We Are The They, And We're Not Going Away!

So the media has been going crazy the past few weeks with stories about body image, fashion and everything else surrounding us and how we are expected to look. This week there has been a huge focus on plus size fashion and the people involved in the industry. With talk about the term "Plus Size" what it means, how we feel about it and if we should keep it. The campaign #DropThePlus was first seen on Instagram and has been met with mixed responses from the public. Some feel that in order to embrace all women we should blur the lines and eradicate the categories we are put in due to our dress size. I personally like the term plus size. I feel that we are taking terms that were previously used to push insults at us and owning them. Fat people are no longer ashamed of the dreaded F word and have been able to form a worldwide community through the Plus Size label. Having said that I do think that Fashion and beauty is something that everyone should be entitled to regardless of their shape, size, age, race, and everything else in-between. 

The recently aired documentary Plus Size Wars, focused on the evolution of fashion for people like myself and the changes the industry has faced. We saw a glimpse of how modelling agencies are now adopting a supply in demand approach in regards to who they have on their books. Men and women the world over have tapped into a new way of experiencing fashion and that in my opinion has been 100% down to the internet. Youtube videos, fashion blogs and Instagram pages have opened the eyes of people out there and are making them more aware of their choices in fashion and ways of buying it. People like the stunning Tess Holliday aka Tess Munster have really helped to changed the game, being that she is the polar opposite to what the agencies deemed acceptable for an aspiring model. Some of my friends and fellow bloggers were also involved in the channel 4 documentary and did an amazing job in representing us. The thoughts and feelings of plus size women were very well portrayed and the hour long programme did a good job in showing us all in a positive light.

As expected when a show like this airs there will be comments and criticism to follow. With the internet everyone has an open channel to voice their opinion to the world, and in doing the same we see articles reach the print and television media. Loose Women host Jamelia has recently put herself in hot water when she very rudely expressed her opinion about people like myself. She feels that people above and bellow a certain dress size should be ostracised and made to feel ashamed by having to buy our clothes in specialist stores. Now I know that these days we are being bombarded with news about health related issues and fitness information but in the mix of all of that we have also been brainwashed with a very rigid and narrow minded view of what is beautiful. We see celebrities getting nipped and tucked every day and are constantly shown images of women with the perfect bikini body. I won't bang on about how I feel about that because I want to make it very clear that in this post I am speaking as a fat woman and for fat women.

I don't think it's right for people who perhaps have never had a weight problem to speak on issues relating to the subject. We are people and that alone should let people know that most things are not what they seem and are more complicated that what you can see on the surface. You can't always see if someone suffers from a medical condition, mental illness is also something that isn't always visible but because someone like me has a physical issue that you can see people feel as though they can do more than pass comments, they feel as though they can be rude and insulting! 

Let me make this clear to Jamelia and anyone else who shares in her opinion, we are not a group of aliens to be described as "they" we are people and we have an opinion and feelings of our own! My being a confident fat woman who blogs about fashion and beauty in no way makes me an advocate for obesity. I hate the term "promoting obesity" as it's not only stupid, it's ludicrous! First of all, fat people are constantly shunned by people for our size, we are discriminated against, laughed at and have to deal with comments about our appearance from strangers 365 days a year! Why would we promote something that brings us headache and grief as if it's a good thing? Whoever would think that is actually pretty thick if you ask me. I'll be honest here we can't win. If we work out and exercise people laugh at us for trying to be healthy and if we are seen eating anything at all even a salad people look at you as though you have just grown 5 heads! I, like many people out there have recently had a change in mind set. It took me more than 2 decades to come to the realisation that I had been hating myself and the way that I looked due to other people's ignorance! Almost every over weight person has had to deal with people patronising and taking the mick out out of them at some point and with that 2 things can happen. Some people lose their self esteem and crumble under the pressure and others come up fighting with a stronger and more resilient attitude to things. I like many plus size people have heard all of the insults possible, have developed defence mechanisms and have reached a place where I simply don't have the care to fight about something so unimportant, other people's opinions of me.

