Hello Fashionistas ~
Things got a little crazy for a few months. But I’m back with my 2nd posting. I hope you enjoy it . . .
Looking back on my life, I wish I had learned much earlier on that size truly does not matter. What matters is feeling good & that what you wear looks good on YOU. We all need to grow to appreciate our own unique characteristics & be proud of who we are. While I feel like I am there now, it took me a VERY long time to get there.
To give you a little background, I grew up the middle sister between 2 tall, skinny blondes. I was the short stocky brunette. I lost count of how many times people told me what “babes” my sisters were. I found myself being so self-conscious about my curves & my body. I worked out like a maniac & ran about 20 miles a week to keep in shape. I was in great shape, but thin is not a word that anyone would have EVER used to describe me. Extremely fit or lean maybe, but not thin. I worked very hard to stay in shape & when shopping, I would not purchase anything that looked amazing on me if it was bigger than a medium or a size 8. Oh the wonderful pieces I passed up over the years.
I remember being at the Brickyard in Wichita one night. It was an outdoor open roof bar that had great live music & dancing. I could not quit watching this one woman. She was probably about a size 18 & was stunning! She had gorgeous makeup, hair, & clothes that she wore beautifully. And she sure did have the dance moves too! Her self-confidence in comparison to the smaller women out there had me in awe & truly blew me away. I finally had to go out on the dance floor & tell her I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the bar that night. She smiled & told me thank you & gave me a hug & said “I’m just being me!” That night was probably 25 years ago, but I have never forgotten it. I wanted to be just like her instead of comparing myself to all of the size 4’s out there.
Fast forward many years, and life as I knew it changed drastically. I was in a motorcycle wreck that shredded my right leg. Running was the one thing that really helped me stay lean & running was over for the rest of my life after tearing every ligament in my knee, losing both meniscus, dislocating my kneecap, & fracturing my tibial plateau. I couldn’t even walk or drive for 5 months. Ever since that wreck, my weight has been a constant battle. Add in menopause several years later, & that multiplied the madness. Can any of you relate?
My confidence has waivered over the years, along with the number on the scale. But that seems to have faded for the most part. While I don’t always feel great about myself in just ANYTHING I would like to wear, I have learned WHAT to wear that makes me look AND feel good. And I could care less what the size on the tag says these days & that sure does feel good to be at that point. While I’m working to get my weight back down, I’m giving myself grace & time to get there. Trying to make small daily changes where it happens gradually & is sustainable. I’m not ever going to give up a good margarita or a bowl of authentic Mexican queso. Those 2 things, along with a giant serving of jalapenos, make this girl smile & I’m not living my life without them.
As an owner & buyer of a boutique, I can tell you that I have never seen sizing so all over the place. Not only does it vary drastically from one designer to another, but sizing can even vary greatly within one designer’s own line. Many customers here have anything from a small to 1X within one brand. It’s truly crazy!!! I honestly don’t know how companies afford all the return shipping from returns due to the lack of consistency. After reading this, do you feel better about letting go of what size a garment tag says? I sure hope so!
And I promise this is the last of my thoughts on this subject . . . but I must share this about social media. I have gotten so much feedback on our social media posts. While I’ve had many people reaching out to me about how I can create all these cool reels & how they could help me look better, what I should change, etc., I’ve had mostly people saying that they love my posts because they are authentic. Sometimes I get on there with messy hair, barely any makeup, barefooted, etc. If I was comparing my social media to a competitor’s, I would never post because my makeup is never perfect, my hair is usually a hot mess, & if I needed everything to be perfect before I posted something, the world would not know what we have to offer here at the store. Be authentic. Be you. Just put it out there, don’t compare yourself to others & quit being so critical of yourself! Quit trying to be perfect. It’s exhausting. I love my perfectly IMPERFECT life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
I would like to leave you with these take-aways from this writing:
- Size does NOT matter. Especially when every designer seems to have their own sizing scale.
- Take the time to compliment an amazing woman. We do not have to compete with each other. Lift other women up. Illuminating others will lift you up.
- Find a place to shop where they truly care about the customer. They will help you find pieces to make you look & feel so good about yourself.
- Take the time to virtual shop. It may not be as fast as online shopping, but I bet you have less returns to package up & send back because you will get honest & relatable help about fit & sizing of that garment. That will save you time & money. And that time & money could buy you a good margarita, a few jalapenos, & great bowl of queso. Just sayin’ . . .
Until next time . . .
xo Stevie