Wearing lose fitting clothing makes made me uncomfortable.
My mom is the world’s best bargain shopper. We can browse TJ Maxx, Marshalls & Kohls while drinking coffees and gossiping and come out with entirely new wardrobe’s 2 hours later.
She taught me a lot about fashion, some of it good and some of it really, really bad (thanks for matching every headband & scrunchie to my outfits, mom – and did I really need to wear matching turquoise polka dots with you to Diney??) I digress. GENERALLY speaking my mom has amazing fashion sense, we will just pretend the 80s didn’t happen for a moment….
The biggest lesson she taught me was dressing to my body type. It is something I am extremely conscious and aware of while shopping and trying to help not only myself but also my girlfriends get dressed.
With all of that said, I will go back to my original statement: I was uncomfortable wearing lose fitting clothing. This past year I have been experiementing with some loose tops and I love them all, but the stigma still exists sometimes.
In my mind only “skinny girls” were allowed to wear loose fitting clothing. It makes them look cute. My cousin Sam is one of the most beautiful and petite girls I know. She rocks flowy tops like it’s nobody’s business, pairs them with killer heals and a nice necklace. Boom, done. In my warped mind, the only reason it worked was because she is a “skinny girl.”
The logistics for me not wearing a lose fitting top were simple: a flowy top on me wouldn’t look as loose as it should and someone will think I look fat. I would like to point out a few observations I have come to this past year:
One – I’m a complete jerk for ever having thought this way. Ever. It’s judgmental to not only myself but to others.
Two – Try as I might this stigma is sometimes hard to strike while outfit shopping.
I want to break this down for you because I want to change, and I want to help see not only myself but other women as absolutely beautiful wherever they are in life.
As a self-proclaimed self-love mentor I love being honest with you in my process. And I will be honest now: I wore my first lose fitting top this spring. It’s beautiful and I actually look great in it! It is a flowy mint and gold top that I paired with a cute necklace and killer heels. Boom, done.
It’s not to say it wasn’t hard to buy that shirt, because I will admit that it was. But I love myself so much and know that my stigma is just stopping me from living a fabulous life (and wearing this seasons super fun style). I need to move on from this and create a better me from the inside out!
Take action now!
Leave a comment below with the one stigma you have that you’re working on! I would love to hear from you.
Get out there—be STRONG—healthy is the new skinny—make life sparkle—love!
Namaste,
Jenny
Great self-awareness Jennifer and I bet you look smashing in your flowy top! I used to love to wear dresses, but then my kids came along and my wardrobe too on a more practical (I thought) bent. Time to add back in some fun!