A lot of traffic comes to the blog for a post about where to buy plus-size clothes for teenagers. Teenage girls, predominately, with a couple of stores thrown in that would work for the guys too. The search terms got me thinking about my adolescent self and what I would say to her as an adult; if she’d listen to me. Not just about body image and hanging in there through what was to come, but about growing up. About ‘making it and the harmful effect that distant goal had. I’d want to talk to her about finding her way, happiness, and opening up.
It’s been over 20 years since I finished high school, so the memories fade. They dull a little at the edges, and the concerns I know I had. It’s easier to see those thoughts as silly or something I would get the better of. But I’d want her to know that they’re valid, and she was right not to trust them. I’d like her to know that being different and always a little outside the group isn’t something to be ashamed of. To be different, even when she struggles against it, is a gift. I’d love for her to see that sooner before she started to pull back and hide.
I’d want my teenage self to know that following good feelings isn’t as selfish as others told her it was. That being teenager is the best time to try stuff on for size and see what fits. Read the books alone in your room or the sunshine surrounded by water. Climb that hill, ride that bike and test your limits. Please do it now, don’t be scared of what others will think of you; try to put that aside. Now is a perfect time; I try to remind myself of that same thing. Stretch and grow, listen to your body and shut out the opinions of others. Stop covering your mouth when you laugh.
I’d wish her to know that her faith in herself isn’t misplaced. Yes, she’s already old for her time, but that will feel less like a gap to be closed over time. But, please, girl, stop believing that you have to be serious, ticking those boxes, to be a good daughter and a success in this life. It’s not true. Yes, drive and dogged determination brought you some fantastic experiences and things in life; a husband, first business and home. But it’s not the only way to get those things. And I hope you will learn to find patience, to stop forcing yourself and those around you forward.
And finally, there is one last thing to say to you, my teenage self. And I would be grateful if you could listen carefully to me now, friend. Time will pass, and the years will go by as fast as anyone ever told you they would. But there’s plenty of space to live your life in the moments and days to come. You have the freedom to grow, change, fail, and start again. Time hasn’t run out on me yet. So, trust yourself when that little voice says it needs more time to go slow or to look before you leap. But don’t wait too long, either. Don’t be afraid to take a risk. Your family have always had your back. A small group of friends too. Trust them, but mostly, trust yourself.
That’s what I’d tell my teenage self; what would YOU tell yours if you got the chance?
Here we are, on the very first day of 2021. Not me, I’m probably still in bed sleeping off a food coma. I’m sure the drink has nothing to do with it. This is past me, writing from the New Year’s Eve morning with a determination to make sure we end this year on a high. Taking stock, looking back on what we created this year is important to me. I do it in all aspects of my life to complete the year and move forward. My blog, a lifeforce of its own now, is no different.
In May, I spoke about how I would put some focus on the blog and see if there was still something here for me. It turns out, there is. During 2020 I managed 52 blog posts. One per week on average. But it wasn’t until we neared the end of this year I remembered that I love to write. Sure, pictures can tell a 1,000 words, but I’m a writer. To capture our lives and what is happening around us in a blog post is what I love to do.
So, I’m doing it.
Simple as that. Even though I have plans to keep up the content on all the platforms, try some new things and bring back some consistency, I’m a blogger first and making the time to write about our life will be the number one priority. It started when I came across some blog posts from when my niece was a toddler. The photos have always been great to look back on but to see our adventures described was the true walk down memory lane. I want to document it all.
I want to document as we renovate this house. As we add a pool (dear lord, SOMEDAY) and build a larger deck to enjoy with our family and friends. When we take trips in our camper, take the cruiser 4WD’ing. When the kids push me over the edge, then kill me being the best humans I know. I want to talk about my business’s growth and how sometimes, it’s lonely doing it all alone from my office in my house. That while it’s everything I’ve dreamed of, that maybe there’s more out there too.
This blog is a home base for my life.
Not in that it matters more than anything else happening. But as in its a place to come back to. A safe space where my memories live, where I grow and challenge myself. Where my thoughts are explored and ideas challenged. After all this time, it’s why I blog. I realised that this year. To be able to share our experiences, my thoughts and the challenges. All that comes from living a life you create for yourself with you is one of the best parts of my life. I’m not going to give that up. I can’t believe I thought I would for even a moment. And with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of my favourite, and yours, blog posts from 2020.
