As Recommended by Rebecca

Rebecca from We Are Large, People and I have been reading and commenting on each others blogs for a while now. Whenever I ask for advice she is always one of the first to offer her opinion and I nearly always take it on board. Her post about six essential questions has inspired me to do a bit of a “I Love Rebecca” post.

Firstly, I want to give my answers to the six essential questions:

1. What’s a simple activity that consistently contributes to your positive body image? Communicating with other fa(t)shion bloggers. The women I speak to via twitter and on my blog make me feel amazing
2. What’s something you know now about body image that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old? That being fat wont stop me from doing what I like or being accepted or being loved.
3. Is there anything you find yourself doing repeatedly that gets in the way of your body image? Eating badly then feeling fat & guilty about it.
4. Is there a body image mantra or motto (or any kind really) that you’ve found very helpful? I once read a book where a fat character described herself as “built for comfort not for speed” and I have loved & used that ever since!
5. Have you always felt about the same level of body image, or have you been through a period when you felt exceptionally better about your body and yourself as a whole  – if so, why? If you were unhappy with your body or yourself, how did you become happier? No, its only been in the past year since I found a few fatshion blogs and then started blogging myself that I have truly been happy the way I am. For once one of my New Year’s Resolutions was NOT to be to loose weight and it made me feel brilliant. I think also finding someone who loves you and finds you attractive for being the shape and size that you are makes you feel amazing too! BUT the blogging community has been the main thing.
6. Have you ever been surprised that something you expected would make you feel better about yourself, didn’t – or vice versa? Having my pictures taken for my wedding – I don’t like having my picture taken, even now when I have had 100s taken for my blog! I take a lot and edit and edit and edit. So seeing the pictures taken by friends and my father in law at the wedding and LOVING them surprised me, I felt great and I realised that being fat didn’t make me ugly. Being happy made me beautiful.

Secondly – inspiration!

Last week I wore my ASOS curve Peter Pan to work and I was asked twice if I was pregnant. Clearly Peter Pan collars still have some associations with maternity dresses! I had resigned myself to only wearing the dress on the weekend, when I say Rebecca’s post with her dress – with a petticoat – I reconsidered and wore my dress like that:

Dress – ASOS curve (sold out)

Dress worn as petticoat – Frock & Frill @ Simply Be

Tights – Simply Be

Brogues – ASOS

AND not once was I asked if I was with child – result!! I wore my crochet Frock & Frill dress as a petticoat – the outfit is very similar to the one I wore here. The Frock & Frill dress is fast becoming a common petticoat – its perfect for it! I just hope that when I wear it as a dress again in the summer people don’t think I’m just wearing a petticoat!!

I also used Rebecca’s tips on how to wear a brooch and finally put one of my many underused brooches to work. Its a beautiful cameo one I picked up for a couple of quid on eBay sometime last year.

Are there any bloggers who inspire you? Feel free to answer the six questions on your own blog.