Wannabe Princess

Plus Size Fashion and Lifestyle in South Yorkshire

plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire.

Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.

Why We Need ‘We Are The They’ #Wearethethey

by 2 Comments

Yesterday I wrote a post putting a face to the people bullies refer to when they say ‘they should feel ashamed. I clicked post and suddenly the world went BOOM! A few hours later #WeAreTheThey was the 2nd most talked about topic on Twitter. People from all over were posting their photos and words of support. Men and women of all shapes and sizes embraced the hashtag and it literally made my heart want to burst with joy seeing so many people standing together against bullies. 


I don’t even mean just Jamelia any more, it has become so much more than that. Now we stand together as a team against those who bully others because of the way they look.

And then, well today – WOW! The campaign has been mentioned on different radio stations thanks to some amazing bloggers for spreading the word. It has been mentioned in The Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Metro and Look Magazine. There are too many blog posts for me to even keep up with reading and we trended again today.




I am so proud of everyone who has shared photos and words of love. Who have battled the trolls who took glee from writing negativity in our hashtag and even an article where we were compared to animals being fattened to slaughter – awful.


But as much as those people fought to bring us down  – they didn’t. 


We as a collective team rose above it and we trended and we caused a ripple in the media and THAT is why we need campaigns like this.



The truth is that there will always be bullies and there will always be people who want to bring us down. They’ll always talk about the way others look and make claims about what they deserve just because of the size of their bodies. I would love a world where these people do not exist but we’re a long way off of that. So for now, we need to stand together and create a force to be reckoned with and a support work.

The biggest power we have is showing others that they are not alone. The more people we can show that loving their body is not a sin the better and that is why the success of #WeAreTheThey has literally filled my heart with joy.

#WeAreTheThey and we are not ashamed. 

You all amaze me. Thank you x


Debz xx


If you feel the same as me then please share this post on ANY social media you can. Let’s spread the word. If you’re below a size 6 or above a size 20 then tweet and Instagram your photos. Let’s put even more faces to the people Jamelia feels should be made to feel uncomfortable. 

Use the hashtag on any posts so I can see you all!!
If you liked what you read & want to keep up to date with future posts… You can do so here:

Jamelia – We Are The ‘They’ #Wearethethey

by 9 Comments

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few days, you will have heard about Jamelias comments regarding clothes shopping on the high street. I blogged about it here.

Today she has ‘apologised’. Reassuring us that she only meant ‘extremes’ in sizes and that she feels the high street should stock sizes 6 to 20… It really is quite laughable. 

I feel that by saying ‘they’ should shop in specialist shops and ‘they’ should be made to feel uncomfortable it is all very anonymous. It is easy to say that a bunch of blank faces (and bodies) should be treated a certain way, but what Jamelia (and anyone who agrees with her) needs to realise is that WE are real people. We have REAL feelings, REAL jobs, friends and families. When you say that people should make ‘them’ feel uncomfortable you are encouraging them to treat US differently.. US as in real people.

So, Jamelia and anyone who feels that ‘they’ should be made to feel uncomfortable…

 

WE ARE THE ‘THEY’





Sam // Lisa // Kate // Daisy

 


Sarah // Nikki // Lolly // Steph 
 

Emily // Michelle // Hannah // Faith 
 
Rebs // Emma

// Stephanie // Becky 

 
Lindsey // Kerry // Charlene //  April //
 

Zoe // Michaela // Lucia
 
Susan // Lisa
 
Dawn // Lauren // Alyssa // Janet 
 

Katie // Cat // Rebecca // Vicky
 
Sharon // Katt // Joanne Sian
 

Kathryn // Bobbie // Emma // Sonya
 
Elaine // Hayley // Sue
 
Shereen // Kerry-Ann // Tammy 
 

Nikki // Claire // Fig // Leah
 
It is worth pointing out these these women are bloggers and non bloggers, wives, girlfriends, sisters, mothers, cousins, friends, white, black, tall, short, large, extra large, casual dressers, vintage dressers, tea drinkers, bike riders, gym goers, couch potatoes….. and above all else the women that Jamelia feels should be MADE TO FEEL ASHAMED just for buying clothes to go on their back.
 
If you feel the same as me then please share this post on ANY social media you can. Let’s spread the word. If you’re below a size 6 or above a size 20 then tweet and Instagram your photos. Let’s put even more faces to the people Jamelia feels should be made to feel uncomfortable. 