Wishing you all a safe and happy new year, I can’t wait to see you back here in 2021 now that the blogging groove feels well and truly back. What can I say, all it took was a major downturn in my business and a bunch of free time on my hands to inspire me again. Sheesh, come to think of it, let’s not do that again. Haha. Let’s hope 2021 has more good than bad for us and the realisation of the changes that we all feel coming. It’s a new day, team—a whole new year. Get out there and make the most of it.
Janine is on a mission to find the perfect maxi dress for Christmas Day. I mean, aren’t we all. While watching a movie last night, I started having a look around and bookmarking some of my favourites as I came across the. This post is about sharing what I found from some of my favourite online plus-size retailers.
I love a maxi dress for Christmas Day. Simply because they’re easy to wear, can take you from a casual gathering to something more dressed up if it needs to. And, the most important, you can eat and drink freely without feeling like your clothing is cutting you off. I did the same thing for my brother’s wedding last month when I needed something to work in (I was doing their photos) and something that looked dressy enough for a wedding.
And can I just say? Boho ladies, this is the year for you. Oversized shapes and prints, layers of lightweight fabrics and ruffles EVERYWHERE. But if it’s not your style, don’t stress, I found some options that I love that are a little less flouncy. I mean, we all know that my style could hardly be described as Boho. Let’s check them out, shall we?
Buying clothes when your plus-size can suck. On this blog, its something we talk about a lot. But, what about where to buy clothes for plus size men? Are there a lot of options for on-trend fashionable pieces for the big guys? The short answer to that question is that it has come a long way from the Big and Tall shops of the past.
The idea for this post actually came from the search terms on my blog post Where to Buy Clothes for Plus-Size Teens. I realised, while there were lots of options for plus-size women in that post, by not including a few of the big guys, I had excluded those who are looking to dress in a more masculine fashion. I should have known better (I’ve since updated that post).
This is my attempt to offer some options for the plus-size guys who may find themselves here looking for fashionable clothing options. Let’s dive in.
Kel and my brother have both been roped into featuring in photos for this brand (see below). Since then, it’s where I go if Kel needs new clothes especially anything for special occasions or the sort of wardrobe staple I expect to last (jeans or dress pants, jackets etc). The price point is pretty middle fo the range and they often have great sales or special offers.
I’m happy to recommend this brand and we continue to shop there. However, I have to let you know our horrible experience with customer service over a pair of shoes that my brother purchased. They wore through (worn Monday to Friday for work) really quickly and they wouldn’t take them back/listen to our concerns as they reference the extensive wear which was the point of the concern in the first place.
To be honest I don’t remember how it was resolved as I left it with my brother. But suffice to say that it left a bad taste in our mouth. Maybe as far as the accessories go, shop the sales. 😉
I think you’re going to love the range and selection offered by ASOS. If I’m stuck and can’t find anything for Kel (and sometimes for me too) then I head to the ASOS Plus-Size Men’s range to see if I can find it there. Especially jackets, lounge or sportswear or basic tees.
With the mid to low price point, it makes for a good option for the on-trend pieces it can be impossible to find. Especially since they are added new styles and brands to their line up all the time. One of those big sellers that will become a resource for you, I’m sure.
One word on this one, Trendy! BooHoo has always boasted a low price point and up to the minute fashion pieces. Their BooHoo Men range is no different. I refer to this style of retailer as cheap and cheerful because if you’re looking for something fun or that you’ve seen your favourite wearing, this is the place to go. They’re always turning over new styles with fresh takes on current trends.
The bad news is that Boohoo is often listed as a thumbs down due to their manufacturing process and labour conditions. I won’t even make my usual joke about it being ‘not ideal’ because it’s worse than that. I do believe that with continued pressure a brand like this can be made to do better. But, always, I thought you should have all the information before making your choices. In this case, which happens too often in plus-size clothing options, for a lower price-point, this is what we have to live with.
