Sunday, February 24, 2013

Aussie Curves: Animalistic




Leopard print. That's what I was going to wear for this week's theme. Then I spotted this dress in my wardrobe and changed my mind, teehee. 

It's an ASOS dress that I've had for ages. It was cheap, ridiculously comfortable (I purchased it after loving the mustard horse one) and soft. The shortness of the dress made the addition of a white petticoat ideal. It's covered in white ducks, by the way.

I watched March Of The Penguins last week for the first time and three more times since. I'm not generally an animal lover, but I found it rather odd that on Aussie Curves Animalistic week I find myself OBSESSED with bloody penguins. Weird, hey!








Dress: ASOS (although not the Curve range; it's size 18)
Shoes: Dr. Martens
Necklace: Emma's Collection
Belt: Vintage via Ebay
Bow Ring: Lovisa


Be sure to check out the other babes on the blog hop x



Monday, February 18, 2013

My First Bikini



In my Aussie Curves: Swimwear post, I wrote, 

I ordered a bikini from Domino Dollhouse. I had to go up a size because mine had sold out, so I really hope it fits when it arrives. I don't know if I'll have the guts to wear it on the beach just yet, but we'll see...

I'm so aware of the way people look at bikini clad women and make a judgement of whether their body is acceptable for it. "She really shouldn't be wearing that"; "No one wants to see that"; "She's too old for a bikini"...I'd just like to say that I don't give a shit who wears a bikini. I don't mind seeing men in speedos, and I don't care if a 70-year-old woman is wearing a bikini. Life's too short to care. Everyone has a right to feel free on the beach, to bask in the glow of the sun.

Well, it arrived! So here's my bod for your viewing pleasure ;)

 

I have to say, I love the bottoms (very well made) but the top is a bit too big, so I've ordered a white bikini top from ASOS to wear with the bottoms. Even though it looks cute dry, the padding in the top leaves a lot to be admired when wet. A bit disappointing, to say the least. Hopefully my ASOS replacement top is a good match. 

I felt so damn free and cute swimming in this thing! I don't know if I'll ever wear it in public, but who knows! 

So here's me, "letting it all hang out without the hang ups" - stretch marks and all. 



Thanks for reading x

Body Loving Book Review #2: Two Whole Cakes




Two Whole Cakes
By Lesley Kinzel

Reading this book is like sitting in a pub and having a casual, yet fascinating chat with a fat activist. The pub is closing and the staff have to kick you out, because you don't want the conversation to end.

The topics in the book are varied and somewhat disorganised; there are no chapters or headings, just sections. At first I found this rather disconcerting - I'm so used to having some kind of idea of what each chapter is going to offer when I read a non-fiction book. In the end, I came to really enjoy this structure and layout. You could pick up the book anytime, anywhere, and open up to any page. It wouldn't matter. There's no continuity. It's a great, "I'll just read a bit while I have a cup of tea" kind of book. 

I found the content highly interesting, at times funny, heartbreaking and thrilling. Definitely a lot of, "Lesley, I hear ya! I've been there," kind of moments.

Lesley Kinzel, who co-founded the blog Fatshionista, is a well known advocate for the fat acceptance movement, and her knowledge and intelligence of that realm really comes alive on the pages. One of the topics explored was Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign which Kinzel argues

"With exercise and improved diet, sure, some fat kids are likely to stop being fat - and some aren't. But this is not the point. The point is to improve the overall health and fitness of all kids, and for this to happen, these children must be able to thrive in an environment that does not shame them and their bodies, but instead teaches them that their bodies are awesome machines..."

Kinzel also questions reality TV show The Biggest Loser, arguing that the weightloss-by-any-means-necessary approach has been widely criticized by trainers, medical professionals and even a handful of former contestants. The overwhelming popularity of the show is a sad reminder that there is a huge market for the public humiliation of fat people. Kinzel then focuses on the trainer Jillian Michaels, who,

"...dehumanizes her Biggest Loser clients with vicious name-calling...Her abuse is calculated to break the clients down until they weep...only when the fat people in question behave as instructed does her mood change and they may receive some warm encouragement or support, which is meted out in doses small enough to keep them craving more...The reality is that many fat people believe they deserve humiliation and disrespect, that their grotesque fat has to be beaten out of them, emotionally or otherwise. That their evil has to be exorcised. That they and their bodies are not entitled to care and dignity, only punishment and pain...If Michaels is allowed to berate fat people under the auspices of doing them a favour, then certainly others are free to openly mock the next fat woman they see."


