Wear the clothes you want to be ...

.. or something like that . I think the original inspirational quote went " be the change you want to see' or some such.

I was reading my Brave Girls Club quote for the day and came across this article written beautifully by Kelly Rae Roberts ...


Wear Your Joy

A few years ago after becoming a new mama, I missed my old clothes, my old body. For well over a year, I dreaded getting dressed each morning. And over that year, I lost a real sense of who I was.Transitions do that to us. For me it was new motherhood. But for many it’s the process of conforming to “age appropriate” fashion rules. For others it’s transitioning into a “real job” with a dress code. And for many, it’s traveling through a major life transition (grief, caregiving, moving, new job, getting older, and more). Whatever the reason, when we lose a sense of who we are, getting dressed can feel like a chore, a burden perhaps. It becomes a moment – every single day – of unconscious, tedi ous, perhaps even gremlin-filled decisions and self-talk. Not a joyful way to start a day.So. One day, I started to get more intentional about what I was wearing, choosing only to wear clothes that delighted my spirit and lit me up. It was a playful experiment that soon turned into a daily practice. I started to share my discoveries on Instagram and Facebook. Others joined in, too, and a community was born. The results of this practice, I learned, was a way into Joy – not just in the mornings, but into my entire life.Who knew getting dressed could be a conscious meditation of bringing more joy and meaning to our ordinary days? Ultimately, this project reminded me how style isn’t superficial. It’s the call of our hearts, made visible – and wearable. 

Having experienced an ego squashing episode only yesterday as I pulled on a pair of shapeless sludge coloured Harem trousers designed to hide a multitude of sins but only serving to highlight the fact that I had enough wobbly bits and cellulite to feature on one of those banner ads for weight loss,  that proliferate our screens these days, as the ' before' picture. Is it any wonder we hate our bodies when we're confronted daily with a vision of how we think we should look ? When I lost 7 stone ( yes 7 stone ) nearly 5 years ago, I vowed I would never ever wear another shapeless black top or shop in Evans. My wardrobe is now filled with shapeless black tops but I haven't ventured back into Evans and nor do I intend to.  

Today I am turfing out the dark coloured disguises that are stuffed into my drawers ( as in chest of drawers not knickers although not that you'd know it ) and replacing them only with items that make me happy. So, in with the bright colours and out with the sludge coloured harem trousers. This may result in having nothing to wear for the next month but at least I won't start every day on a downer.

Here's the before picture ( clothes not me , you really wouldn't want to see the latter )