America. Here’s the deal. I did NOT want to show you this outfit. As much as I love sharing myself, especially my closet, some aspects are a real struggle to put out there. The good days are good. People seem to align to your way of thinking and the interwebs join in chorus of agreement that the look I chose for the day is “on fleek” (is that still a saying amongst you young ones?). The bad days, well, they’re not my favorite. The days when people think because you are putting yourself out there and you are a blunt person, that they can take liberties in being blunt with you in telling you they don’t like your outfit, or if they were you, they wouldn’t wear this or that.
One of my biggest “problem areas” physically is my legs. I have written about them before (remember that guy that called them log legs? Read here if you want). What’s bigger than my fear of criticism for wearing this style of shoe when I have such big ankles, is my stubbornness. I am determined to overcome my own stigmas I have attached to myself and to come to a place where when I walk in a room, others can’t keep from catching some of the enthusiasm and fierceness I plan to exude! The stubborn came out in full force when I spotted these shoes on the shelf last year. They fit, they’re red and they scream “wear me everywhere you can and own every step”!!! Every voice in my head was saying “ugh, you can’t wear that type of shoe because of your ankle” but all I could concentrate on was that one tiny voice that would wait til it got quiet and then whisper “who. flipping. cares. These shoes were made for you, dollface”
Up until today, I have only worn them with jeans to mask at least a little of the legs and create the illusion that I “deserve” to wear them, just like someone with smaller legs. Wow, that’s hard to type out loud. It’s been in my head for a while…….I have literally had thoughts that I didn’t deserve to wear something because I’m not as little as they typical people who sport these looks. And it’s as ridiculous for me to read my own typing of that, as it is for you to read it on your screen.
But……
Slowly but surely……and thanks to a lot of inspirational chicks who have “paved the way”………I have gotten more and more brave to sport certain looks and it’s feeling better and better every time that I do! Today is one of the bravest days of them all! There was a time, a few years ago, that I would’ve walked into a room and had women stared like this morning, I would’ve immediately thought “oh no, they think I look hideous. I knew I shouldn’t have worn this. They are probably going to talk about how fat I am.”. Today, when I stopped by the store and noticed stares, my head immediately went to “oh good, they see how cute this is too! I bet they want to know where I got these shoes. I wonder if they think I’m a famous person since I’m so snazzy this early in the morning”! Do you know how much work that took but how INCREDIBLE it feels. My mind simply feels lighter and more joyful. It starts there and leads to me being kinder than normal, more enthusiastic and definitely more energetic.
I ramble all of that to say this:
I took the VERY LONG way around in all that “find yourself”, “love yourself”, “be comfortable in your own skin” mess that we all are supposed to arrive at. I took the long way and choose to tell you about it in hopes that if you’re on your way, you get there a little quicker than I did.
I can’t describe the feeling, but it’s simply awesome when you arrive there. I physically feel different…..peaceful…..unstoppable…..almost too selfish in the aspect of not caring a single bit what is going on around me. I wish I could say that I feel this way consistently, but unfortunately, I don’t. Further truth be told, not long ago, I let a really big jerk affect the way I feel and make me question myself. THAT makes me furious, but that’s also for another blog 🙂 and I’m just too happy right now to write about a hot fireman who turned out to be your stereotypical douchelord.
That deserves a bit of a music break 🙂 This song is perfect for this blog and a little light dancing 🙂 Go ahead – do it!
I cling to the good days. I document them and use them to remind me not to let the bad days win. I have no secret weapons or magic potion to this whole living in my own skin thing.
- I just try to be nice to me.
- I try not to apologize for it.
- I own myself and my attitude daily (even if it’s bad or misunderstood and misperceived).
- I wear the things
- I celebrate the wins and steps forward
- I force myself to learn from the steps backwards and not to camp out there very long
Wear the things that make you feel amazing and wear them unapologetically, dang it!!!!!! I PROMISE you that it will be a small start to a huge ripple effect. I mean that with all my heart.
If you know nothing else about me, know that there are few who can deny that I am genuine and overly passionate in what I believe. I believe that every single person should love every single thing about them and NOBODY has the right to impose anything but love and kindness upon them. If putting my “log legs” out there and rambling about what goes on in my crazy head helps one person to believe that even a fraction more than they did before they started this blog, I win…..and the jerks lose 🙂
The End.
If this got you as fired up as it did me when I typed it 🙂 Read some other good ones where I “was woman hear me roar”….aka, I wore the things!
Alicia Out Loud 
You should wear the shoes because you want to wear them. Something about the terms “cankle” and “log legs” bugs me. I’m pretty sure there are guys that genuinely love cankles and log legs and should be called something more flattering. Have an awesome day. 🙂
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Definitely wearing them because I definitely want to, today 🙂 You have an awesome day too!!!!!!!!
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