Midsize Style, Instagram, and Me
I’ve blogged here before about my evolving relationship with style. This year I decided to lean into it as a new side hobby (besides writing, of course). One reason is that I needed a new side hobby: gardening hasn’t been doing it for me, contra dancing has been scant although that’s about to change, travel has still been mostly on hold, and I like rotating hobbies but it’s been a while since I picked up a new one. Another is that [CW: weight…..] like many people, I’ve gained weight in the past few years, so I wanted to tap into ways to feel good about my body as it is now. Instagram has turned out to be a great source for that, interestingly enough. Yes, yes, the evils of social media and so on, but it’s all about who you interact with and follow/friend. I’m now following a variety of folks of all sizes, some style-related, others exercise- and outdoors-related (more aspirational than inspirational at this point, alas). I’m staying away from “how to flatter your body” and “how not to wear…” accounts, focusing instead on people with a wide range of personal styles, both trendy and not. “Midsize” is a term originating on TikTok, meaning folks who, like me, aren’t quite plus size but are near the top of “straight” sizes. Following midsize style accounts gives me a sense of how things might look on my body and encourages me to be more daring. I’m also following people who…