Garner Style

Y’all! We have officially survived 15 weigh ins. Neither of us are where we want to be much less where we thought we would be. Buuuuut, the one huge difference is, we are still hustling towards our goals. We have stayed on this journey for 16 months. That is the longest I have committed to anything…EVER! We didn’t quit. Even when it has gotten tough and things weren’t going the way we wanted, we stayed the course.

I’m not sure either one of us knew what we were getting in to starting this blog. We were going to name it…I’m With Fatty and have a picture of us pointing at each other with a 90’s sitcom “can you believer her” face. #stilllovethatname #sothankfulwedidntgothatdirection Some days its hard, overwhelming, aggravating, depressing, the last thing on our minds, but most days, its uplifting, inspirational, motivational, necessary, the single biggest contributing factor to our success. We are hard on ourselves because we expect a lot from ourselves and we know what we are capable of. We also feel like we have a lot of people depending on us. But more than anything we are INCREDIBLY proud of ourselves.

So if you are new to the blog, or if you are a long time reader, here is a little trip down memory lane. This is Jenny from the beginning to now!

And the stunner…weigh in one to now!

Jenny, your confidence is as gorgeous and you are. You are such a kind sweet friend and I’m so lucky to be doing this incredibly hard thing with my best friend. Everything is so much more fun, hilarious and livable together. Xoxo

This is my past 15 months in pictures!

Here’s the big one! Weigh in one to now!

I love this crazy ride. Doing things like this gives me so much perspective. It is so easy to focus on the negative but it really gets you nowhere. We have come so far. There is no looking back and we have the rest of our lives to save our own lives. On to the everything is better together segment!

The past three months have been so up and down…literally…I made two of them!

And here is the start to now!

Ahhhhh!!!! Ok, it’s real now. We have come so far. Here are some of my favorite shots from that museum! Thanks again Tiffy! You are so talented!

What a fun day. We are so grateful to be doing this. Thank you for reading and reaching out. You tell us all the time that we inspire you and we are so happy to do so, but it’s really us who need y’all! You keep us going when we want to quit. You tell us it’s going to be ok. You tell us to be nice to ourselves. You tell us to get back on track. You help us so much more than you’ll ever know and we could never thank you enough. Xoxo times a mil.

In closing, we had another first and I just don’t know how to feel about it. We promote our weigh in posts on Facebook in hopes to get our message of body acceptance and love out further into the world. For the first time in 15 months, we were denied for promoting an “idealized physical image”. I don’t even know what that means?! Like, you don’t like our filters!? You think my 280 pound body is what the masses are striving for? Our stretch marks and cellulite are too appealing?! I know it’s not bc we are scantily clad bc we have been every other weigh in until now. So whats the deal Facebook? Am I to believe that you are considering Jenny and myself to be the ideal body type, bc if that is the case let me kiss you right on the mouth. But it’s hard for me to believe that you are so evolved Fb! Get your shit together and help us spread the word. #quitcockblockinFB

#toohotforfacebook #effyourbeautystandards #everyoneusesfiltersassholes #lookbacktoour4thweighinwewerelegitnaked

I wrote this post Monday night. Tuesday at 5 I received this response from Facebook.

What a relief! It’s too much pressure to be the ideal physical specimen of the world! hahahahahaha thanks everyone who reached out and supported our cause! Also, one last note! My favorite blogger Garner Style made my whole entire life today!

I’m in love with her and her style…obvi cause i copped it big time for the shoot! Feeling super pumped! LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

*All photos used in the post are for entertainment purposes only and were all obtained from google image searches.

My name is Sara and I am hopelessly addicted to fashion and I always have been.

I mean…this girl means business! #babysara

When I was little I would make collages of models. I grew up in the heyday of The Super Model #heyoribe and I was hooked from image one.

I’ve had subscriptions to Teen Vogue, Vogue, Harper’s Bazar, In Style, V, W, Nylon and anything else I could get my hands on since the dawn of time. House of Style on MTV was my jam. #amberandshalom My best friend Lyndsay and I would play a game where we were designers and we made sketch books of our collections and would sell them to celebrities! #nerds I watched the George Michael’s Freedom video 1 million-ty times. I knew every single model and I fantasized about being in that video. I love love love clothes and styling. My secret dream job is to be a personal shopper/stylist…you know if my arms ever rip off and I can’t do hair winky face. #moveoverstaceyandclinton My ultimate dreams came to fruition a few years ago when thanks to my bosses and Oribe and Kien, I got the chance to work Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC. I had the opportunity to work Skaist-Taylor’s premier show! #dreamsreallydocometrue

I even had the privilege of helping with the WWD Look Book #ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

But back to childhood…Since I was always bigger, I lived (and still do to this day) to dress my normally sized friends and family!!! #letmelivevicariously This was what models looked like when I was a kid.

It was hard to find a role model…or positive imagery for plus sized women…or even a place to shop! It was ok for big women to be funny (Roseanne) or successful (Oprah) but they couldn’t dare have the audacity to be thought of as sexy and they had the constant pressure to talk about dieting and the struggle. This shaped my childhood and a few of my teen years.

But it was even worse before my time!

Yeesh! Ouch!!!! I was so envious of my friends who could shop at The Limited Too, 5-7-9 and later The Express #hikelly #itsthisskirt,igotitfromexpress. I couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t make the same clothes, just in bigger sizes.

