Love Yourself NOW! + OOTD

So if you've read some of my past entries, you know that I've struggled with loving myself, my body, and just general self positivity. I knew I wanted to lose weight, and I knew I would be happier at a smaller size, but I didn't want to wait until I was at that smaller size to start loving myself! That's no way to live. I've struggled and tried to like my body, and suddenly, today...I did.

This is me, a size 18, with a tummy, wearing a crop top and high waisted skirt. This is me holding up my arm, which is not thin. This is me showing skin. This is me, with all my faults and flaws...actually thinking that I am still cute.

I don't know why it started, honestly. There was no distinct trigger that set these feelings in motion. This morning I just woke up, put on what you see, and I, for the first time in maybe EVER, felt 100% comfortable in my skin. I still want to lose weight and get in shape, of course. But now, in my "before" state, I like my body. Wow.

I may not be plus size forever. I don't intend to be. But while I am, I hope to use my confidence and such to help others feel the same way I feel. Whether you're 90 lbs or 500 lbs, you deserve to LOVE YOURSELF!

Unfortunately, I can't give too many too many tips on how to love yourself, seeing as it just seemingly suddenly happened to me. Care for yourself. Put on the lotions, the balms, the serums. Make your baths extra long and add in some nice scented candles. Look at yourself and know that this you is the only you that you have. It's okay to change your body, but your body now is still yours.

If you ever need to talk, I am here~ I hope that you're having a wonderful day and you have love for yourself!!

OOTD: Skeleton Delight

Today's outfit of the day post is brought to you by Horus the Cat! Horus: Laying on your shoulder until it's in excruciating pain since about two weeks ago!

Anyway, I wanted to dress up on Tuesday...just because! All I really did was go with my best friend to her fiance's house to watch things. So I present to you, my favorite skeleton dress! Er, my only skeleton dress.

I'm pretending to be a model in a silly pose, haha. The dress is from Hot Topic from earlier this year! Or, last year...?It's brand is "Teenage Runaway!" I actually thought it was a shirt when I bought it, I was very happy to find out it's actually a very comfortable dress! Now for outfit details...

My makeup was pretty simple for the day, but I was wearing a new shade of lipstick - a Revlon shade called Violet Frenzy!

So that's it for this little update! I've actually had this sitting as a draft for about a week, oops!! But I plan to start updating much more frequently now!

Also, shameless plug, I've been updating a bit at my YouTube channel, Melty Bunny!!

Life Update: Three OOTDs, Zines, and Etc.

I haven't posted in ages, have I? -_- There's quite a few reasons for that, which I'll talk about later. Firstly, let's talk outfits!

About a month (yeesh, a whole month) ago, me and my bestie decided to get dolled up in lolita and just hang out around the local college campus. Miraiina is actually pretty new to lolita, and this was her first time going out in it! It's something that can be very scary, but she said that having me with her helped, so yay. We really didn't do much, but we did film an OOTD video, which, when it's uploaded, will be linked to HERE. Below are both of our outfits!!

Miraiina's look~!

OP: Bodyline

Socks: Bodyline

Shoes: Bodyline

Purse: Loris...?

Accessories: Many Etsy stores!

Pink & White Delight

JSK: Bodyline

Bolero: Off-brand (Target?)

Socks: Off-brand

Shoes: Bodyline

Purse: Loris

Wig: L-email

Accessories: AP, factoffrills, Etsy, off-brand

My second OOTD came maybe three weeks or so ago? Pretty much, I wanted to dress up, and I wanted to be PINK. Me and Miraiina got matching pink jelly shoes, and I've been wearing them pretty much any excuse I get. Now, I want to say something about this outfit. I'm plus sized. I have fat on me. I jiggle. So I was kind of self conscious wearing these shorts, but I wanted to because I hadn't all summer. And you know what, I felt cute in them. So wear what you want, guys and gals :)

Unfortunately this is the best and only shot I got x_x 

Top: Walt Disney World

Shorts: WalMart

Shoes: A'gaci (Brand is Bamboo)

For the third OOTD, I'm really feeling fall. Fall brings out my inner goth, so I like to wear dark clothes and such. I had a lot of fun with this outfit, and honestly I felt wonderful. I did an OOTD video for this look, which can be found HERE. While I did get a lot of head shots (ahem, selfies) from this outfit, I didn't really get any full body pictures, so I had to take a screencap from the video XD 

I'm going to keep calling it Nu Goth because I can XD

Hat: Forever 21

Dress: Forever 21

Shoes: UNIF

Glasses: Vintage (from my fiance's parent's storage unit!!)

