From dread to delight

Few things scared her more than jean shopping, until today.

     She peruses the racks with trepidation. Dare she pick something off the rack? Intellectually, she knows she needs a smaller size, she has not yet wrapped her head around it. Two years of running, exercising, watching what she eats. People keep telling her she looks great, she lost weight, etc. etc. When she looks in the mirror, she just does not see it, but the belts just are not holding up her pants anymore.
     She keeps looking at the size 16s and the XLs, feeling like a fool in the 10-12 section. Dare she pick up a Medium? A woman gives her the evil eye as she flips through the bigger jeans. Finally, she settles on 8 pairs of pants, some in 10-12s, and heads to the change room.
     Her palms are sweaty. Damn she hates these places with their fluorescent lights and full length mirrors. There is no where to hide. She wriggles into the first pair. And the funniest thing happens. She can zip them up! Emboldened now, she tries on the next, and the next. For confirmation, she tries on a couple larges. They are too big! Can it really be?  She is not sure, but she thinks it's been close to 20 years since she smiled in a change room.
     People who have never been there wouldn't get it. A size zero would wonder what all the fuss is about, but there are few things more frustrating and humiliating than going from the regular rack to the plus size, and few things more rewarding than shopping in the regular section again.

Reviews

[Laura Harrison]

Shockingly very relatable to most people nowadays (especially teenage girls) and something that more people should be aware of. I think that everybody should read this.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you kindly. I appreciate the feedback.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

You have captured so much emotion related to how we see our body and self worth in this piece and reflect the attitude of the world to image KLG

[Scott Metro]

Interesting..I cannot relate to the experience...but you have described well what the thoughts and feelings must be,

Well done.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you. That is helpful to know that even someone who cannot exactly relate gets it.

[Neville]

I agree with jane7z with regard to the amount of detail you have squeezed into just a couple of paragraphs and as a bloke (man/male) I can truly empathise and agree with the last sentence entirely..

N

[jane7z]

I like how you put so much into two paragraphs about body image, very relatable!