I Spent A Week Ditching Every Plus-Size Fashion Rule I Used To Swear By

When my parents became aware of my burgeoning love of fashion, they did what they did anytime they thought I was starting to get into something; they bought me a book about it. But it wasn’t a dictionary of designers or even a figure-drawing how-to — it was a book titled What Not to Wear. Full of rules about what was flattering on whom and — specifically — what was not flattering on whom, it fed into my own body insecurities. The book broke down every part of my fleshy form and dictated exactly why I shouldn’t be wearing anything I liked.

As an owner of big boobs, a flabby tummy, a big butt, thick calves, and a myriad of other “bad” body parts, I came to the conclusion that I’d never be able to truly enjoy fashion until I resembled a runway model. Cue the body dysmorphia, eating issues, and general self-hate that afflicted me for years...until fashion actually became my savior.

When I finally tried on those trends that I had avoided for years, I was amazed — the world didn’t end, and people didn’t go into shock from seeing my larger body in stripes, white, or body-hugging designs. In fact, I actually received compliments for my sense of style for the first time ever. That initial fashion high was all I needed to get hooked, and I’ve been devoted to dressing boldly and spreading the style word ever since.

I am all about breaking the rules — when it comes to fashion, that is. So to take on the antiquated style status quo, I put together a week’s worth of style no-no's that would undoubtedly make some old-fashioned tastemakers clutch their pearls.

Let’s get one thing clear from the start: My outfit goals are not about making my body look as thin as possible. I am not going to swaddle myself in Spanx or avoid trends simply because there’s the off chance I could appear “fat” — newsflash, I am fat! Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, check out which “rules” I broke during my week of style rebellion.