The whole internet broke loose, oops Oprah what did you do? Why? If (and only if!) you have a flat stomach.. Oh my!
The well known O magazine published some fashion tips, though one in specific caught everyone’s attention about the question Can I pull off a crop top?:
“if (and only if!) you have a flat stomach, feel free to try one”
Surprised to see this level of #bodyshaming (👎🏻) in Oprah magazine. The feature is about women feeling healthy. Part of health is self-esteem and that’s intrinsically connected to body image. Stop telling women what they CAN’T wear. We can wear and do and be ANYTHING that makes us feel strong, powerful, passionate and in charge of our own destinies. I hope young women and women of any age don’t feel like they’re restricted by editorially imposed fashion “rules.” The only rules are there are no rules. Wear what you love, what makes you feel confident, and own it. Confidence is power, and it’s contagious. 👊🏽👊🏾👊🏿👊🏻👊🏼👊
photo: instagram.com by tamaranitai
Okay, let’s start at the beginning. What’s a crop top? It’s a short top showing of your belly. Sure, you can wear this in different ways like the article suggests but in this case they refer to the bare belly. Not done for fat chicks, according to O magazine.
what’s the problem?
To be honest, at first I didn’t see the problem. Haven’t we heard so many opinions already about what not to wear as a plus size girl? I must say, I am not the type for a crop top however I will never tell anyone they shouldn’t wear it. I just don’t want to show off my belly, I don’t feel comfortable with it. Actually this doesn’t have anything to do with my body shape, perhaps only with my old fashioned self? The American plus size bloggers are furious about this article and so they should! Lots of these ladies wear crop tops and rock them too, proving otherwise.
Oprah’s influences
You probably start laughing now seriously? Oprah’s influences? Yes, Oprah’s influences. I can remember very well being a teenager and coming home from high school and the Oprah Show was on. I would watch it all the time. Besides new traumas about rape and child abuse I also got the ins and outs about fashion, especially focussing on the plus size women. Several times Oprah would remind me that she would be really thin if she could wear a plain white t-shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. Or how about horizontal stripes, a big no-no for bigger girls. Slowly I am starting to wear stripes again. It’s crazy if you think how easily you are being influenced as a teenager. Especially by an American women who probably aired the show a couple of years ago already since the Dutch tv was only showing reruns. I am starting to get these American bloggers. It’s a type of body shaming, everybody should be able to wear whatever they like.
Let nobody ever tell you what you should or should not wear. Advice? Sure! A comment. Perhaps.