I've been kind of in a rut, lately. I won't really get into it, but I just haven't been very happy lately. I have some things I need to do, but I just can't find the energy to do it, and I end up sleeping through most of the day. Not very fun.

I have discovered a new show which everyone else has already discovered before me - Orange is the New Black! Wowwww this show is so, so good. From the first five minutes, I could tell that it was brilliantly written. I intended to watch it just to have on in the background while I do other things, but I literally cannot look away while it's on! I wholly recommend it! (If you are of the appropriate age, of course ^^)

Something else I've done which hasn't made me sad is CREATE ZINES. I've been in a creative/destructive mood and zines are the perfect outlet for that because they are so open format and can be whatever you want them to be. Like, thinking about them makes my brain tingly (in a good way, of course) and makes me feel like I can do anything. I'll be putting them up on Etsy once I have some printed. I'm planning on making a few different ones right now, but I'm sure I'll end up making loads of different ones *3* I'm going to a used bookstore tomorrow to find some books and magazines to cut up.

Also, I've been oddly comforted by pictures of plants, lately. Plants, fog, and water. Let me show you one of my favorites!!

Daisies! Water! Vintage filter!

Finally writing this, I feel a lot better. I've had this blog page open for about a week and a half, trying to finally write everything up and post it. I've just been so depressed, but hopefully I'll break through it soon. I'm going to edit a vlog I filmed today and watch more OITNB and draw some alien girls or something. I hope you all are having a wonderful day!!

MeltyBunny's Guide to Plus Size Lolita Fashion

EDIT (7/716) - This is absolutely my most popular post on both my blog and tumblr, and is still passed around, so I've updated a few minor things (mostly links)! I don't even wear lolita anymore and I don't even like those coordinated in the header anymore, lol...but, this post seems to really help people, so I'm glad.

The topic of today's blog is very self explanatory - plus size lolita fashion! How to find pieces that fit, pieces that are affordable, where to avoid, etc., etc.. I got inspired to write this because one of my besties is getting into lolita! I'm still pretty basic at the fashion, but, you know, I try. I'm going to be focusing more on the "plus size" aspect of lolita rather then other aspects such as where to find accessories or coord building. However, if you have questions about anything that I didn't cover, you're more then welcome to ask!! I'm going to try to organize this the best I can...I hope this is helpful to some of you!!

GETTING STARTED

Okay, so you've ogled the fashion for a while, and you finally want to jump in. Great! But to be honest, being a plus size guy or gal gives you some limitations. That's okay, it doesn't mean you can't wear lolita! Everyone can wear lolita and feel like a princess!

Firstly, you're going to have to know your measurements. Each piece has different measurements! What I do is put on the underwear I would be wearing when wearing lolita - any shapewear, sports bra (it helps reduce bust size but may cause boob loaf) or other bra that makes your breasts smaller. I also take my measurements in both centimeters and inches. Most lolita websites have their measurements listed in centimeters, but a few are in inches. Bust and waist measurements are essential, but sometimes shoulder width, arm width, and even thigh and hip width if you're buying pants can be necessary. It's good to just take all of them!

Now that you know what size you are, you can start looking for clothing! But what should you get for your first coord? You have a choice between an OP (one piece), a JSK (jumperskirt) and blouse, or a blouse and skirt. Personally, skirts don't look too good on me because right now my waist isn't very defined. You'll also need shoes, socks or tights, bloomers or shorts, a petticoat, and accessories! It can be a little daunting at first, but it will be worth it! And once you have your first full coord, you can slowly add other pieces to your wardrobe!

