“Oh, honey, I just can’t wear sleeves like that.”
“I’ll leave those short dresses for the younger girls.”
“Oh, I don’t wear capris. I just can’t pull it off.”
I often find myself standing at work, after being told
one variation or another of one of the above excuses for why a customer can’t
wear this item or that one, a little bewildered by it all. As someone who tries
not to enforce too many fashion restrictions on myself, I often find myself
wondering why in the world so many women do.
There was a time, not long ago in fact, when I wouldn’t
wear stripes. I wouldn’t wear bright colors. You wouldn’t catch me daring to
bare my flabby arms, or wear anything too daring at all for fear of drawing
attention to myself. For fear that people would take notice of me and my grave
sin of being fat. I’ve rather accepted the fact that I am fat and have decided
that I am going to wear what I damn well please despite that. It has been the
best decision of my entire life. I have never once regretted it.
I find myself full of sadness when I come across women
daily, and sometimes men, who are still stuck in the same mindset that I used
to be. They limit themselves to dark colors, they tell themselves they can’t
wear “busy” patterns, and they won’t allow themselves to buy a garment in a
larger size, telling themselves they only deserve it when they reach that
smaller size, and my heart aches for them.
To
all of you out there who live your lives in this way; I just want you to know
that your life is right here waiting for you. There is no reason to wait to
love yourself. Right now, as you are. You don’t need to lose a single more
pound or burn a single calorie more to begin loving yourself. You are a
beautiful, wonderful person exactly as you are this very moment.
You
can “pull it off”. You can pull off whatever you want. Wear those capris. Wear
that short dress. Wear the damn tutu. Wear those neon heels. Wear that tank top
and show off those flabby arms that carry your babies around all day. Your body
works hard for you, show it some love. Shake off all those years of hate that
yourself and others have taught you to feel for it. Pull it off.
