Years ago, I used to wear a suit every day to work. Jacket. Shoulder pads. Hose. Heels. You name it.
I don’t wear dresses for work much anymore. This is for several reasons; the dress code in my office is “business casual.” I’m pretty comfortable working in pants, not to mention.. warm. And… I’m heavier than I was in those “suit-wearing days.” Definitely packing more “junk” in the “trunk” than I did back in the day.
Still .. sometimes it just feels good to feel feminine and dresses do that for me. So do heels. When I feel good in something, the number on the tag fades away. When I walk with confidence, with my shoulders back and a wide smile across my face, I feel I can do anything. The reaction, however, can be a little unsettling and here’s why: sometimes in the course of the business day, I cross paths with people I’ve never met. They don’t know me. They don’t know that I used to be thin. They don’t know that I once wore single-digit sizes.
Here’s what I realized recently: They don’t care.
It’s not the dress or the heels.
It’s me.
They’re reacting to me. A comfortable, confident woman who feels good enough in her own skin to allow herself to shine on this day, and they’re not looking for a number on the tag.
They’re seeing me. My light. My presence. Me.
