The Fat Girl's Guide

I know you're a big Bonnaroo fan, and I'll be attending for the first time in less than a week's time! So what should I do about chaffing? Because I'm terrified I'm going to be down for the count by Saturday because of this.

Asked by
etc-etc

This is my fourth year so I know what you’re saying!! Bonnaroo and other music festivals are like chub rub in overdrive. It’s miles of walking every day in humid, 85+ heat. Here are a few thing I have learned throughout the years.

Start taking care of chub rub before it happens. It is such a bitch to take care of after you already have it. So uncomfortable! Start day 1!
Bring a shower bag, a shower tent, or pay for one there. It makes SUCH a huge difference and makes you feel like a million bucks. It will also help keep problem areas clean.
Take a tip from the guys- Gold bond powder is actually awesome. You can also use baby powder. It really works. It’s kind of a pain in the butt to apply though, and can be seen on your skin, so I would only recommend it for when you’re wearing longer skirts or dresses.
A lot of people use deodorant, too. It works, but I would be careful with it at Bonnaroo, it may not do the trick for Bonnaroo. It’s a good backup, though. It’s really important to just keep areas you get chub rub dry and as clean as possibly.
Also, for Hangout fest I tried Skindura. It’s hand made and all natural. It’s also waterproof. It’s AWESOME. It worked like a dream. It’s a little pricey but I found it was completely worth it. The person who makes it did a lot of trial runs herself until she got it perfect. It’s definitely what I will be using for Bonnaroo.
If you don’t have time to order it, there are other anti-chaffing gels and what not you can buy at any grocery or drug store. They work, too. My advice with Skindura and other gels though is to keep the area clean. I sat in the sand one day and it kind of ruined the whole glide effect & was a pain to get off my skin. I would bring a towel or blanket to sit on at Bonnaroo and you’ll be good to go!
You also can’t go wrong with a good pair of bike shorts. I wear them a lot, actually. You also don’t have to worry about being modest when sitting at a show or anything. They’re the ultimate anti-chub rub! I got a pair at Target for $10.

If anyone sees me at Bonnaroo come say hey!

Hey guys! Just to let you know I have a TON of new clothes up on my selling blog! Including my first wedding dress I bought. (I ended up getting a tea length for my actual wedding.) AND the top that was the first outfit post I ever did. Almost everything is less than $20. Go check it out and get some great finds for super cheap.

Shop here. :)

Outfit of the Day: DIY Boho

So you’ll have to excuse me. When Summer hits I just dive right into my hippy boho looks. I think it’s really fun to try different silhouettes and looks. I never like to just look one way all the time. It’s nice to play with your aesthetic sometimes. I guess with all the music festivals and humid Georgia heat, it’s great to just throw on a sundress or a flowy skirt like this one.

Tank Top: Old Navy // Skirt: Thrifted & altered // Headband: Handmade & Gifted // Belt: Torrid // Necklace: Avenue // Sandals: Target // Sunglasses: Von Maur

As a part of the tie dye theme we’ve got going, I’m going to teach you how to broaden your thrifting horizons! This skirt was $5 at Goodwill. Although, it didn’t look like this at all. I was hunting for a flowy, mid-length, pink skirt for awhile now. I couldn’t find something I liked in plus size at all. So I just decided to make it! I took a skirt that had the right fit and look to it, and I decided to bleach and re-dye it.

Bleaching:

I used Rit color remover and dye. It worked amazingly! It was like magic! I had never done anything like this before so I was really excited it actually worked. I got all of it at a crafts store.

It took about 20 minutes of constant stirring in very hot water and a very large stock pot, but I got it to a pale khaki color. The directions said it may not get to a fully white color, and I knew with the dark color I started with, this was about as good as it gets. You can also dye it at this color, which I did because I wanted to keep the tribal print throughout.

Dyeing:

I used the same stock pot to dye once it was cleaned out, and I had thoroughly rinsed my skirt. I picked Petal Pink for a light, airy color. The directions were quite similar to the the color removal process. Lots of stirring! I let mine it a little longer that recommended, then washed it. Came out pretty cool, huh?

So there you go! So easy and it completely changes the look of the piece. Now you can shop for style and fit, and have an easy way to alter clothing just the way you want. Enjoy!

“Never underestimate the huge middle finger you are giving to the world when you make peace with your body.”

Frances Lockie (via azelie)

(via tangledupinlace)

Things the Internet Taught Me: How to Tie-Dye!

Welcome to tie dye week! I must admit, we got a little carried away in preparation for festival season, but I made a lot of really cool stuff, wore a lot of it (not just tee-shirts and psychedelic prints) that I really enjoyed doing and want to share with you. I’ve learned how to DIY a lot of things from various places the internet. This new section found at the top of the blog will be a one-stop-shop for all the great DIY projects, recipes, and other fun things I learn and want to share with you.

