I am in the US and celebrating Thanksgiving. So there is alot of family around and I am doing the annual dance of pretending like I am not bothered by the comments that are made surrounding my weight. It is nice to know that someone else is also challenged by how their family is bothered by their weight.

I am getting to the point where my weight bothers others more than it does me. So I usually dress based on how I feel and not how others feel I should. I like to dress wacky and fun! So I wear straight leg jeans and leggings alot. Sometimes I wear baggy shirts that are cut tight under my breast line too. Apparantly these are all bad shapes for someone who is not stick thin. Or so the style “experts” say! I feel good in them so I don't care!

Rock on! : )

I'm thinking more and more about what I wear. Choosing things that flatter my shape but are comfortable at the same time. I've given up on heels and make sneakers work, I'm wearing a heap more skirts, and almost tend to have a uniform in the way I wear pair t shirts, skirts and sneakers most days.

I am still VERY uncomfortable with the way people look at me sometimes. Am I too fancy for this part of town, is my skirt see through, do I have dirt on my face, did I sit in bird poo. These are the things that got through my head when people stare.

While I truly believe everyone is free to dress how they like my reason for believing leggings =/= pants is that I don't think they're a flattering item of clothing for anyone when worn on their own. I also believe sandals should not be worn with socks, that girls who wear tiny dresses and no coats when it's freezing outside are ridiculous, and that those oversized singlets that hipsters wear are very strange. Just personal opinion. (I LOVE leggings to death, just not on their own.)

I love dressing up though, and I love to be feminine… I always wear earrings but I don't always put in the effort to my appearance as you do Natalie. You are gorgeous, we must become friends!

They have quite a wacky selection too :D

I'm conscious of what I present to the world through my clothing, makeup and sometimes hair. I'll admit that I both like and dislike looks that I get (and I don't even feel I dress in a way that would get looks!). Clothes make me happy.

I would very much like ot be like that, but for me i feel the cold, so its generally just finding things that i can layer, and money is a bit of an issue to, so just getting what i can. If i had the cash, and especially if it didn't get so darn cold in UK, i'd be doing it too;).

What you put on your body can greatly affect your attitude and deamour for the day, dressing for yourself and yourself only, in the sense of not seeking exceptance from other people, is a great way to express your identity, to be creative and to build confidence. I think confidence and self esteem are a bit like muscles, if you don't flex them, then then they'll tend to whither away. So keep flexing them! lol.x

I would love for it to be more than that, and to have that style and flair of doing what you want and feel with confidence, but being me I just make do with a few basic rules (tight top/loose bottoms or loose bottoms/tight tops; earrings *or* necklace; top of underwear below top of waistband; no visible rents; did I also wear this to work yesterday?). I admire people who style themselves and hugely resent the time getting ready takes out of things I enjoy doing.

But since my theory is pretty much what you said – that style is doing it your way for your own reasons and not other peoples' way for theirs – I aim for confidence, mostly (the no visible rents helps here :)