It's time to embrace this very normal part of style
We've all been there. You go to get dressed in the morning, throwing on your favorite pair of pants and as you button them, realize, "oh wow, these are feeling a little snug. I might need to rethink my outfit today."
Or maybe, your experience was less instantaneous and rather a journey of ups and downs over the years you spent expanding your family - watching your body growing, weight fluctuating, shrinking and reshaping itself and cycling through entire wardrobes a result.
“Yep, I'm talking about the ebbs and flows of fluctuating weight and the impact it has on personal style, changing how clothes fit and feel on you from month to month and even day to day. But the most significant impact of all is the effect that fluctuating weight has on how you feel about yourself.”
When you aren't feeling good about yourself, it's really hard to feel good about what you're wearing. So let's change the game right here, right now. It's time to embrace this very normal part of style so that the next time your weight fluctuates, you won't even give it a second thought.
In order to do that, we need to get to the bottom of why there's so much stress, worry and fear attached to the very thought of your body changing.
Let’s ditch this body myth for good!
Let's start with the fact that any perceived weight change on a woman, whether it's a celebrity or a mom at your kids school, is instant fodder for the gossip mill - and it's not exactly pleasant talk!
Pair that with the messaging you're inundated with every day when it comes to your weight. You know what I'm talking about - the subtle, and not so subtle, depiction of how much better life will be when you're iron clad diet and exercise routines mean you never again have to worry about that scary moment of realizing your pants are too tight.
(Psst! Check out this blog post to see more insidious ways societal conditioning around image impacts the way you dress.)
There's a ton of advice out there on how to lose weight, maintain a consistent weight, never bloat again, use clothes to camouflage weight gain and on and on. In other words, you're constantly being bombarded with subliminal messaging that weight fluctuation is a problem that needs to be fixed.
It's no wonder that when your weight does change, it's easy to feel like you've failed somehow.
It then becomes natural to tell yourself that you should be able to maintain a consistent weight. That you shouldn't be indulging so much on vacation that you come back 10 pounds heavier. That if you were 'good' you would stick to your healthy eating plan and not gain any weight over the holidays. That you need to lose every bit of baby weight, never mind that you don't have the time or finances to go back to your pre-baby routines.
In reality, all those thoughts are really just a sneaky way that society gets you to do its dirty work and shame yourself for not matching its ideal. 😡
Let's put a stop to that right now!
Because here's the truth: weight fluctuation is just part of living in a human body - and even more so, for living in a human, female body.
I'll say it again:
As a woman, it's natural and normal for your body to fluctuate!
It's helpful to reflect why so the next time you're tempted to question (aka shame) yourself for fluctuating weight, you can remind yourself that it's all due to a natural, normal reason that means nothing about who you are as a person.
Reasons fluctuating weight happens
Though there are more reasons for this than I could possibly list, these are just a few of the most common reasons of weight fluctuation for women in particular.
Hello hormones!
Hormones can significantly affect the weight, shape and size of your body throughout your life. It starts with puberty, then comes period related bloating, weight gain and loss with pregnancy (not to mention breast feeding!), and on to the metabolism changes that come with peri-menopause and menopause.
And those are just the natural life cycle reasons. Certain chronic conditions can also hugely affect female hormones, which in turn affects many of the systems and functions in your body that manage things like water retention, appetite, metabolism, etc. that in turn affect weight.
Life happens
Life events can have a huge impact on your weight. From something serious like illness and medication side effects to just the normal occurrences of living your life, such as holiday feasts, vacation indulgences and changing seasons, simply living life is bound to impact your body and your weight.
Societal pressure
Women tend to feel more pressured to look a specific way in order to be perceived favorably.
This can lead to feeling the need to take certain actions in order to 'look your best' for special events - have you ever dieted before a vacation because you were going to be seen in a bathing suit? How about trying to get into a certain dress size before a wedding with extended family? Or setting a goal to be back to a certain weight by your high school reunion? This pressure can lead to crash diets followed by weight gain. A.k.a the good ol' yo yo diet cycle - the weight fluctuation og.
All of these examples show how natural weight fluctuation is, whether it's frequent and small, or occasional and drastic. No matter what the cause is, it's not a personal failing and you've done nothing wrong.
You are simply human. Living in a human body. One that is designed to grow and change throughout your life just as you do.
In other words, your body going up and down in weight is normal. Staying perfectly the same weight is actually the only abnormal scenario here.
Now only one question remains - are you ready to curate a wardrobe that supports your body's natural tendency to fluctuate?
Click here for the four key areas you can focus on to build a wardrobe that supports you through fluctuating weight.
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ABOUT:
I'm a Minneapolis personal stylist on a mission to eradicate outdated style 'rules' so women can unleash themselves in all their beautiful, authentic glory!
I offer personal styling services that empower women to wear what they love by helping them ditch any outdated style rules keeping them stuck, showing them how to dress in a way that embraces their beautiful body and, the key to it all, having fun! I believe in a liberated style approach so there are no style rules, body shapes, seasonal colors or dos and don’ts given out here. Rather, I help my clients tap into what lights them up and dress with the purpose of expressing their authentic selves rather than impressing others.
This is all done through a combination of styling services (including wardrobe edits, shopping trips and styling sessions) available in thoughtfully curated styling packages designed to help clients unleash their true self through the power of style.
When I'm not helping women take back their power style, you can find me reading (about a gazillion books at once), learning the art of pole dancing, making & decorating cakes, binging a random circa 2000's TV show with my hubby, Aaron, while playing with my adorable rescue pup or, of course, shopping! :-)