I came across this brand when I was shopping for Kelvin recently for a wedding. This is more of a classic style, with button-ups and business casual attire then a lot of the other options. Things like sleepwear and swimwear as well. There are a lot of styles and fits, usually available in multiple colourways, but unfortunately, none of the clothing is shown on models for fit.
This is also a great spot for things like belts, suits and sports coat; the sort of staples you need to build a solid wardrobe. On my rounds, I noticed a lot of the retailers don’t merchandise a lot of accessories specialised for plus-size bodies (especially belts) which is such a missing. You can find a lot of that here.
When you head to The Iconic there is a more limited selection of men’s plus-size clothing with only a few brands featured. That said, there are some great wardrobe staple items here such a basic tees, classic polos and style jacket fits. For me, the range is a modern take on the casual classics I personally gravitate to.
The other thing that they’re great at is accessories. You’ll find an extensive range of modern, even designer, sunglasses, shoes and bags. Especially sneakers if you’re into such things.
There we go! Some great options for clothes for plus size men. Was your favourite spot covered here? I especially want to know if we missed any small retailers based in Australia or New Zealand. We love a local small business. Let me know if you have any questions as you go through, I’ll answer whatever I can and outsource the rest.
Before we go, here are a few more photos of Kel and my brother Dean looking great in Johnny Bigg items featured on the blog in the past. No brand association currently exists, but when we took these photos it was for either sponsored posts or content creation for the brand. Full disclosure, you know how it goes.
I’ve been on the hunt for WordPress themes for bloggers as a way to freshen up my website, and another site I was updating. This is something I do often enough. What can I say, the trends around this kind of thing change often and keeping up is essential. Don’t laugh; these are the things that occupy my time. Haha. It wasn’t long into my search that I had a billion and one tabs open. Then I realised, maybe finding the right theme for your blog is something you guys struggle with too. And here we are.
Before we start, let me say a couple of things.
Firstly, all of the templates I included in this post had positive reviews for easy installation and after-sales customer service at the time of posting. If that changes in the future and you’re looking at them, please let me know and I’ll remove the template from the post.
Why? Because to me, when it comes to purchasing a theme, those are the things I’m looking for. Does it install well (no issues or glitches, no complicated setup instructions to follow) and after I’ve bought it, does the seller support the theme and me, as a customer, well.
The second thing that I want to mention is if you’re building a blog, look through the free WordPress offerings first. There may be something that you like before you purchase a theme. Themes are a bit like photographers with presets or teenagers and water bottles from Typo; there’s no end to how many you can buy. You should know that there are a lot of great free options in the WordPress Dashboard, start there. Try some out. At very least they’ll give you an idea of what you like.
Not a blogger yet? Are you ready to start your blog? Open this blog post of mine and refer back to it later. It will take you from the first steps of choosing a blog name and platform through to getting your first blog post published. I’ve tried to make it a bit of a process you can follow so that you can work through it, setting your blog up as you go. And team, with all that out of the way, let’s get started.
Awesome WordPress themes for bloggers!
My Go-To Divi for all the things
The template I use for SO many projects, this blog included (as at today) is Divi by Elegant Themes. It’s based around a content builder and comes with large, actually make that huge, selection of child themes as part of the main one. You can buy an annual subscription or go all out for the developer version and never pay again. This blog is built on Divi, so is my husband’s website here and this one we did for the team at The Career Planner which they have been successfully updating themselves since the website build in 2019. Plus, at the time of doing this post, they have just launched their Theme Marketplace, so if you’re not into any of the MANY themes they offer built-in, there will be something for you there.
Some great options that have been around a long time are Moesia, Nimbus (which looks a little like my theme here) and Magazine. They can all be found under Appearance > Themes > Add New, which is where you can also browse the other free WordPress themes that are built into the platform. When I started making on WordPress, I used a free theme and customised it where I could. The problem with Free WordPress Themes is that you can be restricted in how much customisation you can do and even what plugins will work with them. A great starting off point and well worth a look.
