Why Tess Holliday is a Big Deal

Unless you live under a very isolated rock, you have heard about Tess Holliday. Formerly Tess Munster, the plus-size model and body positive activist is the first of her height and size (5'5 and a size 22) to ever land a major contract with a modeling agency.

And people are pissed.                         

Tess Holliday's Instagram

I was recently reading this article on Tess by Pearl Gabel, and after Tess Holliday described her career successes as "out of body experiences" she went on to say "I'm always still that 13-year-old girl in Mississippi who people told I wasn't good enough. I never could have imagined that I could be here."                           

Her saying that in particular really hits home for me.

When I was in the eighth grade we had a class called Career Readiness. It was an extremely boring class, but there was one bright spot that semester: A career aptitude test. I answered the questions on that test as truthfully as I could. It resulted in three job possibilities for me: Actress, journalist, and model.

I was thrilled, of course; those all being things I wanted to do. Being thirteen at the time, I had no doubt in my mind that I could be all of those things.

Then life happened.

Just a few years after graduating high school, that thirteen-year-old me was just gone. I was a short, fat, college drop-out with low self-esteem. I finally began to see some worth in myself and started Prettiful Style to document that journey. It has been a long road for me, and it's not even nearly over.

Back to Tess. The short, fat and beautiful mother from Mississippi is really shaking things up. She is absolutely gorgeous, as evidenced by her Instagram account, yet people think it is terrible, even immoral for her to be a model and get to be in magazines with her fabulous fatness showing for all the world to see. 

Why all the hate? This article by The Militant Baker explains so well what I have been thinking on the subject, and that is basically this: Misery loves company. If people are out there killing themselves to look "perfect", but are still unhappy, they feel that a fat person (oftentimes who they see as a lazy glutton) certainly has no right to feel good about themselves. Many feel that those who are fat shouldn't get to feel good in their own skin.

That "perfection" all of these people are out there trying to achieve is, most of the time, unattainable. Working toward being healthy is a good thing, and it's something we should all try to do for our own good, (Like Tess does; she works out and hikes and has a pretty active life) but that should be about actually being healthy, not trying to chase this ridiculous ideal of beauty that much of society is obsessed with.

What Tess Holliday is doing is groundbreaking. Not only is this a success in her own life, it is a victory for all of us plus-size gals who dream of a world where we will be treated like everyone else. She is sending a message out there to all women, that message is this: Don't let your size, weight, height, or shape hold you back. Be who you want to be, and don't let others tell you you can't.

Tess gives me hope. Most likely I will never do anything more than my blog, (which is fine; I love my blog) but Tess's success at least tells me one thing, and that is my childhood dreams are, at the very least, possibilities. 

The thirteen-year-old girl I once was is alive again. She is still pretty weak, but she sees the world through young, wondering eyes. She still believes her dreams could some true. Every time the body-positive world achieves another victory against the "normal" beauty standards, she gets a little stronger. 

And she's hungry for more.



Thanks for reading!
           
                                                             Love always,
                                                                   Ashley

Houndstooth, a Classy Girl's Best Friend

Sometimes, quite often actually, I ask myself just exactly what am I aiming for with my personal style. I am frequently seeing things that other bloggers are doing, things that I totally love, and want to emulate.

Today's post, for instance. I've seen many beautiful ladies rocking the peplum tops and dresses, and my last post was on a peplum top. The truth is, I don't know what I'm aiming for exactly or where I will be in the future with my personal style.

The only thing I can say with any certainty is that I am having a blast doing this blog and rocking looks that I really dig. I mean, what's not to love about this outfit? One thing I have always liked is a classic look. It's hard to get any more classy than a peplum top with a houndstooth pattern. And I really love the little jewel detail along the neckline!

A distinct personal style is something that continues to develop and change over time. It is ever-evolving. I am just going to keep investing in the classics, wearing what I love, and trying new things, too. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me!

