I’ve never been the girl who wore the tight, above the kneecap dresses. My goal was to be different, and by that, I mean ordering more affordable, more wacky dresses off of Amazon. Ones you couldn’t find off the rack from Forever 21. I loved that style, and still do, but the thought of wearing one of those “skimpy” dresses, as some call them, always toyed with my mind.

When I was younger, I had weight issues. I never knew it at the time, but I still think I did and hid it well from both the outside world and myself. I was insecure, and that was the truth whether I admitted to it or not. I remember when I was about 10 years-old walking into this one shop and seeing a dark, shiny, purple dress hanging up. It was small, short, and the fabric was gathered together in the center to give it some flair. I loved it. I wanted it, but I knew I couldn't wear it. I never could wear it.

Fast forward about 9 years into the future to me walking into a store with my mother. She knew (and knows) about my insecurities, but dared me to do what I have always pushed to the back of my mind: try on one of those dresses. We laughed, made it into a joke, then into a competition. Here was the deal: we had to find the most revealing dress, and I had to try it on.

We were on the hunt. She found a few that were okay, but nothing that grabbed my attention. About five minutes later, I walk up to her and hold out a dress saying, “This is the winner.” It was a low-cut, burgundy lace dress with spaghetti straps. The inside had a built in bra and the straps acted as adjusters. My heart started pounding, not with fear but excitement.

I go into the dressing room, slide it on, and saw how I looked. I imagined my stomach busting out, my armpits looking gross (girls, you know the area I’m talking about), and my whole body to contort into a mess. Instead, it shaped me well. I was stunned. My arms actually looked alright, the dress wasn’t sticking to my belly like I thought, and the length wasn’t even that terrible. I stood, staring at my reflection, and realized that I could finally pull this look off. After all these years of false impressions, I can see that I am able to wear a “skimpy” dress and look good and feel good.

This moment has altered how I view myself as well as given me the confidence to try on anything I find even remotely interesting, no matter the cut or style. (Kudos to my mom for this.) It is my choice to wear it, buy it, and flaunt my stuff in it. If I feel good, then I am good. The same goes for anyone else: if you find a dress you like but are scared of trying it on because of how you’ll look, still try it. You will know if you truly like it or not or if you enjoy it as much as you thought you would. It's worth it. You're worth it.