Are you ready for your Personal Style Makeover? Register for Round 2 of Mission: Style Possible for August 2015! 

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I must say there are some positive reasons behind that. I’ve started Mission: Style Possible, Round 1 with a group of 5 amazing ladies. We’re at the halfway mark and from all responses, me thinks they are enjoying it! Little did I know how much time and energy would be put into running this program, but I am absolutely loving every minute of my experience with them.

I felt compelled to write on the topic “Size is Just a Number” (a play on a popular Trinidadian Calypso Song – “Age…is but/just a number”. No comment on what the artist was really singing about though!) But I will use the phrase freely in emphasizing to you…SIZE IS JUST A NUMBER! Excuse my slight frustration there, because I have heard so many ladies decline to answer questions that relate to weight or dress size and the like. Now I’m not saying this private information to you needs to be broadcasted, however in some cases where the information is needed, (and as an Image Consultant, I may need it), there is no need to be shy, coy or worst even, embarrassed by the answer. I have many times said to clients (and even myself), when you give me those figures, nothing about what stands in front of me, either in person or photo has dramatically or drastically changed in front of my eyes. You don’t magically go from being one human body, into a completely different size because that ‘horrid’ number is now revealed. You look…exactly…the…same…

Sometimes knowing these numbers do us an injustice, because we live by them, we become slaves to them, we abhor them. They are everywhere, on the scale, on our backs (literally), or tied around our curvaceous waists. This body is your temple on many levels, so learn to love it, take care of it, appreciate it, be kind to it. Being kind may not always be in speaking positively to yourself, but also in making healthy day to day choices. Other ways to be kind is by dressing it at its most beautiful. One take away I’ve observed from our virtual program is the tendency to see ourselves not as we actually are. We look at models and immediately think “I can never wear that!”. Or we compare ourselves to others and say “She can wear that because she’s….small, shapely, short, tall, skinny, busty, hippy, not hippy….” the list goes on. We don’t often times start with…”I’d like to try that. I think I’d look good in it”. Forget the size…just try it on!

I’d like to share my own experience just a couple days ago, when I had to give myself a quick slap for not following my own rules. I did a little shopping at a department store on Sunday, and was trying to find a pair of funky boyfriend jeans (love them!). I approached the rack, and as usual the sizes ran anywhere from 2 to 22. I’ve teetered between 10 and 12 for the past few years, and so I picked up a size 12. Measuring it against my body at first, I thought “Hmm nah, too big”. I then went with what I figured would obviously be my size…a 10. I have 10s or 12s in most my bottoms and thought ok that’s it, I’m taking it! A little voice in my head however said, “Go try it on”. I love shopping, but I think I had lost Andrew somewhere in store about 10 aisles back, so I thought I should really just take them and go look for him. But again…the teeny tiny voice “Try it on”. I gathered up my stash, and headed to the fitting room ready to see what this voice was harassing me for. I tried them on…and…they fit. Hmm yeah…they kinda fit. Well was perfectly ‘loose’ around my waist. Wait…why do I want them loose around my waist?? I stared, I adjusted, I tried on with different tops and the struggle continued. They’re a 10, they’re my size (based on 99% of my bottoms), so just take it and go. I left the room, jeans and other cute stuff in hand ready to find Andrew and finalize my purchases. But somehow I made a detour back to the rack. I pulled out the size 8! The little devil on my shoulder said “Are you crazy! You’re not an 8! You haven’t fit into single digits since University!” Ignoring it, I ran back quickly to try them on, and wouldn’t you know…they fit! They fit perfectly! Sure I was happy to fit into a size 8, and sure I thought, maybe all those fabulous Zumba classes were paying off, but more importantly, why was I bent on taking something that had a number on it, and letting it rule my choices.

The little tags on your clothing, measurements etc all are very helpful in choosing the right garments, but nothing is more telling than having it on your body and determining if it fits. It matters very little what that tag even says at that point, because frankly, no one is walking around grabbing you by the neck or butt to check your tags. I promise you, NOBODY CARES! I personally was not so excited that I was wearing a single digit pair of pants, but more so the fact that I found a pair that fit ME perfectly. And even if I was ready to show off to the world that I was in a size 8, there may be another store visited tomorrow, where I am a size 12. Would it matter? Nope! Because all that matters is how each piece of clothing fits, and not what I am ‘labeled’.  

My little tip for shopping for one and all is to go in with an open mind. Brands carry different fits, and can run in the smaller range or larger range. Sometimes it takes a while to find a brand that truly ‘gets you and your body’. Search them out, find them, and forget those that seem to be your size but don’t go past your shoulders or thighs. Instead of feeling bad about yourself, you can proudly say…”Well…YOU just lost a customer!” :)

Happy future shopping!

And here's the outfit with my awesome new jeans. Shameless plug for Avon Sandals for $14.99 at www.youravon.com/genellebeyer! ;)