dress for yourself

about dress for yourself

“When I was 11, I was teased relentlessly for having decorative patches covering up holes in my jeans. In 7th grade, I refused to take off my dark-wash jeans at the beach while at summer camp. At 16, I refused to wear a skirt without also wearing pantyhose, even in the dog days of summer. Somewhere between 5’7” and 5’9” I stopped wearing heels except on special occasions. While studying abroad in the Mediterranean, I convinced myself no one would mind if my pale body lay on a beach with them in a swimsuit. It wasn’t until I was 24 that I dared to wear leggings with an oversized sweater. When I was 26 I bought pencil skirts and showed off a patch of spider veins on my thigh like it was no bit deal, because it wasn’t. At 30, I stopped underdressing my body because I realized I deserved the clothes I saw other women wearing to work every day. Yesterday I opened my dresser and took out the bulkiest, softest sweater I own because I’ve finally realized it’s okay to be human.

“To celebrate my newfound love of dressing for the human I am, I illustrated my ideal clothesline, complete with collaged found fabric and textures.” — Maren Nelson