Having nice clothing available as a fat person is amazing. I can honestly say that through the options that have become available to us we have been able to embrace sides of our personality that for some have previously been hidden. When all you have to wear is ill fitting clothes that are dowdy and often not age appropriate you don't really have a way to express your sense of style and have to make adaptations where possible. Since being able to wear the fashions I had admired on other women my confidence has soared. I am now able to look in the mirror and actually like the reflection that looks back at me. When you feel confident the way you look at yourself changes, I now take more pride in my appearance, and that has extended to my making healthier lifestyle choices. People who over eat often do so as a coping mechanism the same way that others turn to drugs and alcohol. To constantly insult and break a person down who is like this, is literally handing them the tub of ice cream and the spoon to eat it with! The problem goes beyond not knowing how to control your portions or getting more excise in. In order to fix what you think is a problem you need to understand it better. Some people are fat because they over eat and some aren't. Some large people want to lose weight and some are happy as they are, yes I said it, happy as they are! The thing is if we are trying to change something in ourselves or carry on as we are we should be able to look good whilst doing so. I know it may surprise some people out there but we have families, friends, partners, jobs and social lives too. We need to be able to wear clothes appropriate for the occasion just as you can. When you say "they" I am one of the people you are talking about! 

Big people know all of the same health statistics as you so to bleat on about it isn't telling us something we don't already know. I hear all the time about how we are a drain on the resources and on taxes. Do you not think we have jobs or pay tax? We do all of the same things you do just in a larger body suit. I am not ashamed of how I look and if my being confident in myself helps at least 1 other fat person out there then I can carry on smiling and doing what I need to do for myself. News flash there has always been fat people in the world and there always will be. Someone will always be battling some sort of weight problem somewhere. While all of this is going on they have every right to make the best of what they have and enjoy their lives in the clothes they want to wear!

Last night the plus size community clubbed together to spread the message that "We Are The They" we look good, feel good and will do our thing as best we can! You may not like the way that we look but remember something, just like anything people will change if they want to and they won't if they don't. Many people already think we look bad so what would you rather we wear smart and stylish clothes or stuff ourselves into things that are ill fitting and make us look a complete mess? We are all going through things and we need to be more understanding of each other, after all the saying is true 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

Spring Time Fun With Zizzi And Yours

Finally after months of wet and cold weather we are starting to see some much wanted sunshine. With the change in the seasons we are starting to see people showing a little more skin and wearing the clothes that look great among the blossoming flowers and sunny days. I'm currently in a very casual mood these days and it's only now that I'm wanting to dress up a little more. Last weekend we had some really nice weather and a lot of people were out and about in t-shirts, shorts, skirts and the other items we associate with summer.

I decided that I would follow suit but still keep in mind the elements of spring and then when those clouds are around there can be a slight chill in the air. At the moment I'm really into dark and stone coloured tones with a splash of colour somewhere. For this look I wanted to keep it simple, fun and casual. This striped knit pencil skirt from Zizzi is really comfortable and warm to wear. I love the length and the print makes this one that can be worn across any season. The ruffled detail in the hem adds a little extra flair to the overall look and helps the skirt to cling to your frame without hitching. This one is currently available at Navabi. 

One of the great things about living where I live is having a close friend and fellow blogger within walking distance. Hanna and I take each other's outfit pictures all the time and she let me borrow her slogan t-shirt from Zizzi. This one came out last year, what I love about it is the message on it. 'There is no wrong way to be a woman', this quote from the gorgeous and stunning Denise Bidot really speaks to me, and I'm sure other women out there will feel the same. We are constantly being told what to look like, what we should say about certain things, what we should think etc. sometimes it feels like we women have been set an impossible set of standards to which we are supposed to follow. The sad thing is that we have become our own worst critics and more often than not we forget that there is no rule book about how to be a woman, we just are women in every sense. 

