Caught in Clothing Sizes

Have you ever been trying on clothes and ended up leaving discouraged and frustrated, empty-handed, because NOTHING looked good on you? Yeah, I had one of those days recently. And the reason I was so upset? Clothing sizes. I got caught in the trap of a little number on a small tag. So much so that I broke down and cried in the car on the way home. I've been blissfully unaware of what size I am for so long, that when I started trying on clothes, I was trying on clothes that were too small. After over an hour of trying on dress after dress, skirt after skirt, I left the store empty handed, feeling awful about the way I looked, and ready to give up. And a small part of me understood in that moment, why people have problems with anorexia, or bulemia.

Why do we let clothing sizes affect us so much? Because affect us they do. Leaving that store, feeling as awful as I did, has made me lose all interest in clothes shopping. While that might be good for my pocket book, what does that say about me? Our culture? We are constantly bombarded:

You need to lose weight. 

Love your body as it is.

Real women have curves.

Leggings are only for skinny people. 

Leggings aren't pants. 

Spandex is a privelege, not a right...

The list is endless. We constantly hear conflicting things about our bodies and how we should dress. Our society is so driven by physical appearance that no one is ever perfect. "Perfect" is unattainable. And yet we often get caught up in it all--relying on that little number on the tag to let us know how good we are. 

We let that tag have way too much power. We are not that number. You are not that number. We are so much more than our size. We are mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, husbands, sons, etc. And we are beautiful. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes--one specific size doesn't suddenly make us beautiful, we already are. As a side note, I love clothes, and I believe they have great power-they help us to feel beautiful and confident when we find just the right thing. It's just that finding the right thing is extremely difficult. Side note over.

Now everyone is different, even within the same size. What looks good—nay, AMAZING—on one person, may look... not so flattering on another. For example, I've got 'love handles.' So you put me in a pair of pants that hits me at just the wrong spot and I don't look very good. You put those same pants on another woman, the same size, just different curves, and she will look awesome. 

And while we are on this subject, women's clothing sizes vary by brand. What the crap is up with that?  Why on earth would companies do that? Actually, I know. It's because of our society. There is so much fat shaming, and it comes through in clothing sizes too. However, please do not take this so far as to make it skinny shaming too—that is just as bad. What I'm getting at here, is that clothing sizes have a power over us that they should not have.

So I am begging you. Yes you. Please, please do not get caught up in that little number. When I broke down after my little shopping excursion, I had told my husband everything. He knew how frustrated and depressed I was. He sent the perfect text: 

"Don't let clothing lables define your self-worth."

I needed that. Physical appearance means so much in our society and I was letting it dig in deeper and deeper. My size does not define my self-worth. And it doesn't define yours either. Clothing lables are just that, lables trying to categorize us, but they don't, and we shouldn't let them. So please, if you're struggling with body image and your size, next time you're trying on clothes, don't let that little number get you down. You're fine. Beautiful. Try not to ever forget that.  

(Photo found on Google)