Body confidence.
It’s a phrase that is bandied around all the time at the moment – a ‘buzz word”. But how many of us ACTUALLY have it?
I talk ALL the time about women learning to love their bodies – and I guess, for me, there is one REALLY important word in there – LEARN.
Body confidence is not always something you just wake up with one day. And it definitely changes with different life events.
I had a baby not even 4 months ago and WHOA! What a rollercoaster ride my body has been through. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m amazed, impressed and completely in awe of what my body has done over the last 12 months. It grew a human FFS! BUT it certainly has changed, and it’s taking me a little while to get used to those changes.
That is not to say that I hate my body, far from it! I’m just getting used to what it does now. It creates food for my child (and with that, gravity has really and truly kicked in, am I right ladies??), there are a few wee stretch marks, nothing too bad, and I’m a little softer around the edges.
But I totally get it’s a learning curve to get used to these changes. So I guess what I’m saying is ladies, it’s ok not to LOVE your body everyday, but I think, for your sanity and quality of life, you need to work on getting there.
One of the ways I think that we can all learn to love and accept our bodies is to realise that ALL bodies are normal. And at the same time, there is no such thing as “the perfect body”.
For so many years, media has told us that beauty looks a certain way, and that clothes will look better on you if you are a certain size and shape.
BUT there are a few players that are bucking that trend and trying to create a new normal.
One of my favourite online stores, Birdsnest, is leading the charge. They are now showcasing their garments on THREE DIFFERENT SIZE models – yup! THREE – a standard model size (8-10) a lovely 12-14 and a gorgeous 16+.
So now, you can view the clothes you want to buy on the model that you feel best represents your size! I LOVE this so much!
You can also shop by “body shape”, well, more like “body part”. If there is a certain body part you either want to hide, or highlight, you can search that way too…
This idea is along the lines of what I do with my personal styling clients – we look a how to enhance your best bits (whilst at the same time, skimming over the bits you’re maybe not such a fan of)
Dressing well is ALL about feeling good in what you wear, and if something fits you well, you’re going to feel a million bucks in it! (and as a side-effect, you’re going to look frickin’ gorgeous too!)
Now, if you need a little extra help putting an outfit together, then they clever team at Birdsnest have that covered too!
They have a whole section dedicated to outfits already styled to perfection – The Outfits Section.
The team a Birdsnest were kind enough to send me an outfit to play with, so here it is on the website (you can shop the look HERE)
and here it is on me……
There are SO many cool outfit combinations on this site, so go put the kettle on and prepare to venture down the rabbit hole haha!
I just LOVE it when brands take the initiative and make positive changes in this industry. The guys at Birdsnest are singing my song and I’m so glad to be able to bring their message and ethos to you!
I’ve tried to give you the same kind of thing in my own online store – we shot the latest range on me and two other amazing local bloggers, each of us difference shapes and sizes, to give YOU, my amazing readers, someone to relate to when it comes to buying clothes.
Have you shopped at Birdsnest before? Or do you know other brands that are embracing the body diversity that we see in everyday life? Tell me about them! I’d love to know!
In Style & Love Always
Birds nest is one of my favourites too. The shopping experience is so easy with lots of tools to help you make the right size choice which can be challenging with online shopping. They also have a service that if something is out of stock, you can register your interest and they’ll email you when it comes back into stock. And the cherry on top is the handwritten note that you get with every purchase. Just a lovely experience all round.
Yes I love that option with the out of stock pieces. They really are the epitome of online customer service aren’t they!
I stumbled across Birdsnest last year and they were my saviour. Losing my Bowel to Crohn’s disease left me struggling to find clothes that suited my new shape and covered my ostomy bag which could inflate with wind at a moments notice (balloon like!) so having an in depth description plus a body of a similar size to see how a dress or top looked was invaluable, and then to return with no hassles if not quite right was a godsend. I’ve always loved fashion but lost my way a bit after my op but Birdsnest certainly have helped me try to regain my confidence in how I look in clothes.
sounds like you found them just at the right time Julie!
Love birdsnest for exactly those reasons. The outfit choices are based on different events/styles and love that it tells you what shapes each piece works for.
so clever isn’t ti
Hi, the coral scrappy sandals you wore in a photo the other day- are they Ziera too? I went to try the Toni sandal after your blog but too wide. Thanks
Hey Karen, they were from Frankie4 Footwear 🙂 they are last seasons but they still do great shoes!