Her Funky Story: The Woman Behind the Ugly
Hey, funky friend!
I'm Tangie, a 50-something woman who is finally giving that little girl with all those wild ideas a chance to do what she always wanted to do.
And I must say, it's been a long time coming. The wait is so over!
Growing up, I was always into something. I loved cutting up magazines, old denim, fabrics, and whatever else I could get my hands on that didn't cost my mother any money. If I could cut it, glue it, pin it, or turn it into something different, I was probably trying to figure out what to do with it. I've always had a thing for stuff other people thought was trash.
But growing up wasn't all fun when it came to expressing myself. Especially at school. I hated going during those years.
My mom loved to thrift, so I grew up wearing secondhand clothes and hand-me-downs. Back then, wearing somebody else's clothes could get you labeled poor. Funny how times have changed, because now everybody seems to be looking for a good thrift find.
And here's something I can laugh about now.
My mother would press my long hair and dress me in the cutest little outfits. She really did the best she could. But when I got to school, I'd start changing things around. I'd take off what she dressed me in and put on something I'd cut up or pinned together myself.
I was cutting up shirts and turning them into skirts. I was cutting pictures out of magazines and sticking them on my ears with glue, and sometimes even spit, pretending they were earrings.
And baby, I thought I was cute!
My mother had no idea what I was doing once I got to school. Looking back, I realize some of the teasing came from those outfits I was putting together myself.
At the time, though, those words hurt. I wanted to be myself, but I also wanted to fit in. And after being called ugly and poor enough times, I started believing some of what people were saying.
Eventually, I stopped trying to fix myself up the way I wanted.
Life went on, and for a long time, I didn't really see myself as pretty. I think that started changing when I met my husband, Rico.
I became a wife, had two more daughters, raised my five girls, worked, and did all the things that come with family and everyday life.
But something happened when I turned 49.
That creative spark I had as a little girl started coming back. I found myself wanting to make things again, play around with clothes, and try some of those ideas I'd put aside years ago.
And here I am, in my 50s, finally giving that little girl another chance.
I'm at an age where I'm learning to enjoy myself a little more. I'm still figuring out my personal style, still trying things, still changing my mind about what I like, and still finding new ways to have fun with what I already own. Some days I get dressed and love everything about myself. Other days, I put something together and wonder what in the world I was thinking. But that's the fun of it.
I don't want to spend this part of my life worrying about whether somebody thinks I'm too old, too different, or wearing something they wouldn't dare put on.
Which brings me to my Ugly Denim Bags, and yes, I call them ugly on purpose.
I've had people on the internet call my bags ugly, and that's fine. They're not made to look like every other handbag hanging on a store shelf. I like the frayed edges, the old pockets, the scraps, the things that don't match, and all those little pieces that somehow come together.
But there's something personal about that word ugly to me.
I know what it's like to have somebody make you feel bad about what you're wearing. I know what it's like to second-guess something you really love because somebody else doesn't understand it.
And now I'm taking that same word and doing something different with it.
I'm making ugly my superpower.
Not because everybody has to find my bags pretty. They don't. You might look at one and say, "Girl, what is that?" And that's perfectly fine with me. I might look at something you're wearing and know it's not for me either.
But neither one of us needs to make the other feel bad about it.
Ugly was never the problem. Making somebody feel ugly was.
That's a big part of why I started saying, Wear What The FUNK You Want.
I wanted a bully-free style zone. A place where we could enjoy clothes, play around with fashion, wear something unexpected, and not have somebody telling us we're too old, too big, too this, or too that.
Especially as women get older, there always seems to be somebody ready to tell us what we should stop wearing. And as a woman in my 50s, I want to enjoy this part of my life without putting myself into another box.
I've spent enough years worrying about things that really didn't need all that worrying.
Now, about those bags. Some of the things I use take me right back to my childhood.
Clothespins, for example.
Who remembers hanging clothes on the line? I sure do, and baby, I did not like that chore. But now, when I think about those days, I think about my mom and granny, the conversations, and those everyday moments I didn't know I'd miss one day.
Then there are dominoes.
If you grew up in the '70s like I did, you probably remember those family get-togethers. The barbecue going, kids jumping rope, somebody having a water fight, and everybody enjoying themselves until the sun went down. Then it was time for the kids to get inside because the grown folks were about to have their time.
And when somebody said it was time to slap bones, you knew the dominoes were coming out.
Those are the kinds of memories that stay with me.
It's funny how something as simple as a clothespin or a domino can bring back a whole afternoon you haven't thought about in years.
I guess that's another reason I enjoy creating with old things. I don't always see something that's worn out or needs to be thrown away. Sometimes I see a memory. Sometimes I see something funny. And sometimes I just see a piece of junk that would look pretty funky on a handbag.
That's me.
Funky Grunge Boutique started with my love for making things, but it's becoming a place where I can bring more of myself along.
I love getting dressed just because. I love finding something unusual at a thrift store, playing around with clothes, making things with my hands, and enjoying the little things in everyday life. And I want to share those parts of myself, too.
I'm not here to tell anybody how to dress or what their style should be. Half the time, I'm still figuring out what mine is, and I'm having a good time doing it.
And I don't have everything figured out about this business either.
I'm learning as I go, trying new things, making mistakes, changing my mind, and enjoying the fact that I'm finally doing something I dreamed about when I was little.
I think that's what makes this part of my life so special to me.
For a long time, I was just getting through the days, doing what needed to be done. Now I want to do more than just exist. I want to enjoy my life and style, make things, go places, laugh, dress up for no reason, and see what else this 50-something woman can get into.
And if something I create or share encourages another woman to pull out that outfit she's been afraid to wear, pick up an old hobby, or finally try something she's been putting off, that would mean a lot to me.
Because I know what it's like to put something you love aside.
And I also know how good it feels to pick it back up.
So welcome to Funky Grunge Boutique, funky friend. Come hang out, look around, and get to know the woman behind all this ugly.
You don't have to dress like me, love everything I make, or even have a particular style.
Just come as yourself.
Wear What The FUNK You Want!
Tangie Bell
Creator & Owner, Funky Grunge Boutique