Journey

If you had asked me a few years ago what my favorite skirt style was, I wouldn't have hesitated. Maxi skirt. Long, flowy, comfortable, and most importantly, it covered everything I thought needed covering. My legs? Covered. My thighs? Covered. My hips? Covered. There was something comforting about a maxi skirt. It felt safe while still being cute, and as a plus-size woman trying to navigate fashion, that combination was hard to beat. I owned several. And honestly, I still lov

This year, I'll finish my second master's degree—this one in Higher Education. Sometimes people ask me why... Why go back to school again? Why take on more classes, more assignments, and more late nights after already earning a graduate degree? The answer is simple: I want to help people in more ways than one. My first graduate degree was started full of doubt...Can I even do this? Will I fail? So, I took the chance. My goal has always been to create more opportunities to se

There are great fictional characters. There are beloved fictional characters. And then there is Uncle Iroh. If you've watched the animated show Avatar: The Last Airbender, you already know what I'm talking about. Uncle Iroh isn't the strongest character in the series. He isn't the youngest. He isn't the fastest. He isn't the main character. And somehow, he steals every scene he's in. What makes Iroh so special is that he understands something many people spend their entire li

There is something magical about a matching set. Maybe it's because it looks effortlessly put together. Maybe it's because someone else already did the hard work of coordinating the outfit. Or maybe it's because every time I wear one, I feel like I have my life together—even when I absolutely do not. Whatever the reason, I love a matching set. And honestly, I wish I had embraced them sooner. For years, I thought matching sets weren't for me. As a plus-size woman, I worried th

Last year, I got fired from a job. At the time, it felt devastating but I also had a sense of relief that surprised me. I questioned everything about myself. My abilities. My worth. My future. It felt like a giant neon sign pointing to all the ways I thought I had failed. But looking back now, I can see something I couldn't see then. I had already lost myself long before I lost that job. Somewhere along the way, I lost my confidence. I started playing small. I stopped speakin

Everyone has a favorite superhero. Some people love superheroes because of their incredible powers. They can fly, run faster than light, control the weather, or lift entire buildings. And then there's Iron Man. A man whose superpower is essentially being smart enough to build his own. That's exactly why he's my favorite. Unlike many superheroes, Tony Stark wasn't born with extraordinary abilities. He wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider. He didn't come from another planet. H

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I love exploring new places, trying new foods, meeting new people, and creating memories that will last long after I unpack my suitcase. But traveling in a plus-size body comes with its own set of challenges that many people never have to think about. Before a trip even begins, there's the mental checklist. Will the airplane seat be comfortable? Will I need a seatbelt extender? How much walking is involved? Are there activities wi

I never thought crop tops would become a staple in my wardrobe. For the longest time, they represented everything I thought I wasn't supposed to wear. Crop tops were for confident people. Crop tops were for thin people. Crop tops were for people with flat stomachs. At least, that's what I told myself. As a plus-size woman, I spent years learning how to dress in ways that minimized my body. Every fashion article seemed to focus on hiding, slimming, elongating, and disguising.

If you've spent any amount of time around me, you'll probably learn two things pretty quickly: I love cute clothes. And I absolutely love pandas. At this point, it's become a running joke among my friends and family that if something has a panda on it, I probably want it. But the more I think about it, the more I realize there might be a reason I've always connected with them. Pandas don't seem to be in a hurry to be anything other than themselves. They're soft. They're round

Last summer I went to Jamaica. Like many vacations, I spent weeks planning what I would pack. But unlike many of my previous trips, I made a decision before I left... I was going to wear the swimsuits I actually wanted to wear. Not the ones that hid the most. Not the ones that made me look the smallest. The ones I liked. So I packed a different swimsuit for every day of the trip. Some were bikinis. Some were bright colors. Some showed more skin than I would have ever been com

Let's get one thing straight: As a millennial, I will probably always own a pair of skinny jeans. They survived the side-part debates, the Gen Z fashion critiques, and countless trend cycles. At this point, they're practically part of my personality. But owning skinny jeans doesn't mean I'm restricted to them. For years, I thought it did. I was convinced that wide-leg pants were not for me. In my mind, they would make my legs look huge. I pictured myself looking like I had tr

Being a plus-size woman in the workplace can be complicated. Not because we aren't capable. Not because we aren't qualified. But because we're often navigating expectations that have nothing to do with our actual job performance. For as long as I can remember, I've been aware of my body in professional spaces. Will this chair fit comfortably? Does this outfit look professional enough? Am I being taken seriously? Do I look "put together" enough? These are questions many people

When I was younger, I thought I would have figured it all out by now. I thought my 30s would arrive with answers. Confidence. Certainty. The perfect career. The perfect relationship. The perfect body. Especially the body. For years, I treated my weight like a temporary situation. I wasn't fat—I was just fat for now. I assumed that by the time I reached my 30s, I would have become the version of myself I had spent so much time imagining. The thinner version. The after picture.

Birthdays used to make me think about all the things I wanted to change. I'd make lists of goals, promises, and plans for the person I hoped to become just like your typical New Year's resolutions. I'd tell myself that this would be the year I finally lost the weight, became more confident, took more risks, or stopped worrying so much about what other people thought. And while there's nothing wrong with wanting to grow, I've realized something as I've gotten older: The greate

I'll be honest...yoga has humbled me. There's something about walking into a class and realizing that your body doesn't move the way you wish it did. Maybe it's the tight hips, the stiff hamstrings, the balance that seems to disappear the second you're asked to stand on one foot, or simply the realization that flexibility doesn't magically appear because you want it to. As a plus-size woman, being a beginner felt intimidating. I worried about whether I would be able to keep u

I used to wear bodycon dresses all the time in college. Back then, I was smaller. I had what society would probably call the "right kind" of curves. The kind people compliment. The kind that fit neatly into the plus-size fashion narrative that says curves are acceptable—as long as they're in the right places. I never thought twice about putting on a bodycon dress. Then I gained weight. My body changed. My arms got softer. My stomach got rounder. My shape shifted. And somewher

I don't need someone who loves me despite my size or because of my size. I want someone who loves me enough to see everything else too.

For years, I didn't choose dresses because they were cute. I chose them because they covered something. My legs. My arms. Sometimes both. If a dress was maxi length, even better. If it had three-quarter sleeves? Sold. Not necessarily because I loved the style, but because it checked the boxes I thought it needed to check. Would it hide my legs? Would it cover my arms? Would it make me look smaller? Would it help me blend in? Those were the questions guiding my shopping decisi

I recently attended an afternoon tea, and as I looked around the room, I realized something familiar. I was the biggest person there. For a moment, I became hyperaware of myself. My body. My outfit. The way I sat in my chair. The tiny sandwiches and pastries on the table. The voice in my head started whispering all the things that plus-size women are taught to think in situations like this. People are watching what you're eating. Don't take too much. Be careful what you order

Sometimes I think about how much time I wasted in high school worrying about my body. Not taking care of it. Not appreciating it. Not celebrating it. Worrying about it. I spent so much energy trying to figure out how to be smaller. How to sit smaller. How to dress smaller. How to eat smaller. How to exist smaller. Every school dance, every class photo, every club activity, every trip out with friends seemed to come with the same underlying question: How can I make people noti