Dear Now Magazine

It any suprise you to know that some of your readers are fat - their bodies are also normal! 

I was surprised (although may I should not have been) to see your current front page - note I saw it online, I have not parted with my hard earned money to be told by you that MY body is NOT normal.

I find it sad that in this day and age you still feel that it is OK to call bigger bodies abnormal! That if you have the audascity to be bigger than average then a magazine can tell you that you are not normal!

Please tell me - which part of my body do you feel is NOT normal? I get it - I am over weight, I am fat, I am cuddly, plus size - whatever term you want to use that makes you feel comfortable with me and my body. I don't even really care if you feel that people 'like me' should lose weight (that's a whole new issue altogether) but how on Earth you can suggest that any body types are not normal is flabbergasting to me...

Is my body really THAT shocking!?

I'd love to know what other people think of this!

Debz

P.S Thanks to Body Gossip for the image I borrowed!

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Being A Dryathlete in January

I don't do enough for charity and I would like to do more! One of my friends mentioned a 'Dryathlon' event in January, where you give up alcohol for the month in order to raise money for Cancer Research! So... I thought I would join in! My lovely friend Lucia at www.ucantwearthat.com has joined in too - January is going to be a FUN month!

http://www.justgiving.com/Debbie-Aiken-dryathlete

I know you'll all be thinking that this is a really easy feat for me, because of how little I drink ;) but anyway if you can spare even £1 that would be amazing!

I am 'oop North for two weeks over Christmas, seeing lots of people that I don't see enough of! Therefore I am going to start my Dryathlon on the 5th January when all my parties are done & dusted with - I will be doing it until the 5th February though, so still a full month!

Ta!

Debz xx

http://www.justgiving.com/Debbie-Aiken-dryathlete

Taking Shape Goody Bag Giveaway

You might have seen a few weeks ago when I blogged about Taking Shape and their great range of plus size clothing - http://imawannabeprincess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/taking-shape-at-ms-curvaceous.html

The team at Taking Shape have been kind enough to give me a goody bag to give away to one of you lucky lot!

I borrowed this from their twitter, your bag might vary slightly!

You can win entries just by following either of us on twitter etc (or do them all and maximise your chances!).

Goodies inside the bag include:

 - Laundry bag,
 - Light up tweezers,
 - Mirror
 - Look book
 - 30% off voucher

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It really is that easy - good luck!!

Debz xx

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Follow Up - The Fat Mermaid

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the beautiful green sequin dress that AX Paris have on offer this year - but I didn't post any full length pics because I didn't want to spoil it for my Christmas party! http://imawannabeprincess.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/a-sequin-surprise-fat-mermaid.html if you want to have a nosey at the post!

This weekend I spent the weekend with vodka, white wine and some of my beautiful friends - while wearing this amazing dress & wanted to share it with you.

I know some ladies prefer to shy away from bodycon dresses, but I really can not recommend this dress enough. Although it is is bodycon and quite tight, it is made from a nice thick material so I don't feel it clings everywhere, which is what many people don't like about body con dresses. The sequins are beautiful and I have yet to see this dress look bad on anyone - and if you follow any bloggers you'll see that it's a popular one!

Wouldn't be the same without some dodgy mirror selfie shots

If you're looking for a sparkly dress to wear this festive season I really can't recommend this dress enough! It's lovely! 

Debz xx

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Loving Lovedrobe

I have wanted to try Lovedrobe for a while now, but it is something that I just haven't ever gotten around to!

A few weeks ago I managed to get my hands on their Purple Pu Trim Scuba Dress - and it's love!

The dress goes up to a size 26, which I know would get some people worrying about how it will fit them. However, as you can see from the photos - it fits me just fine!

Sorry about the poor quality - I had no one to take them for me, so I am using my trusty phone!

The dress is quite short on me (probably because of the sizing) but teamed with leggings it is more than fine! I love the shape of the dress & think it is quite flattering. What I love about it is the PU trim, which brightens the whole dress up for me - you know, I usually go for much brighter colours and patterns.

I was lucky enough to be invited to an ASOS Christmas event last week, so I wore this outfit there  - and it was perfect! Even Santa liked it! ;)

Seeing as it's winter and a wee bit chilly out there, the dress needed something more to keep me nice and toasty. I teamed it up with some grey wooly boots and this New Look leather jacket, which I believe is currently reduced in the sale!

So there you have it - another plus size brand tried & tested. I would like to try move of their products, especially in my size but this dress has definitely peaked my interest in the brand!

What brands would you love to try that you haven't quite gotten around to yet?

