How much thought goes into your style?
When I was 16 years old, a professional personal stylist came to my classroom to teach us how to dress professionally for our body types. That’s the day I learned that I had “unusually strong-looking” trap muscles.
I took some medical administration classes at a vocational school during my last two years of high school as I tried to get my foot in the door of the medical community. This class was a mix of a few high school students and other students training for a second or third career transition.
All women.
The stylist took my measurements, took note of my face shape, and made her recommendations for my professional wardrobe. Sixteen-year-old me was so grateful I had a professional advising me how to dress in a way to cover up my newfound insecurity – unusually strong-looking trap muscles.
Who knew I should cover up evidence of my hard work and athleticism as a high school volleyball player? I didn’t know that a dress that falls at my mid-calf isn’t flattering for me. Perhaps that wasn’t the intention of this stylist … but we certainly weren’t getting any consultation on understanding how we felt about our bodies, how we wanted to present them, analyzing what we felt good in, or what made us comfortable.
I just recently, as a 33-year-old woman, started buying dresses that hit me at an “unflattering part of my calf.” Just reading that sentence embarrasses me. Don’t get me wrong, I love finding clothing that is flattering and makes me feel like a million bucks. But I also love a lot of clothing that is comfortable and fits my style or mood despite not being the most flattering fit, color, or style on me (as decided by other people).
Enter Dacy Gillespie, also known on social media as ‘mindful closet’. I found Dacy in the social media world after she interviewed fellow St. Louis Mom, Jennedy Lombard, about how race, stereotypes, and societal bias impact the choices she makes when clothing herself. I was hooked. It was a truly vulnerable and enlightening interview.
I loved her message. Dacy felt like the first person I encountered that asked how I wanted to present myself to the world and not how I wanted others to feel about how I look. After struggling with and overcoming years of disordered eating and eating disorders, I finally feel ready to explore what these things mean to me.
Stick around for part 2 of this journey for me and how having children has influenced my journey of feeling good. In the meantime, think about what this means to you and find Dacy on social media and/or her blog!
