Last weekend saw another fabulous event for us plus size ladies to attend.
Plus London, organised by a handful of brilliant women was a chance for us to come together, meet fellow fatties, fellow bloggers, meet with well established brands, meet with new brands, listen to talks, watch presentations, drink with fellow fat women, try on vintage dresses, smoke shit loads of fags with fellow smokers, pose for ootd posts, pose in front of cameras with props, learn about fat fashion, try yoga, learn about sexuality etc etc etc. That long list shows some of the things you COULD do at this event if you WANTED to. The fact we as fat women have the opportunity to attend such events now a days is incredible. I've attended a number of pro fat events this year and thought that every single one had both good things and bad things about them.
You should be allowed to take what ever the hell you like away from an event and if Plus London was merely a chance to get pissed and dance with fellow fat people....who gives a shit?! The organisers should be proud of what they achieved. Everyone who attended will of benefited from it and even those who didn't will benefit from just reading about it/knowing such events exist!
I was down to attend both the Saturday and the Sunday but due to shitting and vomiting my insides out on the days leading up to the weekend, I only managed to attend the Saturday brands day. I'm sad I missed out on the Sunday BUT the majority of the activities on the Sunday were not actually my cup of tea but that's ok though because not everything is going to appeal to everyone. Just because I didn't attend on the Sunday or that altering clothes/yoga is not my cup of tea doesn't mean I'm not supportive of this fat community. Just turning up to an event is supporting it. A tweet, message, email of support to the organisers of an event (even if you can't go to it) is also support and I know full well not everyone supported
Becky and Toni when it was their turn back in the summer to host Plus North.
Do what you do, don't feel pressured to blog about anything you don't want to or be made to feel bad if you don't cover every fat issue there is out there. If your thing is purely blogging outfit posts, do that. If your thing is empowering people through political chat, do that. If you're passion is fashion (LOL) and you enjoy inspiring women to feel confident through their makeup choices/clothing choices, do that. I don't know jack shit about politics and I struggle to articulate myself when it comes to stuff like that but I do enjoy reading about it. I know I have style and not just as a 'plus size' blogger but as an individual in general and my thing here on this blog is just to fill your eyes with beautiful imagery of myself/other women/fashion/accessories etc.
I know there's a place for me in this blogging world as the response I've had from fellow bloggers/readers has been nothing but positive (that I know of) and I was worried about not sounding intelligent or political enough at the start of this week but now you know what?... I'm gunna carry on taking selfies, reviewing items I get sent for free, showcasing items I've bought with my own money, inspiring women of all sizes and supporting my fellow bloggers on a daily basis.
Here are some shots from the day and what I wore for both the day and evening part of the event.
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| Plastering on the makeup (more than usual) made me feel happy to face the day. |
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| Dress - Asos/Jacket - River Island/Boots - Office/Necklace - Galibardy/Earrings - Topshop |
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| Posing with my entry into the Simply Be 'Be' competition. |
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| Goodies on show at the Simply Be stand |
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| More Simply Be goodies...loving the boots! |
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| Clymdraws - hired by Simply Be to illustrate people whilst at the event |
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| Loved my illustration! |
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| Ladies getting their hair and makeup done by Betty Pamper and the Pamper Box |
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| Dress - Lovedrobe/ Lipstick - Mystic by Sleek Makeup |
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| Absolutely love this dress. So glam and the puffed up shoulders are immense. Emerald green earrings thanks to Habbibis Jewellery Box |
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Well said baby cakes. I wasn't there but I know there's been some stuff flying around the fatosphere. I think the plus size world is big enough (pardon the pun) for each blogger to take out of it what they will. No one is obligated to be a certain kind of blogger, and it'd be a boring ol' read if every one toed the same line and blogged the same kind of thing all the time. Some people are a 'pretty clothes' blog, and that's perfect in itself as it DOES give other fat women the strength to be themselves in a world where at every turn we're told we're horrific. Then there are bloggers who post more fat acceptance/activism pieces, or ONLY those kinds of pieces, and that's essential too. Some bloggers do a bit of everything and that's great too.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe the success of the plus size blogging sphere is perhaps the reason why there's so much discord at the moment. The first line of bloggers were so inspirational that they set about the genesis of so many newer plus bloggers (like myself) and now there's this kinda old skool/new skool divide. It's all good though. We're all battling against a world set against us and we all do what we can to give a big 'Fuck you!' to that in what ever tiny ways we can.
