A weighty issue

Now I don't think I have really spoken about my weight on my blog, but I think its about time I did. Basically I am not a size 8, 10, 12 or even a 14. I am a size 16 (occasional 14 and horror of all horrors a sometimes 18 depending on the store) It doesn't bother me that much, but recently I have put on a little more weight. The reason for this is moving back home to Australia. In Japan I would guess that I lost between 5-10kgs which I have since put back on. I lost the weight easily because of the Japanese lifestyle (riding my bicycle for 1 hour every day to and from work, eating small portions, eating Japanese food etc...) When I first came back home Aussie food portions were all too big, but slowly I became accustomed to it again. I bought a bicycle to ride around Melbourne but it isn't as safe to ride bikes here as it is in Japan so I got scared so I haven't ridden in ages (I've had 2 pretty bad bicycle accidents so my fear is justified, 1 time I broke my arm as a kid and another I almost got run over by a car in Japan, if that accident happened in Australia I would have been run over, no question)

Anyway I have a few friends who also struggle with their weight. I seem to be the only one out of all my "fat" friends who isn't afraid of fashion, who doesn't cover up and hide away. They sometimes ask me where I find my clothes and if I ever shop at big girl clothes shops like Mysize or BigCityChic. Well the answer is I occasionally shop at big girl shops, just not exclusively. The clothes in those shops aren't everyone's taste and often seem to be made for a more mature woman. I think that's the mistake bigger girls make, they don't know where to shop so take the easy route. Well I have some tips.

Tip 1: Learn what shape your body is:

I am lucky because I have a pretty even hourglass figure (almost, my upper half is smaller than my bottom, but not by much) However I have learnt how to use clothes to disguise my lower half and focus on my waist and chest, which are my best features. (Henry would beg to differ, he loves my arse and would say that is my best feature)

Anyway if you look at these photos you will notice a trend:











I always always wear a belt around my waist. Do you see how I don't really look that fat? Its all a visual illusion thanks to a waist belt. If I had the same line over my hips on a pair of pants I would look HUGE (I don't think I could even find a belt that would fit over my hips) but this is the look that I see other women of my size do and as far as I'm concerned its a big No No.


As I said in Japan I as 5-10kgs lighter so I didn't always have to wear a belt. Also because of all the bike riding my legs looked amazing. I now wear this dress with a waist belt, so its not a total loss, but unfortunately my legs aren't as fab anymore.

Yes it has only been 11 months since I came home but I have already gone back to my pre-Japan ways, possibly even worse. I have been a vegetarian for more than 10 years (maybe 14 years or so) and have always eaten pretty healthily, its just the exercise which I don't do. However recently due to Uni, working late and stress I have started eating Junk food. It doesn't help that I live next door to a 7/11 and McDonald's (I eat fillet-o-fish burgers even though I don't eat fish normally, I am definitely stopping this as of now) In Japan 7/11 has healthy soba noodles or salads for less than $3, here its all chips, chocolate and pastry's. Japan has chips but I hated all the flavours and the chocolate portions were tiny (think fun sized) so even junk food wasn't really that fatty/tempting over there. I think my down fall has been time, I'm too busy to cook, too busy to go to the supermarket and too busy to ride my bike.

Tip 2: Know where and how to shop:

This is a tricky one. I know what shops and shapes suit my style and size so I think I have an easy time when it comes to shopping. Basically I have a few "rules"

1. zips wont fit - Generally if I'm buying a new dress (i.e not at an op shop) and it has a zip it won't fit me. I don't know why or how this works but it saves me a lot of time in shops because I know immediately it won't work for me and then don't try it on.
2. elastic is fantastic - Elastic is my godsend. If a dress or top or skirt is elasticised or has an elastic waist band (not noticeable mind you, I don't want to look like I'm wearing maternity wear) it will defiantly be ok.
3. buttons can be moved - Often I find that buttons on tops are just 1cm short of doing up comfortably. That's where having a husband who enjoys sewing comes in handy (I know how lucky am I?) Just move them across and voila a perfect fit.
4. pants are a no go - I think I've mentioned on here before how I don't own any pants. The last pair I owned was maybe 7 years ago. They just look terrible on me and I can't find any that fit. It can be a little cold (In New York I got wind burn on my legs even though I was wearing 3 pairs of woollen tights, so painful) but for me its worth it to look good.

