I write about maintaining positive body images, how natural figures and curves are sexy, being comfortable in your own skin, and embracing that inner sexy Goddess. I finally, in my mid-30s, pride myself in being comfortable in my skin, in being able to look at myself in the mirror and smiling at what I see. I don’t have the body of a model, but I don’t want that body. For the most part, I am happy with me just the way I am!
And then I go pant shopping.
That was yesterday for me. And somewhat of a disaster on the whole ‘positive body image campaign’. Yes, at the age 35, I may have had a temper tantrum or two in the store and I may have been on the brink of tears. My companions, sillily suggested mall stores at one point, that quickly spiraled the experience out of control. Why our main fashion outlets, like Esprit, Banana Republic …etc, can’t make clothes for a gal with curves and hips is beyond me. I have a small waist and big hips and can’t for the life of me find flattering pants that fit correctly in such stores. And I know my figure is not abnormal.
My body (Photographer: Lola May)
At the end of the day, I ended up in a store carrying expensive European fashions and I found some pants that made me feel exquisite and are exceptionally flattering to my figure. Will I still need to battle the trauma of the other stores and feeling fat? Yep, and this is likely why I avoid pant shopping until my clothes start looking tatty. But I was lucky, I had someone that wanted to splurge a little on me and buy me the pants that made me feel exquisite. Not everybody is as lucky. Not everybody can afford to shop in the fancy stores, and then I think about the teenagers. The shops in the malls are designed with the teenage shopper in mind. What does it do to the impressionable teen, whose body is changing drastically, when all the clothes in the trendy stores in the mall are designed for women without curves? Should these stores not have something for all shapes and sizes as opposed to hipless women?
At what point is the mainstream fashion industry going to join campaigns, like that of Dove’s, and celebrate real women’s bodies and help women to feel like the sexy devils they are? Fashion should make us feel good about ourselves, not horribly insecure.









