Fashion

Yes, Plus Size Women Can Wear Sequins

November 5, 2014

You know that not-so-hidden desire that sometimes crosses your mind? The one that has to do with being a princess? OK; I know not every little girl in this world has dreamt of owning the perfect pink ball gown or living in a sparkly, everything-made-of-glitter kind of castle — but I certainly did/do. Maybe we can blame Disney princesses. Maybe we can blame unrealistic or antiquated views on femininity and womanhood. But for whatever reason, a lot of women (yes, grown women) will always love the idea of dressing up in obscenely bedazzled outfits and feeling unashamedly regal. Letting your inner princess shine in sequined ensembles isn't always an easy feat for us fuller-figured women, though.

The way I see it, that want that some of us have to feel like a princess doesn't always have to mean that you're some kind of horrid, attention-craving, overspending, spoiled little thing. It doesn't have to mean that you have some kind of notion of grandeur that clouds your mind and makes you think only of sparkly things. To me, the whole notion of princess-hood is tied to something simple and silly. I love dressing up. Theatrical fashion makes me happy. And I'm drawn to princesses because they can wear said theatrical fashion pretty much every day and face no social repercussions for it. In fact, a lot of rules and social constructs that I find unnecessary or bizarre seem to disappear for fictional and fantastical princesses altogether. And that's definitely something that appeals to me.

Whilst I totally understanding that wearing the aforementioned perfect pink ball gown on a day-to-day level is unpractical (I foresee a lot of subway mishaps and tooth-y dogs), there are plenty of occasions that warrant something with a little glam: fancy dinners, the theatre, costume parties, sleepovers with your best friends who feel equally passionate about absurdly wonderful fashion. And being plus-size doesn't mean that you have to stay on the sidelines. For a long time, I thought designers would never start making the plethora of sparkly things I envisioned in my princess-y dreams, but they finally are. There's no shortage of sequins or bedazzled items anymore (though I wouldn't complain if even more brands jumped on the glittery bandwagon).