-
Dear Instagram “Doctors”
While I know you think your comments telling me to lose weight is helping me, it’s not. I’m 37 years old so to assume that I’ve gotten this far in life as a fat chick and the thought of losing weight never accured to me is the dumbest thing ever. I am well aware that if I lost weight, I would ultimately feel better. And yes, SOME of my Lymphatic issues would ease up. But by no means would it magically fix my life. Diet and exercise will not reduce my Lipedema (aka damaged fat cells). You might be reading this going “bitch how do you know if you don’t try?” I know because I’ve been on diet after diet since I was probably 10. My dad made me go on every diet he ever did. I’ve done shakes. I’ve done pills. I’ve done fasting. I’ve done low carbs. I’ve done Herbalife. I was a 100lbs heavier when I had my son almost 11 years ago. I went gluten free for Celiac Disease 8 years ago and in 3 months I dropped 80lbs cause my body was properly handling food. I lost the weight in my face and torso. My…
-
Coral & Rose Gold Mermaid Swim Set – Torrid
When I was ordering the Ursula suit & cover up from Torrid, I saw this GORGEOUS Coral & Rose Gold Mermaid Swim Set. But realistically I know I did not need another suit. I had zero plans to get it. Fast forward to this past weekend when I see it hanging in my local Torrid. I thought for sure it was online only and I wouldn’t be tempted. I was wrong but man, am I glad that I was. The moment I tried it on I was in love. Two piece suits fit me better as I can get the smaller size in the top I need and the large bottoms. For this suit, my top is a size two. I had tried on a 3 at first but before I could even say anything one of my favorite Torrid ladies said: “hold on, you should try a 2.” The two fits in the cups so much better than the 3 did, however, it doesn’t want to lay down as flat or fat on my stomach as it does in the model’s photo. It doesn’t bother me how it lays. The top is available in “regular” or “fuller” cup sizes. The regular size…
-
Glam Ursula [Photo Shoot]
A year ago today, I stepped foot into Rachel’s new studio for my first photo shoot. I had no idea what I was doing. Still, don’t actually, I have a very bad habit of bitch face. I have known Rachel since high school. She had done my promo shots for my gluten-free baking as well as family photos with my son. I knew Stacy at Viva La Diva Salon would be turning my hair into this stunning purple that was inspired by my Ursula tattoo. So we planned a Glam Ursula photo shoot. I had the perfect little black dress with the neckline to mimic Ursula’s curves. I had scored the dress for $3 at Lane Bryant! It had these little gold polka dots on it that caught the light. I chose to accessory w/ some gold jewelry and a Kata Banko Couture mermaid crown. A few shots I wore my Lane Bryant black #fatkini. This shoot was a huge step for me. Last year I barely wore dresses or showed my legs. My compression stockings at the time were beyond shot so I didn’t like to show them. My legs themselves look like they are so swollen they could…
-
Ursula One Piece & Cover-Up – Torrid
As if it wasn’t exciting enough that Hot Topic Plus has an Ursula suit this year, Torrid released not only an Ursula suit but a cover-up as well! Since I have very little self-control when it comes to Ursula items, I ordered both. It’s very cute and fits comfortably. I feel like I could swim in it without being annoyed or messing with it all the time. Of course, once again there’s too much room in the bust for me. The cut and quality of the suit are really nice. I feel it’s not as short in the torso as the Hot Topic one. I really wish this suit had been a halter neckline with the pale purple being behind a silhouette of cleavage in the black still to be more Ursula like. I was really worried that the cover-up would be skin tight so I ordered a size up. I didn’t need it. It’s really flowy. It’s a very lightweight mesh. I’m super short so I’m glad the straps are adjustable so I can shorten it up a bit. I’m not really sure why the tentacles are going up the cover-up… I want to pretend to be Ursula. The tentacles should…
-
Steel City Seraphs