I like my t-shirts to be a little form fitting so that they don't look tent-like against my frame. I tied a small knot in the bottom corner with the help of Hanna and the look I was after was quickly achieved. Check out how Hanna styled it previously here. I wanted to wear some wedge shoes and so these platform wedge sandals from Yours Clothing were a must. The silver heel embellishment really works against the silver in the clothes and on top of everything else, these are so comfortable! My long length cardigan has been a god send lately. I love how such a simple basic item can work with so many different styles of outfit!

For accessories I only wanted a few so my hoop earrings and black bandana were my only additions to the outfit. Sometimes you just want to get up and go, no muss no fuss. I often dress for comfort with a little added style. Even when wearing simple styles I still like to feel somewhat put together for a little extra confidence. I find that when I look a certain way it can affect my mood. 

If like me you want to dress for the change in the season but want to feel prepared for that sudden chill that can hit the air then there are some fun things you can do. Wear the style of item you want but maybe select a thicker fabric, layer up with a cardigan or a jacket, something you can remove if you feel warm that can still tie into the look when the evening approaches. Have fun and play with your look!

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

Nadia Aboulhosn Boohoo Capsule Collection Reviewed!

*This Dress Is A Gifted Item

It's a great time to be a plus size woman who loves fashion and beauty. We are seeing so many different things being created with us in mind and we are now able to wear clothing of pretty much any style. Growing up in London as a big girl was always awkward. The only options we had for stylish trends was through expensive catalogues and what was on the high street really didn't leave much to be desired. Now with the internet we can pick up amazing items at bargain prices from pretty much anywhere in the world! With the rise in options, girls like myself have really embraced the choices that we have and many of us have started blogging. What gave me the idea to crate a blog was the fact that I was constantly being asked by people where I was picking up my clothes. I figured I could put it out there on the blog in an effort to help women of similar size and get to know a few people in the process. 

As a blogger you get to see a lot of familiar faces not only through the social media channels but at events and functions. One blogger in particular who has made quite a name for herself and has earned reams of followers is none other than Nadia Aboulhosn. The New York city blogger has not only wowed women everywhere with her sense of style, her lifestyle posts have also generated a lot of interest. One of the most referenced fashion brands Boohoo recently teamed up with Nadia to create a fresh and funky capsule collection of clothes. With items ranging from sizes 16-24 and a variety of sexy styles that encapsulate Nadia's personality, it's no wonder everyone's raving about the collection!

When I first saw the range I was really impressed with how edgy it was. Often brands shy away from funky, sexy and sassy items for us plus size women. Admittedly there is a lot of items that I love but don't think I could pull off due to my proportions but I know they will look hot on many of you. Here I am pictured wearing the embossed sleeve dress, size 24. When I first tried this on I really liked the fabric; 95% polyester and 5% elastane this dress is really smooth on the skin, soft to the touch and has a really nice amount of stretch. As I have really large breasts and a big behind this dress hitches up a little on me and so I felt it was too short to wear on it's own. 

I decided to create a sports luxe sort of look by pairing the dress with my black and white gingham leggings. Despite always hearing that white makes you look bigger and should be avoided as a big girl I really love this outfit. Those of you who are familiar with my blog will know that I'm all for breaking the rules that society have given us when it comes to how we should dress. 

The long sleeves make this a really versatile item suitable for several seasons and they have a faint and interesting pattern right the way down to the cuffs. If worn on it's own, the length allows you to really showcase your legs and some cute heels would really set it off. As you can see I opted for a more casual style.

I really like the side zip detail at the hem of the dress, not only is this a cool style feature I think that if worn as a singular item this could add a little extra sexiness to the garment and could allow some extra thigh to be showcased. I also think it could come in handy for women with a larger behind or stomach because you could give yourself a little more space in the mid section by having the zips open. 

