As a curvy girl, it’s fairly obvious that the fashion world tends to under-represent us. But not being the often-photoshopped and advertised shape doesn’t make us any less capable of being fashion-forward and fabulous.
Some of us devour fashion magazines or blogs but get tired of seeing only one type of body- us bigger girls like fashion inspiration, too! It may seem impossible to look good or feel confident in clothes when the media so rarely presents us with positive curvy role models and fashion plaits.
First off, beauty is not one-size fits all. We all just have to find a little inspiration. The following blogs and websites present a body-positive, empowering approach to fashion for girls who find themselves underrepresented in the fashion media- whether you consider yourself curvy, plus-sized, or bootylicious, these sites are fantastic.
The Hourglass
Blogger Jackie Le Brun is a 5’1” voluptuous woman who loves vintage and vintage-inspired clothing. Her outfits are all about being fun, flirty, mysterious, and whimsical, but never about hiding. She describes her figure as an hourglass, and states that she has never let her height or curves get in the way of having fun with fashion- and it shows through her beautiful blog.
The Curvy Fashionista
Marie Denee runs the part blog, part online magazine website called The Curvy Fashionista—an online community dedicated to being “Curvy. Confident. Chic.” She covers everything from designers to trends to beauty to shoes to body image. It’s a fantastic blog for girls who are curvy or plus-sized and totally fabulous. They want to, “show fellow plus-sized women that they CAN don the latest and greatest trends.”
Lovely Fashion Plus
This tumblr takes submissions and reposts plus-sized women’s fashion photos. It is a blog dedicated to appreciating the many different styles of beauty and fashion found on plus-sized women. This site does not discriminate against fashion styles either—whether you are into the library chic look, the funky look, the goth look, the preppy look, or the vintage look, it doesn’t matter. They’re all beautiful.
Girl With Curves
Blogger Tanesha Awasthi is a curvy girl whose blog showcases her style and how to get her look. Her effortless style is something to aspire to, and she makes shopping easy, always stating with where she got something and even uploading helpful guides, like this one on jeans here. Her blog started out as a way to express her love for fashion but has evolved into a mission on “chang[ing] lives through fashion, by promoting positive body-image, self-esteem and body-acceptance in the curvy community.” She continues, “Far too long has the plus size fashionista been left out of fashion, and made to think she can’t be fashionable. It’s time to create change, by making a statement that curves deserve style too!”
Garner Style
Chastity Garner is a plus-sized fashion blogger with a whole lot of style. She covers everything from outfits and trends, where to shop, and how to shop to designers to watch and events going on in the plus-size fashion world. The way she plays with color, line, shape, and proportion is fantastic, and her celebrity outfit commentary is pretty great as well. She believes that no woman should have to sacrifice the confidence that comes from looking your best just because you’re plus-sized, and argues that plus-sized women shouldn’t compromise their sense of style just because designers don’t always cater to the plus-sized woman. This is why I think it is so phenomenal that she showcases plus-size designers. Her dream job is to be a buyer for the Neiman Marcus plus-size department—and I hope she gets there!
There are many more great curvy and plus-sized fashion blogs out there! Even if it seems like the mainstream fashion industry, with the wonders of the internet, confident, sexy, curvy and plus-sized women are finding their voice and standing as role models and support for women who have bodies whose beauty is typically overlooked. Every woman should feel confident and at peace with her body.