Being A Plus Size Girl in London

~~*Apologises for the lateness of this post, but good news--I have found permanent work and I have been busy prepping and actually being at work! But now that my schedule is more concrete I will be able to plan my Thursday posts better. So normality will be returning as of next week. *~~

As I sit on the couch, wearing new faux suede flats that I ordered to replace some old studded flats for interviews and work, scrolling through twitter, window shopping at some of my favourite shops (all plus size friendly), I started noticing a trend in the women I was seeing. They all had that classic hourglass look, perfect hips, no tummy, and the most perky boobs of any woman around. As a plus size women with an imperfect body, this is upsetting not only because these women rarely even look plus size, they have been made up and photoshopped in such a way that the clothes look perfect on them from every angle.

I asked the internet, “what is plus size”? There are a lot of posts from 2016 because it is becoming more mainstream to talk about “real” women, but nothing really explains what exactly it is. The Mirror published an article about it that I found to be one of the better explanations of just how confused retailers are about what women look like. Another article that I found to be eye opening was a Buzzfeed article in which two of their plus size fashionistas try on different outfits based on their measurements. Both women note that even when they get the size that coordinates with their measurements it, items of clothing still might not fit right.

Excellent example of model v reality

It isn’t just online that being plus size is misrepresented. Since living in London, I have found it nearly impossible to find any shops that carry my size (anywhere from 20-24 depending on the shop). Though watching what I eat and exercising more will hopefully solve this issue in the several years, it doesn’t solve my problem now. How am I supposed to be stylish if I can’t even find good clothes to wear?

So below are my tips, as a plus size woman discovering her city style, on how to shop when nothing is really available to you.

1. Start by going through your current wardrobe and deciding what to keep/sell/donate
2. Create a budget so you know how much you feel comfortable spending.
3. Follow some trends and do some window shopping you take the plunge
1. One of my personal faves to follow is Style Doctors, they have a UK and US team of stylist how can help you stay on top of all the greatest trends
2. But remember, it is important to have classic pieces of clothing, as well as trendy items
4. When it comes to where to buy clothes, I have found most of my success at Forever21+, Torrid, Lane Bryant, and Maurices. These places will make it easy to  mix casual, sexy, and fun into your wardrobe.
1. I know most of these stores are US based, but all them have international shipping and some even have UK prices.
5. Show off your awesome new outfits, because you are beautiful, inside and out, no matter what.

     

       As someone with the style of wannabe lesbian hobo grandma, I can say that coming up with style that make me look professional and comfortable was tough to come by. It took several wardrobe changes (and saying goodbye to my 30ish tie dye t-shirts) to find a style that I think reflects my personality without making me look frumpy, uncomfortable, etc. If I can eventually find my style, and so can you.