BRIDESMADE, BODY POSITIVITY & GIRL BOSSESS |

Hello Lovelies,

So, last week I had the pleasure of attending the #FitandFlatterCelebration put on by Bridesmade The company offers rental bridesmaid's dresses that improves the total experience of being a bridesmaid and caters to women of all shapes and sizes to ensure that everyone feels confident and beautiful on the big day. The event was put on to bring women from different backgrounds who support body positivity and female confidence together. The night consisted of a group of girl bosses talking about the positive and negative influence of social media, confidence, body positivity, female empowerment, and the fashion industry. Oh, and not to mention some great food, wine, and a fun photobooth! Be sure to check out the pictures below! We got some nice pictures and I was even able to bring my sister as my plus one!

It was amazing to hear the opinions and tips of such a diverse group of women - we had models, business owners, social media enthusiasts, bloggers and vloggers who all had their own story to share. It was truly such an inspirational group of women! As someone who has struggled with body positivity and confidence issues her whole life it was great to be in a room full of women who I could relate to and really see that everyone struggles with some form of it along their journey. The part of the night that stood out most to me was when someone said that we are so quick to point out the positive aspects in others whether it's a friend, co-worker, a complete stranger in a bar - yet, we are so hard on ourselves. This is something that really hit home, because I am definitely someone who tends to be so hard on themselves and struggles to see through the flaws I have. Yet, I can see the beauty in a complete stranger so easily. It made me realize not only do I need to continue to encourage others and tell them how awesome they are, but I also need to do this for myself - because, heck I am just as amazing!

I believe this is something that we all need to do! We need to stop putting ourselves down, stop focusing on the flaws, and stop wanting to change everything that makes us unique. We need to embrace our flaws, point out the things that we love about ourselves, and realize how truly amazing each of us are. This is even harder now with social media where we are constantly seeing these lives that have been filtered or only someone's best moments, and less of the BTS and real moments of their lives. It makes it so easy to compare and be disappointed. However, it is important to embrace those bad days, those days were you don't feel the best, and all the flaws - because everyone has them. So, I encourage all of you to stand in front of a mirror or grab a piece of paper and write down or say something that they love about themselves! I am serious - do it and do it often!

Another aspect that really stood out during this night was how the fashion industry has impacted the way we see ourselves. The sizes of our shirts or pants are now defining how we value ourselves. We are letting the number on our waistband define who we are- which is not okay. We get so hard on ourselves if we have to go up a size or for some go down a size. Personally, I have done this so many times. As a women, our sizes varies from store to store, but the moment we have to change our size we put all this guilt on to ourselves and are ashamed - "why can't I fit into a smaller/ larger size?" , " what will people think of me if they see that number on my waistband", etc. We even discussed that we have gone so far to put things back on the rack even when we loved it just because the size or number on the item was something we didn't like to look at or were ashamed of others to see. This makes me sad that other women and I are constantly doing this. We need to start looking at ourselves for who we are not the number or size of our clothes. I know this change also needs to come from the fashion industry and the clothing lines through actions such as standardizing sizes, being more inclusive, removing the filter, and really embracing all shapes of women. However, it is up to us to take a stand, to look at things differently, and to support companies who are making a change in the right direction. So, I encourage you all to not feel trapped by the size of your pants- to embrace your body, to say yes to that shirt you love even if it may not be in the "ideal" size, to feel confident in what you are wearing, and to support businesses that are taking a stand to showcase real women.

Overall, this night was so empowering! It honestly felt so great to be part of such a inspiring conversation and to really see how such a diverse group of women can relate and connect on this topic. So, thank you to BridesMade for bringing together a great group of women and an event that brought light to an important topic! If any brides out there are shopping for their bridesmaids dresses - I highly recommend checking BridesMade out!

This event has also encouraged me to be more raw on my social media platforms and really embrace who I am! So, look forward to a lot of "real" posts on Chaos and Cuddles!

Until next time,

Alysia xo