Can You Wear Shapewear and Be Body Positve? Hell Yes You CAN.

Over the past few years the phrase “Body positivity “ has taken over the internet. It gave people the nudge they needed to say “Yes I have a fupa, so the fuck what!” or take whatever body insecurity they have and realize that they were not alone and we are here to love on you and support you as we deal with our own shit too.

For the first time in years, more and more women…. and men were letting it all hang out. Beautiful stretch marks and bat wings and jelly rolls were filling the internet as people finally started excepting their right now bodies. You know what the right now body is right? It’s your body in its current state before we start promising to lose weight or dieting or whatever it is that we say to ourselves whenever we don’t feel adequate. Now we all know anytime overweight people start loving on themselves here come the damn health trolls inserting their 2 cents with their Google medical degrees and Web MD stats. Like really where the hell did you come from and please sit down and STFU!

There seemed to be forward momentum and solidarity in the plus-size community, Until that is it was stated that you can’t say that you represent body positivity if you wear shapewear?1?!

Wayment, what!

So you mean to tell me that because I wear my shapewear I’m not body positive. You say I’m hiding or ashamed of my body. Well, I say y’all crazy as hell. How about I was raised by my grandma and a lady didn’t dare put on a dress or skirt without a slip or girdle because you didn’t want all your business to be showing, I mean and let’s be honest it makes the garment fit better. If some of us didn’t put on a bra our breasts would be hanging mighty low. We put on that bra because what? We want them to sit up and look a certain way, Right? Well, I pulled these damn Spanx up because I want one stomach in my dress, not two wtf.

There were multiple articles posted and loads of influencers saying that pushing shapewear is equivalent to body shaming. I say pump the brakes. If shapewear isn’t your thing then, by all means, carry on. But wearing doesn’t mean that you hate your body without nor does it mean you have to wear it all the time. Its an accessory just like a scarf, a pair of earrings or a belt. It may not be necessary to add to every outfit but its good to know you have one in the drawer. Now I would never give my unsolicited advice to anyone but when asked my professional opinion I’m gonna give an honest one. As a stylist, my job is to make sure that every client I come in contact with look and feel their personal best. And the first lesson I teach to my clients is a well fitted and pulled together look starts with a great foundation (bra, panties, shapewear or hosiery)

So say what you will, I love me, all of me, every roll, piece of back fat, side titty and the dimples in my thighs cause I look good! But there are times where they need to be tucked neatly in place so I can handle my business. Listen I want everyone to feel comfortable in their skin and whatever you need to help you feel that way, I’m all for that as well.

Now lets just all get along and continue to slay these streets!

image taken by photographer Substantia Jones

Period with a Purpose!

It was just another late night of scrolling on Instagram and I came across an ad for Cora. Cora offers organic cotton period supplies in a subscription service. In this day and age where we order everything from cars to groceries online, why not our personal needs from a company specializing in them? Cora offers both pads and tampons as well as liners, body cloths and bladder leak pads.

The first thing I loved about the company is that they offered your first month of supplies for free all you have to do is cover the shipping which was minuscule. You start with an in depth survey that ask you a series of question pertaining to your period and your product preference. At the end of the survey they put together a custom kit and then allow you to add items such as liners and body cloths (individual or pouch) for an additional $2. After your trial, if you decide to continue your next shipment will contain a 3 month supply for around $39 and after doing the math its cheaper that what I usually would spend over the course of three months.

So all that aside let me tell you what really sold me on Cora. For every one month supply of pads/tampons you purchase, a monthly supply of pads are given to a school age girl in Africa and India to allow them to continue to go to school during their menstrual cycle. These young women are forced to miss school during their periods because they do not have adequate supplies to wear. They are left using plastic bags, rags and other items which could possibly leave them at risk for infection. This company’s mission not only brings supplies to these young ladies but health education as well, and because of the supplies they receive they see a decrease in dropouts among pubescent girls in these countries. Talk about a mission! I felt empowered. Knowing that I had a direct effect on a young woman hundreds of miles away and that my purchase would help her continue her education, it was a no brainer.

Now, I know you’re wondering “Are the products any good”? I’m in love. So I received my free monthly supply fairly quickly, I decided to go with the tampon kit with added liners and bamboo body cloths. When I open the package everything was neatly packed and there was a stock-card explaining what was inside and what my next shipment would contain. There was also some more information about the company and their mission. Now their products are made of 100% organic cotton and are hypoallergenic and vegan. It also was stated that by using organic cotton and chemical free tampons they would lessen your menstrual cramps and that was something I was looking forward to. The box was comprised of a mixture of super and super+ tampons, cloths and liners. By the 5th day of my cycle I knew that I was going to tell every woman I knew about Cora and I was going to get my daughter a subscriptions as well.

My sample Box

Now fast forward to me receiving my 3 month supply, I decided to go with a pad subscription and a tampon subscription because it gets real over here. lol At the time, they didn’t have a combined subscription that offered both but low and behold they do now. So I received a 3 month supply of both pads and tampons with carrying cases for each plus wipes and liners.

I knew after my trial month I really liked the product but I wanted to see if I would make it the entire 3 months without having to go to my local drug store. But here a look at what I received!

So here we are at the end of my 3 moths and these by far are the best tampons I’ve ever used. I had little to no leaks and they were very comfortable. based on my profile quiz I was sent a mix of super and super plus which is very accurate. Now I can’t lie I was not a fan of the pads I’m not sure if its the fact that I received the ones with no wings or what.They also weren’t as adhesive as I’m use to, they shifted a lot and that’s something I not have happen because it’s going to be a whole accident. lol

Since making the switch to the organic cotton tampons I can say that my cramps are so much better. I cant tell you the relief that I’ve experienced over the past several months. Once I really learned about all the chemicals in traditional tampons It was a no brainer that I was #Teamorganiccotton from here on out.

Listen head over Instagram and visit Cora’s Page and see for yourself. These products are De’Starr approved. Help your body and help someones else in the process.

“I am my sister’s keeper”