Beyond these more politically flavoured topics, Kinzel also openly shares many of her own personal experiences of being fat and becoming a fat activist. Her commentary on the "fat life" is entertaining, and truthful. I loved her sections on plus size fashion, where she says, 

"...when a much slimmer person compliments my clothing, she doesn't fully understand what she's complimenting...I occassionally feel like explaining, 'You're complimenting me assuming that I just walked into a store one day and bought this because it appealed to me, like you do, and that it is my taste which is the impressive and complimentary worthy thing. No. In fact, it is my persistence in the dogged pursuit of decent fucking clothing that fit me that you should be complimenting...I SLAYED A FUCKING DRAGON BEFORE I COULD BUY THIS DRESS. THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE COMPLIMENTING.' Instead I just say, 'Thank you.' And I smile."


I LOVED that part of the book. I just thought, "YES, YES, YES!" That's why we all started fatshion blogging in the first place, wasn't it? To have a voice in the fashion industry, to help each other out in that "dogged pursuit" of decent plus size clothing!

Some of her other topics that I loved was her commentary on one of my favourite films, Muriel's Wedding (yay for Aussie films!) and her experiences with dieting and bullying and growing up in a body shaming culture. 

A great book to invest in. 

  

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Aussie Curves: Black and White


My father loves Alfred Hitchcock films. So naturally, I grew up watching them. When I think of black and white, I think of Kim Novak in Vertigo in this white coat over her black outfit and gloves. Film critics say the contrast of the colours represents the duality of her character in the film. Last winter I tried on a gorgeous white coat in David Jones, but I didn't buy it. Sometimes I still dream about that coat! Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Anyway, with the 40s/50s inspired peplum trend, I do feel like I'm channeling Kim Novak at least a little bit here.









Top, Belt and Shoes: City Chic
Skirt: ASOS

I've been reading a lot of fantastic literature on body acceptance/image/confidence lately, so I've decided to start reviewing some of that material. You can check out my first review here.



Be sure to check out the other babes on the Blog Hop x



Sunday, February 10, 2013

Body Loving Book Review #1: Hot and Heavy


Hot and Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls on Life, Love and Fashion

Edited by Virgie Tovar


When I think of this book, I want to clutch it to my chest and never let it out of my sight. Quite simply, it's wonderful. 

The editor of this anthology is Virgie Tovar, a body image expert and coach with a Masters degree in Human Sexuality. You can check out her website here

A collection of 31 triumphant stories written by "fierce fat girls" who have gone from body loathing to body loving. The writing is vivid, genuine, hilarious and tear-inducing, with moments of clarity found on every page. The book is separated into three sections entitled Life, Love and Fashion, which might give an idea of the varied topics covered inside.

Some of the contributors may be familiar to those who are aware of the international fatshion and fat acceptance communities (Margitte Kristjansson of RiotsNotDiets and Golda Poretsky of BodyLoveWellness, for instance). Many others were more or less unknown to me, since I'm fairly new to the body acceptance movement. Contributor April Flores (plus size porn star) is featured on the front cover. Throughout the anthology, the women reflect on experiences that have influenced how they feel about their bodies (negative and positive) and their journeys of becoming fat revolutionaries. 

The purpose of the book is to reexamine fatness and "recast it as a tool for empowerment". It is also about refusing to apologise for your body and to start living a fulfilling life now (not when you lose X amount of weight). It's about "unleashing the fierceness" and confronting the demons we must fight in a body shaming culture.

There were moments reading this book when I burst out laughing. During others, I cried. Although, mostly I wanted to jump up and do the running man in sheer joy. It really had that effect on me. 

In the book, Charlotte Cooper wrote of a session she gave at an academic conference in England about feminist cultural activism. During the session, she split the group up and gave them various activities. For one of the groups, she drew up a BMI chart, symbol of fat people's oppression, and called upon the group to spit on it with flamboyance and style. She writes, "There's an image of a spit-covered BMI chart that now lives in my subconscious, an image that perfectly represents my view of BMI and what it stands for...I'll call on this image whenever I need it. It will give me strength when I am vulnerable. It already makes me cackle."

Another story that stood out to me was Emily Anderson's article "Fat at the Gym" where she discusses the paradox of being fat at the gym: the fear that if you are fat, you don't belong there, but if you don't go, you will never become unfat and finally worthy - "Being a fat woman at the gym is in itself an act of social disobedience. I shouldn't be there, taking up the space of the lithe-bodied, unless it's with a face of sincere penance and shame. But I have claimed the gym as my own. I celebrate being visible and fat all over the gym...I want to be seen. I am fat and happy in places where I should be fat and shameful, and denying this stereotype is a political action in my eyes."

Then there's the section on Love, a myriad of stories told by fat women about their experiences with love, sex and relationships. The narratives are interestingly varied and the topics wide (speed dating, fat sex, body image, pornography).