Growing up I didn’t give a second thought to Victoria’s Secret or their newest trend on sale. Being plus size and small titted, I knew I wasn’t their target market. I’ve never been one to feel that every single store should accommodate me. I do however feel if a store or brand is going to advertise that they carry plus size, it needs to a) be bigger than a 2x and b) in stores to be tried on not just online. (Old Navy Plus I’m looking at you) Since November, Victoria’s Secret has been on my radar way more than I’d like it to be. I’ve had this vision of a flock of badass, dark and gritty angels of varying shapes, sizes, and skin tones in my head. Thicker babes in black lingerie with black wings and stunning gold accents. I reached out to some of my friends and Steel City Seraphs came to life! My photographer and fellow Seraphs are some of the best babes I know. They not only gave up their time to on a Saturday morning to help my vision come to life, but they did so in freezing temps! Da’Burgh can be brutal…
-
Amazon Plus: Allegrace V Neck Cocktail Dress w/ Side Pleating
I came across this dress when I was looking to order a different color of my favorite T-shirt from Allegrace. The Army Green of this dress caught my attention right away followed very quickly by the cut of the dress. I joked with a few friends that it might be the peary-est dress ever but that for $21 I was going to try it. It arrived very quickly thanks to Amazon Prime. As soon as I opened it I fell in love with the color but was incredibly worried that it was not going to fit. It looked smaller in the package and the bottom, while it stretches, did not feel like it would stretch enough. To my surprise it did. My next worry was that it would roll up the thighs within a few steps. It does not budge. I really like the pleating details even if they repeatedly fool me into thinking there are pockets. The arms feel great, not too tight and don’t ride up my bigger lipedema upper arms. I’m wearing a 3x mostly due to the 4x being sold out in the green but also partly due to the fact that the t-shirt I love…
-
Ursula One Piece – Hot Topic Plus
I’ve stated many times that I wished I could sew cause I need an Ursula swimsuit. Then last week my girl Angie posted on Facebook the link to an Ursula suit by Hot Topic Plus. I think I instantly sent the link out to just about everyone saying “OMG OMG OMG OMG”. I’ve never bought from Hot Topic Plus before so I was super leery about it fitting. According to their size chart, my hips are a size 5 but my top is a 1. (Hello Pear!) So I placed the order knowing that the top would probably be big on me and praying that the bottom at least fit. I was really excited to come home and find the package on my porch. I was relieved when I opened it and saw that it actually seemed plus sized. The purple/black shimmer is GORGEOUS and very villainy. I love it. It was really easy to get on. It has a good stretch to it but not too stretchy that it feels like it would lose shape over time. It fits my hips really well. And of course, as I expected, the top is ridiculously loose on me. I love…
-
PGP is One!
A year ago today, I made my first post on Instagram as Palegingerpear. Crazy how fast a year has gone by. What a year it has been. This little IG that was born out of a joke has turned into more than I could ever have imagined. I started PGP with the mindset of #ootd post as I had been told that I dress well for my shape. The hate comments that started rolling in had me defending myself by explaining Lymphedema and Lipedema. Through that, I realized I needed to stop hiding that part of me and be open about it. Stop trying to hide the compression stockings from photos. So, thank-you to the troll that hit the right nerve at the right time that got me to realize I need to have more of a “fuck it” attitude to these conditions. This year I’ve come to terms with who I am more than ever before. I am a pale, freckled, tattooed, naturally redheaded mother who HAPPENS to have both Lipedema and Lymphedema – but they do not define who I am. Yes, I might have the definition of a pear body type due to the “special fat” that…
-
About
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the big fat friend. The one that sat on the “boyfriend” bench at the stores in the mall during high school while my friends tried on outfit after outfit from any store they stepped foot in. The one that no matter why she went to the doctor’s, it turned into a lecture on how she needed to lose weight. I felt everyone was so focused on my weight but I rarely even thought about it. To me, there was no point in thinking about it due to the fact that nothing I did changed my lower half. When I was in high school, I sustained an injury to my lower left leg. My left leg started to swell to the size of a football right about the ankle. If I massaged or put pressure on it the swelling would go down. The ER doctor, a chiropractor, and my PCP had no idea what was causing the swelling. Their solution was just to massage it and to lose weight… Shocker! It wasn’t until several years later when I was pregnant with my son that I finally found out what was wrong with my…
