About Fearlessly Just Me

 

Image: Shot by Fumie Hoppe for Dia & Co

Fearlessly Just Me is about...

Visibility. Inclusion. Liberation.

Fitting in has been the major theme in my life. I’ve never fit in anywhere and have always been told I am not enough. 

I’m not dark enough to be a “real” Latina. “Too white”

I’m not thin enough. “Too fat”

I’m not strong enough. “Too sensitive”

I never felt I belonged anywhere. So I had no idea what inclusion felt like. I felt invisible and this made me not feel free. However, I learned I had to get past what others thought of me and work on what I thought of myself. I had to truly look within myself and see my beauty. I had to see that my fat body is magical and can do incredible things.  

Once I became “woke”, I realized that women like me are often gaslighted as a means to keep us from not being visible and feeling liberated and that stems from the fat phobia of others. It has nothing to do with me personally and more to do with how those people feel about fat bodies via their own negative way of thinking and sometimes insecurities about themselves. Like my dad would always say, if you ain't right, the world will never be right in your eyes.

And I am not about that life where the world is trying to control how much space I take simply because I am not considered a beauty ideal. I refuse to be invisible. 

I love fashion and consider myself a fashion geek. However, being a size 26/28/4X has made fitting into fashion a challenge where again, I don’t fit in. I am not the perfect size 18 with an hourglass figure and flat tummy. And I have to admit, it stings a lot when I see brands use the term inclusive but yet they stop at a size 24. If that’s inclusive, which means all, and my size is not included, what does that say about how that brand feels about me? 

The media feeds into that and inclusive has become this buzzword that has taken a life of its own with everyone defining it as it benefits them. And I am not standing for that. 

This website started out as a personal blog to share my journey to the world. However, along the way, I decided my life’s mission was more than that. 

I have become a voice for those who feel like me… like they don’t fit in anywhere. So I am going to turn FJM into a place that truly welcomes folks like me. This site will feature news, fashion, lifestyle and other important topics for those over a size 24/3X. There will be other topics discussed as well that are not size-related.  

A forever rule on this site:  If it ain’t inclusive, I won’t call it inclusive. 

Thank you for joining me on this new journey for all of us to become Fearlessly Just Me. Let’s all get liberated together and stay fabulous in the bodies we're in NOW. 

Image: Shot by Jessica Milagros Photography