Tag: body image

When Positive Changes Lead to Negative Reactions….

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Time for some real talk – I have hated myself since I was around 6 years old.

That was around the time when three things happened: (1) My parents separated which later led to divorce, (2) My mother, little brother and I ended up homeless for the first time and (3) It was the first time I was told I had to lose weight.  Of the three obviously there are two things on this short list that should hold more weight in terms of importance, yet they all greatly affected my self-esteem, body image and mental health.

These pictures were taken only 4 years apart! Same dress (Kara Lace Dress from SWAK) but different attitude. (Left -2017, Right – 2014)

It wasn’t until I entered my 20s, inspired by the bloggers I followed online, that I decided to look past the qualities that others celebrated and worked on loving the “flaws” I was always told I should make every effort to correct.  I replaced my old wardrobe with new items. I learned to accept compliments. I started experimenting with makeup in ways that I found comfortable. I accessorized more. I cut my hair. Twice, even going shorter the second time. I’ve colored my hair a bold color. By all accounts, I’ve become a different person. Continue reading →

V-Day, Me-Day

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Five years ago a close friend and I decided to give “us” a try and my first thought that spring was how I finally had someone to go on my “dream date” with. Christmas is the time of year I actually consider to be romantic so when we broke up a couple of months later that summer, not only was I heartbroken that our “relationship” never had a real chance, but being “alone” again meant that  I couldn’t go on that date. For the rest of the year I moped about this. Well, I did until I took myself on the date instead and I found myself loving every minute to it.

This has become a bit of a tradition for me since then, though I have branched out of doing this solely in the month of December. And while I learned that I can enjoy my own company, I love that in the five years since that day I have met people with similar interests that I also can share  experiences with. I also take great care to show them just how much their friendship means to me at every opportunity including Valentine’s day.
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Be Mine

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When it comes to Valentine’s Day the immediate thought that comes to mind is the concept of sexy. I’m the kind of person that has never considered myself sexy by any means but I’ve noticed that what women in particular are drawn to is pretty uncomfortable. With the pencil thin heels, and revealing outfits in various shades of red and/or pink. There isn’t any necessarily wrong with that, yet I think being comfy, sexy and cute should always be an option if only to leave your date choices  open to some non-traditional ideas outside of a formal dinner and a movie. For me any potential date, be it for Valentine’s day or otherwise,  would involve a lot of walking since I love playing tourist in the city so in I would definitely reach for this comfy yet cute outfit.

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theCURVYcon 2017 Recap

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After the awesome time I had at theCURVYcon last year I knew that I would be attending the next one. I liked the very idea that Cece and Chastity had to move it to New York Fashion Week so that plus size fashion would be showcased and celebrated at the same time as straight size fashions. If anything the date change challenged the fashion industry to take notice that they are missing out. This year I was granted the chance to have the Platinum experience which was only made better by the fact that I got to share it with friends some of which I met last year, as well as my best friend, Jade.

Map of the con showfloor.

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Back To School Werk

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The first day of class has always been a bit of a runway show for me. It all started when I went to Pre-K in an outfit my mother  styled for me. I grew up in a household where most of my clothes were  carefully curated by my mother to ensure that I looked my best even though we were of the working class. She would always point out that being on a budget should never take away your style.

Super casual and cute for my very first day of school. I seriously want this skirt back though.

So it should come as no surprise that, much like how I go about choosing  my annual planner, I became selective of my outfit for my first day of class to the point that I splurged from time to time. It does set the tone for the school year after all.  While I actually don’t have pictures of every look I have fond memories of reach of those 20 outfits (Pre-K to Grad school) and I remember the thought that went behind each of them. This hasn’t changed even as I made the transition from student to part time professor. For this back to school season, I’ve partnered with Lane Bryant to show my style for my first full week back to class. I have styled two looks, both are classroom appropriate but very different.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post; clothes were provided by Lane Bryant  for feature, but all opinions are my own.

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