BRANDS

One of the biggest myths about plus size lolita is that there are no brand pieces that will fit. That is absolutely WRONG. There are loads of brand dresses, blouses, and skirts that fit a variety of sizes!

My favorite resource for finding brand pieces is a website called GorgeousPlusLolita. The link will bring you to a page of plus size friendly brand and their individual measurements. Wow! Look at all of that! 

And of course, take note of shirring in pieces. Usually if a piece has shirring, it can stretch an extra few centimeters then the max measurements given. But of course, sometimes this extra stretch might make the piece look bad or give you the dreaded "boob loaf," so estimate with caution! 

But GPL doesn't have every single piece on their website, and they don't have any blouses at all. There are two libraries where you can browse and search practically any piece of lolita, Lolibrary and HelloLace. I prefer Lolibrary over HelloLace, but they both essentially serve the same function. Almost every piece has measurements listed! 

And if you really want a piece but can't find the max measurements or think it can stretch a bit further then what the internet says - do your research! Look for reviews! A good resource for this is the EGL community on LiveJournal for older pieces; I'm honestly not so sure how active it is nowadays. They are a great resource or lots of things, but people often post reviews of what they bought, and measurements and reviews can be requested as well! Another good resource is the Plus Size Lolita community on FaceBook.

Now, you can find some of these pieces on their brand's website. But many are no longer for sale there, or you may not want to pay full price. In that case, there are five great resources I have for finding and seeking pieces. The first is egl_comm_sales on LiveJournal (eta: again, not sure how active this is anymore). They even have a plus size tag! Second is LaceMarket, an auction site which also has a plus size tag, and is generally just a good resource for cheaper lolita items. Then there is Plus Size Lolita Sales on FaceBook. There's the regular Lolita Sales Community on FaceBook, but they do not have a specific place for plus size items. Finally, there's the used item shop Closet Child. A guide to ordering from them can be found here.

OFFBRAND

Next I'm going to talk about indie brands, off brands, handmade items, and replicas. 

There are many indie brands available, such as Chess Story, Dear Celine, Rose Melody, etc. Many of these brands have custom sizing options on their pieces for very reasonable prices! These brands can be found on the Chinese shopping site Taobao...unfortunately, I've never shopped directly from there, so I cannot offer much help. You do need a shopping service, like Taobao Spree, to buy for you. But, if that seems too daunting, there are websites that are essentially shopping services, like Qutieland* and Clobba. I prefer the layout of Qutieland over Clobba. If you do order from Taobao, whether you get it through a shopping service or one of these websites, it is going to take a while, so please don't order anything from here if you need it for a convention the following month!

*eta: It seems like this year, people have had problems with Qutieland taking their money and not following through and items not reaching their destination after months and months. I haven't heard an update about this recently, so please be cautious.

There are three main offbrands, the most popular being Bodyline. Bodyline used to have pretty poor quality clothing and was seen as "ita," but many of the pieces they have now are really good and high quality compared to what they used to have. There still are a few not-so-good pieces, but as long as you look carefully at the pictures and do your research, you'll be fine. Bodyline has many pieces in bigger sizes, and recently implemented a new search function where you can look only at those bigger pieces! One thing I've noticed about Bodyline pieces is that if they have shirring, they do seem to stretch further then what their max measurements say. For example, Cinderella Bunny has a listed max measurement of 100cm in the bust, but fits me at around 110cm. I can't guarantee that every piece is like that, but every piece I have bought seems to be like that. Bodyline is great for getting some cute dresses, socks, and blouses from, but I'd stay away from their petticoats, they tend to be not so good. The other two main offbrands are Fan+Friend and Anna House. Fan+Friend is great for staples such as blouses; they have larger and custom sizes in many of their pieces. Anna House does have a few lace monsters hiding on the website, but also some really cute pieces in custom and larger sizes.

Don't ever knock a handmade item! Even if you can't sew, there are some really talented seamstresses out there, and of curse they can make items to your specific measurements! ...that's really all I have to say on that subject.