So let’s get to dyeing!

First things first- soak them in something called Soda Ash. It really helps your colors stay, and keeps them bright. I also use it for regular dyeing as well. You also want the shirts to be damp when you dye them, as it helps the dye soak through the shirt, too.

The Heart:

This one is my absolute favorite! It looks like it would be really hard, but it is actually quite simple!

Fold your teeshirt or tank top in half and draw half a heart on it in washable marker. (As you can tell, it took me a few tries to get my heart right.)
Then, start gathering the shirt up along the line. You are going to move and bend the top so that the line that made your heart is now a strait line when bundled together.
Put one of two bands around that line.
Now, just put parallel bands along the rest of your shirt.
Mix your dyes and put them in squirt bottles. We got ours at a crafts store for $1 each.
Where each band is signifies where to put each color, so chose what colors you would like where. You can also put a color right on the rubber band to get a sort of outline effect, like the black line around the heart on mine.
Saturate each area. Then flip it over. You can see what colors are where. Saturate the other side.
Leave it somewhere overnight, or even a couple days if you’re really patient!
Rinse in the sink with COLD water to set until water runs clear. Wash in cold/warm cycle in the washer.
Enjoy! This can also be done for just rings, or various other shapes.

The Spiral:

A classic! Also really easy and comes out super cool. You can also add as many spirals as you want to an item!

Simply lay your shirt out flat.
Decide where you want the spiral to be, and pinch it. Start turning it in either direction until it starts to spiral up into a little bun. You can do several spirals if you like.
Take the excess tee hanging off, and tuck it by the side.
As many colors as you want, put that many rubber bands on the shirt to secure it. We wanted 4, so we did two bands to make 4 sections, but you can do more.
Color each section as you did before, making sure each side is saturated. Leave for 12-24 hours.
Rinse in cold water until it runs clear, then wash.

The last one I did was a crop top. It was damp, as were the other shirts. I over saturated the bottom of the shirt, and let it sit. It naturally ran up and ombre’d itself when I walked off! Happy accident. Pretty neat, though.

That’s it! Super easy and simple. Now all you have to do is rock them! Make sure to wear gloves and do it outside or on some trashbags or tarp! It’s fun and slightly messy! Have a blast and don’t be afraid to be creative! Groovy, man.

“

When [your friends] say “You’re not fat,” what they really mean is “You’re not a dozen nasty things I associate with the word fat.” The size of your body is not what’s in question; a tape measure or a mirror could solve that dispute. What’s in question is your goodness, your lovability, your intelligence, your kindness, your attractiveness. And your friends, not surprisingly, are inclined to believe you get high marks in all those categories. Ergo, you couldn’t possibly be fat.

But I am. I am cute and healthy and pleasant-smelling (usually) and ambitious and smart and lovable and fun and stylish and friendly and outgoing and categorically not icky. And I am fat — just like I’m also short, also American, also blonde (with a little chemical assistance). It is just one fucking word that describes me, out of hundreds that could. Those three little letters do not actually cancel out all of my good qualities.

[…]

Because fat should mean only having more adipose tissue than the average person, but it doesn’t. And every time you ignore what’s in front of your face to tell me I’m not fat because you can’t bring yourself to put me in that nasty, ugly category, you’re buying in to the idea that real fat people are all sorts of nasty, ugly things I’m not. Horseshit. I am a real fat person, and very few real fat people live up to the worst stereotypes wielded against us.

[…]

Too many women look at me and think, She can’t be fat —she looks fine, then look at themselves and think, I’m so fat — I can’t possibly look (or be) fine. Even ones who are built exactly like me. As long as the horseshit stereotypes persist — that fat women can never be healthy, smart, driven, disciplined, fashionable, attractive and eminently lovable — women who are all those things and fat will keep seeing themselves as fundamentally disgusting and unworthy. So every time someone tries to tell me I’m not fat simply because I don’t fit those stereotypes, I’m gonna keep telling them I am, too, fat, dammit! Le fat, c’est moi. This is what fat looks like.

I am a kindhearted, intelligent, attractive, person, and I am fat. There is no paradox there.

”

Does my butt look fat? (Kate Harding)

Outfit of the Day: Such a Heart Throb

Hello loves! I hope you all had a fabulous Cinco de Drinko! I know we did. We opted out of the usual craziness of a Mexican restaurant, and had a cookout at our place with some close friends. It was a lot of fun and was so nice to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in awhile! I’ve been oggling this dress at Torrid for awhile now. I’m a sucker for a dress with pockets. Lucky for me, it went on clearance! It is a great piece because I could really dress it up or down. I opted for a more casual look by just pairing it with sandals, sunglasses and my favorite hat. The sunglasses were something I’ve been trying to hunt down for awhile now. I finally found some in Europe I loved that were part of my fatini wishlist that wouldn’t ship to me! So I ended up finding the light colored pair of these AJ Morgan ones I’m wearing on Asos, and then lurked the internet for a cheaper price. Tada! The wonders of the internet. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you know I’ve been wearing them all the time! They’re too cute. You may also notice I slightly ombred my hair in colors of red and copper. I think I like it for the most part. Whatcha think?

