Plus Size Formal Red Dress: Becoming The Fat Princess I Always Needed
I wasn’t one of those girls who grew up dreaming of being a princess. Although I watched my fair share of Disney movies, I never saw anyone who looked like me unless they were a villain so the concept didn’t stick with me. I bought this for Full Figured Fashion Week’s Masquerade Ball.
Since I got the dress from , I was able to have it custom made for my height (which is 5’1†for reference). Shopping for is hard and not having a plus size formal red dress that drags on the ground when you’re petite is truly unheard of. I love that I don’t have to wear heels with this dress. It was a bonus that it made me feel like a princess but like a modern day one who is an intersectional feminist and swears a lot.
I honestly didn’t know when else I would have an occasion to wear this dress again. I am not exactly invited to balls on a regular basis (I WISH)! But my favorite Atlanta photographer Benjamin A. Pete gave me a reason to give this plus size formal red dress another spin! He had the perfect location in mind for us to shoot this look and I wanted to put my own spin on the princess vibes this dress gave me. He suggested that I style the look very minimal. I decided to wear no jewelry, toned-down makeup, my hair in its naturally curly state and go barefoot.
For those of you that know my traditionally over-the-top gaudy style, styling this more minimally was a true challenge for me. I also felt like kind of the point. I don’t identify with princess motifs. But I wanted to create the kind of princess imagery that I needed to see when I was young. A princess that loved herself and her body unapologetically. A princess with fat arms and a double chin. A princess that didn’t need a glass slipper from anyone else to be happy. I wanted that princess so I became her.
If you have a need for cheap , I highly suggest eShakti. This dress was extremely well made, held its shape through not one but two times being stuffed in a suitcase and, was under $100. Since eShakti offers custom options, it’s available up to a 6X. I can’t recommend enough!
Also, please check out what had to say about creating these images as well!