As a plus-size woman, society decides what I should be wearing all the time, but why did I allow other people to decide what I am wearing? Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either. We're breaking these barriers down today. Clothes are the way a lot of people express themselves, and you can't do this when you're depending on other people's opinions. So, here are five reasons why you should just start wearing whatever you want.
1. IF YOU FEEL GOOD IN IT, YOU SHOULD WEAR IT
We all know that when you wear your favorite outfit, it gives you this undeniable feeling of confidence. So, whether it's deemed "appropriate," for your body type, sex, or whatever other boxes society likes to put us in, or not, just wear it. Like seriously, what are you waiting for? The more you feel like yourself, the more comfortable you will feel in your own body because it's what you chose to wear. Wear what gets you looking in the mirror and giving yourself compliments.
2. BODY-SHAMING YOURSELF IS WORSE THEN WHEN SOMEONE ELSE DOES IT
That's right, being mean to yourself is just as rude as someone else saying it to you. Imagine how much more confidence and self love you will have for yourself if you didn't judge your body all the time. When you put on a crop top or a tight pair of jeans, stop saying that you look ugly because you have a little belly hanging out. First of all, I always have belly hanging out, and I still know that I look good. Yeah, I said it. Stop being your biggest bully, it's getting you nowhere mentally. I promise you, when I started showing more and more of these "flaws," I felt way more empowered than I did when I was hiding them (they're not flaws, by the way - society is so rude I hate it here).
3. WHEN YOU LIKE WHAT YOU'RE WEARING, YOU LOOK BETTER
It's the truth, people can tell when you're uncomfortable and you would probably bring less attention to yourself if you just wore something that you felt more comfortable in. I hate wearing heels, especially stilettos. I hate wobbling and the pain it causes my feet to have. Guess what, everyone can tell my feet hurt because I start walking weird, the pain in my face, and the running towards the next available seat so I don't have to feel it anymore. I could've saved myself a lot of embarrassment if I just wore my chunky heels that I'm more comfortable in. The moral of the story is that if you just wear what makes you feel good on the inside it radiates to the outside. Let us see that glow, queen.
4. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE JUDGMENTAL ANYWAY
This is the sad truth. Everyone who wants to be rude is going to continue to do that anyway. Judgment is something that is day-to-day and doesn't stop no matter how hard you try. People talked bad about my body when I was covering it up, and they're still going to when I'm showing it off. So, what is the point of me trying to hide behind something I'm not to avoid judgment that's already been given? Negativity is just people reflecting their feelings about themselves onto you. Of course, if you walk into a room glowing with so much confidence, at least one person is going to hate on you. It's because they wish they could be this happy with themselves, and they're too scared to take the leap. People spend way too much time trying to tear other people down, instead of trying to build themselves up. Stop fearing other people's opinions, because theirs no way to keep it from happening. This is something completely out of our control. Let the haters hate and keep doing you, boo, okay?
5. YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL
YOU ARE GORGEOUS!!!! If no one else told you today, you're beautiful no matter what you wear. If you want to wear baggy clothes and sweat pants, so be it. If you want to wear a body con dress that makes your butt look nice, do it. If you want to wear a shirt that shows your rolls, stretch marks, and cellulite: DO IT. You are the same beautiful, confident, and strong person you are in anything you wear. We are all beautiful in our own way, and that's the beauty of it all. Nothing is more liberating than finally not caring what the world has to say about you and only caring about what YOU have to say about YOU. Doing things that people don't approve of is kind of empowering, I think you should give it a try.
I hope that this made you want to go put on that shirt your family judged you for wearing that one time. You are all so worthy of feeling good every single day in what you wear. Clothes are an important way for me to express myself and I want everyone to be able to do that without fearing judgment!