Dress: Torrid on clearance!

Sandals & Hat: Target

Sunglasses: Von Maur

Necklace: F21

Your thoughts on monokinis? I'm typical hourglass and I'm afraid they'd make me look too curvy (if that's possible) haha

Asked by
charlotteshouts

I think they’re great! I say rock it! And being an hour glass is nothing to be ashamed of, no one’s body is something to feel shame about. Lots of people would be so happy to have your shape. Having any shape, there is nothing wrong with accentuating your curves! I’m more of an apple/pear shape, and a lot of my clothing shows that. But I don’t let that hold me back! Part of body acceptance is learning about your body and accepting it’s shape and frame. I now love showing off my big hips. There’s no such thing as being too curvy, girl!

Outfit of the Day: Good Goddess

This is what I wore the last day of 420 fest! I really love the midi length skirts and dresses. They’re super comfortable and chic! This dress has sent me on a rampage of looking for the perfect midi skirts to add to my closet. Although, because I’m 5’ 10”, I think this was supposed to be a maxi dress, haha. Oh well, rock whatcha got, right? It’s all about making something your own. When I came out in this outfit, my fiance told me I looked like a goddess. D’aww. I really liked the trendiness of the big earrings and leopard print skinny belt with the hippy chic look of a longer dress and braids. Really simple but really cute!

Dress & Earrings: Thrifted

Belt & Sandals: Target

As promised, here it is! So many of you have been emailing me after my fatkini post about where to get them! These are some of my favorites. They’re all plus size and vary in sizes, cuts, and expense! You decide how much tummy you want to show & what your budget is! The most expensive being the jaw dropping Monif C. and the cheapest being the adorable Simply Be (as seen on the beautiful Gabifresh, of course.) All in all, this summer is the summer for fatkinis! You could barely find them anywhere last year, and now we have numerous choices. So, take a chance. Take back your body and enjoy summer! (Also enjoy the ease of a two piece in the bathroom! Haha.) Every body is a bikini body. Granted, I know not everyone will feel comfortable in a two piece, but maybe this will get you thinking about it a little, and help break the ideas you may have around swimwear and plus sizes. Everyone should feel beautiful all the time- and that includes at the beach or pool.

Fatkinis for All! featuring plus size swimwear

Plus size swimwear
simplybe.com

Esther Williams plus size swimwear
$90 - modcloth.com

High waisted bikini
$148 - monifc.com

Plus size swimwear
$165 - monifc.com

Joe brown
simplybe.com

Mix Match plus size swimwear
simplybe.com

Plus size swimwear
$19 - simplybe.com

Black High-Waist Bikini Swim Bottoms

$37- Torrid

Halter Top Bikini

$47-Torrid

Plus size swimwear
simplybe.com

J Crew straw hat
$35 - jcrew.com

Monki retro sunglasses
€10 - monki.com

Straw fedora
$14 - kohls.com

H&M retro sunglasses
£4.99 - hm.com

Swimwear | Pinup Girl Clothing
pinupgirlclothing.com

Outfit of the Day: Flower Power

This is one of my favorite casual outfits. I wore this to my favorite Atlanta music festival, Sweetwater 420 fest! It’s always a great time, and the perfect start to festival season! The music is really funky, the food is good, and the beer is even better! If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you already saw what a good time we had! Haha. I wore this outfit because the weather has been crazy lately. It’s warm one minute, and cold and rainy the next. I wanted to look cute, be weather conscious, and be able to comfortably run around, dance, and sit in the grass without worrying about being “ladylike.” I rarely wear jeans, but these are super comfortable! They’re a super stretchy jean, almost like leggings but not quite. They’re perfect for anyone who likes skinny jeans on curves! I’m digging wearing this outfit more often; it’s got a hint of cool, a hint of hippy chick, and keeping it really casual.

Top: American Rag via Macy’s

Jeans: Big Bang Boutique

Belt: Torrid

Shoes, Hat & Cardi: Target

So, I'm toooootally in love with your "fatkini"! I really, really want the high waist bottoms, but I can't find them on the website. Can you post a link to them?