When putting this outfit together my idea was to keep things bright and fresh for the season with only a slight touch of colour. I love how white looks against my complexion as the golden tones in my skin stand out more. I thought that these canvas boots would give me some additional height and pull the overall look together. These were from New Look but you can pick up a similar pair here.

I'll be honest I am having major hair issues these days which is why you guys have seen a lot of hats and hair scarves on the blog recently. Seeing as I have a rather large collection of bandanas this white one with paisley print was a must for me! 

I have a large collection of tote bags that seems to keep expanding lol. Me being such a body confidence activist and a lover of fun slogans led me to select this cute bag from Zizzi. For a small splash of colour I wore my pink diamonte lightning bolt necklace that I've had for about a hundred years. Hanna being a huge lipstick lover has been encouraging me to try more shades and so it was fortunate for me that I happen to have a magenta lipstick that's the exact same shade as my pendant. 

There are some really great lines available from Nadia's capsule collection. Be sure to head on over to Boohoo to see it in it's entirety. You know what I say, have fun with your style, wear what you want, not what people tell you to wear. Fashion is meant to be about expression and style not conforming to someone else's ideals. 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

It's All Yours! A Yours Clothing Review

Hey everyone, today's post is a little different to my usual outfit reviews. Hanna and I were contacted by Yours Clothing and was offered the chance to do a collaborative post. Blogging can be quite a solitary thing to do and when I first started out I was doing pretty much everything on my own, my mum was taking my outfit pictures and I didn't know that many bloggers closely. Hanna and I had met a couple of times, but it was at an event that we realised that we are neighbours! We have since been taking each other's outfit pictures and have become really close friends. I have to say it's so much fun having a close friend and fellow blogger just around the corner. She was a huge inspiration to me before we met so getting to know her so well over the past year has been a lot of fun and such a pleasure, I love this girl! 

When it comes to style our weekly photo sessions have become a lot of fun and we usually finish up over a coffee and loads of laughs. It's always fortunate when a good friend of yours is around the corner, you never know when you might wanna have a quick natter and as we are really similar in dress size we've been able to borrow the odd item of clothing from each other here and there. For me I've never had the luxury before, seeing as I'm the only plus size girl out of my old friends. 

We quicky became familiar with each others sense of style, angles and poses and she is one of the few people I 100% trust when it comes to my style. Some of you may have seen some previous posts I have written where I have worn outfits she has styled on me. This time around we were posing together with the help of Hanna's tripod and I really love how the pics came out. When it came to selecting our outfits I wanted something that would show off my personal style. My aim was to select something a little different that would also compliment Hanna's chosen outfit. We both ended up with acid wash jeans and sandals but my look is a little more dressy in it's overall style.

As some of you know I have a thing for Monochrome outfits and that's exactly what I was going for here. Even though we're now in the spring, there are some really great options out there for people who maybe want to keep things simple and add a splash of colour. In my case I wanted to add a little sassiness whilst keeping the shaded colours as the main focus. I selected the black and white sleeveless top with aysemtric hem, size 22-24. I have to say the cut and fit of this top is amazing and provides loads of room for boobs and your stomach area. 

The dark grey acid wash super stretch skinny jeans were a must for me. In truth I had never tried a pair of acid wash jeans before and these were great for my first pair. I'm wearing these in a 26 but a 24 would have been fine also. I always like to wear my jeans slightly too big so that I have plenty of room for my extra lumps and bumps. I find that if you wear jeans a little larger they are more flattering to your shape. 

Even though the sun is starting to shine brightly at the moment I still like that additional coverage to combat the chill that hangs in the air. I developed a love of longline cardigans a while ago. This black knitted cardigan with ladder stitch and fringing is so nice to wear. Despite the style it is really warm and adds a little to a style of clothing that would otherwise be very simple. Even though I have reams of confidence I, like many other women have those areas that I am not exactly in love with! The 3 quarter length sleeves cover the tops of my arms nicely which for me has ALWAYS been my problem area. I'm wearing this one in a size 22-24. 

