Loving Myself Through Fashion

I like shoes, but I have never really been a "shoe girl".  I think that the appeal of a great pair of shoes for many women is that they will fit you no matter your size, or how you feel about your body that day (not so true of boot's, as I have learned as my body changes).

But my love of fashion comes from a desire to figure out what will look best on my own body type, and figuring out what clothes just feel like "me".  The challenge of figuring out what will work best is half the fun!

I have Crohns disease, which is a disease that makes it impossible for me to stay at just one size for long, which can be a frustrating challenge.  But it has also given me a unique glimpse into several different body types, and helped me to learn to accept my body no matter what.  When I am very sick, I can get very thin, which is not natural for me and so not my ideal shape.  It can make me feel like I am in someone else's body (not to mention the fact that I am sick, so I'm not too happy with what my body is doing to me in the first place!).  When I am at my peak of remission, I can pack on the pounds quickly, which is sometimes hard to deal with emotionally as well.  For six months almost two years ago today, I also had to have an ostomy, Which presented a whole new world of fashion challenges to say the least!  Every time I have a new body challenge, I have to go though a process of learning to accept the "new" me.  I choose to do this through fashion!

No matter my size, I feel it is important for me to represent myself through the clothes that I wear, as a way of helping me re-learn how to accept myself and also to re-learn how to still look like me, without always being able to look right in the same clothes I used to wear at a smaller or bigger size.

One of my goals in life is to spreed the message that woman should love themselves at any size, so I need to be sure to work towards always practicing what I preach and love myself.  We are not body's with souls, we are souls with bodies!  Feeling comfortable in my skin sometimes starts with being comfortable in my clothes, which is why I feel that it is important for me to find pieces that fit beautifully, and never believe that the shape of my body can keep me from being my own lovely self.

I am proud to represent that rare breed of woman who actually likes herself! Now my goal is to show every woman that I love that they are beautiful too, and worth love no matter what the tag in their jeans says.

Me in a Anthropology dress my lovely friend Kimmi gave me.  Photo by Jeremy Osborn.