by Danielle Young

Have you ever sat in a cubicle, cranking out mind-numbing projects for something you barely believed in, all the while, yearning for more? Christina Lewis did just that--developed the courage to kiss the stability of corporate America goodbye, all while channeling her creative passion into something new--blogging. Unhappy with her 9-5 as a graphic designer for BET (a dream job for many), she developed her blog www.musingsofafatshionista.com. It's a good thing she followed her passion because Christina's blog has been a beacon of light (or dark--if you follow her blog) for every fat girl out there that wants more from plus size fashion than oversized tops and leggings. PLUS Model Mag recently sat down with one of our favorite bloggers and chatted about everything from older vs. younger generations of fatshionable women, what trends need to go away and Christina's hope to one day collaborate with a designer to create a collection.

Danielle: How did you first find out about the vast world of Plus Size Fashion?

Christina: I've been personally blogging on LiveJournal since 2003. That's where I met Gabi from YoungFatandFabulous.com and Jay from Fatshionable.com. That's how I found out about plus size fashion. I went to art school and you're surrounded by creative kids who express themselves through their appearance. I looked at myself and I was like, "What the hell am I doing? What are my outfits saying about me?" That's how I started to look at fashion as more than putting on a t-shirt and jeans and leaving the house. I started to look at it like, this is how I am choosing to present myself to the world--my statement today. Through personal blogging, I found the LiveJournal community, Fatshionista, which is monumental for me. That's where I found out about plus size retailers and online shopping and different tidbits about being fashionable as a plus size woman.

 

Danielle: Why did you start your fashion blog Musings of a Fatshionista?

Christina: I originally started the blog to post random things I found. Like, "Hey, that's a cute jacket." Or, "I like those shoes." It never really had a purpose, it was just another outlet for me to post about stuff I couldn't afford as a college student. It slowly developed into what it is now. I still use it as an outlet. I blog to bring my perspective to plus size fashion. No one else has the same perspective as me. I'm not here asking you to judge my outfits. I'm just showing how I dress. You can like it or not. If I wasn't getting 20,000 hits a month, my blog would be the exact same.

 

Danielle: You've been able to expand yourself overseas and write with Evans UK blog. How is that experience?

Christina: Evans customers are much older, so they have a different relationship with their body. They're not as willing to try things as some of us younger women are. So, I'll post something with no sleeves and it would be like the worst thing ever. There'd be 40-50 comments on Facebook, like, "How dare you propose we wear this? I have big arms! How am I supposed to wear this without getting laughed at?" That was a whole new world to me. In my circle of people--everyone is comfortable with their body. Everyone isn't 100% comfortable, but they're at a point where they're not letting those insecurities dictate how they dress themselves and they're not letting magazines dictate how they should dress themselves. To hear that there were a lot of women--there wasn't one or two. That messed with me a little bit. I was like, "How am I supposed to appeal to this demographic when what they want goes against everything that I stand for?" That was once again a little bit of an issue. I still love blogging for them and I think that they're trying to balance pleasing two demographics--the youthful one that wants fashion and the older generation that wants to be covered and hates various parts of their bodies.