Finally, there's replicas. A replica is what it sounds like, a cheaper and not always correct copy of another piece. Replicas are a big deal in the lolita community, as they are technically theft. But the two biggest names in replica makers, Dream of Lolita which can be found on Qutieland and Clobba, and Oo Jia, who can be found on her FaceBook or website, do make custom sizes, which is great in the case of a dress which might not originally come in your size. Most lolitas I've come across who do not approve of replicas won't be mean or anything if they find out you're wearing a replica. It's really your choice whether you decide to wear replicas or not. 

ET CETERA

"But I want to fit X!" Being plus size, there are just going to be some pieces that you probably cannot fit into. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. It's just one of those things that you're going to have to accept. However, if you want to/are able to lose weight, I have a beginner's guide to weight loss here.

"I have wide hips, do I need a petticoat?" Yes. It's not really lolita if it doesn't have that silhouette. Classical Puppets on Taobao is famous for their poofy petticoats. eBay is also a good source for petticoats. And if one doesn't give you enough poof? Layer two!

"So I found this website called Milanoo-" No.

"Will other lolitas laugh at me for being bigger?" If they're decent people, no. There are cruel people in every community and lolita is no exception, so if you go to the places where people like these congregate, certain websites for instance, then you may find yourself becoming upset. But these people don't know you. They live on mocking others for no reason. They don't deserve to make you unhappy or make you doubt wearing lolita. If anyone ever makes fun of you because of your size, just ignore them and get them out of your life. 

I truly hope this helped some of you and like I said, if you need help with anything, I'm more then happy to respond! 

Mini Pre-Birthday Haul~

Today I'm going to talk about the fun day I've had yesterday and show you what I purchased as well as what my fiance got me for my birthday!

We were woken up super early by the sound of one of our pictures falling into the sink...but we didn't know that's what the noise was, so there was brief moment of panic. But it was kind of nice to be awake that early. We then decided we were up, so why not have breakfast at Taco Bell, since he had never had anything from their breakfast menu. I'm usually not a very adventurous eater, I like to stick to what I like, so I had the steak and egg burrito! After that we kind of just lazed about for a while. Then we ran a few errands, and then we were off to Opry Mills!

Here is a selfie I took~ I felt cute...

Last time I was there, I had seen a bag I really wanted, so the fiance said he would get it for my birthday!

Isn't it so cute? And large! I can fit everything into it! The texture of the fake leather is so soft, it feels very worn, yet durable. And now I finally have a bag I can wear across my chest again! I am in love!

Then while fiance headed to the mall's theater to check movie ticket prices, I headed to F21 again...I can't help myself. I just wanted to look at a hat... So I ended up getting this one:

I immediately removed the feathers, however XD It looks really cute! I'm not much of a hat person, but hats actually look decent on me. I'll probably get a lot of wear out of this hat this summer as most of my wardrobe will go with black! And then, I had to head over to the plus size section...and ended up getting a new swimsuit!

It has little cutouts on the sides covered in mesh, and the tummy part is ruched. I love it! ...D-do you want to see me in it? I'm a little embarrassed to post this but...

Yes, my thighs are as big as a small planet and my tummy sticks out, but...I like it. I think I look okay in it. Trying to be confident!! And, no, I don't know why the fiance's laptop is in the bathroom XD

After that, we went to a cheaper theater to go see Godzilla!! It was a really good movie, and a really good Godzilla movie. But I think my favorites are the older sillier ones...and ones with Mothra in them~

Today, we slept a little later and then went swimming with a friend. And there were beautiful thin people there, but I didn't cover myself up. I had a good time. Yay confidence! Please love your body, okay?

Love you guys!!

Pre-Birthday Fun! Forever 21/Forever 21 + Haul!!

I had such a very fun day today~! It's officially one week until my 24th birthday! I'm not shy about reminding people, haha. I don't care about if I receive gifts (but I appreciate them, of course) but I like to celebrate. I already know what I'm doing on the actual day of my birthday - going out to dinner with my parents and the fiance and then going to Dave & Busters with my two longest friends! But for the past few years, it's been tradition that one of my best friends, Erik, gets a cake for me and has people over at his place and we just generally watch stuff and catch up. That's going to happen next weekend!

