It's Not My Fault I Look Like A Slut!

Hello Lovelies, I’m Niy (@CherrypieNi) and I’m so excited… and a bit nervous, to be doing a guest post for my fave blog, and my fave people…

I’m a 20 year old Law with French law and language student at UEA that spends an inordinate amount of time contemplating her navel… and of course, her wardrobe!

I’m a size 14, a happy, curvy, size 14 and thus all my clothes are size 14 or even 16. The point I’m making is that I do buy clothes that are actually my size; I do wear clothes that fit. And yet still the hems on my skirts look that little bit higher on me than my size 8 counterparts, likewise, my vest tops look that little bit skimpier on me than on my A cup counterparts.

Please note, I’m no Katie Price in the boob department, and no Nicki Minaj in the ass department, but I do alright! I would expect that my ass protrudes just as much as one would expect from a size 14 black girl, and I don’t meet many girls that are size 14 with much below a D cup, so why is it that clothing designers, manufacturers, and stores everywhere seem to have a different idea about the shape of your average size 14 woman?

 It seems that as clothes go up in size they just get wider. Whilst I would assume that it would be common sense that hems ought to get that little bit longer, in order that the size 8 and the size 14 look about the same; in style and fit, on their respectively sized customers, clearly I am alone in this thought process! I’m not saying that as a size 14 I’d prefer to have less skin on show than I would were I a size 8, I’m trying to say that I’d like for the clothes I buy to accommodate for the fact that my size 14 ass is bigger than a size 8 one, and my dresses need that bit more length to stop my looking slutty.

Obviously my being bigger means I actually have more skin available to show! And I’m not asking that stores make concessions for that, at all. Maybe designers need to start sketching twice, once on a small figure, and once for the curvier figure, so that they can see where adjustments need to be made, PURELY so that the larger sizes fit the same as the smaller ones.

This is a problem close to my heart, and my headaches; a source of constant grief in my life! At sixth form we had a “3/4 of the thigh” rule, where skirts had to come at least that far down. 80% of the girls broke this rule but it was only the curvier girls, who had that little bit more thigh available to show, or who’s but poked out that little bit more, that were forced to don the latest treasure in the lost property, in order that they learn their lesson.

 I’m no prude, I rarely wear tights on a night out (They just aren’t comfy!!!!!), I hate closed necklines (they make my face look like a moon) and I LOVE a good bodycon (Shift dresses make me look like a house). But these things don’t add up to looking like a slut! I’ve even started to adjust my day time wardrobe, opting for clothes that allow me to stay on trend but leave the sluttiness in the stores; the main conversion I’ve made is embracing the tube skirt. An amazing innovation, I now don’t have to worry about tugging at my h+m mini as the elderly look on, wondering why my mother never raised me right (and God knows she did!). But every time I wear one, I get at least one person ask me why I look so “smart” or “formal”!

The reality is that I dress perhaps even a bit more conservatively than your average student on a night out! Embracing blouses, long sleeves and loose fitting tops, in order to get some balance and not give off the wrong impression! Just recently I saw a beautiful leggy blonde in the TopShop high waist knicker-shorts, no tights. Now let’s picture this outfit with my borderline size 16 wonder woman thighs…. Got the picture?! As much as I would LOVE to wear such an outfit, I’m forced to shy away from many of fashion’s trends, because they aren’t designed with my size in mind, and what’s more society just aren’t ready to see me wearing the same things as a leggy size 8 blonde, without labelling me a slut… and it’s not just knicker shorts, it’s super short minis, 60s shift dresses without enough room in the bust area, or without enough length to protect my modesty, leggings that show a bit more wiggle or deep Vs designed for the flat chested!

 

Take this super cute, so beautiful I think it came from one of my Legally Blonde, meets Hairspray induced dreams… pastel floral shorts and blazer from River Island. The embodiment of the 60s spring trend…  As much as I adore it, I know I would never be able to bend over in it!

Yes there are websites and catalogues that do design their clothes with the fuller figure in mind; SimplyBe, Evans etc. But I’m 20 years old! A size 14 and a student! I just can’t bring myself to confine my wardrobe to such “specialist” stores alone, and my budget just couldn’t stand it! No. I’m going to keep on wearing my bodycon dresses, my HM £3.99 skirts, my patterned leggings and anything else I see fit!

No matter how much we steer clear of trends that forget that size 12+ exists, No matter how edgy we go, some of us just can’t help looking a lot more Nicki Minaj than Lady Gaga.