AMARA KHAJENOURI, BLOGGER
Amara Khajenouri is a 25-year-old style and beauty blogger behind Five Foot Something. Now based in Carmel, Indiana, she was born and raised in the Indianapolis area and attended Indiana University in Bloomington to study apparel merchandising and minor in business and marketing—a robust background that would set her up for success in the ever-changing world of influencer marketing. She works full-time for a sunless tanning and skincare brand during the day and blogs by night.
We chatted with Amara to find out what makes Indy the ideal city for inspiration in the blogosphere, how she handles sharing her life on Instagram, and her favorite local hot spots.
How did you decide you wanted to be a style blogger?
Starting my blog, Five Foot Something, felt really natural to me. I was always the girl growing up who was doing my friends hair before proms or helping my sisters pick out outfits for their events. After I graduated college, I wanted a way to stay in touch with my friends who were moving out of state and still share my newest finds and tips with them. And then Five Foot Something was born in December of 2017.
Have you always been comfortable with sharing so much of your life for the world to see?
This was something that was a little tough at first. Talking into your phone, looking at yourself isn’t normal, so this took some time to get used to. I absolutely love talking to people so once I got over the hump of not caring what people thought, I went for it.
What is something you want people to know about how you approach being a blogger and influencer?
Every project I take on is something that I completely believe in and stand behind. I think a big misconception when it comes to blogging is that we work with companies to get free items. While that is a great perk, I don’t work with anyone that I don’t fully believe in and wouldn’t purchase with my own money. When it comes to the products themselves, I always test them out for a couple of weeks before sharing to make sure I like the quality, feel, fit, etc. There is a lot of backend work that goes into the projects I take on to ensure I am giving the most honest and true experience.
How has your academic background in fashion set you up for success?
I majored in apparel merchandising in college so I have a lot of experience with fashion and writing. I also wrote for College Fashionista at IU and that really sparked my interest in blogging and sharing my life on a digital platform. I was in charge of going around the campus and finding people who intrigued me with their style. We would talk about their outfits and I would photograph them and then write a blog post. It opened my eyes to the idea of blogging and connecting with people I didn’t know. It’s definitely helped me to be more open and just go for it!
Where are your top three favorite places in Indianapolis?
Livery, Brewdog, The Gallery Pastry Shop.
What makes Indy home?
I was born and raised in the Indianapolis area, so my family and friends are close by. I think the one thing I love the most is seeing the city from all stages of life. I still go to places now that I did as a child and am finding new hidden gems every weekend!
Follow Amara on Instagram @amarakay.
Lenie Tsakonas is a regular Indy Maven contributor.
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