by: MisjaB

A fashionista from Belgium: Greetje

The city Greetje lives in is calledTongeren. It is a city in Belgium and I’ve never been there. Fortunately, we got to know each other via Instagram. Tongeren is near the city of Maastricht (Netherlands) so when I stayed there for a few days, I took the chance to meet her.

Een Belgische fashionista: Greetje uit Tongeren

Greetje is a striking type, not only because of her hairstyle and clothing but also because of her height. Greetje: “When I got this name at my birth (diminutive of Greet), my parents had no idea that I would become that long, but I’m proud of my name, so I keep it this way. During my childhood, I was very insecure, but in spite of that, I always had a distinctive taste in clothing. To become more self-assured, I even attended a course to become a fashion model and occasionally I ran fashion shows. But in the end, I became a teacher.

Een Belgische fashionista: Greetje uit Tongeren

“Nowadays I am now working as a social worker, helping vulnerable families, identifying problems and passing them on to policy staff, so that solutions can be found. I involve the parents in the school and the education of their children. Ensure that these families get better opportunities. I have noticed that the people I work for do not have any judgment about my appearance at all.”

Een Belgische fashionista: Greetje uit Tongeren

“I always got comments about the way I dress, even as a child. That has never stopped me from making my own choices. I keep everything and make new combinations from time to time, I have collected jewels for a while, but unfortunately, they have been stolen. Since then I only buy and wear fakes. Today I wear trousers and a blouse of my favorite Italian brand TwinSet, the shoes are by Sacha.

Social Media

“In addition to my job, I love to work with clothing, also on social media. I have an Instagram account and a while ago I started with a personal blog: Een beetje Greetje, (which means: a little bit of Greetje) which is not just about fashion, but also about my last trip to Italy with my son for example. And of course, about the purchases, I made there. The nice thing about shopping is the challenge to buy quail for little money, for example in an outlet like Maasmechelen Village.

Besides compliments for my striking clothing style, I often get less nice comments. That is not always easy, but I do not want to change my style. I have noticed that people in disadvantaged neighborhoods where I work for have no problem with it. These vulnerable people really look at you as a person, not at your appearance.”