Clothing | BulgingButtons

November 24, 2013
by BulgingButtons 18 Comments

Loving Leggings

Who says fat girls can’t wear cute clothes? We can, it’s just a matter of finding them, which can be quite a challenge. I’ve had some luck with Dress Barn for Women and Old Navy online (no plus sizes in the stores as far as I’m aware, still). Last month I was out of town and needed an outfit for a college reunion event. I headed over to Dress Barn and was pleasantly surprised to find a few pieces I liked that fit well. On a whim I grabbed a pair of black leggings, expecting to feel something like a sausage being squeezed into its casing. Surprisingly, I did not. I bought the leggings, along with a few other items, with the idea that I can wear them around the house during the cooler winter months.

Fast forward to now. The cooler weather has begun and I’m in the leggings. Yes, they’re great for lounging around the house with a giant t-shirt, but they have so much more potential than that. I’ve discovered that they look great with a long sweater and my cool ankle boots with the buckles the are usually hidden under jeans. Sometimes I even pull on a short black skirt over my leggings. That look takes me back to my college years, but I don’t think it looks too young for me now, as long as I don’t put a giant bow on my head and layer 23 black rubber bracelets up each arm. The leggings also look really good with a long coral peasant top and a pair of ballet flats. Finally, the cute v-neck swing style t-shirt and a pair of sneakers makes a sporty casual outfit. Woo hoo! I’m getting way more wear out of these than I anticipated.

The keys for me (and I would think for most fat girls) are as follows:

1. Make sure your leggings fit properly. Too tight and they may try to roll down, too loose and you’ll look wrinkly and weird. Either way you won’t look right and you’ll be uncomfortable.

2. Don’t wear leggings if you have giant legs. I’m fat, but I carry the majority of my weight around my belly. My legs, while not tiny, are shapely and not particularly jiggly.

3. Wear a long top. Yes, cover your entire butt. Even if you have a cute butt. Leave it to your jeans to show it off, not your leggings. They are meant to let your legs pop out from under your top, not expose every curve you have. Girly bits are not meant to be paraded around in public. If your top isn’t up to the challenge, go put on some real pants. Nobody wants to see that much of you, even if you aren’t fat.

4. As an alternative to wearing a long top, wear a short skirt. This will still cover up the butt and girly bits, and make the leggings look cute.

November 13, 2013
by BulgingButtons 8 Comments

What Do I Look Like?

This is a phrase we sometimes use when someone asks something of us that may seem unreasonable.

“Will you drive me to Target to buy an expensive game five minutes before closing time?”

“What do I look like, a chauffeur?”

“Will you make lasagna for dinner tonight?”

“What do I look like, a chef?”

“Did you bring my charger along?”

“What do I look like, a mind reader?”

But really, what do I look like? I have so many roles that I play that sometimes I think I need a wardrobe manager to help me keep my costumes straight. Case in point: the other night I sat down to write but I just couldn’t get into it. I wasn’t sure why, but then it hit me. I wasn’t in the correct outfit. I was in the clothes I had worn to school. Teacher clothes. I looked like an elementary school teacher. I felt like an elementary school teacher. I didn’t feel very writerly. I changed into something far more comfortable and got down to business.

Wearing the right clothes for the occasion makes a world of difference. You would feel like an idiot working out in a sexy dress, but wear your gym clothes to a fancy party and you’re equally uncomfortable.

Of course we’ve all heard the old saying, “the clothes make the man,” but how does that work? I think it has very little to do with the clothes themselves and almost everything to do with mindset. When you can look at yourself and say, “I look pretty good,” you have accomplished something. Most of us are our own worst critics, and if we can get that critic on board, we’re well on our way to convincing the rest of the world.

Sure, there are certain items that you put on that no matter what make you look great. There are others that don’t do you any favors. Honestly, though, a morose or angry woman in a stunning designer dress and heels has nothing on a joyful or placid woman in a t-shirt dress and flip-flops. Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face is a perfect example. She rocks that awful sack of a dress in her first scene. Still, if you want to make an impression it does make sense to try to match your attire to your desire. Hey, I just made that up. I like it.

It reminds me of the old story of Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics. According to the story, each morning she would dress in her best outfits, complete with hosiery, shoes, and accessories. Naturally she would do her make-up and hair too. Then, when she was dressed to the nines, she would begin her day’s work. At her kitchen table. In her house. On the phone. Nobody saw her, but the confidence she gained from putting on her “uniform” or her “game face” helped her to become a force to be reckoned with. Had she made her calls in curlers and sweatpants I doubt we would know her name or her brand today.

This is the reason that I’m in favor of school uniforms for kids. I truly believe that they get into school mode when that uniform goes on. I don’t care if the uniform is a simple t-shirt and shorts. The idea is that it’s something specific just for the job of going to school and learning. There is also a sense of community that is built through the wearing of a uniform. Go to any major sporting event if you don’t believe me. Fans happily sport their team’s attire in order to become part of a community of supporters.

Listen, I’m no fashionista, and ultimately everyone wears what they want to anyway, but for me being a writer entails donning comfy clothes with stretchy waistbands. It may not be haute couture, but what do I care? After all, what do I look like, a model?

August 30, 2013
by BulgingButtons Leave a comment

Oh Those Jeans

Today I wore jeans to work. It’s Friday, and it’s ok to wear them where I work, in fact many of my colleagues wear jeans regularly. For me, it’s more of a special occasion kind of thing.

I was actually excited to wear them, since a few months back I had surgery that totally shifted my bulk around. After my surgery, even my biggest pants were a no go. I could only fit into elastic waists, which, like any fat girl, I already owned. I was less than thrilled with this prospect, but until the end of June I just accepted it. After all, the surgery was early in March, and it took a while to recover. In fact it took a long while. Longer than I expected.

During that recovery period I started to feel really discouraged. Sure, the surgery fixed the original problem, but now I had a gaping surgical wound (ew, I know), a new weird body shape (to replace the old, weird body shape), and limited ability to do even simple tasks. I was fortunate though; I was surrounded by people who genuinely cared about me. A dear friend (who happens to be a nurse) was actually excited about assisting me with my wound care, and my other friends at work insisted on aiding me with all sorts of tasks. They barely let me lift a finger. The children I taught were sweet and cooperative too, making my job as easy as possible.

Eventually, I healed, but it was June before I finally got fed up. I was physically able to move more, and I had the time to devote to finally repairing more than just a belly scar. This blog was born, and I shouted to the world that it was time for me to move forward.

At the start of this process I could hardly button my biggest jeans. They are in the banner picture. Yes, that is really me. Well, today I wore those jeans to work. And it was awful.

You see, those jeans just don’t fit me. They have become too large. They sag and droop and all day long I felt like they were in danger of plummeting to my ankles. I was adjusting them and hiking them up all day long. Down they would droop again, hems dragging across the floor. They had turned into a great big annoyance. I couldn’t wait to get home and take them off. They dropped right to the floor, to be quickly and happily replaced by their next size smaller counterpart. Ok, maybe they squeeze a little more at the waist than I would like, but they don’t sag, droop, or fall down. I think next Friday they may make their work debut.