I like my footwear to be simple and stylish and these gladiator sling back sandals caught my eye as soon as I saw them. Unfortunately the fit of them wasn't great on me and my feet kept sliding in them. The good news is after Hanna and I finished taking these pictures we of course tried on each other's outfits and we ended up swapping sandals. For more detail on Hanna's chosen outfit, be sure to head over to her blog for links. 

When it came to my choice of accessories I wanted to bring a little of my music taste into the mix. I'm sure those of you who read my blog from time to time will be aware that I am a huge Michael Jackson fan! It's not often that I can incorporate elements on his style into my own but when I get the chance I take it! I have had my white Fedora hat since I was 21! I don't wear it often as there's not many outfits I can include it with. I wanted that "Smooth Criminal" edge so in keeping with my usual style I added a black and white bandana underneath. Top this off with my MJ pendant and signature hoop earrings and my look was complete. 

You know what I always say, have fun with your look play around and wear what makes you feel amazing! I had a lot of fun putting this look together and working on this post with Hanna and I hope we get the chance to collaborate this way again in the future. It's always fun playing dress up with your friends and for me this was most definitely one of those times!

If you like these outfits and want to see what else is available from the new collection by Yours Clothing check out the website. Also Hanna has an amazing discount code which takes £10 off all orders starting from £20 with code BLOGGER21 (unfortunately this excludes all sale items and only works for newly registered email addresses). 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

Wrap It Up Differently!

When it comes to clothing there are many ways to make an item work for you. I am pretty frugal when it comes to fashion I don't like to overspend and like quality at a fair price. Having said all of that I will spend a little more for something I fall totally in love with or perhaps require for a special occasion. I have mentioned several times on the blog that I try to purchase items that can work with other items in my wardrobe. I find that you can create several outfits this way.

I purchased this blue wrap dress from Pink Clove right at the beginning of last year and it has fast become a favourite of mine. I have made no secret about the fact that my favourite colour is blue and so any chance I get to pick something up in any shade of the colour I do it! Electric blue and royal blue I find really look nice against my skin tone and the colour of this dress is a key reason I can't get enough of it! I'm wearing this in a size 22 and I really love that this can be worn in so many ways. It looks great with tights or bare legged. I also like that pretty much any form of footwear compliments it. 

I decided that I would create a whole new outfit with items currently in my wardrobe. This dress was the only colourful item I wanted to wear. I decided to pair this with my pleather fronted leggings from Miss Guided in size 24. Not only are these super comfortable but they are also really warm on cold days which is great for this time of year seeing as we still have some cold days. 

I like comfort when I dress and I much prefer nice long cardigans than thick coats so I thought that this long length cardigan would be great for coverage seeing as the dress only has three quarter length sleeves. As you can see from these pictures it had been raining in London when I wore this outfit so the chill was still very much in the air. This one is from Yours Clothing and I'm wearing a size 26/28. I love oversized cardigans, they're really comfortable and work with pretty much anything. 

Even though I love getting dolled up like most women sometimes I like to take my look down a notch and so I wanted a more casual feel to this look so I decided to wear my legroom chain boots. These are so comfortable and I can literally walk in them for hours, seeing that I was out and about I wanted practical footwear. These are from Fashion World and are currently reduced in price so if you are looking for a good pair of boots take a look at the website and see what else they have in the collection.

Something I ALWAYS do which you may have noticed is colour coordinate. I'm not sure if it's just me or part of my Caribbean heritage coming in (they take coordination to a whole other level and match everything down to the perfect shade and I mean the whole outfit!) but it's something I like to do to pull a look together. With this in mind I thought my gold plated cinch belt would compliment the chain detail in the boots and provide a little added glam to the look. With 99% of my outfits I like to wear hoop earrings. This is an accessory I have worn since I was a teenager and to be honest I love it just as much as I did back then. My twisted gold hoops were a must with this look. In keeping with this look my blue floral statement necklace was my final addition and I was set.

