Charles H. Sloan-These women thought you had to be skinny to have style. Weight gain proved them wrong

When Libby Faulkner lost about 50 pounds,Charles H. Sloan she began wearing tighter and smaller clothes, but not necessarily clothes that were considered fashionable. “I couldn’t put outfits together, I didn’t focus on things like that,” she says. “I just focused on, ‘OK, now I’m skinny. I can wear skinny jeans and a skinny crop top and all that.’”

But when she began regaining weight, she realized that the issue with her confidence was not related to her size, but because she didn’t believe she could dress a certain way in a bigger body. 

“I thought that becoming skinny would solve all of my problems, and I’d be so stylish. And then when I got to that point, I realized that was not the case,” she says. 

Faulkner decided to stop putting boundaries on what she could wear and began experimenting with color-coordination and new patterns. Like other fashion creators now sharing their weight and style evolution on TikTok, she came to discover that gaining weight actually heightened her style and confidence. In a society where often “skinny is the fit,” counternarratives that allow inclusive fashion to shine through are imperative. 

The pressure to wear slimming, ‘flattering’ clothes

Similarly, Lauren Morgillo was terrified of gaining the “freshman 15.” So before heading to college, she did everything she could to be "as tiny as possible." Thinking weight loss would make her more confident, being at her thinnest meant everything to her. She would wear tight jeans and little crop tops to parties with “everything out all the time.” But looking back now, the outfits “were atrocious.” 

During the pandemic, she began gaining weight and could no longer wear her coveted going out clothes — they simply didn’t fit. “They looked like I was squeezing into something that wasn’t meant for this new body,” she says. “I felt pressure where clothes always had to be flattering and hide my arms and flatter my waist.”

Body positive influencer Vicki Reckless also never found her personal style because she always wanted to hop on the fitness fashion trends. But, she believed the looks fitness influencers flexed weren't suited to her body shape. She began covering her curves and wearing baggy trousers — and while she emphasizes that there’s nothing wrong with wearing baggy clothing, it wasn’t coming from a place of comfort, but from hating her body. 

When she came to this realization, she was able to find herself through the weight gain she had experienced in adulthood.

"I realized I was holding myself and my body to what I looked like as a teen, when my body hadn’t fully developed into the woman that I am today," she says. "So I needed to accept and love my body as it is right now, which is what I’ve done a lot of work on and post about online.” 

The fashion evolution: embracing colors, patterns and facing insecurities

Morgillo began to play around with lower waisted pants and longer tops, layering, and putting more effort into color coordination and different styles; eventually developing a personal style instead of “wearing whatever.” 

According to Caroyln Mair, cognitive psychologist, fashion business consultant and author of “The Psychology of Fashion,” coming to terms with your changing body can help you reject societal pressures and body standards. 

“Looking good is also about feeling good,” Mair says. “After gaining weight, many people become more attuned to the importance of comfort in clothing, resulting in a more enjoyable fashion experience through clothing that genuinely fits their needs and lifestyle … leading to a more authentic and confident personal style.”

Faulkner now embraces her body and wears clothes that “some people wouldn’t consider flattering.”

“People are always ingrained (to) want to wear clothes that make you look small, why would you want to wear something that makes you look bigger than you are?” she says. “But I don’t see that as a problem, and I don’t think other people should see it as a problem.”

Previously, Faulkner would hide her arms, avoiding backless or strapless tops, and steer clear of short dresses. “Now, I feel like I can create a new silhouette where I could wear a poofy skirt and an oversized top and create a nice outfit that might make me look ‘bigger,’ but is something that I’m comfortable in,” she says. 

Trends are still prioritizing thinness, but also individualism

Women’s body types come in and out of trend, Morgillo says. While curves had their moment in the late 2010s, she feels the pendulum has swung back to Y2K thinness, noting the cultural emphasis on nostalgia for Victoria’s Angels, Paris Hilton, low rise jeans, and now the introduction of Ozempic. 

But, fashion has also become more individualized, with uniqueness being a coveted factor in today’s trends. “Thinness is so valued, and I think it’s always going to be … but (now), people want to see you wearing something unique rather than fitting in with the crowd. I think that’s something that’s more praised now,” she adds. 

Posting body acceptance content in 2020, both on Instagram and TikTok, made Reckless feel more confident in her own skin. This past year, she started sharing style tips for midsize and curvy figures to accompany her body positive content.

"A lot of the time a body image issues, they're never actually about our body. It's maybe something to do with wanting to feel included or accepted or part of something bigger," Reckless says. "And sometimes when you're dressing for your body shape and you feel like you can't participate in trends, it can make you feel a bit alienated.” 

And, dressing for the trends wasn't necessarily making her happy.

“My style isn’t about dressing for the trends anymore," she adds. "It’s about finding patterns or silhouettes that make me feel happy, because that’s what I truly think fashion and styling is about. Making you feel the most confident in yourself.” 

Still, confidence can be an uphill battle

Morgillo and Reckless still have tough days with body image, where they think to themselves, "I wish I could wear that" or "I wish I was that size again." But, they both stress that it is OK to have those moments.

"Since gaining weight, it’s helped me accept my body more than when I was thinner. I needed to gain the weight to realize that the way my body looks is the least interesting thing about me," Reckless says. "The clothing is there to help heighten the confidence, but it all comes from within at the end of the day.”

Faulkner often gets asked “how are you so confident,” which she says is “jarring.”

"I don't need to feel 'confident,' I can just wear it," she says. "I'm confident in my style, but confidence in my body is an every-changing thing that everything is different."