Wearing Shorts: The Saga
shorts: American Eagle
https://www.ae.com/ca/en/p/women/high-waisted-shorts/mom-shorts/denim-mom-shorts/0338_5561_508?menu=cat4840004
top: Aritiza
https://www.aritzia.com/en/product/taurus-longsleeve/73464.html?dwvar_73464_color=17408
This may not be my most inspired look of all time, after all it is just shorts and a grey top, but it is one that took me so long to be comfortable in.
Shorts have this magical power over people, they are the one article of clothing that I always told myself “I couldn’t wear” after all you could see MY THIGHS! My thighs come with stretch marks, cellulite and are muscular as hell, none of which are socially acceptable, or so I had myself convinced. During the summers I would always stuff myself into nude tights so my legs looked smooth and air brushed and then toss on some shorts with a baggy top so you couldn’t see my wiggly bits (this is a theme of my life prior to deciding I didn’t care what people thought anymore). It was uncomfortable, hot, and like every other woman out there tights are essentially one wear only as I would rip them on something every time I put them on.
I used to talk so negatively about my legs, I would call them fat, huge, big, ugly, gross, every word out there just to express how much I hated them. For me my legs were the thing that I was without a doubt the most uncomfortable with on my body. And they chafe (which is without a doubt the most painful thing of all time and should be used as a form of torture). So I hated these things, and they caused me pain, how in the world is that fair!
On my journey of self love I wanted to start moving my body more, seeing what it was capable and paying it respect (this comes back to my legs, don’t worry!) so I started doing CrossFit. This was a ballsy move for someone who at the time smoked a pack of cigarettes daily (I quit that habit just over two years ago) and hadn’t really been in a gym for a solid 4 years. But CrossFit brought me to lifting weights, which without a doubt is one of my favourite things in the world now - I think its amazing to see my muscles grow and be able to move things that I once could only dream of. While lifting weights I realized that these things that I was always so mean too, talked so badly about, and never showed the respect they deserve were actually the reason I was able to lift so much weight!
I started referring to my legs as my “powerful leg” instead of my fat legs, or big legs and it made me see them in a different light. It helped me start to love them, and helped me want to show them off. These powerful muscular thighs were the reason I was able to deadlift 335 lbs, and the reason I could row faster and harder then pretty much any girl in my gym. I wanted to show the world what made me different, what made me strong, and what I worked so damn hard on every single day at the gym, even if they weren’t what society and social media deemed as “ideal”.
Back to wearing the shorts, now when I put them on I don’t notice my cellulite, I don’t notice my wiggly bits, and I don’t notice my veracious veins. I do notice how strong I am and how my muscles add curve and definition to my frame. I am grateful for these legs that carry me around every day, that allow me to dance in my underwear, and allow me to be one badass strong woman. So now, I wear shorts with pride. The minute snow is off the ground in Edmonton, shorts go on, and they stay on as long as they can.
Wearing shorts (without tights) was one of the biggest accomplishments for me in my journey of building confidence, so yes, this look may not be one of my most creative, but it is truly one that means the most to me.