So a friend that I exchange funny e-mails with and I got to talking about this subject the other day. Namely, why are we (as women) so caught up in being a certain "size"?!? You know what I'm talking about! No matter how your clothes actually fit on your figure, you're going to wear what you think is your "size". I've been guilty of it. I can admit this. I really can't think of a single friend who at one time or another hasn't been squeezed like a sausage into some pair of jeans or skirt that might've fit back in the tenth grade. Why do we women DO this? Here is my theory.
I like to call it the Glass Slipper Effect. You know the scene in Cinderella where the Duke is holding out the glass slipper to the wicked step-sisters and you can clearly see how teeny tiny it is and how HUGE their feet are in comparison? He doesn't want to let them try it on, but they insist. "I just KNOW it will fit!", one exclaims! This is the same feeling I get when I see size six clothing. You just want it to work so badly that you fool yourself into thinking that maybe this time, just maybe, you'll squeeze into it! Remember also the scene where one step-sister DOES squeeze into the shoe, only to have it come flying off her over sized foot and into the air seconds later? The equivalent, modern day version of this event would be your skintight shirt splitting open as you reach for oranges at the local Kroger. Not pretty.
My above mentioned friend was a little surprised by the actual size of some jeans she purchased the other day. In order to have them fit properly, she had to go farther into the double digits than she had planned. However, she seemed pretty calm about the whole affair. She was just like, "Hey! This is a label. I need to wear my jeans and still breathe!" Her candid honesty was refreshing. And, inspiring...
So, whether you're post-baby (either newly or the "baby" is in college) or just a little older than you used to be, or you finally decided not to go the rest of your life existing on apple peels and carrot sticks.... just wear what fits! Look for lumps and bumps in the dressing room and go up in sizes until you don't see them anymore. Well, at least until the lumps and bumps aren't squeezed into un-natural positions! You'll be surprised at how much better you feel... and LOOK! Besides, you can always cut the tags out and tell yourself (and others!) that what you're wearing is your "size". Ah, denial! A cornerstone of the glass slipper effect!
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6 comments:
i have had to stop looking at the size. it really got to me. now,i do focus on what looks good on me! even if the size is larger, i FEEL BETTER knowing that i look good. to be honest, i would look bigger if i had bought a smaller size cause it wouldn't have fit me properly. thanks for this post, frances! and as tyra banks says, SO WHAT?
girl, you hit the nail on the head. i COMPLETELY agree. here lately, i buy what fits regardless of the size. as long as someone tells me i look nice, i don't care what Candies says i wear!
that's why I gave away all of my prepreg clothes while I was pregnant...gurl...that way I had nothing to compare. I just convinced myself that they were making clothes smaller now.
That's what I think, too! Remember when everyone LOVED the Limited because you could wear "smaller" sizes there? I know Tyra's kind of a wierdo, but she does have a great message!
I know someone who cuts out the tags and tells everyone she's a two.
Excellent idea- getting the scissors as we speak!
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