Tag: big beautiful women

Why Fa(t)shion?

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I have been very fortunate to have major support for what I do here on this blog. I’ve had friends and family help me pick out blog shoot sites, take pictures and point out new industry updates that I may have missed due to my hectic schedule.  And every once in a while they question what I decide to feature in my posts, but with recent events being what they are, I’ve noticed that these private exchanges have shifted. I’ve begun to get messages saying that with my academic background and intellect, my time and efforts would be better spent writing about social injustices instead of fashion. To be honest, I have been anticipating that comment for a while now. The very act of  getting dressed is considered to be a necessary, yet  frivolous, part of everyday life, so the pointing out that  fashion plays a central role in society is met with denial and ambivalence. The thing is culture, race, socioeconomics, gender, capitalism/consumerism and even politics all intersect in fashion.

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Everyone whether black, white, rich, poor, male, female, adult, child or teen interact with it in some capacity.  Just think about  the amount of effort we put into figuring out what to wear for everyday occasions like going to work,  job interviews, graduations, dates,  quinceañera parties and of course weddings. Fashion, even at its most simple, conveys culture, social status, income level, education, age, sexuality, and even nationalism.  Continue reading →

Fall Transition Kimono Style

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I’ll be honest, my personal style is eclectic.  I can go from hyper feminine to polish professional, to dark and edgy, to Sunday Best within a week. Notice that there is no mention of boho in that mix. I’m not sure what it is about that particular trend that I find not for me. My workaholic nature probably won’t embrace the concept of a light and relaxed style. Anyway, that changed once I saw this floral print kimono on the Wet Seal Instagram feed I wanted to see what I could do with this new addition to my closet. I’ve teamed up with fellow “budgetista”, Angelica from Affordable Curve for some transitional style inspo, make sure to check out her looks here.

Look # 1 : Breezy & Dressy

With this kimono’s dramatic bell sleeves and  floral blossom print on a brilliant blue background I immediately thought about sizing up to wear this as a dress only to realize I should have sized up two sizes because of my large bust.  When that original idea didn’t pan out I thought, why not wear it over a dress? I love the mix of silk, jersey and faux leather textures here. I swapped the fabric belt for my new faux leather obi belt I managed to score from Torrid last month for less than $2! (Note: Always check the clearance section between seasons.) The strap front pep toe heels are a step above the heeled sandals that I would usually wear to the office during the summer. For a more conservative professional look I could swap them for flats or closed front pumps.

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+Size Matters: My Top 5 Positive Animated Plus Size Characters

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It’s been a while since my last post and if you follow me on Facebook and Instagram, you know about the unexpected death of my beloved laptop. (Poor thing was only 2 years old…) However, thanks to my good friend and mentor, I now have a borrowed laptop to work on which has allowed me access to resume work on my blog. And I’m happy to report that I have a few outfit posts in the works as well so stay tuned for that. That said, let’s move on to today’s discussion: animated plus size characters.

Animation is an often snubbed form of media as it is usually geared towards children. For the most part this is our first introduction to Western standards of beauty (or at least it is here in the US) with fat bodies not being the norm. These often negative portrayals, though many are brief, tend to perpetuate negative stereotypes and body image perception, even more than live action portrayals. Media on a whole reflects society’s standards and beliefs of body image, but animators usually exaggerate it as they see fit, usually for a “comedic effect.”

I present to you Exhibit A. 

So when we are continuously fed this idea that being bigger makes a plus size person undesirable and the punchline to a joke, it limits what they are capable of which is not a message you’d want for any kid.  Fortunately, there were a few positive representations that do make it to the screen that helps change this visual practice. By “positive” characters I mean that their characterizations and story lines are not specially linked to their size or limited to archetypes like comedic relief, instead they are truly fleshed out personalities. As one can expect these characters had brief appearances  in their respective films or series, but they do leave  quite the impression as they challenge the controlled image of what a plus size character is. With that in mind, here are my top 5 positive animated plus size characters.

**It stands to reason that there are spoilers ahead, so consider yourself warned.**

Disclaimer: This list is completely made up of female characters, however, I am considering making another list specifically about plus size men in the near future.

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Too FAT For Short Hair?

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TOO FAT for short hair- Blog picMy hair and I are like Ross and Rachel (yes, I finally got around to watching Friends while I was in college and have since reference the series when appropriate). Admittedly, part of this complicated love-hate relationship is due to the fact that it is thick and curly, thought that is a topic for a future post.  My hair is a dull shade of dark brown and has a mind of its own, to the point that I refer to wash day as “taming the beast.”  Even still my hair has been considered my most beautiful feature. This was only cemented by how people reacted to it on a daily basis – – with awe and compliments. Continue reading →

theCURVYcon 2016 Teal Swagbag Haul!

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One of the perks of attending theCURVYcon as a Teal ticket holder was the huge swag bag. I know that social media is full of buzz surrounding the Platinum bag, but I wanted to share how awesome the Teal swag bag is too. I should also mention that this video serves a dual purpose as not only am I sharing my swag but submitting a contest entry to win a new Canon DSLR camera. Wish me luck!

Note: This video was filmed between the hours of 2 and 3 AM in the morning which is why I am kind of all over the place. 

Check out my theCURVYcon 2016 Recap here: http://bit.ly/290l5Jp

Style notes: In this video I am wearing the crop eyelet shell top from Lane Bryant in a size 18. 

Thinking about attending next year?  You can purchase your 2017 theCURVYcon tickets here:  http://bit.ly/292Nyg8