My body is not meant to be HIDDEN. Deal with it.
I’m your typical fiery Leo and as one I suppose a rant would be the ultimate motivator to drag me back to my blog. So bare with me on this rant.
Lucky Magazine big #fail this month. On page 44 the headline for “DEWDROP” also known as “most of us, women with curves” states: ” Your curvy butt and thighs can make skinny jeans a drag. Instead, choose hip-skimming dresses and flashy necklaces that draw the eyes up”.
Now, I personally have an issue with this whole “slimming” claims, primarily because I find it offensively FALSE, insulting to my intelligence and also… well, lets get to the rest of the whys:
1– I’m a BIG chick, with big curves and that’s that. If you intend to feature a fashion story to curvy plus size women do it right, understand the target you’re aiming to, don’t just slap some half assed quality story for the sake of just doing it. We’re no longer willing or wanting to wear baggy clothes (no, really!), which means we don’t have issues with been FAT like past generations did (you do know that plus size consumers are fat right? No, you’re not selling to sizes 8, 10, sorry to burst your bubble…). Curvy plus sized women today KNOW that they can look elegant, cute or sexy, we have finally learned to be happy with ourselves, for real! We actually like flaunting our curves, this hiding business is OLD, boring and annoying.
2–Clothes won’t magically make me look as if I’m 4 sizes smaller, that’s just a fact. I don’t know how many times I have said that out loud. In front of cameras. To designers. At events. At photo shoots. Yes, I won’t shut up about it, get it together people, seriously!! Sadly I see that some still perceive women to be 1– too dumb to buy these tag lines or 2– so blindly obsessed with looking thin that any of those key words will make them run to the shop and buy those clothes? Hmm, yeah, might be the combo of both… not me though, thanks.
3–Skinny jeans are not a “drag” to any size as long as they FIT right. In fact if you ask me I find that my big ol’ size 18 butt looks just fine on any pair of the denim you may find in my closet and the word DRAG isn’t really one I would use it to describe it, if you’re ought to know dear Lucky-stylists-whoever-you-are.
Lastly and most importantly I don’t WANT clothes that promise to ”slim” me, I’m very happy with my PLUS SIZED BODY. I find that tag line offensive…yes, I have said that already…maybe if I repeat enough times people will get it, because I know I’m not alone on this one!
What I really want and enjoy is shopping for clothes that look good on the body I have. Although it might sound astonishing for some, looking GOOD doesn’t necessarily equate to looking THIN/SMALLER to a lot of us plus sized women. Curves aren’t an embarrassment that we need to wear pieces to diguise’em or use accessories to divert peoples attention from noticing my wide hips. They are there and I find no reason to disguise them (I probably wouldn’t be able to even if I tried, LOL).
Ironically enough Lucky Magazine featured on page 40 plus size shops/brands in this very same issue. Perhaps they would have benefited on having a real plus size stylist on board, one that reflects the pride and joy most plus sized women feel TODAY about their looks and not one that puts looks together and tags it with such a negative tone to it. Perhaps they would then know that the women who buy clothes at those brands and shops actually enjoy the way they look.
And if I sound sensitive about the subject it’s because I probably am. You only know the real deal of taking things like this offensive when you have lived under the skin of been a fat girl your whole life. When you grow up hearing everyone around you constantly telling you that “you would look so pretty if you lost weight” or “you should do a diet” or ” don’t wear this, it makes you look fatter”, bla, bla, bla, then you kinda get tired of stuff like this. My body is not meant to be hidden and I just refuse to do it, so deal with it.
Oh yeah, thanks for popping over, I’m glad to be writing again!
besitos,
Fluvs
No drag in this size 18 skinny jeans, if you ask me.
Your “big ol’ size 18 butt” looks awesome in skinny jeans.
SO TRUE!! <3
Fluvia, right on sistah, tell it like it is! Well done!
I LOVE this post!!! I love you in jeans! I love what you stand for!
I write a blog about how I dress my curves and you know what, I think I look ok so up yours fashion world x
Adoro o que escreveu, eu sempre fui grande e o pior é tinha uma irmã mais nova muito magra. agora me aceito e tenho a sua expriência de vida um exemplo que podemos vencer sendo simplesmente que somos. Bjocas
AMEN!!! I agree 100%!!!! It’s time magazines realize we are not our parent’s generation of fat chicks. We love and accept ourselves. We embrace our bodies and we aren’t going to hide just because they don’t understand it!
