Aussie Curves: Secondhand

I've know about and been curious about Torrid for some time. A plus size brand based in the U.S., I've visited the online store various times and nearly purchased a few things. Back to that in a sec.

Savers is the best thrift store I know of. With six stores across Victoria and one in South Australia, you could probably say it's also the only chain recycle superstore that I know of as well. Highly organised and run like a department store, it's so easy to find what you're looking for, as everything is sorted into categories (dresses, skirts, pants, shoes, etc) and then into sizes. So I walk into Savers, get my basket, and head straight to dresses, the size 16 through to 20 racks, and settle in!

You can imagine my surprise when I came to this shirt dress, price tag $6.99, looking brand new with Torrid on the tag! I gasped, looked around suspiciously as though someone might tear it from my grasp, and quickly shoved it into my basket, hiding it beneath my other treasures. A little paranoid perhaps, but plus size girls must be fierce with our somewhat limited options!

So, low and behold, here is my first Torrid purchase.

Dress: Torrid

Belt: City Chic

Necklace: Emma's Collection

Shoes: Doc Martens

Change The Way You Talk About Your Body

Found this quote by Beth Ditto:

"A body isn't something we're taught to love; it's something we are absolutely taught to fear no matter how "perfect." I can tell you that the moment I let go of all the rules that had been instilled in me, my life opened up to possibilities I never would have imagined, opportunities that never would have came to me if I had carried on the tradition of hating my body."

It's a revelation to me. Of course - we are taught to fear our bodies, not to love them. That applies to everyone - not just the fat girls. Remember that scene in Mean Girls?

Girls watch this scene and laugh because it's so true and reminiscent of how we discuss our bodies with other women. 

Let go of the rules; open yourselves up to possibilities. Make a decision not to engage in negative body talk. It will change your life.

Aussie Curves: Feathers

As some of you may know, I met my partner on an online dating website 18 months ago. My profile picture on that website was this photo:

He has said to me since that he accepted my request because I was wearing the Indian Headdress. He had been getting bored of reading profiles that were all the same, and he liked the quirkiness of my photo. 

To this day, this headdress is one of my favourite things. But since I've already written a blog about it here, I thought I'd better focus on something else for the Aussie Curves Feathers week.

I bought this amazing feather headband at Myer in the Miss Shop section last year. I've worn it to a few music festivals, but that's it. To be honest, the plain black t-shirt here should be the focus of my blog, since I've practically been living in it for a couple of weeks! 

Headband: Miss Shop

T-Shirt: Cotton On Men

Skirt: City Chic

Necklace: Diva

Shoes: Converse Chucks

I rolled up the sleeves of the t-shirt and sealed it with hemming tape so they would stay rolled up. Since the headband is such a stand-out piece, I really liked the idea of keeping the rest of the outfit simple.

I came across this questionaire in FAT!SO? by Marilyn Wann, and this question stood out to me:

Growing up, I can honestly say that my answer would have been 'a'. If a clothing store had nothing that fit me, I did feel worthless and depressed. Now, those feelings of dismay have been replaced with answer 'd'. Obviously I don't actually come back with a flamethrower (Sigourney Weaver Aliens style, yeah!) but I have a sense of anger instead of hopelessness, and I know that everyone who has ever started a fatshion blog has felt that same anger. After all, Sigourney Weaver's anger was so kick ass that she stood smack bang in the middle of an alien nest full of eggs, a deadly queen and hundreds of fully grown alien soldiers and took it down! Anger can be productive! And I know that it's because of that anger that a community of plus size bloggers now exists and continually breaks the fashion rules and questions cultural beauty standards. It's exciting to be a part of!

The New Years Post

I think this is the first New Years of my life that I didn't think seriously about resolutions (and by resolutions, I mean beating myself up over how fat I am, and then planning a diet). I'm in a pretty happy place at the moment! But I saw this picture online that struck a chord with me:

The bf trolled me by saying that "more sleep" cancels out everything else. He would know (he really likes to sleep). But I love that it hints at healthier habits (sleeping, long walks) while keeping the really important things around too (love, laughter, creating).

And then I was reading FAT!SO? by Marilyn Wann and she writes,

"FAT!SO? proclaims 12:01am, January 1, to be Intertnational Fat-Outing Minute! During this minute, round folk are called upon to stand before their mirrors, smile, and proclaim, 'I am fat!' The zealous will then gaze deeply into the eyes of their round loved ones and say, 'You are fat, too!' Then, fat folk everywhere will applaud and blow noisemakers for a second time in as many minutes. Instead of starting the new year with yet another resolution to lose weight on some harmful, ineffectual diet, we'll begin each year with an honest moment and some relief from body-related anxiety."

I love that - relief from body-related anxiety. I think this is the first year in my life that I haven't felt that anxiety at New Years, because I spent the last 6 months of 2012 learning to love myself and appreciating my body for all its done for me.

But perhaps what rang the truest was Honor's post on Instagram, on which she wrote, 

"I was feeling devastated because all my blazers are fitting tight and it's my first day at my new job today. Be kind to yourself if your clothes fit tight after Christmas. Have a laugh, pack some apple slices, and get back into a routine if that's what suits your needs. I don't know about others, but I had FIVE turkey dinners this past holiday. Not to mention around 10 boxes of chocolates. It may not be the ideal way to start a new job but I could guess a few of my new work friends will be wearing tighter-fitting blazers too. I #HonorMyCurves by understanding the season, not beating myself up for it, remembering the time I spent with family, and getting myself back to a place of equilibrium."

What a balanced, normal and realistic way to look at it! Being on holidays, I haven't been as active as I'd like to be (catching up on Dexter and Breaking Bad has put a solid dent in the sofa!) but that's just a part of enjoying some time off. I'll get back into a more active routine and building healthier habits real soon. And that's okay.