I got to hang out with Erik today, as well as his super awesome girlfriend Ashley, and the fiance! We first went out to Dairy Queen and had some food. I've lost about seven or eight pounds since I started my job, so I figured a little treat was okay. Then we got coffee! My weakness! And then we were a little stuck for what to do, but didn't want to part ways yet, so Erik suggested we go to Opry Mills, which is the big mall in Nashville. So we made a trip of it!

Since the flood of 2010 and the re-opening of Opry Mills, there have been less "interesting" stores like a bookstore, a boba tea shop, a media store, etc, and more high-end clothing stores. Of course this gave the boys a lot to complain about, but me and Ashley loved it! It was so good to have someone to fawn over clothing with! I really only have one other friend I can do that with.

So we went many places, but in the end, we spent about an hour in the giant Forever 21. Forever 21 is one of my favorite stores, even if most of their clothes doesn't fit my body type. This one, however, also had a plus size section! I also have to say that my experience this time was very nice. Usually, especially at the one at the mall in my city, the shop people can be a little rude. But this time, people asked how we were doing, and the cashier was very nice.

Erik bought me three pieces of clothing and one jewelry item as my birthday present! So I figured a haul and review was in order!! I got from both the plus size section and their regular clothing selection. I'm going to be listing the size I have it in as well as the price of these items in case you would like to check them out as well. I'm so thankful to have such kind friends!! Also...I took these pictures on my phone, so they are kind of poor quality, especially the first one! I'm sorry! But, onto the haul~

Aaaah, blurry picture! There's a worn picture below, however. Anyways, I've never had a romper before, but I think they're so darling. This romper has a mesh top (covered up by the text ^^;) and two straps on either side holding it up. The back has a little tie area that holds together the top and opens up so you can put it on with ease. The waistband is super stretchy and comfortable! Great for just relaxing around the house. My one issue with it is that it's just a bit short when you sit down but...that's the style, so, what can you do? It's not that big of an issue.

Here's a picture of it worn! Trying to be okay showing my body! >_< And yes, the bedroom is a little messy, what are you going to do about it. As you can see, a 1X is not super form-fitting, but still not super baggy. Perfect! Actually, Ashley got the exact same one so we can twin!! I love this thing! The only thing that could make it better - pockets!

Next is another item from the plus size section. This picture does not do it justice at all, it's such a wonderfully light peach color with gorgeous lace detailing. As you can see, the back is a little open with the knot at the neck. The thing I love about shirts like these are that they're so versatile. You can dress them up or just wear them with some jeans and sandals! I can't wait to see what sort of coordinates I put together with this shirt! And look at that price!

This is the last clothing item I got, and not from the plus size section. It was also on sale!! It's no secret that I fell hard for the whole spikes and studs trend. And sheer? And high-low? Perfect. And the back is even open a little. Another small detail I like is that the buttons are covered by a flap of fabric so they aren't seen. Included with this was a little bag of spikes to replace any that fall off. I'm probably going to wear this mostly open as I don't think it can close over my bust, haha.

The final item I received was jewelry. I love F21's jewelry with a burning passion. Mostly because it's all at such a wonderful price. But I fell in love with this because it's clear (a huge trend right now) and iridescent (I just realized I spelled it wrong on the picture...)! It's a little clunky and gaudy and I think that's another reason why I snatched it up. This was the last of its kind there, but I also saw similar bracelets in an oil slick-type color, yellow, and black and gold.

As usual, I'm very satisfied with my purchases at Forever 21/Forever 21 +. Their clothes are affordable, comfortable, and on point with current trends. I saw a few other things there I might pick up when I go shopping at my local one next (like a floppy hat? can I pull off a hat?) I also want to thank F21 for even having a plus size section at some of their stores. I hope that they can integrate F21+ into all of their stores in the future, so girls and guys of every size and shape can wear cute clothing~!

Until tomorrow, please be happy and love your body!