How The Little Women in My Life Inspire Me Featuring adidas

Pretty much all the honest truth-telling there is in the world is done by children. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

With everything going on in the world at the moment surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic, social distancing has forced many people to reflect, me included.

With Women's History Month and International Women's Day both happening this month, March is always a time that I reflect on the women in my life who have inspired me to be a better person. And being home, practicing social distancing has me in double reflection mode.

I'll be totally transparent and admit that I have been practicing social distancing for a while now, since my niece died over a year ago. 

As many of you know, my oldest niece Teá passed away in August 2018 at the age of 18. And she was my biggest cheerleader. She loved fashion and wanted to be a fashion designer. 

When you lose a child in your life, it hits deeper than other losses. Losing my dad and brother were different. Still painful but different. Losing a child forces you to truly see life can end at any time. And for me, it was so much easier to retreat into my cave and not engage with others as I tried to figure out how to deal with the tragic loss. 

Fashion and style has always been one of the major driving forces in my relationship with my nieces. Those two things helped all of us build confidence, connect and honestly, feel happy. 

My nieces inspire me on so many levels because they have made me into the woman I am today. When I look at them, I see my reflection and that reminds me to keep pushing through. 

I'm better because of them. They have taught me patience and compassion. They have reminded me of my beauty and greatness. They encourage me to keep my confidence consistent. They also remind me to be present and live fully in the moment. 

Basically, my nieces, my "little women", are an important part of my life. They are like my lifeline. 

They are the ones who encourage me to be different and celebrate who I am. 

My late niece especially. She was all about creating her own trends and not being a slave to what the industry offered. She wore what she loved and boy, did she love fashion! 

When my nieces were babies, I worried so much about them and always tried to lead by example but it hasn't always been easy, especially being on a journey of my own. 

This journey included me finding out who I was, learning to love myself unconditionally and in turn, being who I was 100% through my style. 

Fear had always been the deciding factor when I wanted to wear something bold that was so me. Fear of what others would say or think. 

And my nieces see me in a different light than I do. So seeing myself through their eyes was so imperative to me during my journey because it showed me that I was my own biggest critic. 

While there were times in my life where I just wanted to blend in with the background and not have a spotlight on me because of that fear of how others would look at me, my nieces always reminded me that I should embrace my uniqueness and own my space. That the only opinion that should matter is the one I have for myself. 

They instilled in me the importance of the story I tell myself and how important it is to create a narrative that will uplift me and not bring me down. 

Part of my uniqueness is my love for sneakers, especially adidas. I have been known to incorporate sneakers into my looks, even wearing sneakers with a gown on the red carpet. 

Growing up in the 80's, the Run-DMC song "My adidas" became my "Rocky" anthem. To this day, when I hear that song and I'm wearing adidas, I walk taller with my head up high, with a pep in my step. I forget I'm a fat girl. I'm just me, rocking my style and my adidas. 

Being plus size, not every store carries my size, so to be able to shop for sneakers and not worry about my size not being offered is MAJOR. I feel included, especially since I'm a shoe size 9, which is considered average.  

What I love the most about adidas is how they celebrate women. This year for Women's History Month / International Women's Day, they are partnering with iFundWomen to support women entrepreneurs in sport.​ They want to create opportunity and visibility for women in the sport industry through access to funding and expert coaching. You can find out more here. 

Sneakers have been part of my DNA since I was a kid and to be able to feel like everyone else and wear the same things as everyone else gives me peace in a world where I constantly stand out, sometimes for the wrong reasons. 

I just want to exist, live my life to its fullest with lots of laughs and fun with my little women. But the world isn't that kind at times, with some expressing their opinions about me existing in a fat body. 

I did not set out to be an activist but living in a fat body makes me one every time I choose to walk out the door and into the world. 

My nieces remind me that while there are some who will react negatively to my existence, the majority of the world sees me as someone who inspires them to own their space. 

They also remind me the importance of my work of encouraging my audience to celebrate who they are and step into the power of their personal style no matter what size or age they are. 

I think about Teá every time I get dressed. Even after her death, she continues to take every step with me in this journey to living the best life possible. 

I'm so thankful for the little women in my life for just being in it. 

Suvana turns 18 this year in May and will be able to vote for the first time. She is a gifted artist who loves to wear all black, has a collection of combat boots and watches Steven Universe. 

Angel will be 14 in June, a few days after the six-year anniversary of the death of her dad. But that child has so much light and color that I know she will make him proud. Her Tik Tok videos kill me every time.  

Ashley will be 2 in May and is already showing that she has a stand out personality and is so independent. She loves to try on my adidas and walk around in them. Serenity is three weeks old and I cannot wait to see the woman that she becomes.  

Man, these kids make me want to do incredible things so they in turn will want to do the same. Plus, I want to always be the cool Auntie, lol. The next generation looks so bright and I hope I live long enough to see all them blossom into their ultimate greatness. 

At the end of the day, they remind me daily that we all have a story. Let's make sure it's a story worth living. 

Here's some links to check out while you're home!
My favorite collection from adidas - Superstar! CLICK HERE
My newest pair of kicks - trying out the Advantage style CLICK HERE
The tee I'm wearing - it's a men's tee (wearing a size 3X)! CLICK HERE

And the next 2 pairs I am eyeing:
Superstar kicks in a snake print - YES!!!
Superstar kicks in a heart print - OMGOSH!!!

**This blog post was sponsored by adidas but all opinions and statements are my own.