After my first adventure in FREE WordPress themes, I decided it was time for me to invest, so I went to ThemeForest. I had an account there already because I used Joomla before WordPress and they offered templates for Joomla sites there too (at the time, I think it’s pretty outdated now). On ThemeForest, it becomes imperative only to buy themes that have great reviews, but also, the team is responsive in the questions section, and there’s not repeated ‘I couldn’t get any help’ comments there. It can be hard to get a refund on ThemeForest, so do your due diligence with any Theme you like there. Be sure, and don’t be afraid to buy the more popular items, they’re probably popular because they work.
Finally, the place where I suggest people go if they are DYI’ing their blog. Etsy offers a HUGE amount of options, not just for WordPress but for all bloggers and website platforms. My biggest recommendation is to find one that you like, with FONTS you love, straight out of the box. Some of theme will allow customisation for colours and fonts, but not all. Trust me; you’re better off finding one that works for you without too much work. Otherwise, you may as well customise a free Theme and save your money. Here are some I found on a recent search.
There you go! I know this year has been a big one for starting new blogs or relaunching old ones. As I mentioned in my blog post about how to start a blog, I recommend you get going on WordPress. But straight out of the box, it’s pretty basic. This post should get you all set up with some excellent options for blog layouts.
Why does that matter? It probably doesn’t, you know. I think if you open a blog and want to write, share your work or whatever you’re doing, how it looks doesn’t matter. But, if you’re a little bit like me, those things do matter. Having them look good and how I want them too, does matter. Take learning to code/starting from scratch off your list and get going. Let them inspire you to get started (or keep going!). Enjoy. x
What do you think about when I mention a casual style capsule wardrobe? For some, it will be jeans and tees, and for others, less interested in waistbands it may be t-shirt dresses or a go-to maxi. Which is it for you? Or perhaps, like me, you are a combination of both?
Since I started working at home full-time, my need for clothes to leave the house in has gone from light/moderate to non-existent! That’s before any of the stay at home orders or lockdown. Most days I work in either cut off denim shorts (which I couldn’t find any decent ones online this time, I’ve added jeans and other shorts instead) and a tee. Or my favourite go-to when I can’t be bothered to a maxi dress. During winter, I add a jumper of some description. Simple and effective.
But lately, I’ve been thinking about taking it up a level. I am selecting a group of items that work together to create a capsule wardrobe; causal style, of course. The sort of clothes I can wear all day, then add something to go out for dinner or visit the family. I don’t need much, but I want to feel like I’m making an effort again. While I was on my adventure to grab some new items (like jacket and lounge set below) I found some links to old favourites too.
Here’s what I’ve come up with; my ideal plus-size casual capsule wardrobe!
Ponte Pants + Sass Dress or Ribbed Tank or Grey Tank + Smock Dress (women open) + Superstars or Birkenstocks
Mum Jeans + Sweet Top or Cocoon Top or Ribbed Tank or Bodysuit + Superstars
Marty Coat + Maxi Dress + Dr Martens
Phew, what a mission THAT all was. Not to mention expensive as I added a few to cart as I went. But, what say you, would these pieces make the cut for you? There’s not a lot of colours here, I know for some people that would be a no-deal, but I’ve noted the selects that come in different colour-ways in the links. I was torn between the grey lounge set from Cotton On and the plum one, worth a look if grey (or black) isn’t your thing.
I thought the time for this post had passed. Back when we first went into lockdown, it was a hot topic to discuss gaining weight, being ashamed of that, and generally cracking jokes at coming out of quarantine (gasp!) fat. Then it tapered off, and I thought, okay, good, I don’t have to say anything.
But hello, it’s back.
And not just because our friends in Victoria are back in lockdown or that second wave clusters are popping up all over the shop. But because it seems, the I don’t fit my clothes angst is cropping up again along with the ‘jokes’. I am to tell you one thing, friend. You didn’t fail if your pants don’t fit. You didn’t somehow do quarantine wrong or let yourself go.
It’s been a lot; a lot to handle and a lot to process. For some, especially those with a past of disordered eating, conversations about panic buying and lack of certain foods have been triggering. Unstable incomes and new work from home arrangements with partners or children have challenged us. Maybe there are cracks in your world that you hadn’t seen before the glaring light of a global pandemic was shone on them.
Let’s say; you’ve had other things to worry about.
