Jes Baker tells Lane Bryant what is wrong with the #I’mNoAngel campaign

Holy blogging, Batman!  Jes Baker one again hits the nail right on the head.  Today she posted an open letter to Lind Heasley, of Lane Bryant,  discussing their new #I’mNoAngel campaign, and the problems many of us have been discussing in relation to it.  Jes discusses many of the same issues I laid out in my previous post on the topic, probing each in more depth, as well as discussing things I hadn’t, like how only seeing a few body types as “acceptable” only serves to add to the myriad of reasons that so many girls and women develop body dysmorphia and eating disorders.  Jes says,

“When a person is constantly bombarded by images of one “ideal” body (plus or otherwise) it wreaks havoc on their psyche. The continual exposure mentally trains them to believe that only ONE body is worthy and this unfortunate social conditioning is one of the largest contributors to low self-esteem, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and other severe body image related issues- all of which affect daily living. Visible diversity is a solution to these problems, and asking for it is anything but egotistical. It’s absolutely necessary.”

Jes even went a step further, putting together a photo shoot to demonstrate to Linda Heasley the type of representation that she is suggesting.  Jes gathered some more badass babes like herself and created photos reminiscent of LB’s original images, but with much, MUCH more diversity.  (Side note, I like to imagine that Jes and her friends have some sort of secret signal that they put out when a badass girl gang is needed.  Then they are all “Gir-vengers, Assemble!” and this amazing girl gang appears, looking fabulous and fierce.)

Seriously folks, go check out this post.  It says everything I have said, plus so much more that I didn’t, and it is so well-written and obviously though out.  I absolutely devoured every delicious word as I read it.

And yes, I do totally have a massive sapiosexual girl-crush on Jes, and reeeeealy hope to have the chance to meet her and soak in her awesomeness one day!

ETA: HOLY POOPCAKES Jes and her campaign made the front page of the Huffington Post!!!!!

Bigots in the media

I will likely have more to say about Jamelia from Loose Women and her prejudiced, bigoted remarks about fat people later.  I need some more time to form my thoughts into words and phrases instead of just angry scream-grunting.

In the mean time, check out what Ragen has to say on the topic.

Mod Cloth Customer Service

Disclaimer:  I am a ModCloth Affiliate (if you buy stuff from links on my blog, I get a little commission) That said, ModCloth did NOT pay me, or compensate me in any way for the post below.  The post was my idea and not sponsored or requested by anyone at ModCloth.

Ok, so I have previously sung the praises of ModCloth here on my blog.  I love their selection, the fact that they have really CUTE things in my size, and I have loved everything I have purchased from them so far.

Now I can add their fantastic customer service to the list of reasons to love them!  In my email today, I had a notification that some shorts I really wanted were back in stock.  Conveniently, I also had a coupon for 20% off (maybe planned, maybe not.  I would have ordered the shorts either way)  So I hopped on, put the shorts and a few other things off my wishlist in my cart, and proceeded to check out.  I was so excited about getting some new pretty stuff, that I flat out forgot my coupon until right after my order was placed!  Whoops!  Well, it’s definitely a Monday!

I immediately opened the order confirmation email, and clicked on their “Live Chat” option, to chat with a customer service person.  The chat came up right away, and worked surprisingly well on my phone (past experiences with other chat services on mobile devices kind of suck).  I was chatting with a lovely representative named Joanne, who listened (read, I guess) to my dilemma, got the needed info, and quickly fixed my order.  She took the coupon code, applied it, and let me know that the change in amount will be reflected once my order ships.  This may have taken all of 5 minutes.  Joanne was very sweet, very helpful, and very fast at her job!

So thank you again, Mod Cloth!  Once again you have exceeded my expectations!

**Shameless plug!**  If you would like to check out ModCloth’s Faboo customer service for yourself, click here for a special offer for new customers.  Get 20% off your purchase of $100 or more. (I am a ModCloth affiliate and do make a small commission of of sales resulting from links on my blog)

Every Body is a Bikini Body!

For too long women have dreaded summer, or as some call it, “Swimsuit Season”.  In my experience, it seems that swimsuit season could almost beat out New Years for sheer volume of weight loss/diet/fitness/body-shame articles that show up everywhere you look.

