Do you envy slim/thin friends who look great in charity shop bargains.

Everyone has a bikini body
You just need to get a bikini and put it on your body

And hope you don’t frighten the horses! 😂

Some people, whether thin or weightier, can wear a sack and still look great. I speak from my own experience and I am not that person.

Yip I hear you! Was always an 8/10/12 depending on make. Now like you 14/16 even 18 with some makes..My close friend 50yrs+ is still size 8/10...Gets lots of wee holiday things in Primark size 8/10....🤢. Lol x

Comparison is the thief of joy !
That said I have a hard enough time finding high street clothes that fit well as I am not blessed with height so I've no chance in a charity shop lol !
I do sew so make quite a lot of my own clothes so I can get the fit right.

keepingquiet

If my friends sent me pics of how great they look in their clothes they wouldn't be my friends for long.

I agree - I was brought up to avoid ‘showing off’, but a lot of people seemingly weren’t!

I used to have this ‘knack’ of putting together outfits that looked good from charity shops, in those days I was slim and fit and I knew what suited me. So I think it had something to do with self-confidence and also with being slim.

I don’t have a clue what suits me now! A friend took me to have my ‘colours’ analysed, I was told not to wear black (my favourite colour for clothes), and I resorted to what I realise were clothes that screamed ‘don’t look at me!’ in neutral colours that were meant to suit me.

I’m now trying to rediscover the pleasure of clothes in fabrics and colours that I like.

The character on The Fast Show who used to ask ‘Does my bum look big in this?’ Summed up the insecurity a lot of us feel about our appearance! I have a friend who looks lovely in clothes she picks up from the supermarket, but there’s no point being jealous of her - she isn’t struggling with self-esteem, though she’s had plenty of other struggles in her life.

If you feel good in something you’re wearing…..then wear it with pride! And I know this to be true ……if you’re concerned about your shape annd your weight ……. isn’t exercise that shifts the pounds, it the food you eat!

I agree with Cossy: flipping meds. Post heart attack, went from Size 10 to the now Size 18. In 18 months. If you read the inserts in the pill boxes, many state that there will be weight gain. Depressing.

Yes no point in thinking it negatively. These thoughts creep in I know🤔
I'm sure you look fine. 🤣mum used to say 'it's the way you hold your mouth!' lol. She meant the way you wear it with a smile stand as straight as poss.
The bargains are in the charity shops for all sizes, I'd say, wear what suits your figure 😊.
It's what's inside that really matters

Trousers are my bug bear! If they fit on my waist they are big on my hips and if they fit on my hips they will be too small for my waist😡 I tend to go for dark coloured trousers and bright coloured tops in the hope of drawing eyes away from my bottom half 🙄

OnwardandUpward

I don't think comparing ourselves to our (slimmer) friends is helpful either, especially as many of them are probably wishing they were curvy.

Absolutely when you are skinny and have no boobs, nothing looks good on you. As someone else said, we are rarely satisfied with our bodies, but need to learn to love them instead.

OnwardandUpward

I don't think comparing ourselves to our (slimmer) friends is helpful either, especially as many of them are probably wishing they were curvy.

Agreed. And the opposite as well.

My bugbear is that I am slim with a small waist. Sounds lovely doesn't it? Fashionable slim/skinny jeans are a dream.

However I have a bust like Katie Price - have since I was 12. Charity shops don't sell minimiser bras. Point of fact there is nothing to take the weight off, minimize, smooth all that excess flesh.

Most of us have figure problems - my solution is to wear what I wear and a smile. Consequently white or black T-shirts, dark jumpers, and jeans.

IMO, people don't get excited enough about lovely shoes. 👠

I wish I had the knack of charity shop buying. If I walk in to one am immediately put off by rails of stuff all jumbled together in different styles and colours.
I can only cope with clothes shopping with items in an orderly display of size with similar items grouped together so that I can quickly scan.

I haven’t the patience to sift through rails of what appears to be tat looking for gems, but would like to, because it is much more ethical than buying new.