Peplum top: JCPenny
Pencil skirt: thrifted
Sunglasses: Romancing the Stone

Peplum Perfection

Peplums, in my opinion, are just about the greatest little bit of fashion ever made. It's been around for a long time, and I mean a long time. Gorgeous ladies were rocking peplums as far back as the 1800's, and maybe even farther back. 

In today's post I'm rocking a new black and white peplum top. I'm totally digging the square collar and the zipper detail.

Peplum tops, dresses, jackets, and even bathing suits are trending big time right now. I think some are wondering if this is just a trend or if peplums are here to stay. 

I consider them a classic. While strong peplum trends have come and gone throughout fashion history, I bet they have never gone completely out of style. You could probably go back though time and find dresses or tops from any decade that have one style of peplum or another. I really love the peplum party dresses of the 80's.

Peplum dresses or tops are flattering on just about everyone. They really are the perfect little bit of flare to add to a piece of clothing. 

As you can see in this last picture, although a belt really makes the outfit look complete and polished, it isn't completely necessary. Much of the time online you will find fashion "experts" telling plus-sized women of many shapes to either wear loose stuff to hide their bellies or belt absolutely everything to accentuate the waist. I love cinching my waist, but I don't always feel like doing it. This outfit still looks totally cute without the belt. 

Pairing a peplum top with a straight skirt or a pencil skirt creates a great silhouette. It looks wonderful and flattering on just about everyone; in fact I'm having a hard time thinking of a body shape that it wouldn't look good on. If you lack curves like me, it can help create the illusion that you have them. If you are already curvy, it just accentuates them! Peplum really is amazing. It's like magic.

Peplum top- JCPenny

Black skirt- thrifted

Black and White and Pretty All Over

Shopping, to me, is a chore. It is a chore that I love, but loving it makes it no less work. I go to the store, try on ten or twenty dresses, and finally find about three that fit alright. This is the part where I tell myself I do not need all three of them, especially if I don't absolutely love them. I tell myself that just because it fits doesn't mean I should buy it. If none of them make me feel just amazing, I tell myself to walk out of that dressing room and save my money for another day. 

Yes, it is every bit as difficult as it sounds. Trying to build up a wardrobe and develop a style takes some discipline when I am on a budget.

Luckily for me, a shopping trip just as I described above recently resulted in me not going away empty-handed, but going home with this beautiful black and white patterned dress.

Nothing makes me feel quite as pretty or feminine as a new dress. 
Whenever I get something new I rush home to try it on again, even though I just tried it on in the store. Sometimes I just want to try it on with different shoes or see how different bags look with it.

This dress is such a great find, especially when you consider that it is not only in that timeless black and white, but it's in a really fun print as well.

Also, I love the ruching down the middle of the chest. This makes the dress even more interesting and creates a bit of a slimming effect. 

Now, about these adorable little pink heels. It's just amazing what I find in my local thrift store, isn't it? I fell in love with these lovelies the very second I laid eyes on them. Aren't the little bows just ridiculously cute? True love does exist!

You know what else makes me all happy inside? I had this dress for a little while before I wore it anywhere, and that was only because I didn't like any of my shoes with it. I know that sounds silly since black and white goes with everything, but nothing felt right. Then I brought these shoes home and tried them on with this dress, and I noticed they were the exact same shade of pink as the little piping detail on the ruched part. I'd totally forgotten about that!

This dress and I were meant to be as well. Heck, anytime I find something this pretty on a clearance rack, that's destiny. I must tell you, wearing this dress makes me feel like I could conquer the world. Anything that makes me feel that good is not getting left in the dressing room.

Dress- JCPenny
Shoes- Local thrift store
Jewelry- Local store, Charmed
Clutch- Wal-Mart

Loving the Tacky Christmas Sweaters

Christmas probably is my favorite holiday. The baking, the shopping, the gift-wrapping, the somewhat annoying music, I love it all!

I've noticed many of the bloggers I follow are sporting gorgeous holiday dresses and their tacky Christmas sweaters; I figured I should, too!

