Welcome to Curvy in the City!

Well, not really welcome, but thanks for joining me here!  

I love to eat out and eat what I want (korean fried chicken and foie gras aren't exactly figure friendly) but I also want to feel beautiful and worthy of love at the same time.  Curvy in the City is an expression of my daily and perennial dilemma to justify my love of the city life (culture, cuisine, events, activities) and also as a means for me to begin to accept myself.

I began Curvy in the City in October 2012 with the Twitter handle @curvyinthecity and a Tumblr account. I began this journey, partly as a social media experiment (social media pro by day) and also because I knew that the thing holding me back in all facets of my life, was my lack of confidence, much of which was rooted in my life long struggle to NOT be a curvy girl.

I’ve been a size 8 through an 18 and while at each size people always remarked about my “figure."  Simultaneously, most of my life I was also asked if I wouldn’t be happier if I were a little bit smaller?  

You see, to those ex-boyfriends, old friends and family I wasn't "that fat," I could just stand to lose a few pounds, for me, of course (never for them). I felt as though there was something wrong with me, something I needed to change, because being curvy made me never quite "good enough."

This size paradigm chased beyond just interpersonal interactions.  Since I tend to hover between a 12-16, finding clothing that fits and fits well has been a life long struggle for me.  I could fit in to "straight" sized clothes...sometimes, if they even had my size. Then if i went to traditional plus-size retailers and department stores, they were either lacking style or didn't have things in my size either!  So because I didn't "fit" in any true paradigm of size this began to reinforce my low self perception.

However, Curvy in the City helped me realize that the issue of weight wasn’t totally about my body or fitting in to the latest fashions, it was more about me reforming my mind.  Reading articles about plus-size issues, seeing beautiful women who exude curvy confidence and tackling these issues forced me to begin to accept the fact that I am pretty fabulous and I deserve love and happiness without conditions—-no matter WHAT SIZE I HAPPEN TO BE!

As a result of all this, I wanted to open up the forum to have more orignal content, to bring my unique voice to this dialogue so I have expanded to this blog page!

Curvy in the City is my unique point of view on city life as a curvy woman.  A curvy lifestyle that embraces the love of my God given curves, city culture and cuisine.  When I speak to the curvy lifestyle, I speak with knowledge from the size 8-18 paradigm, although I am sure this isn’t the definitive curvy definition.  

Below are a few things that define the Curvy in the City perspective, they are some of my #curvyrules:

Run this town! Take advantage of all the events, attractions, tastes and sounds cities have to offer!
Accept your body for all it’s curves! (and sometimes lumps & bumps& dimples.) 
Eat REALLY, really GOOD food! (preferably tasty & good for you.) 
Keep on moving! An active, healthy and balanced lifestyle is a key to sustained happiness!
Know your worth! (and always be actively seeking to know it!) 
Be confident! 
Don't judge! (Body image is a issue outside of the curvy/plus size world as well. There is unity in knowing that many of our struggles are the same.)
Be a role model! (Walk in the awareness that your behavior influences others.) Your sense of self love, fashion, social and spiritual awareness should inspire yourself & others. 


Curvy in the City is one urbanista, attempting to help some one else realize what it took me decades to: 

Perfection is a myth.  

Life is a gift. 

Embrace your curves, embrace your life.