Clothes are meant to fit me; I am not meant to fit clothes

I did some online shopping for an upcoming trip. I wanted to update my wardrobe from the classic work-from-home sweatsuit I wear 90% of the week.

I had to fight back tears when I tried on a pair of jeans that I thought were my “usual size,” but they were too small. Frustrated and upset, I grabbed the other pair of jeans I ordered from a different brand in the same size. I debated even trying them on and going through the emotional distress again. But I decided to do it. To my surprise, the jeans were too big!

So then I had a revelation.

1) Different brands and different styles will fit my body differently and are not always an accurate representation of my size. My body is not a measuring stick. 📏

2) Clothes are meant to fit me; I am not meant to fit clothes. 👖

3) Numbers and sizes don’t define me. I don’t want to judge myself or my body based on the size of my clothing. 👩🏻‍⚖️

With all this in mind, here are some of my takeaways:

• When I try on jeans that are too small, I will reframe from thinking, “I am too big.” Sometimes I need to size up, and sometimes I need to size down - that’s the reality of retail, and that’s the reality of life.

• Just because something is in style doesn’t mean it’s my style.

• The sizing on my clothes shouldn’t control how I feel about myself. It doesn’t matter what the size reads. I am still me.
  One other thing worth noting. Bodies change. My weight fluctuates all the time. Whether it’s because I gained weight, lost weight, or I am just bloated. I have had to size up and size down so many times throughout my life so far. That is NORMAL and more than okay. It’s taken me years to get to this point of acceptance. It doesn’t change who I am as a person. The only thing that’s changed is the pair of jeans I am wearing.