Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Gaddis
Hi Leslie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story goes back as far as the early 2000’s with me walking in my church fashion shows, putting on fashion shows in my aunts house and having concerts in the livingroom with my older brother Erin. Fashion, style, colors have all been things I was truly interested since a child. as I grew older being slightly and or a lot bigger than my peers I noticed the lack of representation in the industry and I would hear about the bullying and everyone having an issue with what others wore same size bigger or smaller. I told myself , my friends at the time and even my family that I would wear what made me happy and feel beautiful. I never was the type to hide in the shadows so I was on the dance team in the band in high school and in middle school , all on the stage singing in the plays , musicals and school choir. I vowed to be myself no matter my size. I started styling my friends and family members and giving pep talks , love and allowing them feel like themselves through a new look clothing wise. i’ve continued to do just that from 2015 to currently.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has NOT been a smooth road but not a bumpy either. I get and got a lot of No’s , plenty of things and people have come and came into my life to shake up my path big time and I found myself slowing down on content to barely posting getting sick with hypertension or as we all know it to be high blood pressure, loosing over a hundred pounds to get healthier and off of the medication and then finding out the weight loss caused me to have gallstones which resulted in me having to have surgery in November of last year removing my gallbladder in full. the flare ups were painful and draining and I was still styling people lol. the first thing I did was join my bestfriend and her friends and become a social media manager who styles , directs , work on photoshoots and etc
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in Fashion , Social Media and an all around creative. I Am Leslie Marie fully through and through unapologetically and that’s what sets me apart from anyone else. i’m not perfect , I don’t know everything that I want to do or even where I am going or headed but I know that it is BIG!! I smile even in the hardest of times and strive for better everyday. i’m the common friend, the facetime bestie , your every day style guide even when I don’t know what I want to wear myself ! lol . i’m most proud of my resilience and drive. to keep going even when i’m told no. i’ve done fashion shows, gotten friends prepared for fashion shows, poetry events , birthday and etc all while being a 9-5 working girl , bestfriend , daughter , little sister and more. i’m always there for my people. i’m an all around woman I can help you with just about anything. interior design, photography, photoshoots , fashion shows , and then some. i’m most proud of the fact that I am still going and growing when i’ve had plenty of chances to stop , quit and never look back. i’m proud that I am still ME.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
DID I?!!!! lol Peace is a MUST, inner peace and allowing no one to distract or disturb that. learning to communicate and be productive even when in an isolation period in time and in life.
Pricing:
- $10 story post
- $25 Regular Posting w/ business merch
- $50 Reels
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP82esK2M/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/share/_ciZfkC_n
Image Credits
Leslie Marie