My lovelies, I have groundbreaking news for you today…  You don’t need diets or weight loss or fitness tips to “get a bikini body”, because you already have one!  That’s right, YOU have a bikini body!  Want to know the surefire two-step plan for summer?

Step 1:  Have a body.

Step 2: Put a bikini on it.

That’s it!  There ya go!  No matter what you have been lead to believe, anyone can wear a bikini (or whatever type of swimsuit you prefer!).  You don’t have to wait for the perfect body, because there is no such thing.  If YOU want to rock a bikini, than go ahead and rock it!  You don’t need anyone’s permission to do what you want with your body.

So, now that you know you have a bikini body, where do you find a great bikini?  Do they even make bikinis for fat girls?  Yes ma’am they do!  More and more designers and retailers are getting in on the fatkini (that’s a bikini for fatties, for the uninitiated) trend.  This means that we’ve got lots of choices!

Bustle did an article a few days ago that has a great list of options.  Check out the article here.  I would also add one of my absolute favorite places, ModCloth.  They have a bunch of ADORABLE retro-inspired suits in one and two-piece.  Their sizes for swimwear go up to a 3x (US 24/26).  Also a less-well known but also cool site, Big Gals Lingerie.  They have several pages of swimsuits to choose from, and you can custom order them in up to an 12x!  Big Gals is where I got my fatkini!  I will post pics, as soon as the weather here in the Midwest gets warm enough for me to do more than prance around my room in it!

This summer, get out there and have fun!  Stop ‘weighting’ around for the right time.  The time is now! Don’t forget your sunscreen!!

graphic above via Huffington Post

Outfit of the Day Review

I thought I would change the reviews up a bit today and review a couple of things that I am currently wearing.

Last week I found Feminine Funk via another blogger, and it was love at first sight!  The folks over at Feminine Funk have fantastic, cheeky tees for curvy ladies (and gents!).  I ordered two shirts, which arrived yesterday.  I am wearing one of them today!

pic from FeminieFunk.com

Today’s shirt says “I didn’t choose the curvy life. It chose me.” Not only are these tees funny and smart, they are all sized for curvy ladies (sizes go up to a 3x, which is listed as a 22/24), and they are incredibly soft!  I ordered my shirts in a 2x (I wear between a US 18-22 in jeans, and have a 42 DDD bust) and they fit great.  They are fitted enough to show off your curves, without being skin tight.  And they aren’t so loose that it feels like you are wearing a tent.

I also ordered the shirt that says “I got 99 problems, but my curves ain’t one.”  I love it too, and will probably wear it later this week.

 pic via FeminineFunk.com

The second item for review is a jacket I picked up from Torrid last month.  I had a wedding to go to and I wanted to put together a cute outfit to wear.  I wore a tee, a skirt, and some leggings that I already had, but when I was trying stuff the day before the wedding, it felt like the outfit needed something more.  Plus it was February in the Midwest and it was really freaking cold.  DH and I popped over to Torrid to see what they had.

I have had a thing for blazers for a while.  I love the flexibility of being able to dress it up or down easily.  Needless to day, when I found the Ruched Sleeve Ponte Blazer, I had to have it.

pic via Torrid.com

This jacket was perfect for the wedding, and for every day wear.  It finished off my dressed up look nicely, making it look polished but not stuffy.  Wearing it over a tshirt, like I am today, it gives kind of an ‘office casual’ feel that I am really liking.  It is also a nice medium-weight material.  It was enough to keep me warm in February walking to and from the car, but not so much that I sweat like crazy through the wedding.  Today it’s perfect for the cool (but not frigid) spring weather, and keeping me warm in my chilly basement office.

Today’s outfit is jeans paired with the Feminine Funk tee and the Torrid blazer.  My jeans are Angels, which I didn’t even know had their own website till I started writing this post!  I usually pick mine up from Gordmans, or maybe JC Penney, on the rare occasions I hit up a Penney’s.  According to Google they are also sold at Kohls.  I’ve had this pair for over a year, so I can’t find a pic, sorry!

So there ya go, that’s my simple office-casual look for today.