Debz x

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Feeling A Bit Of Love For Pink Clove

I have blogged about Pink Clove before and in all likelihood I will blog about them again! A few months ago I bought a couple of dresses in their sale - I got both of these for about £8 each, so a complete bargain! I haven't had a chance to put them on the blog yet, so I thought I would whack up some photos while I had the chance!

Geo Print Wrap Dress - http://www.pinkclove.co.uk/dresses-c2/geo-print-wrap-dress-p87

Asymmetric Neckline Illusion Dress - http://www.pinkclove.co.uk/dresses-c2/asymmetric-neckline-illusion-dress-p56  - Still only £8 in their sale too!

Have you bought anything from Pink Clove? What did you think?

Debz

xx

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Definition of Size Art Fundraiser

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago an art fundraiser being organised by Plus Confidence owner, Anita Bellamy. You can read that post here.

I attended it at the weekend - and wanted to let you all know what a great time I had. I didn't take many photos at the event because I figured blogs would be saturated by those! We were respectfully asked not to photograph the art, so you'll have to attend a future event if you want to see those!

Me and the lady herself

The exhibition was to showcase the first photos as part of Anita's Definition of Size project. She wants to make glamourous, sexy, media-savvy images available to the media - much like they are, but of ladies that are size 16 and above. 

When I spoke to her at the event she told that she this was just a snapshot of what she wanted to do - the lady has big visions! What I loved about the event was seeing some friendly faces and some new faces all getting on, chatting, laughing and more in this amazingly positive environment. That could be down to the free-flowing-wine that Anita arranged, but I hope it was more to do with the people that attended - and all wanted to get the same out of the event - positivity!

Me and Brick City

I got to see Brick City perform, chat to Anita about her project and won a dress and some jewellery in the raffle - so, you could say I had a pretty successful day! You could also have some henna art on your hands, a facial and your photo taken by professional photographers, she thought of everything!

Me and some of the lovely ladies at the event

This was just a very small part of her bigger vision and when I spoke to her yesterday, she seems to have lots planned for 2014, so I can't wait to see what comes of it!

Did you attend? Come say hey!

Debz xx

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OMCZ - Week 21 - Emulate Another Blogger's Style

There are so many bloggers style that I love, but would not usually wear. I don't think this is a bad thing, we all have our style and it is important to dress however you feel happy and comfortable - which is always the main thing! That said, when I saw this weeks Outsize My Comfort Zone post, I had to think about who I would want to dress as! My biggest fear was doing it badly and offending a blogger that I love, which obviously I don't want to do!

Challenge: "Emulate Another Blogger's Style"

Rebecca wrote:

"I know it's best sometimes to keep things simple, but I've recently been thinking about how fun it would be to emulate another blogger's style that is very much so out of our comfort zone. It could be a blogger within or outside of the the OMCZ group, but I know there are plenty of bloggers out there whose style I love but have not dared to wear."

So - Instead I choose to pick a style that a number of bloggers choose - VINTAGE! I love, love, love the like of Tess Munster and George at Fuller Figure Fuller Bust and the style that they dress in. I love the thought of tea dresses, vintage clothing and everything that comes with it! I dug deep into the bottom of wardrobe and found this dress that was given to me a few years ago, that I have never worn!

I actually love how this dress looks on me, though it may be a little long - now I just need somewhere as an excuse to wear it! Vintage tea party anyone?

Please check out the other ladies taking part in the Outside My Comfort Zone blog challenge:

Stephanie  -  http://www.seeingspots.co.uk/
Leah - http://www.justmeleah.blogspot.co.uk
Mary - http://www.marysbigcloset.blogspot.pt
Becky Brown - http://www.doesmyblogmakemelookfat.com
Rachel  - http://www.adressisforlife.com/
Natalie - http://awheelbarrowfullofstyle.blogspot.co.uk/
Nikki - http://www.nattynikki.blogspot.co.uk/
Rebs - http://sullen-hearts.blogspot.co.uk/
Verena - http://aplussizefashionobsession.blogspot.de/
Beka  - bekasstuffystuff.blogspot.com
Rebecca - http://theplussideofme.com
Hollie - Http://www.prettybigbutterflies.com
Sabina - http://www.femmefatalexsabina.blogspot.de/
Betty - http://www.bigfatbetty.com/
Katt - http://acurvycupcake.blogspot.co.uk/
Mookie - http://muki7x7.blogspot.co.uk/
Erin - http://erinslittlebigcorner.blogspot.co.uk/

Debz xx

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Little Me - What Would You Say?

