Body Positive- Growing Up Curvy

Curvy Girl Fashion/ Growing up curvy.


Growing up, I was never a tiny girl. Even at a young age, I had curvier hips. When I was on the swim team in middle school and high school, I had curves when no one else did. I thought I was fat, and while I love swimming- I would walk around in my towel until the last possible moment because I didn't want anyone to see my hips.



Looking back on photos, I actually had a pretty amazing body. It was just before its time. I had a flat stomach, shapely legs, and a great collar bone. Since then, I've started living on the road and on the go to the office, stopped exercising as much, became diabetic, have fairly unhealthy lifestyle with poor sleeping and eating habits. Don't get me wrong, I am aware of the issues that I need to work on.



That said, I am the size that I am. I look back with slight envy and even a little pity for that girl I barely recognize as myself. She was shy an insecure, and didn't talk to anyone. She wore baggy t-shirts, hoodies, and wide leg jeans. Granted, the grunge look was in, but I wanted to hide in a tent of clothes, thinking it would hide me so I could burry myself in the shadows and not be noticed. I had really long crazy kinky curly hair, plae skin, and freckles. I wanted to hide the best that I could.



It's funny, because I remember kids making fun of my for my weight. I do remember one day one of my former friends said something about my weight and I lifted my shirt and showed her my abs. Everyone stared in awe and they were like... what? who knew those were there? I was 140ish and a size 5-7 in jeans and probably a M in tops. Unfortunately, I bought Men's Large tee shirts, and the baggiest boy jeans I could find.



I didn't start gaining the majority of my weight until I graduated college and became an assistant manager (horrible schedules and eating habits). Now there are no traces of those abs I once had. The strange part is that I'm typically more confident than I was back then. Don't get me wrong, I don't LOVE the weight that I am at. I do, however, love my curves. I'd just like to tone them. I've grown used to having that "ghetto booty". I've come to learn that while most women are really judgmental of other women's weight, there are only two types of men. The men that love a skinny girl with big boobs, and men who loves a girl with some bodacious curves ;)


My dream is to learn to be more body positive. This whole movement is a bit inspiring. Meeting a few people who were more body positive has helped my confidence grow. Meeting men who were totally into my curves was another boost. I'm nowhere completely confident, but no more baggy tees and jeans. I love fashion, and I love trying to find outfits that highlight the right curves, and hides the wrong ones.

I've come to find that my biggest insecurity is now my lower belly (pooch)- I hate it, and my chubbier arms. Honestly, the butt and hips? I'd love them to be toned, but they don't freak me out as much. Perhaps that's because even while they're four times the size the y were, I always had a butt. You can also make a booty look good with the right clothes. A pooch? All you wanna do is hide it.

All that aside, there have been some really influential people in my life. None of themwhich are celebrities, other than Christina Hendricks and Kate Upton. People critisize them for having strange shapes but they totally rock them. Its mostly jealous girls who hate them. Some men totally aren't into the curves, but there are so many men obsessed with these girls. They totally work it too, with class. Surprisingly, I have a friend who dresses however she wants and is proud of her curves. I always envied her confidence a little, but more so realized that it didn't matter what anyone else thought.

My younger cousin also inspired me. She is very like minded, and very self concious at times. She struggled with her weight growing up, but I remember the first time I saw her in a dress, I thought- look at her, she looks so good. She looks cute. No one is saying anything about her behind her back, the entire family thinks she looks lovely. And she did. Thats what made me realize that I was wasting my life away caring what soem douchebag might think about my big butt. I then realized that if someone didn't like me because of my size, I didn't want to be friends or lovers with them even if I was skinny.

I stopped doing the whole, "Maybe he'd love me if I were skinny" because if he didn't like me curvy, I don't like him period. I also realized that while those that hate bigger girls are more vocal about it, they aren't as mch of the population. Women tend to be the biggest haters out there. Its the women who criticize the most.


That's when I realized that I don't blame the skinny girls. Not all skinny girls hate on us. We all need to band togetehr. There is so much hate and crime in the world, that we need to be more positive in general. We don't need to hate on men as women, and we curvy girls don't need to hate on the skinny girls. If we do, we're just as bad as those jerks who tell us things we don't want to hear. It shouldn't be about comparrisons, but rather embracing ourselves and our differences. If that skinny girl doesn't like you and makes rude comments? Stay classy. Don't hate on her for being skinny, because you sound downright trashy and you sound like a child being combative. its showing weakness, its showing that you should be ashamed. Since you shouldn't, hold your head up high and let everyone else think in their head what you want to shout. They all think it, so it doesn't need to be said. I'm not saying don't stand up for yourself, I'm just saying be classy about it and don't resort to calling her anorexic or disgusting. Hate only breeds more hate.

Some people are fat-shamers. Some people are rascist. SOme people are bigots. Some people are just jerks. It doesn't meant that they represent the masses, they just think they speak for them. It may seem like everyone, but its not.


I've only actually gotten into fashion in the last four years or so, but I am obsessed. When I first started gaining weight, Maurices was the only place that carried plus in my style. Now days, I have Maurices, Wet Seal Plus, Forever21 Plus, Torrid, and a few others. My most recent obsession has been Gwynnie Bee, a Plus sized clothing rental site. You select a plan, and you can send back items as often as you like, or keep them as long as you like- when you send one item back, they send you a new item... shipping is al included. You "closet" items that you like, and then you get a suprise when you see what is being shipped to you. Don't like it? Send it back. In 2-4 days, you'll have a new package arriving.


I'd like to do a bit of an OOTD (Outfit of the Day), but I guess I will see how it goes. I'll post both my fave outfits, and the ones I'm not too fond of, so you can see how everything fits on me. I have a strange shape, a big ol' booty so everything is different.


I'm working on trying to lose weight. That's a ridiculous obstacle, so I'll be mixing that in as well.


Now the problem will be geting a decent body shot. I'm good at selfies, just not whole body shots (I'm going to try to get used to seeing these even though currently a full body shot is my worst nightmare).


I'll let you know where things are purchased from, and in some cases - I may be selling some of it off. Woo-hoo! Need to find some time for that ;)

I'm on a mission to make life more classy. The world could use a little more of it. I am on a mission to create a positive world around me. I can't fix the world problems by myself, but I can try to make an impact, if even small on those around me.


If I can leave you with one piece of advice to everyone-Stay classy. Hate only breeds more hate. I know its hard to stand by that rule when someone is being a total nerfherder, but pain only causes more pain. Those that hurt, hurt others. Instead of hurting others- try spreading love and eventually you'll love yourself and you will feel loved.


Take care my loves, and stay sweet.