Everyone knows the fatshion
rules; don't wear horizontal stripes, don't wear print, don't wear bright colours, don't wear anything form fitting, keep bare skin to an absolute minimum; generally dress and act like a shadow.
Now, due to more options, bloggers, the media and plain common sense, these rules are less adhered to, but not completely irrelevant.
Too often I hear the word 'flatter' and not in the good 'that makes you look amazing' kind of way, but more along the lines of 'do you really think
you could pull that off?'. I've never paid any attention to the rules and rather naively assumed everyone else felt the same way. It's posts like
this that remind me the
rules have been upheld for a reason. There's only so long society can take the blame for how we choose to dress. There's nothing wrong with sticking to the rules if that's what you're comfortable with, but how far are our clothing choices dictated by the fear of ridicule or the preconception that we have to dress in order to satisfy societies expectations?
Rather upsettingly, it would seem that almost everyone has had that moment where they've forgone wearing something they like for the fear of looking like a fool. Of course this isn't subjective to those of us who are fat, everyone second guesses themselves; but when something as innocuous as a stripy t-shirt becomes an issue, there's a problem somewhere.
Of all the hang-ups I have, dressing has never been one of them. Although I wasn't always fat, I've always felt and been told I'm fat. This didn't stop me from wearing neon lycra leggings back in the day and hasn't stopped me since. No matter how many times I've witnessed my mother pull a face and start the 'should you be wearing that?' speech, if I like it, I'll wear it. That doesn't mean I always get it right, few people always do, but I'm willing to give it a try!
Of course this is just me. What I want to know is, how do you feel about the rules? Have you ever had that moment where you think 'I shouldn't wear that'? Who's most likely to influence your clothing choices, your family, your peers, your partner? Or something else? Has your view on how you dress changed over time? If it has, are you more or less confident now?
Crazy amount of questions but this is something I'm genuinely interested in and I'd love to read your views! :)