This week while reading some of my favourite blogs, I stumbled across the 'Love EVERY Body' project arranged by the lovely Leah over at http://justmeleah.blogspot.co.uk/. This week I saw people writing letters to their body, what they wanted to thank it for, blame it for, apologise for etc. but most of all what they wanted to love it for.

Then my sister published a blog post about her weight loss journey and how it hasn't made her happier. Yes, she is happier in a sense but not in another - weight loss, dieting and self love is a long journey and somewhat of a roller coaster.

"If anyone ever tells you being thin or a certain dress size will make you happy then they are lying. However you felt about your body and the insecurities you had before your weight loss will be the same no matter how your outward appearance changes."

Read: What Do You Gain, When You Lose - http://looselipsandskinnyhips.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/what-do-you-gain-when-you-lose.html

Over recent weeks, one of my favourite songs has been Little Me, by Little Mix. I love the song, but I also love the message that it presses - that one day, you'll look back and want to tell yourself that everything will be OK.

"Wish I knew back then, What I know now, Wish I could somehow, Go back in time and maybe listen to my own advice. I'd tell her to speak up, tell her to shout out, Talk a bit louder, be a bit prouder, Tell her she's beautiful, wonderful, Everything she doesn't see"

I often get messages asking me how I became so confident, how I can be so happy with the way I look and whether my self-body-love is real! I don't really have the answers - only that Yes, I do like myself and I think you should like yourself! The only real thing I have to say on that is that lots of people think the same as you! There are people out there, who you see as perfect who feel just as unhappy with the shape of their body. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

 So, if you could tell your 'little you' anything, what would you say?

I would tell my 15 year old self that everything will be OK, I'd tell my 21 year old self that moving up North will be the best decision you ever make and I would tell my 26 year old self that everything happens for a reason. I would tell myself as a teenager that one day you'll love yourself and as a twenty year old, you'll learn to embrace your body and like it! 

What about you?

Debz xx

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A Sequin Surprise - The Fat Mermaid!

You probably know by now, when it comes to clothes - I love colour, I love shape and I love sparkles. When I first saw this dress on the Fashion World website, I loved it. It is everything perfect about a dress for the Christmas season - I was well and truly smitten! 

It seemed like the rest of the fatshion world was too - as blog posts, tweets and instagram posts came flooding in about the 'mermaid dress' and everyone was in love with it! 

A few weeks later, Fashion World contacted me and kindly offered to send me a dress of my choosing from their Christmas party dress range. I browsed through and there were some LOVELY offerings, but nothing that quite matched up to the mermaid dress that I had been lusting over! 

So.... I asked them to send me it - and I can tell you now, I was not disappointed!

Yes, the dress is bodycon, yes its covered in sequins which make a sound every time I move, yes it's green, yes it's short - but it is love!

I plan to wear the dress to a Christmas party, so I don't want to share photos of the whole dress just yet. So instead, here are some selfie photos of it - so you can see how happy I am with it! When it is styled properly, for the party in a couple of weeks I'll take some proper Outfit Of The Day posts so you can see the full thing.

They didn't have my size of dress, so I have sized down. This means it is a little shorter than on the models in the photo - but I don't mind that! It is quite tight (more than likely because of the sizing down) but it is fully lined and made from a thick material, which means it gives a nice shape rather than just clinging everywhere, which I know lots of people aren't keen on! 

If you're looking for a Christmas dress to make you stand out this Christmas, I can not recommend this dress enough!! You can buy the AX Paris dress here.

Have you have any exciting purchases for the festive season?

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I was lucky enough to be gifted some items in this post and I am very greatful, but I am always open and honest in my reviews!

Powerfit Friday

Unless you have been under a rock, you have probably heard of the Powerfit dresses by Scarlett & Jo. I fell in love with these dresses when they were first launched and was really excited when I heard that they had extended their size range to go up to a size 32.

I have seen lots of beautiful bloggers wearing the power fit dresses (they come in a range of colours and designs) but no one that compares to me size wise - so before I invested in one, I wanted to try one on! Sadly, I am lazy and hadn't gotten around to going back to Evans to try one in store.

This week the lovely ladies at Scarlett & Jo emailed me to see if I would like to try the animal print powerfit dress, as they would like to send me one... How kind!

I finally got around to trying it on today - and I love it! Size wise I would say stick to your usual size. The dress is lined and panelled inside which means that you get a tight fit, but I like that the material is thick so it gives you a nice smooth shape.

What I like about the dress is that the print is in the middle, with a black border which gives a nice 'flattering' shape. You should all know that I don't worry too much about shape and being flattering, but I do think that this is a nice touch!

Unless you can catch a Scarlett & Jo sale (they do happen quite often) then these dresses are definitely at 'investment piece' price but to be honest with you, I would say that they are well worth the price - I currently have my beady eyes on a red one!

