I've been reading a lot of blogs lately centered around ladies who take fashion risks. They wear crazy colored tights, jumpsuits, short shorts, things that I am like oh nooooooo, not for me. Why not? I mean sure some things are best left unseen but there is no real reason I should not be wearing things I want to. I mean these women are no different then I am. I adopt this well they're far braver then I, I could NEVER do that, or her legs are waaaaaay skinnier then mine. Um...No. Why couldn't I? Because I don't have the exact body I want? Because I am not a size whatever? Why? This is a case when really the answer is to get over it. Actually not just to get over it but maybe a more emphatic get the f**k over it. Wear what you want, be who you want regardless of what you look like. You know how you believe and do this more? It's not by magic or the a visit from the Fearless Fairy at night, it's by actually doing it. Ugh, hate when there's no shortcut but such is life.
I really am not a fan of the it's okay for her but not for me attitude. There's no difference between us. Okay maybe someone has a great set of legs they should be dressing to accentuate and someone else has a killer rack but the idea of caring less what others think and more what you like is the same. No one is above or below that. What I really love about some of these ladies is not that they're wearing clothes that a lady of a certain size shouldn't, they are being themselves. They are expressing who they are with what they wear and accepting their bodies, taking risks. Daring to put themselves out there. It's pretty awesome. It's a awesome way of life, and makes for some really stunning outfits.
It's been really positive and influential for me seeing this. Reading what inspires these ladies, what their influences are and how it translates into an outfit. I'm similar. I dress thematically usually. I have an end goal or a place it go inspired from but so often I hold myself back. Lately nope. Short hair, don't care. Sleeveless dresses, ridiculous nail art, skimpy shirts, it's all been fair game to explore and been a lot of fun. More importantly I'm getting over it.
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| If you have to turn 33, you do so in a ridiculous dress on a chaise lounge. |
I REALLY have a serious girl crush on some of these ladies:
http://www.thefatgirlsguide.com/
http://www.stylepluscurves.com/
http://www.nearsightedowl.com/
http://www.ecarolinewalters.com/
http://kittycatstevens.blogspot.com/
Love it! I turned 33 in March. Now I just need to find a chair like that. :) I really love your dress you look great!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's from asos.com who I am obsessed with. I want all the things. That's my mom's chaise lounge, which I wish I had :)
DeleteI only found out about your blog this week and already I think that you are such an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI am going through the process of changing my entire food and exercise regimen and I can relate to a lot of your posts.
Keep them coming!
Carla
Thanks Carla, very kind of you to say! It's certainly a process changing your lifestyle and food up. Lots and lots of luck to you, keep up the process!
DeleteMan, that dress is *great*.
ReplyDeleteI agree—I have recently found myself super, super bored with my wardrobe (did we talk about this, maybe? I've been droning on about it for awhile but am too broke to do the overhaul I envision) and I'm pretty sure it's because in general I dress to "flatter." That's to say, I dress to be "good enough" rather than to be awesome. Gotta work on that. And I do appreciate the style inspiration of fat ladies breakin' rules and takin' names. Do you know the Militant Baker? I love her style.
Thanks lady! Wardrobes are always a pain. I am SUPER bored with mine as well. Then I get a thing or two that super excite me but it's not like I can wear it every day. I feel like there can be a balance between dressing to flatter and taking more risk. More of the clothes are out there then ever have been. I mean if someone wants hotpants in a size 30 they exist which is ahhh-may-zing. I love the Militant Baker, did you see she's doing a crowd funding thing for a body image conference/summit/weekend?
DeleteYes to balance. I am never gonna be on the real cutting edge (I don't have the eye/cannot be bothered/don't really enjoy dressing SUPER differently from other people) but I do think that I could be busting out of my rut a little, like maybe not everything I wear could be a knee-length dress? Potentially? I think I might enjoy thinking about what I would *like* to look like, as opposed to just buying what I've always bought because it works for my shape and doesn't make me feel like I stick out.
DeleteAnd yeah, I'm really impressed with the way ladies have been increasingly doing it for them(our)selves around fatshion stuff. Because there are more options than ever before (clothes shopping in high school, what a fucking wasteland), but also so many of them are terrible (wtfplus.tumblr.com) and it's great to see people scavenging, adapting, restyling, altering, remaking, even just critiquing what's out there—and it's even better to see independent design and commerce springing up to fill some of the gaps. I'm psyched about the fat women making careers out of knowing about fatness and clothes. Also, I miss when Re/Dress was a brick-and-mortar store in Boerum Hill. Sob.
I know it's cheesy, but whenever one of my clients says "oh I can't wear that!" I always tell them "You can wear anything with confidence and a smile" I honestly believe it. If you are unapologetic about an outfit, and you just come out rocking it with confidence people will pick up on that. They'll be thinking what a fashionable person with a great smile.
ReplyDeleteNot cheesy at all and totally true. I think what takes me a second to get over and hit my stride is feeling self conscious about being in something outside my usual wheelhouse. It's so easy to fall into a uniform or rut and then be freaked when outside it. I'm constantly saying to friends & co-workers you could totally pull that off and then I say to myself oh no put that down...um same rules apply. I completely agree with you that confidence and a smile will get you very far and in a multitude of ways. Men, fashion, work all of it.
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