VIVA LA CURVY REVOLUTION!!!
LOVE IT!!!!
amen, all around. love you, fluvs.
Thank god, someone who totally understands! I’m also happy and confident with my size 18 butt, wear skinny jeans and figure hugging dresses! Every single one of my friends is an 8! How many times to be told the same thing, ‘wouldn’t you kill to look that that’. Well frankly no i’m happy (and so is my hubby!!) with me just the way i am. You ROCK fluvia. x
Just happy to be me
Fluvs, u betta WERQ it!!! (And, you do…..)
Fluvia, I had only just become aware of your modelling work early last year and you instantly became one of my ‘Ladies to Admire’… You are extremely beautiful and you look just as good in skinny jeans and tight dresses as your size 8 counterparts (although in my opinion, you look a thousand times better- Your style is immaculate!)
x
I could not agree more with this post, its EXACTLY what Ive been thinking, only the words have never managed to come out! Thank you for being such an inspiration and telling it like it is
YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!….. THIS IS SO TRUE… TELL ‘EM… I LOVE BEING A BIG GIRL… AIN’T NO REASON TO HIDE… THE THINGS I DON’T LKE I WILL CHANGE!!! BUT NOT BECAUSE I DON’T LOVE PLUS SIZE ME!!! BLESSINGS TO YOU MAMA!!!
You ROCK and I am so thankful you wrote this!!!! I hate when something claims to “slenderize”…Why? I want all my curves to show!!!!
Right on! I saw that bit in Lucky and rolled my eyes, especially considering the fact that women cannot be summed up into four neat little “body types”. We’re all unique and should wear what makes us feel good. Confidence is sexy. The end.
U go gal!! u r smokin in those skinny jeans n tanx for representing all of us thick, fluffy women who have yet to make a stand n b heard…….
I see so many women who can’t accept themselves who have some of the greatest Curved Bodies and it just ticks me off how the media tries to make skinny women the accepted woman….Thank you for who you are!
WHY hide your body when we should be celebrating it? This is what happens when you have people that have absolutely no clue about plus size fashion or bodies writing about it.
A true stylist would accentuate and not hide. I can’t believe this is the advice given to plus size women – IGNORE your hips and bottom half… concentrate on the UPPER half – drawing attention upwards? AGAIN we are becoming a FACE and not a body!
I’m sorry but my body IS worthy and you may not want to see it but I’m NOT hiding it!
Great write up Fluvia!
I agree with u 100%. I´m living in germany and I hope that one day all german women will think that way too. There are just a few who look like they feel confident with their curvy bodies, but the number is raising, especially on the younger girls. Keep on thinking, and keep on writing it down. It is hard to change peoples minds. You are very inspiring to me.
Thank you
Fluvia, you are a role model to soooooo many out there. Your blog post was so well worded and you are indeed right in that the curvy, plus size Woman is beautiful and isn’t trying to hide that anymore. Why should we? Our curves are womanly and sexy. Our store motto is actually ‘Embracing Curves, Defining Beauty’. Thank you for being a leader in the industry and for doing what you do. -Shannon – Founder of Satin Woods Boutique
LOVE THIS!!! All of it, is so very true!! Great blog!!
Flu,
You know you look good. Who cares what the critics say. As Moe says your size 18 butt is gorgeous.
Brilliant editorial, I love it!! Now if only we could get the message through to the “stuck in a massive rut/too scared to break the mould” stylists out there!!!!
*clapping* Thank you! Society wants us to believe we should be 4 sizes smaller or at least look 4 sizes smaller. Can’t wear skinny jeans, can’t wear white, can’t go sleeveless (Michelle Obama, God Bless Her, only made it worse). When will we learn that they have not invented clothing with stealth technology, so wear what you like, what you are comfortable in, and what fits.
Thank you… you said what all of us were thinking … I especially loved the plus size boutique’s LENGTHY section in comparison to it’s usual 3-6 pages filled with boutiques of a certain area such as Chicago, Vegas and such… I had to dig through two well placed full page promotional paid ads to find it hidden on page 40 I think… was it that much of an embarrassment that they had to tuck it away in just one page like they were slapping it in there (with no photos of course of the boutiques of “fat women”) just to appease their plus size readers and they did their deed for the year…. was very disappointed …. it just further illustrates that our bodies are meant to be hidden as you well stated…. thank you for speaking out and giving us a beautiful voice…
Amen, Sister!!! I totally agree with everything you said. It’s about time we big girls stood up and said, “Enough is Enough!”. You go, girl.