Oddly enough, I found the Fashion section of least interest to me (strange because that's the focus of my own blog). Probably because I've devoured so many fashion blogs that I felt like I'd heard it all before. Still, it was intriguing to read more detailed stories of women confronting the idea of "flattery" and breaking fashion rules that apply to plus size women (horizontal stripes, for instance). Kirsty Fife writes, "Fatshionista taught me that there was no such thing as bad bodies or bad parts of my body. There was no need to conform to this doctrine of flattery and acceptability if I didn't see my fattest parts as inferior to the rest of me....Now I wear clothes as a form of resistance...because I want to see a variety of body shapes in public spaces....To you, it might just be an outfit, but to me it's performance, care, support, resistance, survival, and fighting." AMAZING. 

Do yourself and favour and buy this book. It will change your life. It changed mine.

Aussie Curves: Nature



A vintage dress covered in Autumn leaves is the most "nature-themed" outfit I own. Ideally I'd just go naked with a few artfully placed leaves, Adam and Eve style. Changed my mind last minute. My partner made me get inside a bush to make up for it. Enjoy xx








Dress & Bangle: Vintage from Nadia's House Of Serendipity
Belt: City Chic
Shoes: Converse


 

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Hilda

It's funny the things that can inspire you. 

Hilda is a fictional character painted by an artist named Duane Bryer between 1957 and 1970 for a pin up calendar. 

Quite simply, I want to be her. 















All pictures taken from Hilda Gallery

When I look at these pictures, it makes me want to make a daisy chain bikini and frollick by the seaside in all my chubby glory.

She is my role model! Confident, unashamed, free, sexy, cute, independent and deliciously fun.  

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Aussie Curves: Swimwear

Enjoy the beach this summer? 
"We can do it!"

Swimwear is a theme I've been hangin out for! This is a huge deal for me because of years of body shame that was heightened with childhood school swimming events and bullies who laughed at my body shape in swimsuits. I wish I could go back in time and punch those losers in the face instead of swallowing my shame and thinking I didn't deserve any better!

Because I rent a unit on the beach, swimming has been a bigger part of my life in the last few years. I had a pretty reluctant beginning - it always took my housemates a lot of convincing to get me down to the beach for a swim because I was quietly ashamed of my body. 

This summer there's been a real shift in my confidence, so I've enjoyed the beach more than ever before! This Christmas, my extended family headed down to the beach in the late afternoon and one of my cousins said to me, "I've never seen anyone more glamourous in a bathing suit!" 

I'm not gonna lie - this made me feel pretty smug. But I figure that's okay because I'm making up for the lost time when I felt embarassed instead of damn fine!


Despite all that, whenever I toddle down to the beach, there's always a little whisper of doubt and fear about what people might say. As a fatty, I'm really on a journey of getting better at coaching myself into making peace with my body. This swimsuit makes the job pretty easy.

I bought it online from Pin Up Girl Clothing. Called the Bettie Swimsuit in Red Polka Dot, it goes up to a 2X (which I'm wearing). It's the most stretchy and comfortable swimsuit I've ever worn. I'm wearing it with the City Chic swim skirt (XL). I really got into the pin up spirit of things and went with a cherry theme.













Bathers/Swimsuit:  Pin Up Girl Clothing
Swim skirt: City Chic
Cherry Necklace: Ebay
Apple sunglasses: from a store called Bimbo on Rundle Street, Adelaide
Cherry Headscarfe: Etsy

You can imagine my joy and surprise when I later found this picture of April Flores wearing it.


While I wore a swim skirt with this suit on the beach, I'd like to get to a point where I feel confident enough to go without it. Here's a look at the whole suit without the skirt, lumpy legs and all!



Recently on Instagram, Tess Munster posted this up about her experiences with swimwear.



After reading this post, I was so inspired that I ordered a bikini from Domino Dollhouse. I had to go up a size because mine had sold out, so I really hope it fits when it arrives. I don't know if I'll have the guts to wear it on the beach just yet, but we'll see...

I'm so aware of the way people look at bikini clad women and make a judgement of whether their body is acceptable for it. "She really shouldn't be wearing that"; "No one wants to see that"; "She's too old for a bikini"...I'd just like to say that I don't give a shit who wears a bikini. I don't mind seeing men in speedos, and I don't care if a 70-year-old woman is wearing a bikini. Life's too short to care. Everyone has a right to feel free on the beach, to bask in the glow of the sun. I've realised that I'm never going to have a "bikini body". But when I read Tess Munster's post, I thought, am I okay with never experiencing my body in a bikini? Should I just accept I'll never have a bikini body and never buy one? My personality just doesn't allow for that. That would just eat at me. No one tells me what I can and cannot wear.

I wonder how it will look.

If you're a plus size girl reading this, have you ever worn a bikini in public? If so, was it a positive experience? If you haven't, would you ever do it?

Thanks for reading xo