I have kept the pictures quite basic on this one, as I plan to dress it up to attend an Xmas event next week - I'll show you how it turns out afterwards!

Have you tried a Scarlett & Jo dress yet? What did you think??

Debz x

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I was lucky enough to be gifted some items in this post and I am very greatful, but I am always open and honest in my reviews!

Brit Mums Xmas Do

On Monday I attended the BritMums Xmas Do... As I am not a parent blogger (I know shocking, right?) I don't get to hear about many of these events! Thankfully my flatmate is a mummy-to-be blogger and she heard about the event - with the promise of sparkling Christmas lights and cake I couldn't resist.

There were around 80 bloggers at the event - which was packed full of delicious goodies from Morrisons to try - lots of their Christmas range was there to tickle our taste buds (I thoroughly recommend the salt sea caramel pretzels)... We were treated to lunch and then given a goodie bag to take home - the team behind Brit Mums and Morrisons really looked after us!

I was really taken back by just how friendly everyone was - even to a non-parent blogger like me! Lots of people came up to say hi, ask about my blog, if I was enjoying the event etc - I even got 'spotted' from attending Blogfest a couple of weeks ago! 

Thank you to BritMums for letting me come along - Hopefully see you all soon!

I didn't know what to wear to the event - it started at 10:30am, so this was definitely not a dress up occasion! In the end I went for this trusty dress from New Look and a new beige cardigan from Just For 5 Pounds. I blogged about them last week and how good value their plus size range seemed - They kindly sent me this cardigan to try for myself. I have to say I was really impressed with the quality and the fit - it is a very generous fit and feels really nice on. In my opinion it is a complete bargain for a fiver and I am very tempted to try something else from the site!

Light Batwing Cardigan - http://www.justfor5pounds.com/products/CLOTHING/PlusSize/p_TP2121


Have you started your Christmas organising yet?

Debz xx

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I was lucky enough to be gifted some items in this post and I am very grateful, but I am always open and honest in my reviews!

Taking Shape at Ms Curvaceous

Last night I attended the Ms Curvaceous competition held in at The Camden Centre in Kings Cross. Although it was the 3rd year of the competition, it was my first time attending one - or anything like it! I have to say I am glad that I did.

I don't want to blog to much about names, numbers, facts and figures because I think you can read them anywhere - No doubt there will be tonnes of write ups and reviews online (the hashtag is #MCUK if you want to look it up).

However... I wanted to talk about positivity. The whole competition put such a positive spin on things - great food, great music and great company, what more could a girl want? The girls in the competition were all beautiful and they gave great speeches about their reasons for entering the competition - with positive body image messages and creating a new generation of females happy with their bodies were amongst the most popular reasons given - and what good reasons they are!

I was in turmoil over what to wear, mainly because lots of my clothes are quite casual and blingy - maybe not the best outfit for a modelling competition. Thankfully Taking Shape stepped up to the mark with a new dress and cardigan which they kindly gifted to me last week (thank you!!).

If you come across their brand then be sure to check them out. They're currently opening stores throughout the UK (YAY!) and stock up to a size 26. That said, both of the items I wore were a size 26 and fit me fine - and we all know that's a bit smaller than I usually wear!

Dress - Floral Island Dress - http://www.takingshape.com/uk/dresses/floral-island-dress.html?
Cardigan - Valentino Cardigan - http://www.takingshape.com/uk/cardigans/valentino-cardigan.html

The clothes on the site have a mature feel to them, but that doesn't mean you can't dress it up how you want to - because you'll definitely be able too! So, please do not be afraid to experiment - it pays off!! Don't be scared to think outside the box - the labels on these clothes are too small for me, but they still fit me fine - so always try things before you give up on them!

I'll take some better photos another time - but the eye shadow I am wearing comes from the Barry M Smoking Hot Palette which they kindly sent me last month. I have used all of the colours so far and I love it - I just need a chance to take some proper photos. I am by no means a beauty blogger expert, but all I know is that it goes on well, looks brill and stayed on all night - with a bit of sparkle in the silver shade of eye shadow - which all make it a winner in my book!

At the Ms Curvaceous competition I bumped into this bunch of beauts - what a brill end to a fab weekend!

What did you all get up to this weekend?

Debz xx

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I was lucky enough to be gifted some items in this post and I am very greatful, but I am always open and honest in my reviews!

Katie Hopkins Attends Plus Size Awards - Thoughts?

In case you didn't know - the Miss BBW International and Plus Size Awards took place in Central London last night. I go to a few events arranged by the team who put this together, but sadly I could not afford the ticket price and therefore did not (could not) attend. However, to be honest with you I am quite glad I didn't.

