"That isn't made for girls your size." As a plus-sized girl, I've heard this phrase way more than I'd ever care to. Being indirectly shamed about your size from someone you care about deeply can be more painful than a knife going straight to your heart.
When you think of a bikini or a crop top, the first image you see is a smaller-framed girl in these clothes. Why? Society has engraved in our brains that only certain-sized women should wear certain clothing types. They have led people to believe that fat is okay to have on a woman's chest and backside, but not on their stomach or thighs. This shouldn't be the case at all. This summer, a family member got pretty upset at me for wearing a bikini. I'm not small by any means, but I was still super confident. She told me "Only skinny girls can wear bikinis!"
Here's the deal...my bikini was a size XXL. I don't think a 120-pound woman could fit an XXL in a bikini or any other clothes for that matter. There are so many companies that make "skinny girl clothes" in plus sizes nowadays. I have been in several stores in the past few weeks that have started putting out plus-sized clothing collections. Torrid and Forever 21 happen to have some amazing plus-sized crop tops! What does that tell us? Maybe us bigger girls deserve a chance at looking cute, too! Why should we have to cover up and be ashamed of ourselves? Why should I, or any other woman, have to sit around hating ourselves every day just because other people don't like the way our bodies look? Answer: We don't. Your identity doesn't come from the size of your breasts, stomach or any other place on your body. It comes from within your heart and soul.
Here is my advice to all the women out there struggling with the same situation I am: Remember that phrase "If the shoe fits, wear it?" Take it literally. If you see a crop top in a size that fits you, flaunt it! Show off that tummy! You see a pair of shorts in your size? Wear them and show off those thick thighs! Don't let anyone but yourself be the judge of you! Live your life for yourself and not for others!
Remember: if it's made in your size, girl, it's made for you, too!
