Did you know you can walk with the martyrs when you wear red shoes? That’s what Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI believes, and what Gabrielle Damasceno, also known as @saveyour2cents_, believes.
Gabrielle is a preschool teacher, newlywed, and faithful fashion icon from Dallas, Texas. Her partner in crime is her husband, Pietro, who is her photographer, organizer, and greatest supporter. She had a lovely chat with Litany while trying different ways of styling the Cecilia Top, likely photographed by Pietro.
It was through the pope emeritus's iconic red shoes that she realized fashion can be something meaningful. Each color has different meanings, and you can dress however you want with meaning.
Every Sunday, she meets with Pietro to discuss how she wants her instagram account to look that week. Even though she’s exhausted after hours of teaching cute little kids, she still tries to make something beautiful every day. Beautiful and with meaning. It’s her vocation, and she knows that faith and fashion don’t need to live in separate boxes.
For her, meaning and modesty are one and the same. Overall, girls want to look cute, and the fashion industry latches onto that by telling them if they are confident in their bodies, they have to “show it off.”
Gabrielle believes that confidence comes from within, not from other people’s approval. Girls don’t need booty shorts and crop tops to make them feel cute. It’s kind of like cheapened feminism when the industry tells them that. Instead, girls should be taught to think critically about what makes them feel “cute.” Is it something you love? Or is it based on an expectation placed on you? Do what feels best for YOU.
Gabrielle fell into this trap when she was younger, but has since learned and grown out of it. It may be cheesy, in her opinion, but if she could give advice to her eighteen-year-old self, it would be not to care so much about what other people think. She felt like she was playing a part instead of being her most authentic self. That ultimately made it hard to live out her vocation, which greatly affected her self-confidence. The truth is that being our authentic selves can uplift us and make us feel more like ourselves.
Not only does Gabrielle rock the Cecilia Top, but she rocks being herself, and isn’t that something we should all strive for?