#WeAreTheThey and we are not ashamed.Use the hashtag on any posts so I can see you all!!Debz xx

 

If you liked what you read & want to keep up to date with future posts… You can do so here:

Dear Jamelia #Wearethethey

by 6 Comments

Dear Jamelia… I don’t know if you realise it, but there have been fat women around for very many years. As a 32 year old woman, I grew up as a chubby child and a fat teenager. Even those older than me, very many generations before me have been fat. You may or may not agree that fat people are healthy and you may assume that this ‘epidemic’ needs to be cured, but surely you have to agree that fat people are just that, people.

[Read more…]

#KeepThePlus – It Helps Not Hinders

by 4 Comments

Good Evening!


Over recent weeks you may have seen different discussions on social media and blog posts about ‘Drop The Plus’. It is a campaign that is all about dropping the term plus size , mostly in the modelling industry. However it has grown and now people are campaigning to Drop The Plus everywhere, which gets a big FAT no from me!


Growing up in a larger body (and probably a smaller one) is not easy. I have nearly always loved by body, or at the very least liked it. There have been times when I have embraced it but not often I have hated it but I know I am a rare breed. The truth is that we’re surrounded by mainstream media and subliminal messages that tell us we’re wrong if we’re overweight. 


So, How can I love my body when so many people are telling me that I shouldn’t? Quite simply, the term ‘Plus Size.


Just look at all the different shapes, sizes and styles you get just by searching on Google for ‘plus size blogger’. Sorry I can’t credit everyone but you all look FAB!



For starters it has allowed me since the age of 14 to look up influences that I want to see, not what the media thinks I should see. Yes as a teenager it can be scary looking up (On Ask Jeeves of all places #Old) the word plus size, but let’s face it there is so much in our teenager years that is scary so this is kind of small in the grand scheme of things. Even back then searching plus size fashion online bought up a number of influences, Google the term now and you’re literally bombarded with images! 


As a teenager and even as a grown up, helping our bodies to feel normal is one of the best ways to encourage us to love the skin we’re in. When you feel like you’re the only fat girl in the world, it can be a lonely place. Google plus size bloggers and you get to see that there are hundreds of girls exactly like YOU who are rocking it every single day! Surrounding yourself by this media helps you to feel much more at ease with your body, trust me it works.


And then there is the topic of clothes shopping! I dream of a day when I can walk into a clothing shop, pick out any item and know that they stock it in my size however we all know that is a reality that is far from the truth. So, rather than wander into shops and browse websites and guess (usually with disappointing results) whether they sell items for me I can look for plus size retailers and know that I am far more likely to get positive results. Yes, perhaps one day we’ll live in a world where we don’t have plus size retailers and instead every shop will stock clothes for everyone, but honestly I think we’re a long, long way off of that!!


The only time I can see it would be OK to drop the plus is when we don’t need it any more. When catwalks embrace every size and shops stock all size ranges then we won’t need it and it can be dropped… but whether we’ll see that any time soon who knows… One can only hope!



Rather than getting rid of the term plus size completely, I think we need to take away the power it holds over some people. The truth is that being plus size is COMPLETELY OK! You don’t have to feel sad if you’re classed as plus size, it’s just a label and doesn’t have any baring on your life, your good qualities etc. I believe that rather than worrying about whether we should be calling people plus size or not, we should be putting our efforts into teaching girls to love their bodies and embrace their size (whatever that happens to be). Once you love the skin you’re in, the label that people put on it is harmless!


So, those are my opinions on the DropThePlus Campaign… but what do you think? Do you embrace the term plus size or think it should be eradicated?


I put the feelers out for some positive thoughts on plus size and here is what people had to say!


Nikki from Natty Nikki “I think we should keep it! I call myself a plus size blogger because that is what I am. When I search for clothes online I look for plus size options in google to find the clothes in my size. I have no problem with the term to me it is the same as using petite or tall in clothing sections.”


