Get your minds out of the gutter. I'm not talking about that size.
I'm referring to the sizes that correspond to pant labels, waist measurements, dress tags, etc.
The sizes that take up so little space in print, but can consume the better part of our judgement. We all know the rule of thumb, that not all sizes are created equal, and yet when it comes to body image, logic has a way of falling victim to insecurity.
Don't forget to read to the end for a side by side comparison that will put everything you thought you knew about sizes to shame.
Taking up Space
If you're still stuck on stressing over the space you take up, don't worry; you're far from alone. I remember a few years back how preoccupied I was with my body whenever I was out in public.
Do my legs look large if I cross them like this?
Should I have worn the looser shorts even those those give me more of a stomach roll?
Does my butt look big in the bad way when I wear this bikini...or in the good way?
My first mistake was thinking that anybody - male or female - was paying that much attention to my body. My second mistake was thinking it was up to me to please them. As a teenager yearning for love, I thought it was up to me to be the most beautiful, thin, sexy thing out there so that I'd be the one chosen. The one worth loving. I also that that being the most beautiful, thin, sexy thing out there was something I could control. Something I could set my mind to, achieve, and feel pride.
Well, anyone who has been in the tight grips of an eating disorder knows that it neither A) bring anyone closer to you socially or romantically and B) destroys your ability to feel proud about pretty much anything. The prospect of perfection attracting happiness / love / etc is an illusion. The control you think you have is an illusion.
Telling Sizes Where to Shove It
It took me a long time before I could realize that being a size 0, Small, and 26 didn't make my life any more valuable or enjoyable than the girls who took up the space at tables next to me, smiling as their bowls of pasta arrived, and laughing with their families and significant others. Did you notice how I didn't mention their sizes? That's because I don't remember. Their sizes made no impression on me. I remember their carefree attitudes, their joy, and their smiles.
As I moved up the size ranks, it took me even longer to accept once and for all that while I may be a size 3 in one pant, I'll be a 5 in another. One romper looks best on me in the Small and the next fits best in the XL.
But how can this be?! The heck if I know. I'm not in the fashion industry. I'm in the Self Love industry. And with that, here's my rocking and loving my body in my favorite fashions - at every size.
Size 2 jeans | Size 5 jeans |
Size Small shirt | Size Large shirt |
Size XL romper | Size Small romper |
Your Takeaway:
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This post is linked with Thursdays are for Thinking Out Loud