Sorry for the mind spew! x x x
I enjoyed the mind spew. Thank you for spewing and please spew when ever you feel fit. Love your mind spews. xxx
DeleteI could not agree more. Just because we happen to be fat doesn't mean we have to view things the same way. Not everyone is interested in the politics of being fat because they might not necessarily have had the same experiences as someone else and THAT IS FINE.
ReplyDeleteYou're fine too.
Ha ha ha you always say the right thing to me. Love you lots Mamma E and I totally agree with what you said about not all of us having the same experiences!!! xxx
DeleteI just want to say I bloody love you!!!! On a more serious note there is and should be room for everyone to blog in whatever style they want as we all bring something different to the mix x
ReplyDeleteThanks mate, really nice of you to day. Deffo agree that there is room for everyone! xxx
DeleteFor someone who claims to not be able to articulate themselves well when it comes to the politics of it all, I think what you said above was just right, hit the nail on the head and said exactly what I've been thinking but have felt unable to say. Politics schmolitics. Its taken me a few days to just draw a line under it. I've been blogging for over three years now and i've made some friends for life through doing it- that's the community I love. Fab post xxx
ReplyDeleteLove you lots lady. Glad to of met you and glad that blogging has bought us together!!! Fab lady xxx
DeleteI read a range of blogs, all of which I love for different reasons. I've gone through a real change on mind set over the last year, after allowing depression & anxiety to send me into a hell of jogging bottoms and baggy t shirts. You and other bloggers have helped me make huge strides to regaining my confidence and re-engaging with fashion & style. Yes, I like reading blogs about some of the political issues, but mainly I gained a lot of confidence from seeing confident plus sized women loving fashion and telling me about current trends, new places to shop, different ways to style an outfit. Not everything has to be about serious debate. That may seem shallow, but I cannot tell you the impact you and other bloggers have had on me over the last year, and I am sure many other women feel the same :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a fantastic comment to read Ali, so happy to hear reading blogs has had such a positive effect on you. I'm thrilled to hear you enjoy my blog and I'm really appreciative of your support. xxx
DeleteAhhh so sad I couldn't attend, hopefully there will be a new event soon! Love the drawing of you and your fab outfits!
ReplyDeleteYes! You gotta come to the next one, there will be a Plus North next year as well, so definitely come to that one! The drawing is cool isn't it!? He does them so quickly whilst you're standing chatting to someone or looking at a stall, very talented and a nice idea to have him at an event xx
DeleteI love what you said here about everyone contributing something different to plus size blogging and that's okay. My blog initially was filled with a lot of fat politics and rants but now I mainly do outfit/fashion posts just because....I ran out of things to say! I was really passionate about it for awhile, and I still read body positive books and review them but sometimes I feel like everything there is to say about body/fat politics has been said (even if that's not true), whereas fashion is always changing, always evolving and such a creative process. Plus, I think if you focus on fat prejudice all the time, then it's hard not to walk around with a chip on your shoulder and suspect every stranger of fat phobic thoughts towards you (and I'd much rather not speculate and assume people are thinking about how awesome I look in my outfit, haha). Loving your blog x
ReplyDeleteReally interesting comment, thank you babe. I 100% agree with you when you say fashion is always changing and there is always something new to talk about, study, be inspired by. I loved what you said about hoping people love your outfit just cos you're fab in general! Loved having a peek at your blog, now following. xxx
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