Hi everybody! My name is Ashley, and I've started Positively Plus-Size, the blog, because after searching high and low for a very long time, I have yet to find a supportive, artistic, and informative source about fashion, beauty, life, and love commentary for the plus-sized woman. I recently read that the blog boat has long sailed...and that is fine by me! I'm not here to become famous or rich off of my own opinion; instead, my vision for Positively Plus Sized is a platform for dialogue that empowers women of all sizes to embrace themselves and live happy, healthy, beautiful lives.
My Background...
I have struggled with my weight and being larger than most of my peers and friends for most of my life. In elementary school, I was teased for being "fat," and I'm pretty sure I was one of the largest students in my small high school graduating at a size 20. I was never athletic, disliked gym class more than anyone in the world, and never had a boyfriend because my size made me unattractive to boys around my age. Somehow, though, through the teasing, feeling gargantuan when around thinner girls, and the constant struggle to find appropriate teenage clothing in larger sizes, I grew to love and accept myself and my body--even if nobody else did. I had no will power to exercise for weight loss, though I tried a work-out regimen several times and failed. I kept to myself and my few close friends to avoid standing out more than I had to, and I got through college with the same M.O. - find joy and happiness within myself, and be content to almost always be alone because my size and my personality didn't match up. I didn't have enough extroversion to make up for the stigma of being a large woman.
I have wonderful friends, who I'm pretty sure would love me at any size, but I believe it is most important for one to love oneself, then everything else should fall into place. I'm still working on that second part for me--I might be adjusting that outlook soon! ;-) But for now, I'm attempting to create this forum for women who are tired of not "fitting in" --no pun intended-- and who are seeking a community of like-minded, like-bodied people.
My Inspiration...
I love style and beauty. Although I work in the social work field for my career, one of my hobbies is makeup and fashion. I live for a good fashion magazine, and am a sucker for a great makeup tutorial on YouTube. I love looking through catalogs and websites at designer clothes, shoes, and the latest trends....but it hurts that looking is as far as I will ever get. Those clothes are not made to fit my body. They don't come anywhere near my size, and I would be hard-pressed to find similar items in my size that fit well and complement my shape.
I don't know about you, but I can't walk into just any popular store and look for an outfit. I have to research which stores carry clothes in Women's sizes, and honestly, that comes to a grand total of about 6 stores in my area including major department stores. That makes shopping with friends mighty difficult when we walk into Gap or The Limited and I get the glamorous job of holding the bags and sitting on the bench in the dressing room while my friends pillage the sale racks and get upset when the shorts, the pants, the blouse they've tried on is sold out of the next size down. Then I get asked why I'm not looking for anything to try on; that still gets a little mortifying --and quite frankly little irritating; my big toe wouldn't fit into those skinny jeans. seriously.-- even though I've dealt with not being able to shop with friends my whole life.
My mission...
On this blog, I hope to share with you my finds of fashion-forward clothing that fits my plus-sized body, whether it be in women's plus sizes or a piece that is large or billowy enough to work at a misses XL or XXL, as an alternative to the frumpy dowdy clothes that litter most Women's departments. I want to discuss makeup, food, healthy living, and indulgences, as well, and although the word "I" has begun most sentences in this post, this blog is meant to be a dialogue between readers and followers, as well. I want to see a well-rounded community of support for all of us, and I hope that you'll join me, or at least give me a chance, in making this a successful medium for our demographic. Please post to the comments any additional input you have for the start-up of this blog. I appreciate every ounce of your support, and hope to have you along for this exciting and limitless adventure ;-)
*ashley
