Anywho's I'm casually browsing the rails as you do, when I spy an adorable Nana knitted reindeer jumper dress, in glorious ice cream colours. Curiosity gets the better of me and I decide to play dress up in the changing rooms to kill time. Dedicated to my normal routine I grab two different sizes as I differ from store to store. Example in Primark I can be anything from a 12-18, in Newlook I'm a size 14 and so on, schizophrenic size system? I'm not one to allow a size tag to define me nor concern me. So what if I'm like a hundred different sizes? I'm not losing sleep over it or going to stress that I have a size 16 hanging up in my wardrobe.I enjoy food and I enjoy fashion lucky enough for me I've never felt compelled to keep the two separate, err not that I go around wearing cake or anything.I fell in love with style and fashion but never really swooned over or felt the desire to be like those models who grace the pages of Vogue and Elle etc.To me they simply aren't realistic.
Sadly to a small few they seem to be an hollow inspiration, if not some twisted religion?
As I pull over my size 14 jumper dress, and team it with a pair of size 12 heart patterned shorts (sale £4, yes I did take these home), I'm content not distraught that the size 12 jumper failed to slid over my curves. However next door to my changing room, I over hear various very disturbing conversations bouncing off the paper thin walls of the stores changing rooms. It's not exactly hard to hear others chatter through the flimsy walls.Firstly I over hear one group of girls erasing food groups from their "diet bible". I only wish I was kidding.
One girl sounds heartbroken, distraught and angry about failing to fit into a size 8,disgusted that she can't squeeze into the children's clothes, rather than her 'friend' comfort her and inform her that it's perfectly Okay for a twenty something to wear womenswear rather than a size age 5-6 jeans, she agrees with her upset friend that she has indeed "piled on the pounds through indulging in too much cereal" and must stick to the "model's diet the one we read in Style magazine". As if their deluded banter couldn't become anymore odd, they both agree to purchase a dress which is two sizes too small and "ditch lunch for three months"
Guess those two girls won't be stopping at Gregs for a bite to eat?
The opposite side of my changing room, I over hear yet another fragile and upset girl
work herself up in a huff about going up one dress size. She begins telling herself off and ranting at her bemused pal,"how am I ever going to get another date with any hot men if I keep ballooning up to the next size? I can't believe I need a size 12!Do you think I should consider that Slimfast diet?"
Erm no love I think you should consider getting a grip of reality and let go of size tags, they are just tags after all and are not the be all end all of the world.Buy the garmet you like pay less attention to the size by snipping off the tag, hang up those hang ups and don't allow false celebrity/model images fool you into believing that any size is wrong be it a size 8,10,12,14,16,18 or XL.Just roll with what you've got and except the solid fact that we can't all look identical we aren't all born with Vogue-esque limbs, this doesn't mean you can't celebrate and be proud of you and your own style. As for slimfasting it to keep the opposite sex pleased and have frequent dates. Please don't be daft, banish the thought that men only find air brushed women attractive. Besides come on now, think about it- nothing except bland low fat powder like milkshake everyday? Urrgh just for the sake of dropping a tag size or two. May I suggest you repeat this foolish idea out loud, so you can confirm how utterly crazy and insane that is.