I don’t mean charity clothes are tat, they just appear that way to me. I often donate clean and wearable things myself. My friend (slim) buys most of her clothing from charity shops, she is super ethical.

I am like you, Farzanah, I just see a jumble of clothes.My fiend however, can spot a designer item immediately. She is an expert at it.
She once found a new, black, Planet coat for me for £10.
It is my funeral coat and has been worn so many times.

Most charity shops local to me have items in different size groups, 10/1214 etc so they’re easy to look through.

I sometimes buy in charity shops ( as our high street is full.of them with other stores closing down regularly). The key to finding a bargain that looks good is the same as buying new clothes but involves more luck as the perfect item might not be in your size or colour so you need to walk away. . You need to establish what colours, styles, lengths suit your complexion and build, and which brand sizes fit you well. Do not buy cheap makes that are made out of cheap fabrics or expensive makes that are over worn and bobby. Be discerning and only buy items looks in good condition that will compliment the rest of your wardrobe.. Ask yourself would I buy this if it were new? Do not deviate from these rules. if the colour style or size or fit is wrong, it's never going to look good.

No I don’t feel envious about anyone’s body! I’ve worked very hard to lose 3 stone despite steriods, I’ve got some fantastic clothes from charity shops and loads of others that I have bought from new, I actually think anyone can look good despite their size having worked in clothes shops for many years and as beauty consultant too, I think if you start with the right hairstyle for your face and work down chose your clothes wisely anyone can look great. Get to know your styles and the colours that suit you and go for it,

Georgesgran

I just envy slim/thin friends.
Period.

You nailed it.
My solid Irish bones have one message for the Universe
"add fat to me".
And , if I'm not constantly vigilant , that's what happens.
I try not to let the envy show......

Your friend is confident and loves herself just the way she is. If you could copy that you would feel and look great whatever your size.

I am a size 14 and neither fat nor thin, though I have fairly large hips and thighs. At 75 I have accepted my shape and don't envy slimmer friends now.

I'm a few pounds heavier than I'd like to be, but if I told you my weight you'd all say "Gosh I wish I could be that weight!" However, due to being born with Scoliosis, I'm only 4 ft 6 in, so yes I wish was slimmer, but my two Bezzies are also more rounded than they'd like to be! I'm sorry if this sounds snooty - which I'm not, but I never buy clothes from charity shops. I do shop at Primark though and online at SHEIN - bought some lovely dresses from there!
I'm careful with what I eat and do try to lose it, but it gets harder the older you get. The main thing is to enjoy your life the way you are!

Ime lucky to be a size 8/10 and have found some amazing clothes in charity shops. I think it’s how you put an outfit together that really can make you look and feel good about how you look.

A few of my friends can look amazing just by throwing a scarf around their neck or shoulders! It’s a skill I simply don’t have, never did. Yes, I do love but envy them.

I'm a lot thinner now so have the opposite problem to many here. My hips and bum are narrow but my waist is quite wide. Can't wear hipster trousers as they would hang on me, and fall down
Just don't have much of an appetite anymore and I'm around 7.5stone now. Used to be a 14 size now a 10. Always shop in charity shops or on eb. but clothes seem to hang on me instead of fitting well.

The most important thing anyone can do is make sure they are wearing the right colors as no matter your size or shape, you'll always look amazing if you find your right colors. Remember Color me Beautiful? My Mum had a consultation to find hers, but I bought the book second hand and worked it out myself because I'm more careful with money.

When I was a girl/young woman I had a friend who was slimmer than I and would have looked glamerous in a bin bag. I also had a very pretty younger sister. There was a time when I longed to be "pretty".

My very wise grandmother taught me that its a mistake to envy "pretty" women. She taught me that "plain girls" can make a lot of themselves if they take the trouble. I grew to be 5 ft 8 ins (which is tall for a woman) and knew how to use my height. I learned to walk into a room as though I owned it, even if I knew no one there.

I will never be a sweet little old lady. I prefer to be a tall and impressive one.