Since there's no such thing as fancy or formal Christmas parties where I come from, I'll skip the pretty dresses and just get to the tacky sweaters.

I

Pardon my squinting in some of these photos; it was pretty bright outside. Anyway, I found this festive red sweater at a local thrift store. Aren't the little snow-people cute?

I decided to belt it to give the look a little more shape, although it was pretty cute without it, too. I just love the bright red! How can you get more Christmassy than that?

My furry boots here are from a flea-market. My adorable little brown clutch came from a local store called Charmed.

Did I mention that this post is a double-feature? That's right! When I bought the red sweater above, I also picked up this awesomely tacky Santa-Claus sweatshirt. 

I knew this sweatshirt, being quite loose, would make my top half look larger, but so what? I decided to wear my flared jeans, which I got at a thrift store. I'm pretty pleased with it. Also, how comfy can you get? Jeans and a sweatshirt? Sign me up anytime! I added silver heels and earrings for a little more fun.

So apparently, ugly sweater parties are a pretty big deal. Unfortunately for this would-be party goer, they aren't that common around here. Some do have them, but not that many. Do I let that stop me? Heck no! I'll rock my tacky Christmas sweaters whenever and wherever I want! I've worn both of these shopping already, and I'll probably wear one outfit each for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 

Who says wonderfully tacky Christmas sweaters are only for parties?

Thanks for reading!

                                                               Love always,

                                                                     Ashley

A Casual Thanksgiving

In my family, Thanksgiving dinner is always a casual affair. We get together, we cook, we eat, we watch movies, we eat some more. Thanksgiving takes several hours, if not the whole day.

I knew my day would consist of me cooking, eating, and laying around, that is when I wasn't busy chasing my two-year-old. Cute and comfy was the way to go.

I found this gray sleeveless cardigan at Factory Connection. Belted, it looks really great and helps create a waistline. I just love it; it's really cute. I went with my black leggings and some simple flats that I have had forever.

Oh, yeah. Did you notice the "rule" I'm breaking? Yeah, I'm talking about that striped top that I picked up at Sears. In case you were wondering, yes you can wear horizontal stripes. Anyone can. Also, how cute is this clutch? I picked it up at a little local store called Charmed. 

And this picture right here shows what I am most grateful for in this world. My little girl, Mila. She is one of the main reasons I am doing this blog. I hope she will grow up loving herself no matter what. There is only one way I can think of to make that happen, and that is to lead by example.

In Love with Leopard

I'm just absolutely loving my outfit in this post. I have always had an affection for leopard print. It could have something to do with my hometown of DeQueen, Arkansas having the leopard as the school mascot. Maybe it's the magical way that the print camouflages round tummies. I suppose it could simply be that I love the way it looks on me.

 Leopard, in fact, looks great on almost anyone. Also, it's a really fun, sexy print that can function as a neutral, too.Wear it with black, wear it with brown; wear it with black and brown, as I have done here. It even looks amazing with bright colors. 

I would like to take a moment here to talk about my adorable furry boots and purse set. Originally from Avon, I picked this cute duo up at a local flea-market for $10. I am completely smitten with them, as well.

 I feel so cute and confident in this outfit, as well as trendy; tunics, leggings, and boots being what its all about this Autumn, after all.
These boots are very comfy, too.

I chose my turquoise necklace and earrings to go with this outfit. Leopard is made up of blacks, browns, and tans, and turquoise looks amazing with all of those. Of course, it's hard to go wrong with turquoise. Much like leopard print, it's fun and goes with almost anything.

This is probably going to be one of my most-worn outfits this fall and winter. I absolutely love every part of it, from head to toe. Leopard, blacks and browns, and turquoise are all timeless and never quite go out of style. Hopefully I'll be rocking this ensemble for a while.

Tunic- Sears
Leggings- Wal-Mart
Avon boots and purse set- Flea-market
Necklace- Flea-market
Earrings- Stage

                             Thanks for reading!

                                                         Love always,
                                                              Ashley