For me, there’s nothing more satisfying than putting on an article of clothing that really feels like me. In the last five years I have gained 80 pounds, and as my body has changed I’ve had a series of identity crises triggered by how the difference in the fit of my clothes—things that used to be “flattering” are suddenly too small. It’s like a snakeskin that I am continuously shedding.
During this process I have been fortunate enough to have body positive mentors, including Marilynn Wann, Sonya Taylor, and Amanda Levitt. At this moment I am 5’4″ and 246 pounds. I have learned to manipulate clothing to fit my new body, but more importantly I have learned to feel like myself in the body that I have, regardless of the size on the clothing label.
I’m a PhD candidate in Rhetoric and Writing at Michigan State University. I do interdisciplinary work that combines dress studies, fat studies, and cultural rhetorics and my current project looks at how fat fashion bloggers make meaning with their clothing.
As an educator, I try to purposefully bring my body into all the work that I do both in the academy and beyond. This outfit is something that I would wear for a conference presentation or to teach a class. I like how the clothes, put together this way, create a shape that otherwise my body doesn’t really have, as you can see here:
I’m wearing a navy skirt from Old Navy, size XL. I have this skirt in bright pink and yellow as well, but a size smaller (so it’s shorter). I absolutely love it, and wear it in the summer all the time. I pull it up to my waist in order to hide my stomach (which is just as large as my bust). The XL size hits a little longer than the L, and I feel more comfortable in it for “professional” things.
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