Wear the Damn Dress
Do you know how many times I want to scream from the top of my lungs "IF YOU LOVE IT, WEAR THE DAMN DRESS" (or skirt, or pants, or shirt, whatever the case may be- if you love it, wear it for heavens sake!)
The other day, my mom ordered the Sweet and Playful Full Size Ruffle Sleeve Mini Dress from the website. As soon as she ordered it she started asking things like "Is it age appropriate?" "Do you think I can wear it?" "Is it too short for a woman my age?" and more...
I kept saying, "Mom, if it fits and you feel comfortable and you like it, wear the damn dress to hell with the rest of the world..." And it occurred to me, that this isn't something singular to just a dress or just one outfit or just one person... this is something almost every woman has asked herself at least once thorough out her life.
Just look at how cute my mom looks in this dress:
Jade by Jane Sweet and Playful Mini Dress
Complete opinion - societal standards of "beauty" have been so skewed in the past 20-30 years that "dressing appropriately" and "dressing your age" or "being conservative with your dressing" has become so ingrained into women that even the hippies of the 60's and 70's are now questioning if something is "age appropriate".
For years I was always concerned about "appropriate clothing" from what to wear to Sorority Recruitment to what to wear for an interview and what's "Appropriate" for a teacher, or what's "appropriate for someone who isn't a size 6" and more. I would always shy away from my true aesthetic because "Teachers shouldn't dress like musicians" or "you have to dress a certain way to get into the GOOD Sororities" Wearing the "Right" clothes was always on my mind even when teaching - Toms, a pair of nice pants (not jeans Heaven FORBID Jeans) and conservative top that didn't show any cleavage and wasn't even close to the word tight. Nothing that would be a cause for comments or judgement.
Such a concept has been drilled into the heads of women for generations.
Y'all, I'm sick of it.
I'm sick of women judging other women, I'm sick of magazines trying to sell the "PERFECT" look for a female, I'm sick of diet culture, I'm sick of disordered eating being the "norm" and the most popular diet trend blasting on social media constantly. I'm tired of people thinking that you have to be a certain size to wear a certain bathing suit or if you've got a little tummy you shouldn't wear a crop top.
IF YOU LOVE IT, IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL CONFIDENT, IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN IT, THEN
WEAR THE DAMN OUTFIT!!!!
Now let me stop and say this- my mom was wonderful. She always ALWAYS did everything in her power to make sure I knew that I "don't need a man (but they make great accessories)" and that I am unconditionally loved by my family. Yet I still struggled. I still held back from wearing what I wanted. I still kept the prim and proper look and attitude...
I recently turned 40...well in November I'll be 41 so I guess it's not so recently... Anyways, I turned 40. I decided that instead of a "midlife-crisis" I was going to embrace who I am right now. The journey I've been on so far and who it's made me. I decided to embrace my hippie/rocker aesthetic that I've always had to hide and I got my first tattoo (And immediately started thinking of a design for another one).
If I want to wear a two piece bathing suit, I'm gonna do it. If that two piece set looks cute and shows a little tummy, then so be it, I'm gonna do the dang thing. I'm not holding back. I won't allow diet culture or the idea of the "Perfect Body" infiltrate my kids. I WILL stop this cycle. My Wild Child, BB, thinks life is a party. She doesn't know a stranger and she's always up for an adventure. I refuse to let societal beauty standards trickle down from me to her. It's not happening. My mom was great about it, she never said food was "bad" but I still ended up with disordered eating... I still deal with it to this day but I'm done apologizing and hiding it. HERE I AM love me or don't, I don't give a damn. I won't let the starving models of the 90s be what my daughter (or son) think is "ideal beauty"
SCREW THAT.
When the opportunity came for us to start our boutique I wanted one thing- a boutique that had fabulous options for everyone. I don't want "frumpy" plus size clothing. I want stylish, fun and easy to wear clothes for every body type. It's why I don't have a separate category for "curvy" on our site. When you click "mini dresses" on our site, you'll see styles for legit all sizes from XS-3xl and sometimes all the way to 5xl. It's why I choose to use multiple vendors and even some from overseas. I want options for ALL BEAUTIES and I want to be sure that every single one of you truly accepts the idea that if it is in your size and you love it, WEAR IT.
Don't second guess yourself, if the clothes bring you joy, wear the MFing clothes. Screw the rest of the world. Screw self doubt, embrace YOU love YOU and wear the damn outfit.
We recently connected with a super cute Instagram personality, Kimberly Mulgrew (follow her she's awesome click HERE) and she's phenomenal at showing her beauty. I'm in awe and so dang inspired by her! Here she is in one of our dresses: LOOK at that smile, look at the joy she shares with the world. That's what I'm after. That's what WWBB&Co is all about. THAT is what I want the whole world to embrace, and it starts with us!
You are worth it beauty, our kids are wroth it. The next generation is relying on US to show them how to love themselves and others.
WEAR THE DAMN OUTFIT
Love Always,
Katie