I have never been a particularly small person. I have also never been particularly large either. Of course growing up I had my “chubby” phases as most kids do, but I have never felt large. I have always been somewhere in the middle. At least, that is what the sizes of my t-shirts say. Because of the ideas that come with being medium, I have never really thought much about my health. I figure as long as my medium sized t-shirts fit I’m “average” and that is okay. The older I get the more I realize that t-shirt size isn’t everything.
When thinking about size it is important to consider the store you are shopping in. For instance, in one store you may be a medium while in another you may be a small or large. The only factor that goes into establishing what is small, medium, or large in these stores is how much fabric they are willing to buy. The most important lesson I have learned from this is not to let the size of an article of clothing determine my happiness.
While I can comfortably fit into a medium in Target, where the quality of their clothing is decent, in Forever 21 I usually have to buy a large. For some, this can be disheartening and falsely make them think they have gone up in size or changed in weight in one way or another. I have learned the hard way- that it is important to try clothes on. I usually buy tons of shirts and then get home and realize only one or two of them actually fit me correctly. The bottom line is if you feel comfortable in it, buy it. You are not going to look back on the super awesome tank top you bought and felt great in and change your opinion on how you looked at it because it was not in your “usual” size.
You are probably wondering why I am keeping my point centered around t-shirt size. Basically, it is because t-shirts are pretty much all I wear. This is mostly because of laziness. They are an essential part of my work uniform so I just come home from work and never get changed. It is also because I have learned that if you dress like you are going to work out, people think you are actually a productive member of society and not that you are going home to sit on the couch and eat Doritos. Spoiler alert I am usually going home to eat Doritos and watch an unhealthy amount of “Gilmore Girls” reruns.
It is okay to be medium. It is also okay to be small, large, extra large, and everywhere else in between. Do not be afraid to try clothes on. What is small in one store may be medium in another. Do not walk away from one item of clothing because you have to go up a size or two. It only matters how you feel. If you like how you look in your clothes you will be confident no matter what the size is.