Quick reminder about this feature: I post links to thought-provoking and interesting articles I’ve found (or been sent) over the course of the week. Many of them clash with things I’ve said myself or linked to in the past because I am constantly mulling and reevaluating what I think and feel about these important topics, and because I want a variety of viewpoints to be considered and discussed in this space. This blog is about the intersection of body image and style. Some posts will lean more in one direction than the other, obviously, but my overall interest is to show where the two overlap. Some aspects of personal style aren’t 100% harmonious with the quest to cultivate positive body image, and vice versa. I think that’s just fine. It’s not my intention to be eternally consistent or singularly focused. It’s my intention facilitate the exploration of two topics that have some fascinating and beneficial common ground. I do that here through my own posts, through contributor posts, through guest posts, and through this weekly collection of links to writings by others who have relevant insights or opinions to share.
Now, on with the linkage!
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Little did I know that my lovely friend Miller has a blog! Recently, she shared some thoughts on self-image and aging, saying, “For this show I not only had to stare at my face in the mirror on a well lit stage, I had to do so during a 10 minute freeze. No acting to distract me–my only job was to keep still. My eyes were free to roam critically over the caked-on foundation and blush, noting the way it magnified my pores and seeped into the cracks and crevices in my skin.”
There is no one right way to be beautiful.
Could anything be more classic than a trench coat worn with a sheath dress?
In this poignant post, Anna shares what her grandmother has taught her about body love.
After thrifting a size 15/16 dress and a size 4 bustier, Jentine reminds us that size numbers are completely arbitrary.
“Throughout history, there are always small groups of fashion extremists and individual eccentrics who take fashion well into the moral panic zone, occasionally even risking their lives for it. We consume a lot of breathless media outrage about these outsiders, even as we forget that the vast majority of ordinary people just aren’t fashion nuts and just don’t find freakish fashion victimhood appealing enough to be corrupted by it.”
This asymmetric tuxedo jacket is beyond cool.
Expert thrifter Futurelint has publicly committed to buying only used items from here onward. Amazing.
“If you’ve got ‘curves in all the right places’ and you’re fat, you may get snippets of thin privilege that would be denied to a fat person of relatively the same size but with a different shape.
Something about this super simple blazer-and-jeans ensemble is unspeakably chic.
Caitlin is a proud feminist who just took a pole dancing class and loved it.
Over at The Huffington Post, I wrote about why handbags and sunglasses represent style opportunities.
If ruffles intimidate you, this post on how to make the trend work might help. (Even if the pictured garments seem over-the-top, the styling suggestions are fairly reasonable.)
What would you say if you were to write a love letter to yourself?
“To bemoan the pressure young people must increasingly feel to be ‘camera-ready’ for social media risks falling in the category of ‘good ol’ days’ nostalgia. And as an adult with a personal blog as well as my own array of social media accounts (and a compulsion to document life), it also risks condescension. In other words, feeling self-conscious and controlling one’s public image is not a new phenomenon. And getting over that feeling or letting go of control are not challenges reserved for the young.” (Via Yes and Yes.)
Loving the style of St. Paul artist and new style blogger Ann at Blue Hue Wonderland. (Via this interview at 40+ Style.)
Here’s one marvelous response to a question I am asked often and feel powerless to answer: What do we tell our girls to help them feel confident and strong about themselves?
Related: Rosie offers tips for navigating weight talk in front of your daughter.
Formerly an online-only operation, Lily + Violet has just opened a boutique in Linden Hills! Twin Cities folks, it is well worth a stop. Adorable dresses, sparkly baubles, and charming home decor.
Megan shows us a goth-inspired look that’s work-friendly.
Just when I thought I couldn’t love Beth Ditto any harder, she makes this video for Rookie. In which she tells us, “Self-love isn’t selfish.” YES.
Citing links between modern perceptions and ideas about purity and decency, this author explains why the concept of modesty disgusts her.
And on the flip side of that coin, Hourglassy explores the challenges of dressing a prominent bust and how modesty is important to her for privacy reasons.
AAANNND a bit of a mixture between those two, Criss talks about her experience cycling through shame, pride, shame, and anger as she struggled to understand why her dressing choices as they relate to her bust size provoke such strong reactions from others.
Check out this gorgeous ice cream-inspired ensemble of lovely pastels.
Did you avoid getting a lower back tattoo because you knew they were called “tramp stamps”? Don’t worry. Now, you can also avoid getting anything inked onto your ribcage because someone decided THAT is a “skank flank.” (That sound you hear is me slamming my head against a wall.)
In this week’s Star Tribune, I wrote about making neon work now without feeling like an 80s throwback.
Adding yellow accents to a mix of jewel tones adds such energy and brightness to an otherwise subdued palette.
My book is currently on sale over at Amazon for $17.20! (They did this entirely on their own, so I have no idea when the sale will end … mysterious.)
