Of course you always want to look your best. And you should. Sometimes that means you have to draw a veil over parts that you feel are too big for your figure. You should do that when you feel you need to.
The question of clothing, when you are overweight, is more than just bulges in the wrong places. It is how you feel about your body, how you carry it, when you consider yourself overweight.
Some women, obviously weighing more than they want, wear their bodies with confidence. They know their excess weight is there, and they try to dress it in their own special way. But they also know, and believe, and project, that they are not their weight. They are a beautiful embodiment of all kinds of skills, qualities, and compassionate abilities.
“I am not my weight,” they would say, if asked.
“I am not an overweight woman.”
“I am not defined by my weight.”
“I am me.”
Or, as Helen Reddy exclaimed a generation ago, “I am woman, hear me roar!”
“This isn’t about being a feminist. It is about being who I am. And who I am is wonderful, and intelligent, and capable, and loving, and more than I can cram into a short conversation.”
In that approach, these women take the view that weight is not an attribute of personality, any more than the color of their hair or eyes. (OK, we need to make a fun exception for redheads.)
You can change the color or your hair. You can also change your weight (although it may take a little longer than the hair changeover). That is not WHO you are.
So, go ahead, hide the parts of your body you feel you need to.
But never hide from us the beautiful person that you are.
Don’t let weight get in the way. When people see that, it doesn’t matter what you weigh. You are you. And that is the wonderful experience of being near enough to you to say, “Hi, it’s great seeing you again.”
Celebrate Who You Are Every Living Moment – Please RETWEET!
The Weight That Pressures Us To Dress The Way We Do #UnDietProject #UnDiet https://t.co/qPfkw9NGQt pic.twitter.com/wswwq0gD9P
— Celebrate Woman (@DiscoverSelf) January 30, 2017
© 2017 The UnDiet Project. All Rights Reserved.
18 thoughts on “The Weight That Pressures Us To Dress The Way We Do”
I agree that weight should not define who we are. It’s more on physical judgement only, what’s important is what on the inside and how we confidently dress up.
I try to dress so that I feel comfortable. I do admit that I prefer loose clothes to hide some parts of my body I’m not so happy with, but I think that the most important thing is to eat healthy and get some exercise, so soon we don’t have to hide behind clothes anymore.
I wish I felt that way but my self-esteem sucks really bad. I’m always trying to hide my body and hate it. Hopefully the more weight I lose the better I feel about myself.
I wish I could say I always carried myself with confidence while being overweight. However, I have not and struggled for the longest time.
I am in the process of trying to lose some weight I gained last year. I’m trying to also be healthier and make smart lifestyle choices. However, it’s important to accept ourselves regardless of our weight!
I have learned to love my body. This is thanks to my husband as I would look in the mirror and see the bones in my chest. He told me to stop it. That all he sees is the beautiful woman in the mirror he does not see any flaws. This was my Ah moment that Oprah says that changed the way I saw myself.
Such a powerful post! As I’m currently dealing with my body image, I have gained a lot of weights back from my injury and depression. I am working on loving myself just as I am, not only when the numbers on the scale point to a specific digits. Thank you so much for your post, I needed to read this today.
I’ve recently lost 50 lbs, and I feel less comfortable in my skin than when I was heavier. It’s weird! I dress more for comfort now tho.
This post is so awesome and definitely something that girls, young girls especially, need to hear. I 100% agree that we as woman, or anyone really, shouldn’t let our weight get in the way.
I wish people would put an end to body shaming. It is awful enough for adults to deal with it, I can’t imagine the negative impact it has on young girls. Thanks for this post. It is a must read for every woman who struggles with trying to look and feel good about themselves.
I wear what I am most comfortable in. One day it may be a big comfy sweatshirt and the next a slim fitting sweater. It’s all about what makes you feel your best!
I dress for comfort because I love being comfy! I agree that you shouldn’t dress a certain way because of your weight. Just dress how you want and be happy!
Ah yes, the “hidden” stomach kind of dressing is what I do for work. I wear loose items to hide what I don’t like, though I am trying to change it with diet and exercise!
Hope this gets read by women and men everywhere. Especial our young girls who are already feeling the pressure of not looking the way society say we should look.
I love this post, very empowering! I always wear baggy shirts to hide my post-baby belly. And should add that my youngest is almost 6 years old!
I say to dress how you feel. There are too many people judging others. Love yourself and others will too!
I dress comfortably whether I am happy with my weight or not. I just prefer to keep my weight down when I can.
Now that old Helen Reddy song is playing in my mind. I always loved that song! I totally agree – our weight should not define who we are.