I grew up in Kentucky, but I grew up trying to be a rebel and avoided southern boutiques my mom tried to drag me into at all costs. Draping fabric and statement jewelry are guaranteed to be found. Screen-printed t-shirts with phrases that include “y’all” abound. The clothing actually encompasses a wide range of styles, from cowgirl to (mid)western to country prep and casual south. Plus size southern boutiques have a very specific kind of charm. If you make a purchase after clicking one, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. It doesn't have to be photos online, but I think the world would be a different place if we worked at showing the variety within it rather than just staying silent.This post may contain affiliate links. Since we're at the start of 2014, I'd love to encourage all of you to do one thing to be seen this year. For me, posting lingerie photos online is one more way to spread the idea that all bodies are good bodies. The more we hide, the more everyone else can put us in boxes and turn us against each other, which isn't fair to anyone. Instead of hiding, try to assert your space as a person of worth who deserves to be seen and heard. Lots of fat activists talk about being willing to take up your space in the world rather than shrink into something smaller, which is something I think everyone can take to heart. It helps people see bodies and people who look like them, which may give them the confidence to love their body a little bit more. Lingerie pictures help you decide whether to buy a bra, but they also help show the world that all kinds of women are lingerie consumers. Ultimately it wasn't my comfort level that changed - it was the need to contribute to what I felt was something bigger. After all, how can we call on companies to use models who represent us if we're unwilling to show ourselves in a public space? How can we combat online harassment of women (a deadly serious and terrifying issue) if we don't stick together and show ourselves? This cemented the realization that I had been coming to over the last several years: if you're in an underrepresented group due to gender, size, age or ability, posting images of yourself online is a radical act. Apparently Maria Kang (aka "Fit Mom), Fox News, CNN, and outlets like The Huffington Post saw it as a big deal. The women posting their pictures were beautiful and brave, but I didn't see it as anything particularly controversial. I followed Curvy Girl before all this went viral and was amazed to see the media spiral start. The best example of this happened recently when plus size lingerie boutique Curvy Girl Lingerie started posting pictures that their customers had submitted online. In the past year, I've haven't become a whole lot more comfortable with the whole picture process, but I have spent lots of time paying attention to stories about fat activism, online harassment and lingerie photos online. The whole idea made me feel vulnerable and exposed, so I wrote a lot of words and detailed reviews to get around the lack of pictures. Even so, I didn't feel personally comfortable posting photos online for a long time. I've done this for awhile now and intend to do it for many more years, so it's unlikely those photos will have much effect on my career prospects. I'm lucky to work in the lingerie business, so I can generally assume that my clients are a) reasonably mature people when it comes to bras and panties and b) not really judgmental about lingerie photos online. The truth is that there are lots of reasons to not post lingerie photos online, especially if you're a lawyer by day or something.
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