By Mac Pomeroy
When I was younger, fashion and style were some of the last things I thought about in regards to picking clothes. My main priority, given I have always struggled with my weight, was finding well-fitting clothes. Often, these clothes ended up being quite girly, covered in frills, dainty patterns, and being cut in bizarre ways.
Regardless of how these clothes made me feel, I wore them anyway. It seemed like my only option for my size. Besides, the clothes fit my mother’s sense of style, so I figured they must be nice.
Thankfully, as years went on, plus-size clothing became much easier to find. Rather than having to take what I could get, I was able to look for pieces more my style and learn what my style actually is.
As it turns out, I am rather eccentric with the way I dress. I’m either extremely bright and resemble a clown, or I am in all black and trying to relive my nonexistent edgy teen days.
Either way, I don’t blend in. I’m not sure if it is the fanny packs, or the earrings that look like I grabbed the nearest object and put it on a hook, or the blue hair, but I tend to stand out like a sore thumb. It’s quite the opposite of what I wore before.
This is the part of my style I actually really enjoy. To be fair, I never blended in to begin with, so it’s nice to stand out because of something I like. However, I know my wardrobe is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea.
For example, my mom says my “Worm on a String” earrings are absolutely hideous. I adore those earrings.
When it comes to finding your style and what makes you feel confident, you need to follow your gut and be yourself. For some people, this may mean dressing like you are about to go to Mars. For others, it could simply be plain sneakers and a T-shirt.
Clothes can be a huge thing when it comes to being confident. Regardless of whether or not you are someone who actually cares about fashion, it still can greatly impact one’s self-esteem when they wear something they genuinely don’t feel good in.
The reason I discuss this is because I recently cleaned out my closet, again. I got rid of a huge bag of old clothes, all of which were from the time when I had no other options. Each of the items was very nice, and I know they will be getting new owners who will appreciate them more than I ever did.
I had no hesitation getting rid of it all. Even the things I used to think were my favorites, I just knew they no longer made me feel my best. I have changed since then and developed my own style.