Very beautiful woman. Love your style. And your way of thinking.
I want those jeans! Where can I get a hint about them
I’m glad you said it out loud, now if the fashion industry would just listen.
Fluvia,
I LOVE this post! You said it sista! So, So true!
My favorite part “DEAL WITH IT” I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this post! Sorry Mimi I had to copy your comment, you just said it so perfectly.
Amen sister!! I love when you get fired up like this. LOL I’m going to send you offensive links and articles all of the time! hahahaha xoxo
at last, a soul sister!! there is NOTHING sexier than a curvy butt in tight blue jeans!! as a muso friend of mine sings.. “there’s a place in this world for a little boys bottom, but it’s not on the body of a full grown woman!”
If only more of us could look in the mirror and be as comfortable in our own skins as you and I .. the revolution would be here !
As with any body shape, dress to flatter. That’s it. I don’t believe in hiding it or disguising it, no matter what size you are. I’m a size 10-12 and there are styles of clothing I just don’t wear because they don’t look or feel nice, so I don’t go there. I think that’s the same for anyone else regardless of body shape/size. Just make sure you’re wearing clothes that FIT!
I totally agree with every single word you write!
After some inner debate ordered a pair of skinny jeans yesterday. I ordered a size up (instead of my vanity size) to make sure they fit properly. I’ve been second guessing myself about it (should I have gone with a trouser cut? Will they look bad?) when I saw this blog and your picture. So gorgeous! Thanks for the reminder that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and that curves are not a detriment! Also that we need to stop hiding our bodies underneath baggy, ill fitting clothing. :]
I am a size 10-12 and while I may not be plus size any more (I was a 16 last summer) I still feel it. I also am ridiculously curvy (my hips are one size, my waist another and my bust another still). Anyway, look at Flavia, look at Christina Hendricks, look at ANY curvy girl, no matter if she’s a size 2 or a size 22–you do not “hide” curves–that just makes you look big. All the “fashion guides” say a girl with big hips should avoid pencil skirts and wear A-lines. If I wear a flouncy, A-line skirt, it looks like I just added about 20 pounds to my bottom, and I don’t need that. But if I wear a well-tailored, snug pencil skirt, not only do I feel sexy, but I literally turn heads and look like a million bucks. The only proof I need that this works? The last time I wore a skirt like this to work, I was helping my co-worker with something on her computer and was bending over a bit to look at her computer screen. Where our desks were situated was a bend in the hallway. I kid you not, 4 guys were not watching where they were going and missed the turn and hit the wall. I must admit, I felt mighty good.
The fashion world may think we want to see twigs in dresses, but men seem to want girls with a little padding.
Love the post- you almost took the words out of my mouth and mind! You’re gorgeous and you stand for so much to us curvy girls. Keep it up Chica! -Tanesha of http://GirlWithCurves.tumblr.com
OMG! You are truly inspiring. You hit every note on being a plus size woman. Please continue blogging! <3
Standing and applauding.
OMG this is exactly what Italian plus size ladues need to understand so bad… we still have this old attitude!! so inspiring and you are gorgeous of course!
I love your attitude! More of us curvy women need to tell the fashion industry and anyone who looks down on us because of our size to DEAL WITH IT!
If I may speak for the men of the world…Damn right your body was not meant to be hidden, it is glorious. I would marry you if I didn’t think my kids would drive you crazy!
LOL! Yes do!!!! A few decades ago and I would have been Che Guavara’s wingman!LOL
Fluvia vc falou exatamente o que penso… não me privo das boas coisas da vida só porque estou acima do peso ou pelo que as outras pessoas vão pensar. Como boa brasileira adoro praia e não deixo de usar meu biquini por nada…. adoro sol, adoro calor, adoro ser quem eu sou, um mulherão com curvas. Vc sempre será um ícone para mim. bjs
Hi. You are absolutely beautiful! I would like to purchase my mom some of those size 18 skinny jeans, but I don’t know where to find some really ones in the US. I went to that “Biluzik” website, but 2 problems…One, I couldn’t find the jeans and two,I wasn’t able to translate some of the things on there. lol Can you help by telling me where I could find a really nice pair of skinny legging/jeans for a plus sized person? Thanks
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