Style + Beauty

In fashion, the mantra is “never say never.” Never claim that you’ll never wear it, because that's the easiest way to end up eating your words, prancing about in a style you once referred to as “unsuitable.”

In the same way women benefit from seeing other women who actually look like them, so do men. Hardly any major clothing brands make plus-sized menswear and those that do barely advertise them.

Size, like age and salary and whatever else, is just a number. Pretending numbers don’t measure things isn’t helpful. I’m 38 years old: That isn’t good or bad, but it IS different from being 18 or 50.

Once I started my professional life, I soon realized that stilettos and pumps had no place in the office. Instead, ballerina flats, loafers, and sneakers became my shoes of choice. I can dress them up or down, and at the end of a long day, my feet are still happy and energized.

I've been really trying to think about every purchase I make and its overall impact on the world. However, I recently broke code and indulged in the Marimekko for Target collection.

When you’re helping people zip up dresses and watching their reactions to certain items of clothing, you start noticing patterns. Here are four of the phrases I hear most often in the dressing room, and how I wish — oh, how I wish! — I could respond.

You know what’s more “ostracizing” than being called plus-size? Actually BEING plus-size and unable to find clothes that fit you and that you like.
Plus-size people do not have the same choices as those who wear straight sizes — not in style, quality, price point, or availability. THAT'S ostracizing.

As a curvaceous 27-year-old who developed early, I was constantly reprimanded for my selection in attire. Whether I was complimented by strangers or nagged by loved ones, one thing was made certain: my well-endowed "assets" caught both positive and negative attention, even when it was out of my control.