For a handful of months, I can feel like myself.
Most people hate to see the summer end, but I honestly couldn't wait to see the back of it. As someone who has as much body confidence as a slug, I find it extremely tough to feel confident in the summer. I never know what to wear and lose my sense of style, which leaves me feeling a little lost. But now that autumn is here, I'm slowly building my confidence again. I'm a size 14 so autumnal clothes just naturally make me feel better. The cozy jumpers, the big coats, the scarves, the layers.
There's just something about autumn style that makes me feel comforted. Not only are the clothes cozier, but they just make me feel like myself again. I don't have to worry about showing off the part of my arms I hate or how pale my legs look in a skirt.
When summer rolls around, we all feel so pressured to lose weight and to look a certain way, but that pressure isn't there during the autumn. There isn't as much judgment from society which instantly makes me feel relaxed. But I'm also kinder to myself in the autumn. I'm kinder to my body and look forward to styling outfits and going out. Unlike in the summer when I dread leaving the house for fear of someone noticing a stretch mark or stomach roll.
"I'm a size 14 so autumnal clothes just naturally make me feel better."
Maybe society will be kinder to us next summer, but for now, we just have to do our best to build back the confidence it took away from us during the summer. I hope I can feel body confident all year long one day, but for now, I'm just going to revel in the season of cozy jumpers and tartan scarves.
I don't have any grand solution if you feel the same way as me, just know that you're not alone in this struggle and that building our confidence is something we all have the power to do.
