Every day is a perfect day to celebrate you and your curves! But for National Curves Day we wanted to give you guys something extra special! Falling on the second Wednesday in October, National Curves Day is a fun one and we thought to chat a bit with a few plus size influencers…
We asked Essie Golden, Alex Michael May, and Natalie Hage to chat with us about learning to love and accept their curves, what they’d like to see for the future of plus size fashion, and their partnership with Kohl’s plus line, EVRI!
Celebrating National Curves Day with Essie, Alex, & Natalie
On Personal Style:
How would you describe your style?
Essie: I would describe my style as street, sweet, and chic.
Alex: I lean heavily into glam vibes and have a weakness for all things extra – colors, textures, sequins, structure. I love making a statement with what I wear. I think fashion has the power to be an icebreaker and to make us feel confident by allowing us to express ourselves in a nonverbal, creative way.
Natalie: I like to think I’m a little edgy and a little cozy but always bold. I can wear a leather jacket and mini skirt one day and something really romantic and soft the next. I’m genuinely unafraid to wear anything!
When do you feel the most fierce and powerful?
Essie: Anytime I wear red lipstick or listen to Beyonce! Both of those things make me feel like I can rule the world.
Alex: I feel the most powerful when I’m at home by myself; when I spend time listening to my intuition; when I check in with myself and honor myself first. It allows everything else to fall into place and makes me feel powerful instead of powerless, especially when there’s so much we can’t control in the world.
Natalie: I feel best when I am dressed to the nines alongside my friends. It feels amazing to walk down the street surrounded by other plus size babes all dressed in our own styles, unapologetically taking up space and living our lives.
On Embracing Their Curves:
How did you learn to embrace and love your curves?
Essie: Surprisingly, I learned through modeling. When you’re modeling a piece of clothing, it’s not about you or whatever insecurities you may have. It’s about the clothes. I also started surrounding myself with women who looked like me. Having stylish plus-size friends changed my life.
Alex: It took a long time, but I am so thankful for those that came before me in this industry. Women like Gabi Fresh, Nicolette Mason, Kelly Augustine, Kellie Brown, and countless others (including Natalie and Essie. Those two, who I’ve had the pleasure of working with as style ambassadors for EVRI X Kohl’s) opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on the world after experiencing such a homogenous upbringing in Nebraska.
I always felt different being the big and tall girl, and I didn’t even know I could dress my body in things I liked. The idea of not being hyper-aware of my body was foreign to me.
It all started with one killer pantsuit in a plus size that actually fit me. It was a gold lamé caped suit, and I never turned back! I had been living in a prison of black leggings and unfortunate oversized tops for TOO long.
Natalie: I’ve been plus size pretty much my whole life and I grew up so unsure about myself. I spent years feeling negative about my body and I found that those negative feelings seeped into other parts of my life.
It caused me to feel afraid to go for opportunities and miss out on experiences. I found myself getting so tired of living on the sidelines and watching life pass me by.
I noticed how much better I felt all around in life when I was kinder to myself and I’ve never looked back.
Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self?
Essie: It gets better. fashion gets better. Dating gets better, and money gets better. You’re not ugly; you just don’t have access to the clothing you want. That will change!
Alex: Expose yourself to the world! Your limited perspective is not reality! Trust that your biggest wounds or perceived liabilities are actually your biggest asset and gift.
You were not created or designed to be a supporting character in your own story. You weren’t born to stay in the shadows.
You are just enough and not too much.
Natalie: Confidence is a habit just like making your bed every day or flossing your teeth. You have to be an active participant in developing your own confidence.
There will be days that you slip back into those negative feelings but it will ALWAYS be worth the hard work it takes to believe in yourself.
On Their Thoughts About Plus Size Fashion’s Future:
What would you like to see in the future when it comes to plus size fashion?
Essie: True inclusivity and size expansion. I feel like many brands are dipping their toes into it, and I would like to see them diving in.
Alex: I would love to see us continuing to move in the direction of trend-forward, contemporary pieces in addition to loungewear. I think it has been tough, and a huge gap in the industry is sustainable options.
We also need to continue to push for diversity in body types and in every other way. There are also so many brands I’d love to see extend sizing.
Natalie: I’d love to see more and more options for plus size fashion. I don’t want to be afraid that I can’t find a certain type of garment or be disappointed that plus size bodies aren’t included in the latest trends.
I want to see more sizes available in more plus size brands. It’s far too often that sizes above 28/30 aren’t present even though countless people make up that demographic. Everyone deserves access to fashion.
We Also Wanted To Get The Scoop On Their Partnership With Kohl’s Plus Size Line, Evri!
You’re a style ambassador for EVRI, the exclusive women’s plus brand at Kohl’s – can you tell us a little more about that?
Essie: Growing up down south meant shopping at Kohl’s. Me and my mom would grab a nice breakfast and spend hours shopping at Kohl’s. I’ve always loved their trendy and affordable options.
Getting the opportunity to be an ambassador for EVRI was a dream come true. Being able to have meaningful conversations with the designers and Kohl’s teams has been so wonderful.
They truly care about the plus-size woman. For them to put a visibly plus-size woman black women, front and center truly means a lot to me.
So many of my family members and followers walked into the store and shopped because they finally saw themselves in an advertisement. Not hiding behind someone but front and center.
People deserve to see themselves.
Kohl’s truly stands behind being diverse and inclusive.
Alex: It’s been so great to be able to give honest and open feedback to the Kohl’s team and to have a direct audience with a brand who wants to move things forward in the right ways.
I love that we’ve been safe to share the good, bad and ugly and be honest and transparent about our experience in these plus bodies and what we need and want to see from brands. It’s been a dream come true to work with a store that makes plus fashion accessible and affordable to so many people across the country, especially a store I grew up shopping in.
It’s been an incredible opportunity, not to mention so fun to get to be on set with the team, see my photo on the website and in-stores and get a sneak peek of what’s happening behind the scenes.
Natalie: Working with Kohl’s is so important to me because Kohl’s has such brand recognition! I love that it’s a store that is in so many cities and accessible to millions of people.
Plus-size shoppers deserve to have a welcoming and positive shopping experience when they enter stores or go online. Getting to work with Kohl’s about how to achieve that is so special to me, especially because I grew up shopping there!
Also, as a very visibly plus-size person, being able to be part of the campaign imagery on social and in stores makes me so proud and I know that resonates with shoppers.
Now that you know why these gorgeous ladies love this line, we asked them to pick out some of their favorite pieces for you to shop. Take a look at the gorgeousness below!
We hope you’re feeling as inspired as we are after reading this interview! National Curves Day is all about feeling empowered in your body, appreciating your dips and curves, and realizing that you are lovely just as you are.
Did any of the ladies’ stories about how they learned to accept their curves resonate with you? What would YOU say to your younger self if you could?
Have a beautiful day, you deserve it!
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