Consider for a moment that the way your body reacted to this time in our lives was as it should. Maybe it needed those reserves or the comfort of your favourite meal, beverage or treat. Who is to say that’s wrong? Who is to say that your body isn’t better off without the restriction and boundaries of your everyday life. What if this is how it was meant to be all along?
I want to you think about that next time you are faced with a situation, conversation or thought about how things should look. Not because your health or wellness doesn’t matter, but because they do. I don’t know how long we will be living life this way. But I do know that you shouldn’t live your life waiting for the next thing to come along. Find some peace in your situation now.
If you’re ready to start your blog, you’re going to need these WordPress plugins to get you started! I talked about why WordPress in my ‘start blogging in 2020’ post. If you haven’t read that one, click through and read it and come back. With the name selected and blog hosting done, it’s time to fit out your WordPress blog with all the stuff that keeps it running. That’s where plugins come in.
Plugins help you do all the thing that you need to do with a blog without needing any real HTML or CSS knowledge. You’ll be pulling together a function, impression blog website in no time. From there, the sky is the limit. Blogging is a lot of work, anyone who tells you otherwise is full of it, but these plugins will make your life so much easier. They do for me. So, let’s get started with a few of my favourite plugins that I never set up a blog or small business website without them.
Site Kit is a recent addition, and easily the most useful is you’re looking to grow a blog. It allows you to link to Google Analytics, Search Console, PageSpeed and AdSense natively. Which let me tell you, after a decade of blogging, it’s best to go direct to the source if you can. And I don’t know if this is a coincidence, but my search impressions have gone up 50% since I installed it. Maybe there’s something to that.
Editorial Calendar is an essential plugin to all those who plan to blog ahead of time. When I was working full-time using this was the only way that I managed what was going out on my blog in advance. While the Site Kit plugin was the most recent addition, Editorial Calendar for WordPress was the first. It’s always the first when I’m building a blog or website. I use it to draft out my posts in advance, see what’s coming up and write notes for the post.
If you’ve had a WordPress site before you know that the comments section can be a nightmare, not to mention the Contact Forms. The spam that comes through without a spam blocker like Akismet to block the majority of it. It’s not sexy or something that people get excited about, but it’s the most must-have of the must-have plugins. Trust me on that. Download and it and get the free version running asap.
Suggested by a friend, WP-Optimise will do everything from creating a blog cache to compressing images to ensure they’re a reasonable size to deliver on the blog. This plugin is all about the speed your site offers content which is important to your readers, first of all, but to Google and other search engines too. This is the favourite of those that I’ve used over the years because the images don’t come out looking crappy. It’s important to me to have a fast website, sure. But so much of what I do is related to images; I need them to look good.
If you want to ensure that your site is ‘working’ correctly, you need a broken link checker. And this one is simple, effective and rarely gets it wrong. It makes it easy to unlink broken links, as well as adjusting or fixing those with errors. A simple plugin but it’s essential in the most boring of ways. It will help your blog stay on the right side of search engines by ensuring that you’re not seen as a dumping ground for links who have gone to die.
This is the big one. If you’re becoming a blogger, you need search engines on your side; Yoast SEO is the best way I’ve found to do that. It will give you a score, as well as actions to take, to make your post more readable and better able to be found by search. Yes, people tend to focus on building an audience on social media, but the traffic driven by search will be your bread and butter. Once you install this plugin its a simple matter of taking the suggestions, filling out the keywords and metadata and you’re good to go.
You’re going to all this trouble to write blog posts, of course, you want people to read them. Even better for you if they choose to share them. Shareaholic makes that easy by offering options for share links. At the top and bottom of your posts and things like related content blocks. If you make it to the end of this post (which is getting longer by the minute), you will see them in action down there. All visitors need to do is click the link, and they can share your post, pin it or even email it to a friend. Sharing makes a blog go ’round, don’t miss this chance.
As far as sharing goes, there is no better place to hope your blog post lands than Pinterest. The easiest way to do that, other than making sure you have great vertical images to pin, is to have a Pin It Button on your blog. It makes it easy on the reader and ensures they can just hover, click and send your post to Pinterest in half the time it takes to share it elsewhere. Don’t miss the opportunity to share your posts on Pinterest. Want to know more about that? Try this old blog post I wrote about pinning your own content.
