Today and tomorrow I’m giving you all the little snippets that I couldn’t figure out how to use in my earlier posts but that I don’t want to let go to waste. They’re all related.
First, more about Charla Krupp. Her picture on the left comes at the beginning of her book as an example of a “high-fat look”. On the right is her “no-fat look”, after she has followed her own advice.
Below, see the high-fat and no-fat looks from her chapter called “How to Never Look Fat with a Big Bust”.
In each example, I prefer the look on the left! What about you? I’m not saying that they’re perfect, but each high-fat look has personality. Each no-fat look says “Hide Me“.
Charla Krupp’s high-fat look says to me, “I’m creative, energetic and ready to go.” Her no-fat look says, “I’m conservative and slightly fearful.” The model’s high-fat look says, “I’m adventurous.” Her no-fat look says, “I play it safe.” (Of course, there are several other possible messages, depending on the context . . . flighty vs. calm; rebel vs. team player, etc.)
I confess: the no-fat looks have been staples in my closet. And there’s a place for them. And I know many hard-charging women with conservative looks who take giant risks. But I want to explore what happens when we focus on our personalities when we get dressed instead of worrying about what to hide. (Nothing after the jump.)
My first comment … I agree I think the "high fat" looks better. I think they look less fat, in fact. You can see a waist in the "high fat" look but the "low fat" looks don't really have a defined waist, which makes the model look shapeless.
In the pant look, the boobs are spilling over the belt a bit, so maybe a slightly thinner belt or less tight belt would be better.
I also agree that the "high fat" looks have personality. The purple dress has some personality. But the gray skirt, white top, black blazer is such a snooze. Not even fun shoes?
I definitely wouldn't take fashion/dressing advice from this person.
Oh — I like the no-fat looks better! I understand what you're saying about the "personality" of a look, but I think the no-fat looks make you focus on the person's face, not the clothes. In a way, you can focus more on the person than on the trappings of the person — does that make sense?
I've been guilty of "personality" dressing in the past. I went through a phase where I had all these quirky, colorful, printed skirts, and I thought they represented my personality really well. But, they emphasized the wrong part of my body completely! So I was shouting "here's who I am!" while I was actually obscuring who I am to some extent, by calling attention to my outfit, not to me.
That being said, the second no-fat look could definitely use some better shoes or a great necklace! 🙂
Theresa, I was hoping someone would comment on the specifics of the looks. I noticed that about the waist, too. Even though she's standing in her "slim" pose (slightly turned) in the dress on the right, she's the same width at the waist (or more) than in the "fat" look. I would have chosen different accessories and shoes with the "fat" dress, but I still like it better than the one on the right.
Also, maybe even just a less tight shirt would have been better w/ the pants look. I normally would avoid it entirely b/c of the breast pockets, but I really like the look on her.
Melissa, you are always the voice of balance. Carried to extremes, "personality dressing" can be a negative. I've been guilty of that before, too. (And sometimes of just trying to be a personality I'm not but think I should be.)