Walking into a local clothing store, I was assaulted by images. There are some cute styles coming in for the Fall season, but none of them seem to fit me just right. I am broad-shouldered, top-heavy and very short. Although I am fine with my body, I am certainly not the ideal. Those tall girls in the pictures look nothing like me as I strive to "cuff" my pant leg, trying to make it appear as if that's how I wanted to wear them all along. I try not to listen to the voices in my head telling me I am not perfect, but just like practically every girl, I find myself often uttering the phrase, "But it looks so cute on the model!"
Has anyone else noticed that clothing stores are full of implications? Take today's styles in jeans for instance. The must-have denim style is still the "skinny jean," which implies simply by its very name that the wearer be "skinny" with no excess baggage. The name projects an image of the ideal buyer -- thin and beautiful. The style leaves no room for curves.
We thought we were saved when the "boyfriend jean" was established, taking the trend away form the tight-fitting, unforgiving "skinny." However, again we are presented with a jean that has implications of its own. This name implies that one imagine a strong, burly "boyfriend" whose jeans you do not come close to fitting in, but somehow still hang in a sexy way from that bony area where your hips should be. The perfect fit? Not filled out but sagging in a cute "I am much too small for my boyfriend's jeans" kind of way. This style can be just as difficult as the first, and provides all the single ladies with a constant reminder of their lack of live "boyfriend."
So where does this leave the normal girl who does not fit in with this "implied" level of perfection? Well, we can force everything into a "skinny" or fill out a "boyfriend"... or maybe, just maybe start our own trend? The fashion world is ever-changing. Look at today's super models and then take a look at the extra chub on the thighs of 1940's divas. The contrast is striking. You can easily see how what is "sexy" or "hot" is in a constant state of motion. The very term "trending" implies that something is here today and gone tomorrow. Maybe your favorite style was the "bootcut" or the "flare." Please don't rule them out just yet. Don't let the implications fool you. You are not alone in your hatred for today's styles. Real fashionistas will not just listen to what the tags are telling them. Instead, they truly know and accept their bodies. As long as you rock that pair of "whatever" jeans, you will be forever in style.