Last July, a piece of body shaming beauty advice from O, The Oprah Magazine went viral. The fashion advice stated that women should only wear crop tops if they had a flat stomach, and the internet was sent into an outrage that such beauty advice still gets published in this day and age, but beyond rage, a movement was started #RockTheCrop. #RockTheCrop accompanied photos of people with less than flat stomach wearing crop tops and looking fabulous in them on social media. I was one of the people who gladly jumped on that hashtag as I had just began to be comfortable wearing crop tops just the summer before.
Two years after I bought my first crop top -- which I was too scared to wear without a skirt hiked up to meet it at the bottom -- and almost a year after the #RockTheCrop movement began, I decided to undertake the task of wearing only crop tops for a week. I wanted to celebrate my body and maybe encourage others to embrace their own bodies.
Day 1.
I was super excited when I bought this outfit. I have always wanted to try the Taylor Swift-esque look of a patterned crop top with a matching patterned skirt. My first day of my crop top challenge was my first time wearing it, and it felt great.
Day 2.
On my second day of the challenge, I struggled with my weight. A study on the radio mentioned how people who are even the slightest bit overweight are at risk for cancer, and my anxiety kicked in. While I still felt super cute in Monday's outfit (I was wearing my favorite crop top after all), I couldn't help but feel insecure about how others saw me because of my weight.
Insecurities aside, I still posed for my daily picture and slayed it. The next morning, when I saw the likes and comments on Facebook and Instagram, my fears of others only seeing my weight (and seeing it as a negative) almost entirely faded away.
Day 3.
My biggest worry about wearing crop tops for a week straight was being work appropriate. The store where I work has a business casual dress code, and crop tops are not something that usually comes to mind under the category of business casual. However, I reverted back to my summer 2014 style on Tuesday and wore my crop top tucked into a maxi skirt to create the illusion of a dress. If you ever wanted to know how to make a crop top business casual, just tuck it into a skirt (and if need be throw a jacket over it).
Day 4.
On my 4th day, I ventured out of my comfort zone by wearing shorts with my crop top of the day. I also ventured out of my comfort zone by showing off my stomach scars. While I feel comfortable showing off my stomach, I get a little bit more shy about my stomach scars.
While wearing this outfit, a man downtown yelled out of his car and called me a slut. The old me would have wanted to go back home and change my clothes immediately, but I am proud to say that I didn't. His comments only stuck with me because they enraged me -- the thought that when men see a confidant rocking her body he has to knock her down a peg. I am here to say, sir, you did not knock me down at all. In fact, you enraged and elevated me.
Day 5. 
This outfit is probably my favorite from the week. I first wore this outfit last summer, and the first time I wore it, I got so many complements on campus and around downtown. Everything in this outfit, I got from my college's freepile which is also a bonus.
I also got my new driver's license photo taken in this outfit, so I will now carry my week of crop tops with me everywhere I go.
Day 6.
On my 6th day, I went to an 80s, 90s, 00s night at The Blue Note, and I represented the 90s like the true 90s baby I am. My outfit was inspired by the solid color crop top with matching skirt looks rocked by almost all of the Spice Girls in the 90s. I think I made a solid Spice Girl.
Day 7. 
I ended my last day of the week much like I began it; I wore two items I never wore before. I decided to pair a plain crop top with a patterned skirt, but unlike on the third day when I did that, I did not hike my skirt up to match the bottom of my crop top. I strutted into the mall wearing this outfit, and I have to say, I felt like I was slaying it.
After the end of my week of crop tops, I almost wore a crop top that I didn't wear during the challenge the next day, but I decided to give it a rest for a couple days, but rest assured the crop tops will soon be back with avengeance.