I'm not saying that these "rules" will be right for all "fat girls" but they work for me. The thing that bothers me is bigger girls seem to get stuck in a rut of tracksuits and jeans and don't seem to try to dress up. I know that they don't want to attract attention to themselves but I think that's a terrible way to live. Honestly I am happy with the way I am (mostly, I don't like that I've suddenly put on weight but I know why it happened and I've stopped doing it now) and I don't feel the need to hide. Fat doesn't equal ugly, even though it can feel like that sometimes with the media and even strangers in the street making comments.

I also know what shops carry what sizes.

Sportsgirl only runs to a size 14 for most clothes but sometimes a small 16, but I haven't bought anything there for 5 years or so.
Big W, Target and Kmart are good for basics and shoes (I have large size 10 feet too which some shops don't carry).
Valleygirl, Tempt and Supre and those types of stores can be ok as long as I follow my "rules".
Alphaville can be good to find dresses (I tried on this amazing one a while ago) but right now I don't have that kind of money.

Basically I shop at op-shops and markets mainly, which is not only good for my wallet but also for the environment i.e no throw away fashion just recycled.

Savers is my number 1 favourite shop. I have a system when I go and can spot a bargain a mile away.

I seem to be the only "fat" fashion blogger and I sometimes want to find people out there like me who can't run off and buy the latest cool AA miniskirt and see how they feel about it. I have never had a problem with my size, it has always been the people around me. People always say to me if I say I'm fat "oh you're not fat" which I think is the stupidest thing to say, like if they don't admit it it will go away. I know they are just being my friends and being nice but why can't I just be honest about it. Although all this being said I think one of the reasons I have never dieted or gone on a fitness regime is because I'm so fine with it. It doesn't help that my husband is so supportive. If I was single would I be skinny? Lol.

Tip 3: Be confident:

Not going to the beach because you are too embarrassed to wear a swimsuit is ridiculous. You have to live your life, not just watch it pass you by. When I was younger I felt more uncomfortable about my body so I used to do just this. Now I'm happy with myself and realise no one cares how I look in my bathers, they just want to swim.

This goes with everything I wear. I dress as fashionable as possible for my size. I know what trends and styles suit me (through a lot of trial and error) and what defiantly wont. So with this knowledge I can be confident and not worry what people think when I'm out because I know I look hot, for a fat girl.

I also know that a lot of people will look at me and think I'm an unhealthy lazy slob. That is somewhat true of me recently, but up until I went back to Uni and was overloaded with homework I was eating super healthy every day and walking everywhere, hence my recent weight gain. I'm on holidays now and me and Henry are back to our normal healthier ways because we have the time. Henry used to say he doesn't know why I am fat and why he isn't. We eat the same food (vegetarian food, and Henry actually eats twice the amount as me) and do the same amount of exercise (hardly any but a lot of walking). Who knows, maybe it's my metabolism, but it's unfair how men can eat and eat and not get fat.

The point of this post was to
a) see if anyone out there is like me or maybe find another "fat" fashion blogger.
b) help people out of their fashion ruts, no matter what size you are you should always try and dress up and be confident.
c) bring up something I have wanted to for a long time.

As a last note I have a question:
Why does the Facehunter and the Satorialist never photograph fat people? Is it because fat people are hiding themselves and not dressing fashionably. I hope that's the answer, that it's not that they don't consider them to be photograph-able just like the rest of the skinny obsessed fashion media. I have photographed a few "fat" girls on the street and put them on here so I'm not part of this crime. I'm just looking at the fashion.

***I also want to thank all my readers for their nice comments and advice. Aus Style was right, I do get a lot of comments. I want to say I appreciate it sooo much, and as of the 5th of July I will be able to comment again on your blogs and read them in full because my internet will be back to normal. Right now I can read some but others wont load at all.

I have decided to take photos for the website and take down my street fashion blog just to see what happens. It could end up being my stepping stone to an exciting career, who knows!