I found Lane Bryant when I was 16. For the very first time in my life there was a store that had somewhat fashionable (but possibly not age appropriate) clothing that actually fit my body. Before 16 I just put on whatever fit…literally. So, it certainly wasn’t fashion freedom by any stretch of the imagination, but I definitely felt better about my self, my choices, my body and my ability to be sexy. As I got older, other options started popping up…Torrid became a huge go to for me. Department stores started having better plus size options that weren’t matronly hell; Nordstrom, Belk, Macy’s to name a few. Then in my very late 20’s, early 30’s something happened. The population as a whole averaged around a size 14. And people were getting tired of not having options. It wasn’t so chic anymore that clothing companies only offered size 00-8. The majority consumer base was sized out of most clothing stores. To quote Pretty Women…”I have money to spend”. And you know what it became for companies who wouldn’t adapt from their antiquated sizing limitations…”A big mistake…HUGE!” H&M, Forever21, Charlotte Russe all started carrying plus. Online empires like Eloquii, Igigi, Evans, ASOS Curve, Mod Cloth, Monif C, Simply Be, Evans, BooHoo Official, and so many more offer amazing styles that I could have only dreamed up as a child. Now I really feel like I can craft my own style that represents who I am and what I love instead of being pigeon holed into something bc it’s all I was offered. (i.e.: boxy ill fitting button ups and capris) Ever since the dawn of social media and bloggers and brave magazines who embraced what the average American woman really looked like…the world started changing…my world in particular. This segment is called…Holy Role Models.

First off..swooooon! Sexy images of curvy women. Scantily clad images of plus sized beauties started cropping up…

High fashion images of women who looked a hell of a lot more like I looked (minus the height of course…and the model status …and cheekbones haha)…And even gasp…naked lovelies who weren’t waif-ish and who weren’t ashamed in the least.

Look how sexy these women are! There is beauty in everything…everywhere you look. I believe in building people up, not tearing them down….certainly not for their size or looks. It finally felt like the world was evolving and coming around to the idea that beauty, confidence and sex appeal comes in every shape, color and size. And if you’ve been living under a rock, you may not know this but a pretty powerful thing just happened in the world of fashion…MILK Modeling Agency has signed sized the stunning beauty that is Tess Munster.

#victory

Thank goodness the world is evolving!!!! This community is so powerful and so able to be heard immediately thanks to the ever present and growing social media, that clothing giants are listening and bringing in theses bloggers and giving the people what we have wanted all along. Fashionable, attractive, sexy, on trend clothing. When I found clothes that made me feel good, I started feeling very empowered and feeling empowered is addictive and …empowering. You want to pay it forward. You want for every woman, man and appropriately aged child to feel amazing in their own skin and for me the start of that is liking your clothes, seeing people who look like you and embracing the beautiful gifts you’ve been given. Your sexiness comes from you…others just have the pleasure of taking it all in. So now we come to today. The world is full of positive body imagery, powerful body acceptance blogs and tons of clothing options. It’s also full of women who want to be referred to as simply women, instead of plus size. I am so guilty of this bc it is a label that has defined me forever. I find no shame in it, but I can for sure get behind a campaign to unite everyone. We are women, hear us roar no matter our differences.

But my favorite trend of late is #fatkini. This trend started last summer in an attempt to have nothing off limits, a ton of very differently shaped and sized ladies decided that ANYONE can wear bikinis…I mean why not…they’re so adorable. I love this movement and everything that it means. It means that women are embracing their bodies and loving them and wanting to put them on display. Yes we can!!! So today, for the first time in my life I joined the rest of the world and bought my first…several bikins and you guyyyyyyys….I’m in love!

With three bottoms and three tops I have so many options!!!! And I’ve never felt cuter!!!! This is my all time favorite trend and it’s more flattering than almost every single one of my one pieces. #fatkinisforall Here are some other real life people embracing this fashion takeover…

And these are my favorite models reppin’ like champs…

This is Fluvia Lacerda.

Ashley Graham…

Tess Munster and friends… And these are my favorite bloggers…

Nadia Aboulhosn www.nadiaaboulhosn.com This girl changed my whole world…her fashion game is on point and now she has a line with Boo Hoo Official!!! #dreamsreallydocometrue #styleicon #myhero

Danielle Vanier http://www.daniellevanier.co.uk

Gabi Fresh-she has a hell of a sexy swim wear line http://www.swimsuitsforall.com http://www.gabifresh.com

Chante http://www.everythingcurvyandchic.com

Garner Syle is my current obsession (on the right) Chastity Garner-Valentine http://www.garnerstyle.blogspot.com you should check her out today!!!! So when I posted my pic from Torrid today with #fatkini on it, I tagged basically everyone I mentioned above and these three awesome things happened…

Swoooooooooooon!!!! My life is complete. My blogging/fashion idols are the shit. Garner Style, Gabi Fresh and Fluvia made my whole life! Thanks y’all. So in closing, I hope you find the inspiration or trend you need to make you feel as great as you already are. Stop waiting for perfection to happen, no one cares about your stretch marks or bat wings and if they do, it’s really just a reflection of how poorly they see themselves. Hug your judgmental friend…she needs it and go out and get that bikini/romper/jumpsuit/overalls!!! Check out those blogs. And if you aren’t plus sized it’s ok…this post is about everyone feeling great about who they are…not just girls that look like me! Jenny and I are still fighting the fight for health and we choose to be proud and confident during the entire process.

And in closing this is a little segment called…trends that don’t work for me!!! Hahahahaha!!! I believe that you should never limit yourself, but I also believe that some things look better on my body than others! These made the don’t list and had me cracking up in the dressing room. #yourwelcome #camelwoahhhhhh #iveneverlookedshorter #babydenimvest #sorrykelly