I found out a few days before that Katie Hopkins had been invited to the awards to collect a 'Cream Cake Award' for being unsupportive of the plus size industry. Seeing as the event was to celebrate plus size fashion, designers, writers and general advocates, I was just surprised she had been invited to such an event, even if for a negative award.

What flabbergasted me even more last night was when I saw Gemma Collins at the awards, next to Katie Hopkins proclaiming what a "nice lady" she was... This was about 10 minutes before Kate Hopkins tweeted that fat women should change for the better.... #Ironic #YesIUsedAHashTagInABlogPost

I wonder if Gemma Collins still thinks Katie is such a nice lady?

To be honest, I was upset and angry that she would tweet something while at the actual event. If she doesn't like fat people, that's up to her - but why attend an event for POSITIVITY and bring it down with such hurtful thoughts while still in the building?

And then I saw this...

I get that Katie Hopkins makes a career out of being a bitch - I hope that she is a character rather than actually being a bullying, racist, child hating woman  - but who knows!

What I don't get is why she was allowed to tweet such drivel while AT THE EVENT! These women have taken a massive step to get up in a room full of people and show off their bodies - how dare someone ridicule them? These plus size events are set up to celebrate our bodies, our confidence & as a safe haven to recognise achievements... Even if you don't agree with plus size, or awards, or pageants - why would you come into a room where this is happening, just to put down the women who are taking part? ITS BAFFLING!

When she sent tweets like this before the event - surely people realised it would only end in belittling and bullying?

Anyway, I sent quite a few angry, ranty tweets last night - as did a few others. A couple of mine were picked up by Katie Hopkins and Retweeted - which lead to a flurry of new twitter followers and of course some interesting replies - including 'insulting' me by calling me a fat lesbo & asking if I have normal size friends... blah, blah blah... because fat is obviously as insult!

However, what also surprised me was a few tweets I got telling me that I was over reacting, that Katie Hoping was right, that I should just ignore her thoughts, that I should just walk away, block Katie, not saying anything at all etc etc.

So anyway... The whole point of this bumbling, ranty blog post is that I would love to hear your points of view! Are you angry that Katie Hopkins that attended or should she have been allowed to go? Were the twitter gang right to tweet about the event, or should it have been ignored? I could not have kept quiet about it, or ignored bullying but I would love other peoples thoughts and feelings on it!

If you were there - I';d love to know what it was like, did you talk to her? Were people in general talking about it on the night? Did anyone approach her?

Thanks so much - enjoy your Sunday!

Debz xx

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Dear Angela Epstein - An Open Letter

Dear Angela Epstein

I read your recent article on Best Daily and I feel I had to write to you (for anyone who hasn't read the 'Having Fat Friends is Such Hard Work'article, you can do so here).

Firstly, I find it disappointing that you find any of your friends hard work. Friendship should be something that makes your life nicer - not harder. However, when I look at the reasons why you find your friendships such hard work  - I am left flabbergasted.

Rather than condemning your friend for trying to do the 'right' thing and order a salad - why not tell her that you love her, just as she is - and that she should order the Welsh Rarebit if she wants to. Reassure her that life is worth far more than worrying about the size of her jeans! Tell her that you want her to enjoy her afternoon without worrying - and that IT IS OK to order exactly what she wants for lunch.

Do you know why your friends are seemingly hard work? Because everywhere you turn, the world tells you that you should hate yourself for being fat. When you open magazines who tell you to drop a dress size before Christmas and when you go on websites for clothes who tell you that you are too big for their range - they're all telling you that your body is not OK, and that you should change it.

When you're up against this sort of hard work it can be tough to say... "I am OK just as I am, and I do not need to change", so you live in this sort of eternal turmoil which leads you to eat a salad at lunch and then a pizza at dinner because you hate yourself for not feeling that the salad was enough.

And throughout all of this - do you know what you should be able to do? You should be able to speak to your friends, feel their love and support and to know that they love you no matter what.

Rather than spending your time writing hateful articles for Best Daily why don't you spend your time telling your friends that being the size they are is OK - they if they want to order Welsh Rarebit they can and that is OK. Perhaps then, when they feel a little more confident in their body image you'll have less hard work to put up with and can put your efforts into being a proper friend, who supports them no matter what they weight.

The world can be a hard place - why would you want to make it harder for your friends to love themselves with your cruel words? If your friends are "hard work" do them a favour and find yourself some new ones. Just make sure they are thin, because we all know thin people have no problems or dramas so will give you a happy, stress free friendship...

Debz x

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