If I were wearing this outfit to a club or something I would ditch the cardi and the boots and put the outfit with some heels to take the style from casual to dressy. There are so many ways that you can play around with your look and style. As I always say you never know what you can put together until you give it a try. Take a look in your wardrobe and try on a bunch on stuff, you may surprised with what you find! If like me you are a frugal person and you really wanna get your monies worth it's a pretty fun experiment and can be an amazing way to hold on to some of your cash! 

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!

360° Denim Dream! A Fashion World Review

When it comes to clothes there are some items that we ALL have in our closets, undergarments, t-shirts, sweats and a great pair of jeans! I am a huge lover of jeans and have been since the day I got my first bootcut pair as a teenager. I will be honest though even though I love wearing denim styled trousers, trying to find a pair that looks good, feels good and looks like a key part of the outfit rather than just a boring pair of jeans is not easy! 

It's known that we women all come in varying shapes, sizes and ages. I'm not exactly in love with the idea of referring to myself as a shape but we women often have to think about what shape we are close to when buying clothes. I would say that I am in-between an hour glass and a pear shaped figure. On top of this I am a plus size woman which means I have to account for a couple of additional lumps and bumps when trying to look good. In my case I'm 5 feet and 5 inches tall, and I tend to buy jeans with a 31 inch leg. The size changes depending on the brand I am buying from and often the colour of the jeans can come into play here. Not long ago I discovered that black dye in clothes can cause an item to fit a little smaller than with lighter colours. 

I was recently contacted by Fashion World and was offered the chance to try out a pair of jeans from their new 360° Fit Jeans collection. Always on the hunt for a good pair of jeans I of course accepted and was sent a pair of the Slim Fit Long Jeans in size 26 Indigo colour.  Previously with Jeans from the JD Williams brands I have had to go for a size 28. I tend to wear a size 24/26 in trousers and jeans but theirs usually come up a little smaller than with some other brands. I thought I would try a 26, seeing that I have recently lost a little weight and I wanted these to have a fitted look. 

I have to say I was really impressed with these jeans. They fit me like a glove with plenty of room in the behind and across the stomach. I really like the length of them and feel that they would look amazing with heels, wedges, boots or flats as the hem stops just below my ankle. For me an added bonus with these jeans is how soft they feel against the skin. Often jeans can feel stiff, rigid and a little rough sometimes. 70% cotton, 24% polyester, 4% viscose and 2% elastane fabric these jeans are really comfortable to wear. Really smooth to the touch, and they have that softness that you get when you have washed your favourite pair of jeans a few times and the fibres soften. When sitting in these they also have that little bit of added stretch you hope for, especially if you have just eaten or something. 

I like to keep things casual a lot of the time and with this outfit I thought I would go for cold colours. The jeans being a deep shade of indigo made me want to add hints of grey to the rest of the outfit. I Pulled out an old grey blazer from New Look Inspire size 22. I wanted a smart casual look so with this I went for a black #celfie t-shirt from Yours Clothing size 26/28 I love loose fitting t-shirts that compliment a series of outfits and this one is simple but fun. Usually I like for my tees to be a size lower but every now and again a larger size is the preference if I want additional boob room. 

You all know that I like to match my accessories to my overall look and so this tote bag from the new W.O.W (Wardrobe Of Wonders) collection from Zizzi was a must! In keeping with the black my Hotter boots were my chosen footwear and my black beret was my hat of choice. Silver hoop earrings, my heart charm bracelet and floral statement necklace were my jewellery choices. 

I'm believer that keeping things simple doesn't have to mean being boring. When it comes to basic looks I like to add a few personal touches of my sense of style. For me when I feel a little more put together I walk with a little more confidence. No one likes that feeling of having to rush and not quite feeling as though you look your best. I find that sticking to the colours of my clothes makes selecting additional items and accessories easier.

Remember whatever you wear, feel fabulous in it and wear it with a smile!