Asked by
schmalyssa

Ugh I know! It took me such a long time to find ones I liked. They are from Land’s End, but it looks like they were taken down! I’m so sorry! They were on sale and I guess they sold out. You aren’t the only one who asked, so maybe if enough people email them asking for them to be re-stocked, they will!
Some other great high waisted bottoms I found were black, but still looked great! I know Torrid, Target, Spanx, Evans, Fig Leaves, Mod Cloth, Pin Up girl Clothing, and lots of awesome Etsy sellers have bottoms like mine! Check those out for now. You might find some you like just as much if not more! I’ll do a fatkini wishlist post with links soon! <3

Outfit of the Day: Pretty in Peplum

Can I just say how much I love the Spring trend of peplums?! They’re so classy and cute! I remember when I was in fashion school, learning about when peplums first made a comeback in the 1940’s to return women’s fashion to a feminine style and help create a hourglass silhouette. Those of you who have talked fashion with me know I lust over the 40’s fashion; I even did my final project on it, and made a dress with a peplum. So it’s only right that peplums are near and dear to my heart. They really are girly and classy looking! I really love them with a bodycon type skirt for a funkier, sexier look that can go from the office to dinner with no problems. This dress had everything I was looking for! I knew I had to have it for my store (and keep one for myself!)

Dress: Big Bang Boutique

Jewelry: Brighton & thrifted pieces

Shoes: Avenue

Hi! Great bikini pictures, you look gorgeous! I have a question that may be too personal and if it is I apologize. Were you blessed with no stretch marks or do you use something to lessen them? I have a lot and I don't know if there's anything I can do about them. You don't seem to have any in your pictures.

Asked by
jenjik

Hey thank you! No I totally do! I’ve got soo many on my tummy. I actually looked for bathing suits and skirts that went high enough to cover them! You can still kind of see them right about the band of the bikini bottoms in my last post. I’ve also got them on my arms and the sides of my breasts. And you know what? That’s okay!

I know anything with Vitamin E in it helps reduce the look of them, but there’s not anything you can really do to get rid of them as far as I know. I use a body wash with Vitamin E and essential oils in it. I’ve heard coco butter is also great for them too. Plus it makes your skin super soft!

Just remember that stretch marks are totally natural! A lot of photos you will see of models, even plus size models, will be photoshopped to show no stretch marks. But I’m pretty sure they most likely have them just like you and I do! I just call them my tiger stripes! It’s been a big part of my body acceptance that I still have a hard time with. But you, me, and pretty much every person you know has them! They can be from gaining, losing, or even just growing taller! Don’t let it hold you back from loving yourself or wearing certain things. I hope that helps some. Just remember to keep perspective. When you think it’s just you who has something up with your body, there are plenty of us that connect with you on it! It’s totally normal to have “flaws.” You’re human and you’re beautiful. Tiger stripes and all!

Outfit of the Day: TUMMY LIBERATION!

So those of you that have been reading my blog for awhile know that one of my goals is to push the standard of what a plus size women are “supposed” to wear. I know that my body is political, even if I don’t want it to be. People will always have an opinion on what you wear. All the more reason to rock whatcha got and screw what they think! One of my goals I have been pushing for myself is to be more bold in the way of skin and what parts of my body are “okay” to show. Of course, my tummy being the biggest hurdle. I spent SO many years trying to cover it up, and other chunky parts of my body. It feels really freeing to wear things that show it. I started with sheers, then went to lace, and now… my first bikini. The last time I wore a bikini I was five years old, and I remember being told I was too chunky to wear one. I was five! So, twent years later, I give those people the finger with my fabulous self! (You should too!)

This look is lovingly called in the fatosphere- a fatkini! I wanted one so bad last summer and wasn’t able to find things in my size. Luckily, several retailers including Pinup Girl Clothing, Torrid, Evans, Monif C, and (shockingly) Land’s End picked right up on our want for gorgeous two pieces. I love the high waisted bottoms with the pin-up inspired top. It’s really comfortable and both fit better than expected! Really happy with them. I know I don’t have a model body, or hell, even a “plus size” model body. I think anyone can rock these! I actually feel prettier in this than any one pieces I’ve ever put on.

I have to say I searched the ends of the internet for over a year for the perfect pieces. I sporadically looked for an inexpensive high waisted bottom and a top that was adorable but thick enough in the back to help with my tatas. I found everything I was looking for! Not to mention the cute bodycon skirt, and the hippy chic lace top I drooled over for weeks before finally caving and buying it. I really love this look and will be wearing it all the time! It’s perfect for the beach, the pool, and even music festivals! It really is a three ways to wear kind of deal. I can’t wait to rock my bikini body out and about! Remember… Any body in a bikini is a bikini body!

Lace Top & Bikini Top: Torrid! Get it here:

Torrid’s cute and sexy swimwear this summer. Shop cover ups, tankinis, bikinis and more!

Red High Waist Swim Bottoms: Land’s End (Um they were $15!)

Black Bodycon Skirt: Lane Bryant

Sandals: Target

Tom Ford Knockoff Sunglasses: Ebay