Big & Bootyful

Fresher's 15 has hit me like a tonne of bricks. It seems to have taken over my thighs, and I'm yet to come up with a solution as my massive total of 2 gym sessions hasn't helped, for some reason.

I'm not exactly bordering on morbidly obese, but I have noticed changes in my body since starting uni, which wasn't even a month ago. Aside from constantly looking like I'm pregnant every time I even SMELL something that's not Gluten Free (yes I'm about 5 months gone with a food baby) I've noticed my thighs fill out my jeans completely, and that my bum may have got a little bigger but a lot more wobbly.

Saying this, I've got to admit I feel a little more womanly. My 5"3ish frame doesn't really allow me to look older than 12, and when I'm bordering on 20 this can often be a problem. But the fact that my thighs do fill out my jeans and I might have more curves than before makes me feel like my body might finally realise my age and help me out a little.

This blog was originally inspired by an episode of Grayson Perry's 'Who are you?' Wherein Grayson Perry explored the lives of three culturally diverse groups: the deaf; the Loyalists and the plus sized women.

Even though I felt that the plus sized women weren't given as much airtime as the other two groups, the artist did touch up on some key points concerning the plus sized community and their acceptance in our society. While I am embracing my new found lumps and bumps, I look back on my notes of this episode and see quotes such as 'Identity is a process' and 'self confidence is key' which I think rings true for any shape and size. Some people may look at me and comment on my appearance since uni, as I have lived with a fair few comments about my food baby prior to my fresher experience, and they might not like it, but I have to realise that the only opinion that matters about me and my body is mine.

If you didn't already know Grayson Perry is a famous artist known mainly for his success in ceramics and his cross-dressing identity. He has a unique way of seeing the world, a vision that a lot of us can only see when he points it out to us. For example, he referred to a group of the plus sized ladies whom he later created sculptures of as 'The Three Graces' which is already a timeless sculpture renowned for it's beauty. He also touched on how to be 'plus sized' has the same stigma attached to it as homosexuality did a decade ago, or being a woman did a century ago. But why?

Plus size fashion has well and truly taken off. So why women are still being harassed for their size is well and truly beyond me. I went to school with a friend who is now modelling for Plus Size Boohoo and is looking as stunning as ever. She looks proud, enpowered, hella sexy and content. Some celebrity favourites of mine are Adele, who is THE definition of glo up, and Christina Aguilera, who is everyone's burlesque QUEEN. Both of which still pull off incredibly figure hugging dresses and do it with total sass as seen by CA's 2016 Breakthrough Prize appearance and Adele's Brit Awards wardrobe.

At the end of the day, I know my body inside and out. I'm not plus size but I appreciate anyone who is and I actually enjoy learning what accessories or cuts could help enhance the key seductive/sexy key points of a plus sized woman's body. I also know that if I wanted to, like really wanted to, I could probably lose the infamous Freshers 15 (and hopefully the Fresher Flu while I'm at it) but I'm completely content with how I am right now. I'm walking more than ever, desperate to discover everything Nottingham has to offer, but my health is also probably at an all time low. But at the end of the day, I'm still getting up for my lectures, I'm still wearing my sassy outfits and I'm enjoying being a slightly-bigger-than-usual amateur but excited Fashion Student at NTU.