I love the look of classic Jackie O, the style of Rock & Roll and the 70’s, and ethereal things like fairytales, rainbows and unicorns.” If you love her style, she offers complimentary online style services – yes, you do need to check this out (HERE). How this young lady keeps it all going is impressive. Between her social media presence to producing unique, gorgeous content for Shop, Drop & Vogue I was in awe to discover that she also works as a web and content manager at a marketing agency.

One look at her work, and I can bet you’ll be curious about what advice Taylor has for women looking to break into the blogging world. “My advice is to be true to your own voice. Don’t just sell clothes and talk about trends, instead talk about life experience. Everyone is wearing the same white jeans, or brown boots – so you need to add in personal anecdotes and personality to set yourself apart from the others. Don’t blend it – dare to be different! Also do as much research as you can, the Internet is full of wonderful guides and resources that will teach you the tips and tricks of getting started.”

Taylor may make it all look so easy, yet she still finds her own hurdles to overcome; such as how to deal with people at work thinking she is young and incompetent. With a personal goal to break the glass ceiling, she feels at times her age holds her back from amazing opportunities at work.

Because she is constantly challenging herself and is so open she is to learning from others, I know Taylor will break through that glass ceiling, but to me, she’s already shattered a few. With the Internet and social media millennials know so much more than we ever did at their age. With access to so much, I noticed this generation knows how to use that information to their advantage. Sharp, smart, open, giving, talented, creative, classy and determined – Taylor goes for what she wants, but in her own authentic way. And for someone from my generation, I find this to be refreshing. 

So what’s next on the list? When I asked Taylor about future plans she stated, “I see myself running a successful business with my husband that we are planning to open in 2018. We have done all the planning, reading, and are excited to get started on this journey. I will be the communications, social media and marketing manager. My background in college, my blog and my career have set me up for success, and I can’t wait to get started.”

So where does an aspiring young woman look to for inspiration? Women who embody wisdom, grace and success. Strong women like her own mother, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and Cate Blanchet…that with age comes confidence and I could not agree more. At 50, I too look to women of other generations for advice, wisdom and support. As women we both believe we need to support and lift each other up. We must continue to share our stories and listen to each other. Let’s inspire each other to be our best selves!

Taylor’s favorite thing about women lifting each other up is that it shows that the opportunities are endless. She goes on to say, “If women didn’t stick up for EACH OTHER, then who would stick up for us and raise us up? It’s important that as women we realize that, because when you put another woman down you are hurting the cause. It’s so much easier to be nice and supportive, there is so much negativity in this world. Let’s change that while being champions for each other!”

I’ll toast to that!

Now go on over and check her out at StopDropandVogue.com…

 

Follow Taylor Aube on her blog and social channels: