Aly Avina

Source: @alywiththecurves / Instagram
Happy Women’s History Month to all our readers. This is the month where we nationally celebrate all the women who have and are making an impact on our society. This month, we’re highlighting plus size model and influencer Aly Avina from Virginia as Shapely’s Fatshionable Style Icon. Aly inspired us deeply with her style and fashion sense and her mantra, “Wear what scares you.” Check out her thoughts and more below.

What inspires your style?

I have this specific phrase that I’ve said a lot in my time as a plus size influencer and it is what inspires and defines my style: “Wear what scares you.” It’s a very simple yet very effective phrase. And what I mean by it is, as a plus size woman, there are so many types of fashion choices we have been taught to avoid to the point where it has become ingrained in our brains that we absolutely cannot wear them. Bodycon dresses, crop tops, bikinis, anything that shows off our legs and the list goes on and on. Personally, I was terrified to wear anything of the sort for most of my life up until two years ago. I started slow but still chose a fashion trend that I knew would be scared to try — a red bodycon dress. A sleeveless one, at that. Once I realized I could wear that dress and not only survive but in fact look pretty damn incredible while I wore it, I never looked back. So I repeat, “Wear what scares you.” It was the best thing I ever did and continues to inspire my style choices daily.

“There are many, many obstacles plus size women face on a daily basis. A major one I’ve dealt with is the issue of having people constantly make stereotypical assumptions about me or even underestimate my abilities simply because of my size. ”

— Aly Avina

This month, Shapely will focus on plus size women and will explore ideas and issues impacting them and solutions. As well as, Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. What issue has impacted you as a plus size woman and how did you find a solution?

There are many, many obstacles plus size women face on a daily basis. A major one I’ve dealt with is the issue of having people constantly make stereotypical assumptions about me or even underestimate my abilities simply because of my size. A good example of something I have faced repeatedly is a lack of proper medical care because of my larger size. It’s become a running joke in the plus size community that you could be going to the doctor for something like a sprained wrist and they’re going to say something along the lines of, “It would probably help if you lost some weight.”

I have endometriosis, which is a serious disease that affects 1 in 10 women that doctors tend not to take seriously. But add in the fact that I am overweight and the probability of my doctor taking the right steps to get me assessed and start forming a treatment plan is typically slim to none. I realize that this is something I will always have to deal with when trying to get medical care. However, I have learned to find my voice and advocate for my health until they hear me and take me seriously, otherwise it will never get done. I firmly believe whether it’s dealing with doctors like this or in other situations where people around you are making unjustified and stereotypical assumptions about you because of your weight, you need to find your voice and let it be heard. The strength in that will get you far.

Source: Courtesy of Aly Avina/Instagram.

What can people learn from plus size influencers, like yourself?

I hope that they learn that there is something to be said for a plus size woman who embodies confidence. Someone who takes charge of her life, in her style, and how the world perceives her. So the best thing you can do is do what I did: build your confidence, wear what makes you happy, do something you’re passionate about, and never let others’ unsolicited opinions or advice bring you down. Finally, just know that there will be days when you’re not feeling like your best self. But that’s okay, as long as you remind yourself who you really are in the end.

Give us three principles that you live by that have added to your success? It can be a quote or your own values.

It’s definitely imperative to have principles to live by when working in this field. So my first principle is, never compare yourself to others. It’s such an easy habit to fall into and much harder to avoid but once you turn off that urge, your life will be a lot easier. Trust me when I say that it is miserable looking at what other influencers and creators are doing and thinking that their content is better in some way or more stylish or creative. Furthermore, if I look at their recent post and see it is getting a lot more engagement than mine that day, I wonder what’s wrong with what I posted. It is a slippery slope to go down and I would never recommend it. So turning that urge off to compare myself to others is a key principle.

The second principle would be not to let others’ opinions or nasty comments weigh you down. In fact, I try to avoid comment threads altogether when I can, unless it is something I directly posted. In the past, I’ve been the victim of trolling attacks when a video of mine has gone viral. I’ve had nasty comments written in the thread of a brand who reposted me. I used to really let that bring me down but it’s not worth it. The truth is, these people are hiding behind a screen. They’re not at my front door spewing their trolling comments to my face. So who cares? It’s not worth basing my self worth on. Lastly, be kind to yourself. This covers a lot of things under this one principle such as knowing when I need to take a break instead of overworking myself. As well as, not being too hard on myself when things don’t go exactly right. It’s important to know my limits and to know when I need to stay positive even if I don’t feel inspired to do so at that moment. Always be kind to yourself — it’s the best thing you can do for you and for your work.

Such wise words from Aly and Shapely is proud to share them with our readers. To learn more about Aly feel free to follow her on Instagram.

If you would like to be featured as a Fatshionable style icon, please email Shapely at info@shapelyevents.com.

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