There was a recent advice article in a magazine that cause quite a stir. It was giving women without what we’d consider a “perfect body” advice on how to dress. Some of them were old favorites but one piece stood out for a lot of women, both those who are overweight and those who are just mothers. It was that crop tops should be avoided.

That really touches home for me. Two kids in two years drastically changed everything about my shape. My skin on my abdomen will never be the same on its own and it’s been a source of trouble for my confidence for years. You know what though? It’s okay to not be perfect. And further, it’s okay to dress however you want and however you feel your best. It’s not up to others to decide if it’s okay for you to enjoy parts of the fashion world or to tell you to avoid them.

Handkerchief Crop Top | Floral Palazzo Pants |
Black Caged Pumps | Necklace is Vintage (90s!)

So I put on one of my favorite trends of the 90s: A tight crop top with loose pants. As a child of the 90s, I saw this on tv all the time and always loved it. The tops were usually single colored with spaghetti straps or something simple, and the pants were incredibly loose. (Anyone remember JNCOs?)

Do you know what made this photoshoot the most special? My photographer. The hands on the DSLR taking pictures in my beauty room are only 7 years old, and he thinks that his mom is beautiful. He doesn’t see the loose skin. He doesn’t see the scars. He doesn’t see all of the things that made me so scared to go in front of a camera in a trend I love. He saw that his mom had a very pretty shirt and his little brother saw that Mom had crazy high, gorgeous shoes.

So I’m not going to worry about what someone writing an article thinks. I’m going to try to see myself as my children see me, and love myself in ANY outfit.