Faith D.

Size:10/11|Age: 21|Alabama, USA

Growing up, I was usually the youngest of my class but the tallest, and with height comes weight and big feet. I often weighed more and required clothing from the “lady’s” department because junior sized clothing was cut short. I was never ashamed or teased for my body. My parents made sure I knew I was beautiful at a young age. However, it was a struggle for my mom to find appropriate size 8 shoes for me at thirteen years old. Shoe shopping would sometimes be embarrassing because no thirteen-year old girl wants to tell the male sales associate that she needs a size 8 or 9. In my head, big feet were not feminine.

I ,currently, wear a size 10/11. Now that I am older and I shop for myself I have learned what works best for me and I use my height to my advantage. For shoes specifically my go to brands are Jessica Simpson, Steve Madden, Sam Edelman, and Nine West. They have the most options, bigger sizes, and best quality. I’m hard on shoes so quality matters. I love that the “bootie” style shoe is in, the short heel makes my feet look a tad bit smaller. I stay away from tennis shoes, I don’t have an eye for them and only buy them for exercising. For jeans, I have discovered the beauty in Express. They have cute styles, curvy fits, sales, and length! Professional wear can be found at Loft and H&M (on a good day).

I’m still discovering my true style, but my best advice to anyone out there who is tall, curvy, and requires bigger sizes is to always shop for your true size, be comfortable, and do what works best for you! We can unintentionally compare ourselves to other women and set an unrealistic expectation for what we should look like. It doesn’t work like that. Make your closet as personal as possible and you should always feel comfortable with whatever you pull out to wear.