Clothes shopping!  For some this is enjoyable but for others they would rather have a poke in the eye. LOL!  So lets look at it from the perspective of someone who’s took the bull by the horns and lost a significant amount of weight and is needing to update their wardrobe.  You look in the mirror and the image staring back at you is of someone you’re proud of and you no longer find it necessary to avoid having pictures made or dodging high school friends out in public.  It’s obvious to you and everyone around you that you have made great progress but then you go shopping!

As you sort through the racks of jeans you find what seems to be the most perfect pair so you choose it in your size and you get to the dressing room and try them on and it’s all you can do to get them buttoned and zipped.  What the crap!?!?  At first you go into a tail spin because it instantly sends your mind back to those traumatic shopping trips before you lost weight where nothing you wanted fit and you feel so defeated.  You question if the image of you in the mirror is real or is your mind playing tricks on you.  You think to yourself, “I might as well give up and just eat what I want wear a moomoo!” LOL!

So the truth is, the label isn’t always accurate!  Also, one clothing manufacturers size may differ from another.  My mother worked for a company that made jeans for years and said that each size is measured in inches and will pass inspection if it’s off a half inch either way.  So the size you normally wear could be a little tight or a little loose.  Good to know!!!  I have two different blouse sizes in my closet as well as two different pant sizes.  I also have things in my closet that I know according to the label are my size but fit like a latex glove and I look like a sausage in them but I no longer let that make me an emotional wreck because I know sizes vary.

So get out there and enjoy shopping again and don’t let a label dictate your mood or discourage you!  Understanding that clothes are man made and mistakes are made as well as sizes may vary from brand to brand gives you the freedom to enjoy the experience.  Shop on Sistas!!!