The Emperor's New Clothes

In the good ol' Back-to-School spirit, I've been doing a decent amount of clothing shopping with my mother recently. Generally, shopping for clothes is something I loathe. At least if I have something(s) in particular that I need to find. I really enjoy looking at clothes. It's great fun. Trying things on, however, is usually a very different story. For many years, I swore that all designers were given a mannequin version of me to make sure that all clothes made did not fit or flatter my figure. After most shopping trips, I am completely sure of my hideousness and am ready to live in sweatpants.

But, recent shopping expeditions have proved very different. I attribute the vast improvement to two things:

1) I've finally thrown up my hands and sworn off all Juniors Departments and teen-targeted clothing. They may be trendy and cute, but those things just plain don't fit a girl like me. And having moved on to more adult clothes, I must say that I'm thrilled to find styles and cuts that don't require a Walking-Stick-esque body. My hips are finally finding the acceptance they needed.
Not to mention, the little kid inside me who still loves the idea of playing dress-up is having a field day. I get almost giddy thinking of cute "grown up" outfits I can put together. Yes, I am the type of girl who still requires that skirts pass the twirl test.

2) A complete lack of caring about sizes. Before, I used to worry when I had to get a bigger size of something. Somehow, I took it as a personal "you are getting fat" from the item of clothing. But having tried on jeans almost identical to a pair I own (which fit very well), and requiring a larger size AND shorter length, I came to the conclusion that almost all women's clothing sizes mean nothing. So, who cares. If it fits, great. I'll take the XXXL, thanks.