A Special Mother's Day Spotlight with Jessica Kerley-Tanski

Jessica: I started my channel many moons ago when I was first starting to teach. I teach communication but my graduate degree focused on rhetoric and theoretical communication and I wanted to learn more about social media. I felt like reading about it was not enough and it is important to the way we interact so I wanted to start an instagram to really understand it. At the same time I was grappling with learning to be an authority figure as a young woman that easily blended in as a student. I taught students who were only a few years younger than me and at one school where most of the students were a few decades older than me. I knew that my style was one of my best tools to differentiate myself and showcase my power. I also felt like everything I saw about workwear was about dressing up like a man and I was not interested- I wanted to show that femininity is powerful and you don't have to lose your style to gain authority. Chicprofessor was the perfect solution and I had a wonderful time showcasing my style as I was discovering it myself and forming a community. I have always been an avid thrifter and once I started working I allowed myself to spend a little more secondhand and start buying higher quality pieces. I started to dabble in luxury but most reviews were only about the new items in store. I started my YouTube channel shortly after this discovery as a way to showcase older styles and give reviews about them while learning video editing and another social media platform. While I was shopping secondhand for the cost savings and unique style, I learned about sustainability and it instantly shifted my focus. It became very important to me to use my platform to spread that education as well while still showcasing my style and interest in luxury goods.