Today we’d like to introduce you to Charnelle King.
Hi Charnelle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have always had a love and strong desire for fashion and creating content. By the time I entered high school, I was in every sewing class you could think of. In 2015, after college, I moved to the DMV area, where I began working for an educational technology company. A year into my job, I started to see men and women fashion bloggers online. I became obsessed with YouTube-style videos. Not knowing what the term blogger meant, I did my research and realized that I had a decent style at the time and I could be a blogger too. People would always ask me where I got my clothes or shoes from, so using a social platform like Instagram to share my fashion secrets and tips was a win. When I knew I wanted to be a blogger, that day, I sat down with my best friend, now husband, and brainstormed brand names. Coming up with the name Styled2be was the hardest part. But once I did, I was ready to put up my website; Styled2be.com was born. Looking back, I am glad I took the break I did to find myself because it made me love fashion all over again. Since the start of my blog, I have collaborated with multiple brands and hosted events with Purple Mattress, Pandora Jewelry, and Porsche, to name a few. I started styling people for events as well. Now, my husband and I have developed a strong following on TikTok, posting fun places to visit and yummy spots to eat great food.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a challenging road for me. At the beginning of my styling career, I struggled with figuring out my niche and building my Instagram account. I had a blog and was consistently posting, but brands weren’t constantly reaching out to work with me. I began to get creative with my shoots and take pictures in front of murals or colorful backgrounds. My account was something different from other bloggers. Soon, my instagram following continued to grow. Recently, I decided to shift towards producing more couple content with my husband, which included restaurant reviews in the DMV on Tiktok and IG. I couldn’t believe how many people saw our candid food reviews. Things were going well for a while, even during the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Since then, social media’s algorithm has constantly changed and is always changing, which makes it harder at a time to grow our accounts. The best advice I could give is to not think about the number of likes, views, or comments and to have fun. You can get caught up in the numbers and quickly need to remember why you even started your account. My advice is to keep going and remain consistent with your content. There were times when I wanted to but knew that people genuinely liked our content, and I see the support from God, my family, friends, and followers are what kept me going.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with what you do?
I created Styled2be.com as an inspiration platform for everything fashion, beauty, and natural hair. I style my looks, collaborate with different photographers, and shoot content so that I can post on social media and my website. Since 2016, I have also launched Simply Thrifted, where I showcase on Tiktok and Poshmark the wonderful hidden gems I find while thrifting, and King and Char, which is all our couple content, including food reviews! I am most proud of my journey and how far I have come since the girl from college who didn’t think she was good enough as a creative. Through my blog and styling services, I have met other bloggers, hosted events, and partnered with brands and black-owned businesses. What sets me apart from others is my God-given talent for fashion styling, my personality, and my love for creating fun, relatable, and engaging content.
What’s next?
My plans, especially for 2023, are to focus more on my YouTube and Pinterest accounts. I have something cooking up for our King and Char YouTube page, so stay tuned! I believe that 2023 is going to be the year for blessings and growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFJsdKbonk/9Cjvyq1rSLRZkiOpqV8h9A/view
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/styled2be/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPl6eF18XDB7gr1GtZKCLeQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@styled2be
Image Credits
Karl M. King II-King Crown Media LLC (photography)