What is your favorite cheeky t-shirt?  Any great tees for fat chicks?  What are your favorite fat girl jeans?

Fatshion post, the first!

How ’bout we talk fatshion?

What’s fatshion you ask?  Or did I just misspell the word?

Fatshion is FASHION for us FAT folks!  That’s right, you too can wear cute, fun, fashionable clothes!  Just because we are fat, doesn’t mean we are relegated to ugly clothes that look like circus tents.  True, we do still have fewer options that “straight size” folks, but the plus-size fashion world is getting bigger and better every day!

Today I want to review a few items I have purchased recently.  All items in today’s post are from ModCloth and eShakti.

I don’t have pictures of myself wearing them yet, as my selfie game is lame, but as soon as I get pictures I will share them with all of you!

First up, my absolute favorite bottoms, from ModCloth.  These are the Tandem Tour shorts, and I got them in black.  I LOVE the shorts!  First, the fit is spot on.  I wear anywhere between a US women’s 18-22, depending on brand/style/cut etc.  I got these in a 3x and they fit perfectly.  They are fitted (not loose and baggy) but not too tight.  These shorts make my butt look (and feel) awesome!

I needed a simple cardigan to go with various tops.  I really wanted the Charter School Cardigan in black, but it has been out of stock.  I also loved the ‘Sky’ color shown here, but it too was out of stock when I decided to order.  I ended up getting it in ‘Blackberry’, which is a lovely dark plum color (I wear a LOT of purple, so this is no stretch for me) This cardi is nice because it is just the right weight.  Not to heavy (so I’m not sweating) and not too light (so I’m not freezing).  The material is unbelievably soft, and it hangs nicely.  I bought this in a 4x, as I was concerned my 42 DDD’s wouldn’t fit into a 3x.  I definitely needed the 4x!  It is fitted at that size, but does not gape or pull at the buttons.  A 3x would have been a no-go.

The first thing you notice about the You’re the One That I Flaunt leggings is that they are shiny.  Not like,  metallic or wet-look shiny, but they are definitely not a matte finish.  It’s not super noticable, so I’m fine with it.  I got these in a 3x, but I probably could have done a 2x.  They fit nicely, a smidge loose (but that’s my sizing problem, not a fault of the garment)  They are perfect under a tunic or dress.  I will say that at 4’11” they were far too long for me however, I just cut off the extra length and they were fine.  The cut edge has not frayed or rolled or done anything funny.

The Rise to the Crop  leggings were a recent purchase, and as such, I haven’t had a chance to wear them yet.  I did try them on out of the box and the 3x fits perfectly.  They (again, I’m SHORT) fit me a bit long, so they are more like pedal pushers than capris.  I think that on someone of average height, they would be more like a capri length.  They fit nicely, not loose not tight.  I plan to wear these under a dress I got from eShakti, to add a little punch of color to the outfit.  The fabric is soft and feels nice against the skin.

With my first order from ModCloth I also picked up a pair of boots and a pair of flats.  I wanted something reasonably simple that I can wear to work, but also a little fun (boring shoes suck!)

I am utterly in love with the Evening Exploring Boots in black (because it goes with everything).  I have been super impressed by these boots from the start!  They are simple and go with anything, but have some fun little details that dress them up a bit.  The best part was they were comfortable right out of the box! No break-in time needed!  I seriously took these out of the box and then wore them for pretty much a week straight.  The leather is soft and supple, yet sturdy enough that I am not worried they are going to suffer a critical failure any time soon.

The Studious in Style (I go the black ones) are another great ‘wear it everywhere’ shoe.  I loved the retro look with the adorable herringbone detail.  They did not disappoint!  These, like the boots, are very comfortable, though the flats did need a day or two of light wear to break them in a bit.  I will warn you that these have no cushion and no arch support, so they are not the greatest shoes if you’re going to be walking a lot.  I wore them out shopping last weekend and while my outfit was rocking, my feet were hurting!  Still, nothing but love for these shoes!

I’ve got 3 more items that I want to review later, so stay tuned!  One lovely dress from ModCloth and 2 beautiful and versatile dresses from eShakti!  Coming soon!