And now, this may be a controversial one, but I use the Classic Editor to revert my WordPress backend to the ‘old way’. I don’t need the ‘builder’ side of things because I have Divi (see below) and to be honest, after all this time, I just didn’t want to get into learning a new backend. If you’ve blogged with WordPress before and are a little into the old way like I was, this could be an option for you. And yes, I know that change is as good as a holiday, but well, this time I just didn’t bother.
I pretty much go for Divi by Elegant Themes every single time. There are plenty of other themes available on places like Creative Market or Etsy, but for me, the foundation offered by Divi is too strong to pass up. The best part is if you’re not sure what style of website you want they have loads of built-in templates in their dashboard to select from, and each one has template pages for all the basics; Home, Landing, About, Contact etc.
It’s about that time when we stock up on winter essentials to get us through the colder months. In fact, perhaps it’s a little late with the weather we’ve already had this year. I had been looking around for things to add to my winter wardrobe and it got me thinking about the things that make up my winter essentials list.
You know, the items that I reach for every winter. The ones that you can invest in and wear this year and every year. When I was thinking about what items I reach for it came down to high-quality boots, a few key pieces that can be dressed up and the chunkiest of chunky knits.
My key winter wardrobe essentials;
Ponte Pant
Tube Skirt
Dark Wash Denim
Knit Dress
Faux Leather Skirt
Chunky Knit
Big Jacket
Biker Jacket
Shop the Winter Essentials Mood Board
City Chic Biker Jacket | City Chic Trench Jacket | City Chic Long Jacket | Monica the Label viaHear Us Roar Luxe Teddy Jacket
I want to know if you’re plus-sized or large-chested if you wear chunky knits. A friend was saying the other day she doesn’t wear chunky knits because they add bulk. Which, I guess they do, but surely the appeal of the squishy, soft, chunky knit beats that, right? Tell me I’m not the only one. I can’t be the only one.
Speaking of tricky plus-size essentials, if you’re in the market for boots, I updated my posts about knee-high and wide-fit boots with current links. Some of the example photos may not be available, but all the stores are live and ready to sell you the new season version. Check them out. I know having a decent pair of boots is pretty essential to my winter wardrobe.
What would you have on your winter wardrobe essentials list? Seen anything in your travels that you want to share? I’ve opened the links in the comments so you can share them with us.
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Feature image via Monica The Label at Hear Us Roar
As part of the new blog plan, I decided I wanted to share a monthly favourites type posts. Not just for products and things to consume, but for small businesses, I’ve found content creators I love, and spaces that need a little more light shone on them. It may be personal (this month my brother got engaged, so that’s here!) and sometimes it’s more significant (like sharing The Great Unlearn as a resource in these times). I hope through this post, you’ll find someone or something new to love, get involved in or share. Let’s get started with my May 2020 Favourites, shall we?
Favourite Thing That Happened This Month
My baby brother is getting married! Dean proposed to his partner Emma in May, and they are planning a wedding for later in the year. An exciting time for the family as we welcome Emma and her daughter Milly to the fam; officially.
Favourite Style
Kelly Augustine is a long time favourite of mine, and her content just gets better and better. Interested in plus fashion looks and big boob realness? Start here. Always inspiring and ahead of the trend curve. A must-follow account.
Favourite Course
The Great Unlearn is, in their words, a community of everyday human beings committed to curiosity for what is possible in the world. Monthly self-paced syllabi curated by@rachel.cargle. If you are genuinely interested in learning, or in this case, unlearning what you have been taught about race, community and what is possible, start here. And if you have the means, please consider supporting this work with your money.
Favourite Thing to Watch
Now I’m just over here waiting for the next season of Never Have I Ever like a fool. This was every bit as charming and beautiful as they said it was. I can’t wait where they take this to in the next season and the upcoming season after that. Did Teen Dramas get cool or what?
Favourite Beverage
After returning from our cruise last year, I’d developed a taste for higher shelf vodka. Unable to return to the others, I sought out something more reasonably priced that I could enjoy with soda. Enter VDKA 6100, made in NZ so practically local, which I bought for the branding, of course. My new favourite vodka so much so that the collection of empties is becoming a bit of a ‘thing’.
Favourite Maker
Frocks and FrouFrou isn’t your standard expectation for this category. I know when I put in here, I was expecting to include someone who sells the stuff they make. But with May being a sort of Maker Month on the ‘gram, I was hooked on Lily’s outfits (including items she made) and had to share. People who can sew, so freaking talented, right?
Favourite Aesthetic
Finnley Home is a brand new business owned by the son of my one you fine folks. When this proud Mumma shared the page via my DMs, I was so impressed by their branding and Instagram that I added a whole new category to share in the Favourites post. Yes, the shop has heaps of great homewares that I absolutely need for my home, but that aesthetic though…
A post shared by Nerds With Vaginas (@nerdswithvaginas) on
Favourite Thing on the Internet
The Uncle Davids is the best, most heart-warming, charming thing I saw on the internet in May. Make sure if the embedded post isn’t working that you head over and scrolling through the whole album. Have your heart warmed by these fine fellows.
Favourite Blog Post
Bringing it with what the people want, Stylish Curves put together a post featuring 55+ Black-Owned Plus Size Clothing Stores for you to put your money where your mouth (Instagram post?) is. Black women have always been the rightful leaders of the body positive movement; learn more about that, support them and the ways they choose to monetise that. Support fashion from black women instead of the brands that use their ideas and profit from them.
Favourite New Find
Buon Clothing is making all your 90s teen dreams come true. Want a colour block jumper to fulfil your heart’s desire? Start here. With sizing ranging from 3XS to 8XL, they have most of us covered. Now excuse me while I go order that black/grey/white combo in the grid or should I get the pink/purple/grey? Decisions, decisions.
That was May 2020, team. What a month it was. With the world changing around us, and the growing pains that come with that, I hope this offers you some relief. And if you have a favourite you want me to check out, send them through! I want to make this a monthly post (usually delivered closer to the first of each new month focused on the month before).
What would you say if I told you that I don’t think your partner should be your reason for your positive body image? My boyfriend loves my body, he embraces my curves, but I just can’t see it, she said. They love my body, me? Not so much, they said. I see it and hear it all over the internet in Groups and mentioned in the comments. It’s worrying, to say the least. I worry about these people. Almost as much as the ones that say their partner doesn’t like their body.
But, my friend, your body image is NOT your partner’s job. It’s yours.
Not just because they could change their mind, leave or even not end up being who you thought they were. But because this sort of work should never be an outside job. You are responsible for doing the work to disassemble the conversation you are having about your body. Unfair, I know. You didn’t start this rubbish, and you certainly didn’t put it there. But the work is for you to do.
Your body image is not your partner’s job. Unfortunately, if you are looking for someone to deem you beautiful, it’s always dependant on them. If you need a parent or friend to tell you that you’re worthy of love; they may not be capable of that.
And yes, I think it is helpful, valuable even to have someone in your corner it can’t be the be-all and end-all. For me, when I’ve struggled to see myself, Kel has been great. He has been supportive, constructive and has never brought up my body without me starting the conversation. There are some tips in this article for helping your partner love their body when they don’t. But treat this love and support, when you get it, as a bonus.
A cherry on top of your body image.
Not the whole sundae.
We put so much stock into how our partner feels about our body we stop doing the work if I’m being straight with you here. We need to stop valuing ourselves by how attractive we are (or think we are) to someone and start doing the work to shift our beliefs around what a good body is. Spoiler alert, it’s actually got nothing to do with how it looks. Annette on the Facebook page has it right, we need to move past the idea of being seen as attractive, beautiful or sexy to someone else, even to ourselves. It’s time to start seeing the value in our body for being our feet on the ground in this world. A means to an end.
If you’re reading this you either want to know more about Wirestock or you have photography you’re interested in selling to stock photo sites. Right? Well, when I came across Wirestock, it was neither, actually. I was happy uploading some of my images to Unsplash. And on a few occasions, I’d looked at submission guidelines for stock image sites like Adobe Stock and Shutterstock but found them complicated. Selling my photography would have to wait. It became something I would do later. Let’s face it, one of those I’ll do it later tasks that I never really get to do.
Then came Wirestock!
With Wirestock, I found an easy way to submit my images to multiple stock image sites. Then I started making money from them within a few months. Something that, given my basic research into the topic, doesn’t happen quickly on larger marketplaces. Within an hour of my account being approved, I had linked my Unsplash and was on my way.
With that in mind, and knowing what a talented bunch you lot are, I thought I’d share. Especially if you’ve already started making a contribution to Unsplash. They link, so you can be submitting your images to other paid sites, immediately. This was simple enough and gave me a good start on a portfolio of images I already knew did well.
After that initial push, I focused on getting more images that the larger stock providers would accept (see the image above). These agencies are looking for exclusive photos that don’t appear online for free. This was easy enough for me. I have photos stored from 2013 onwards. So, one of the first things I did was go through my hard drives for possible images to add to my account. After blogging for all these years, I found a lot of food and drink images (a popular download for me). Some just had to be exported in larger sizes. While others I re-edited so they were less stylised.
After that search through the archives, I had something like 75 photos to upload. Which, if I had to shop them around to all the agencies individually, complete the information on each photo, would’ve been a nightmare. The best part about Wirestock is that you can add as much or as little information as you like. The biggest time sucks for me, I took the easy route, was selecting between Commercial and Editorial images*. Within a couple of weeks, I had over one hundred images available to purchase on different sites across the internet.
If you’re interested – a quick tip
It would be worth looking into the Wirestock Submission Guidelines. I think it will help you get it right the first time. So that you’re not uploading a lot of images that will be declined. It took me a while to get a handle on the Commercial/Editorial thing (I kept forgetting specific art like tattoos), but now it’s easy to separate the two. I’ve added an excerpt of the submission guidelines distinguishing between the two, below.
What I earned in my first few months
As you can see from my dashboard, I was able to secure over $30 in image sales in May increasing from $11 in April. Which had substantially increased from 30c in my first month (March). Sure, that’s not anything that you’re going to quit your day job on anytime soon. But with this kind of thing, it’s a start. Especially considering that none of these photos is from specific content shoots for stock image. All of these images were sourced from my hard drives. They haven’t cost me a cent to make!
I hope to continue to grow my portfolio with seasonal and special occasion type images. On Unsplash, I’ve always said my aim was to create more Australian based content, and that continues to be true. Stock Image sites can be so Americanised, that it’s almost impossible for us to find what we need. I want to do more of that too. You know, if you blog too, the sort of content it can be hard to find; I wish to make more of that. More plus-size people. More real-life.
Do you want to sign up for Wirestock?
Now, if you’re interested in signing up to sell your images through Wirestock, please click through my referral link here. For everyone that signs up, I will get a percentage of your sales (taken from the Wirestock end, from what I can tell) for up to two years. Which is, if you ask me, another pretty awesome way to generate a passive income for just sharing a product (app?) that I love.
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Extract from the Submission Guidelines:
COMMERCIAL VS EDITORIAL LICENSE TYPES
Before submitting your photos, it is important to understand the difference between editorial and commercial license types, so you choose the correct one.
Commercial content can be used to commercialise, monetise, sell, promote, and advertise a product, business or service. It could be used on a billboard, a website, a blog, a brochure, a Facebook Ad, or even a television commercial. Generally speaking, commercial content requires:
Permission from every recognisable person in the image in the form of a signed and valid model release and minor release which allows the photographer (filmmaker or illustrator) to license the content commercially
Signed and valid property releases, if applicable, for recognisable private property, artwork, graffiti, and tattoos granting permission from the property owner to commercially license the content (read more about property releases for the specifics on when they are needed and what information is required)
No visible trademarks, company names or logos be present in the content.
That the image is free of any intellectual property infringements
That the location, object, or event is not restricted
Editorial is the opposite of commercial in that editorial content cannot be used to sell, promote, or monetise a business, product or service. It can contain logos, business names and recognisable people without model releases. Editorial content CANNOT be used to monetise a business but can be used for news or educational purposes. This type of editorial is referred to as documentary editorial. News organisations, such as the BBC or The New York Times, will often use stock imagery in their news feeds to illustrate a story, event, or news development.