Filipa “I think it should be kept for multiple reasons, I don’t see it as a bad or offensive thing. How else would we find the shops that carry our sizes?“


Leah from Just Me Leah “I think we should keep it. I can see why ‘plus size’ models don’t want to be called plus, because they’re not, but we all know a size 12 IS plus size in the modelling world. But for the women who ARE plus size and identify as being so, what else should we call ourselves? For instance I call myself plus size because it’s a descriptor. I’m happy to refer to myself as fat in most areas of my life but many people aren’t on the same journey as me and get upset by the word, so plus size is a judgement free term for me”


Becky S “Plus size helps me find clothes that fit! I don’t view it as an insult – it’s a description of the clothes I wear”


Kat from A Curvy Cupcake  I’m all for #keeptheplus. Its just a search term at the end of the day. The people who want to drop it are the same people who would be up in arms if plus size stores like Evans, Yours etc were called “fat shops” or something. So what do we call plus size ranges? Because we all know size inclusivity is a looong way away so you can’t just not categorize. It’d be too hard to find anything!”


You can also listen to Georgina from Fuller Figure Fuller Bust talking about the topic here.



So… what do you think?


Debz xx

Scarlett & Jo: Revisited

by 3 Comments

I have blogged about Scarlett & Jo before and to be honest, I have no doubt that I will blog about them again. Scarlett & Jo are a brand that sell exclusively at Evans. One of the things I love most about the range is that ALL of their items go up to a size 32. They don’t pick and choose what they think different customers of different sizes want – instead everything is available in all the sizes – such a revelation!

Over recent months they have bought out some beautiful dresses and skirts. They have definitely found a look that works for them – and it’s safe to say, I am a fan! They’re also big supporters of the blogging industry which is really nice to see.

A couple of weeks ago they sent me this beautiful dress which are far as I can see is not on the website yet. I wore it quite casual just out for dinner but it definitely has potential to be styled up and worn with more glamour.

As usual with Scarlet & Jo items, it’s a fantastic fit and really high quality. Whenever I get items from this range I am always pleased with the look and feel of the material of the items – they never disappoint!

Head over to the Scarlett & Jo website today and have a look at their range. What do you have your eyes on?

Debz xx

If you

I Love It When A Retailer Listens – Topsy Curvy Fashion

by 4 Comments

I bloody love the ladies at Topsy Curvy and have been lucky enough to meet and hang out with them a couple of times. One of the things that absolutely shines through about this independent brand is their passion for plus size fashion. I have chatted to them many times about the plus size clothing industry and what I would love to see.


Over recent months I have seen more and more Topsy Curvy items go up to a size 32 which is fantastic. Originally many of their items stopped at a size 26, which while that is great for a small retailer like this I always told them that I would love to see more and bless them they listened.


Currently in my wardrobe I have some jeans from them that fit my body amazingly (review coming soon), a checked top and this lilac coloured blazer.





They have both the checked tops and the pastel blazers up to a size 32 in a variety of colours – YAY for choice! Both of the items fit me well and feel really nice to the touch. They’re really good quality and for the price tag I feel well worth the investment. We all need fast, affordable fashion choices and now thanks to Topsy Curvy a size 32 body is getting those same choices!  I will review the top soon!!!

But now, onto the blazer! The fact that they do it in a size 32 and in different colours is great. I found it a bit too small to meet in the middle at the front but to be honest I would always wear a blazer like this open. It’s a nice feeling material, quite lightweight which is perfect for summer. I love the pastel colour of the blazer too, which seems to be exactly what my Spring wardrobe needs




I know that the ladies have much more up their sleeve when it comes to fashion so it is well worth keeping an eye on their website to see what they add. A really nice touch is their Facebook page too. They usually post photos of their items up with at least 3 (sometimes 4) girls wearing the same item and doing the same pose. This is a fantastic way of giving customers an insight into how the item will look on a body the same/similar shape and size as them and this really helps. Just another way that Topsy Curvy have listened to their customers and attempted to make the minefield that clothes shopping can sometimes be that much easier.





I love the blazer and I can’t wait to see what else I can wear it with! Dress is ASOS Curve, bag is New Look and shoes are Primark.


Debz 

If you liked what you read & want to keep up to date with future posts… You can do so here:
Facebook / Twitter / Blog Loving / Pinterest / Instagram / Tumblr /


I was lucky enough to be gifted some items in this post and I am very grateful, but I am always open and honest in my reviews!

 

Dress To Impress

by Leave a Comment

Dress to Impress and make a Statement in the Process – There is an old saying that tells us you only ever get one chance to make a first impression, and this is particularly true when you enter the dating market. Getting to know someone online is all part of the dance these days, and that’s a good thing for both sides, but when the first actual meeting takes place it’s cards on the table time.

[Read more…]

Privacy Policy