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Buying Used Clothes

The unexpected result of buying used clothes

Warning: I’m going to get a little personal in this post. I figure it’s fairly safe since we’ve now been together for almost a year, right? Also, it’s a bit long so apologies in advance.

That is a margarita in my hand because 1) when you’re in a park in St. Louis on a Friday evening, it’s a law, I think, and 2) I needed a little extra courage to have my picture taken since having my picture taken might be one of my least favorite things. But it needed to be done in order to show you how I initially got my confidence back after weight gain (and no, it was not through exercise and eating healthier).

My weight gain came from pregnancy and nursing. I know that our bodies gain weight for many different reasons. Some reasons are in our control and some are not. I want to be clear that this is not a post about losing weight but instead, it is about clothing ourselves well even when we aren’t the size we want to be.

Right after Nori was born, I was visiting my mom and as a very sweet gesture, she put $15 in my hand and told me to go buy a new top at Target so that I might feel a little more normal and less like a dumpy mom who had just given birth (my words, not hers). So I went to Target and it was not great. I nabbed two tops that looked decent on me but I kind of felt awful. I didn’t like the size that I was so why was I buying new clothes to fit it? I could just live in maternity clothes for the rest of my life because I’m not going to spend a lot of money to clothe this body that I’m uncomfortable in. It would be a waste. Fast forward a year and I was back in FL with my mom still in my maternity clothes but so over them! I couldn’t handle them anymore so I decided to hit up a consignment shop (because less waste) and the way I looked at myself completely changed. After some embarrassing attempts at trying to squeeze into smaller sizes, I found the size that actually fit me and looked in the mirror. I had forgotten what it was like to wear nice clothes that fit. I started pulling out all kinds of incredible used clothes in a size that I do not want to be and I was so happy! It was shocking. The freedom that came from the idea that these clothes were just serving me for a time and not forever. Just as they had done for their previous owner. When I bought the tops at Target, there had been this feeling of resignation that I would forever be this size since clearly I’m buying brand new clothes to fit it. But when I was buying the used clothes, it felt different because they were just a place holder. And they are a NICE place holder. I feel good in them because they are quality clothes but really affordable and I’m reusing items for their second life. It was completely unexpected and helped me to feel pretty for the first time in many years.

I push buying used clothes for the sustainability reasons but I had no idea what it would do to my self-confidence. If you are the size you want to be, whatever size that is, good for you! Be proud of who you are! I am not here to tell anyone that they need to lose weight or be unhappy with their body. But if you are like me and circumstances have entered your life that have caused you to feel not great about your size, buying good quality used clothes might be just what you need to start feeling better about yourself. And for me, I felt so good in those clothes that I checked out a Jillian Michaels DVD and got to work. A few months later, I’m about to trade these shorts in for the next size down. So ask a few friends if they know of any good used clothing stores in your area or once you know your right size, ebay has everything. I mean everything. I can’t believe I just discovered its usefulness for used clothing. I research exactly the clothing I want, set up a search for it on ebay and get notifications when they have one available. Thredup can also be a useful online resource if you’re struggling with finding a good local clothing consignment store. I’m sure for some of you, this whole post is nothing new, you’ve been doing it for years. But for the rest of you, I hope you have been encouraged. If you’ve read this far, thanks for sticking with me. Don’t worry, the next post will be MUCH shorter.

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