I had a chance to go shopping this week! Well, it was mainly for New York, but these pieces will definitely work their way into my spring and summer wardrobe!
Tank tops: Garage Clothing
Skirt: Target
Bikini: Target
Dress: Eclipse
First of all, I know what you're thinking: that skirt is crazy!!! Yes, I agree. But it's actually really pretty, and there are so many colours in it that makes it very versatile! At the start of this year, I made some New Year's Resolutions, and one of them was to incorporate more patterns into my wardrobe, so I decided to take the risk and buy it. Looking at it yesterday with the rest of my clothes, it goes with a lot of things! You will definitely be seeing outfits with this skirt this summer!
To complement that, though, I did fall back on my usual lace-and-floral pattern with this dress. How many lace dresses do I have now? A lot :P But this one is adorable. I saw it on line and could not wait to try it on in store! I'm bringing both the dress and skirt to New York to be styled elegantly (hopefully!) for my evenings at the theatre!
I don't have much to say about the tank tops, because, well, they're tank tops...and they were $5! Hello, deals!
Lastly, I did buy a bikini. And no, I don't suppose there's anything special about that either. Except for the fact that I've been wanting to buy one every summer for the past four years at least. So why did it take me that long you ask? I'll give you a simple answer: body issues.
Which isn't a very simple answer when you think about it. I, like millions of other women (and men) out there, have body issues. The truth is that I am very uncomfortable with the way I look. I have been for years, and it's what has been making me stick to one piece swimsuits for the past years (okay, that and the fact that I was on the swim team in high school, but that's besides the point). Now, I'm not saying that because I finally bought this swimsuit that all my body issues are over and done with, or that I now love my body. I don't. I'm just hoping that the fact that I was able to buy it without hating myself was a step towards eventually accepting the body I have and not going to extreme lengths to try and change it.
It goes without saying that being uncomfortable with your body is a problem in our society. I've seen it in the fashion magazines, TV ads and shows, and even at clothing stores- the negative influence subtly urging people to be a smaller size by promoting weight loss, perfect looking models, and not enough larger sizes. Urging even the people who may not need to lose weight to think twice about how they look.
I'm not saying it's all the media's fault for this, because they have been getting better with promoting acceptance and body peace. It may be the media, it may be a comment from someone you know or don't know, or it may be your own obsessive thoughts pointing out your flaws. What I am saying is that we need to stop hating ourselves for how we look, treat ourselves the way we would like to be treated (would you call your best friend fat? Then why say it to yourself?), and learn to accept ourselves the way we are.
Thanks for reading, as always :)
P.S. Go get that bikini, summer dress, shorts, whatever you've been putting off buying because of your insecurities. I promise you'll feel a little better about yourself afterwards.
