It’s Women’s History Month, and it’s no surprise that many women are still challenged with a lack of confidence, especially when it comes to their body type and style. These insecurities can arise when shopping for clothing and trying on outfits for everyday wear, and looking for items like intimate garments and apparel.
Unfortunately, feelings of low confidence are still very common for modern women of all ages. And the frustration that comes with these feelings is one of the reasons that Lingerie Consultant & Curator Judy Nicole Thompson launched Bella J Lingerie. As a shopper, Judy Nicole struggled with finding the right pieces for a distinct body type. And while her body is unique, the challenges in finding a great fit are universal to many women. So after years of struggling with the entire shopping experience, Judy Nicole founded Bella J Lingerie “to address issues with not finding certain clothing, particularly intimate apparel” to fit the style. Bella J Lingerie provides a boutique experience with a consulting aspect that caters to women who cannot find the right fit through traditional retail options.
But even when looking for the right fit, women must still have the confidence needed to ensure that they can pull off any outfit with sheer confidence. So, let’s look at how women struggle with their bodies, shape, and figure.
- Focusing on imperfections. Rather than noticing the thousands of small details of your body that make it beautiful, many women obsess over one or two areas that they deem ‘imperfect.’ This tendency works against body positivity and undermines confidence.
- Dealing with pressure to diet. There is a prevailing sentiment that being overweight should be avoided at all costs, even when this may not be in the best interests of the individual’s health. And most women feel continuous pressure to take off a few pounds, even young girls. By age 10, 80% of all girls report going on a diet. Unfortunately, these diets are almost always pursued to achieve an ideal weight rather than focusing on embracing healthy habits. In this way, women learn to prioritize appearances over health.
- Understanding the standards of beauty. Today’s definition of beauty is different from it in the past. For example, a full-figured appearance was considered desirable even a few decades ago. But today, many women feel pigeonholed into a very narrow definition of beauty, and thoughts of inadequacies rear when we do not attain this standard.
- Challenging media depictions. The media sends powerful messages to women about their bodies, including ideas of what is acceptable. Unfortunately, the vast majority (96%) of women and girls do not physically match the media standards and never could absent extreme body modifications or measures. And seeing individuals that appear so much different from the norm can lead to feelings of inadequacy.
As you can see, women have tons of reasons to be frustrated with the standards in the beauty industry. But as a Lingerie Consultant & Curator, Judy Nicole notes these quick tips that can inspire confidence in women while shopping for clothing, such as:
- Look for clothing that works with your current body. While many women hang onto clothing for years (or decades) after it no longer fits, this habit can foster unhealthy expectations that we should all maintain the figure we had in our late teens and early twenties. Instead of doing this, embrace the body you have now. Don’t fear the mirror. Instead, focus on clothing that shows what you like about your current body. Rather than trying to fit into a smaller size, forget the size (after all, they are meaningless anyway) and focus on a fit that looks great. This is one of the easiest ways to inspire confidence, leading to body positivity.
- Splurge on self-care. While this expense won’t directly help your shopping experience, it can help you feel more connected to your body and appreciate it more. After all, women’s bodies often change due to extraordinary actions, such as pregnancy and child-rearing. Most women accomplish an impressive number of activities every day, and rather than feeling bad about what you didn’t achieve, focus on what you did and practice self-acceptance. When you prioritize self-care, this is much easier.
- Patronize stores that cater to women of all shapes and sizes. I wish it would be easy to help the fashion industry understand why they are missing the mark with so many women, but that won’t happen without a tremendous cultural shift in what is accepted. But we can make a difference in our own lives by choosing who to patronize. When you identify and shop at stores like Bella J Lingerie, you can make it much easier to find the right clothing and support the notion that women need more options while shopping.
It’s Women’s History Month, which means that all women should be celebrated. And it’s simply not good enough to appreciate the narrow range of women targeted by the mainstream fashion industry. All women deserve respect, appreciation, and admiration. And as a bare minimum, they should have options that provide the right style and fit of clothing. They should also feel confident and comfortable in their body, even while shopping!
Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
