It was a magnificent experience, being able to connect with plethora of body positive advocates from the UK and America at The Curve Fashion Festival in Liverpool.
I was surprised at the number of attendees who had travelled from around the country. It was obvious that friends were using this opportunity to socialise and support each other. It is certainly a must-do event on any plus size fashionistas calendar.
Essentially, it felt like a celebration of all things body positive. Providing a space where attendees had access to models and their favourite celebrities, plus the latest trends.
I have heard many times that the shopping experience for plus size customers is limited in terms of choice but this was certainly not the case at the Festival.
The event had such a community vibe. Evidenced by the warm and sociable atmosphere. It was wonderful to see how empowered everyone felt where there was no fear of being judged.
I saw Pageant Queens encouraging participation in their events. Allowing some of us to live out a little of their childhood dream of looking like a princess - myself included. It was refreshing to witness and experience the reinforcement of self-love and confidence.
Catching up with the Plus Size Super Model Tess Holliday was an inspiring experience. She is a big deal and this has been shown in the way she has been dominating the British Media on her recent visit.
She uses her platform to bring more awareness to the body positive movement and marginalised groups. She is also the founder of the #effyourbeautystand hashtag which to date has had three million posts on Instagram alone.
Tess explained that body positive means respecting everyone's choice to do what they wish to do with their bodies, dress how they want without judgment from others. Allowing individuals to look how they want.
She also outlined that has learnt to accept her self by discovering that not everyone is going to be in your life forever. Having people around that uplift and support her helps too. She fully understands her dreams along with the fact that she is okay in her body.
When Tess started out she did not understand body positivity and is still learning. She is always telling everyone that 'loving yourself is a journey not a destination'.
I would like to thank everyone the organisers and everyone that I met at The Curve Fashion Festival making my first experience informative, fun and inspiring.