Jewelry's All A Girl Needs

Wearing as much jewelry that I could fit on my small body wasn't just a fashion statement for me, it was a means of survival.

Growing up with two disabilities made me realize early on in life that fashion was, and never will be, my forte. You see, being in a wheelchair is hard enough when it comes to finding clothes that are cute, easy to get on, and suits whatever body insecurities/deformities I'm afraid to show.

On top of that, I'm under 4' tall and weigh in at a whopping, 75-80 lbs (I haven't been weighed in a minute). But that's not all. One side affect of my disability - Spinal Muscular Atrophy - is that I was born with severe Kyphosis, which, according to the internet, is "a spinal disorder in which an excessive outward curve of the spine results in an abnormal rounding of the upper back." Because of my "hump back" I always had to get clothes that were two sizes too big. I never liked buying tight clothes, allowing people to become aware of one of my biggest insecurities.

On top of needing to practically drown in my own clothing, up until my late teens I had to shop in the children's department because of my short stature, and yes...it was EMBARRASSING.

I could never wear the latest trends, dress nice to impress my crushes, or even look my own age because every shirt I wore had sequins, characters, and "This girl rocks" quotes all over it. Ugh.

It wasn't until I grew older and learned how to shop for adult clothing that suited my body nicely, that I realized how insecure I was dressing like I was 5 well into my teen years. But despite all of this, one thing that kept me at least semi-confident (and still continues to) when it came to putting together outfits was jewelry.

Jewelry is one thing that always gave me confidence in times where I didn’t know where to find it.

Whenever I would feel embarrassed wearing a Hello Kitty shirt to high school, I would throw on a few bracelets and rings, making the outfit “edgier”. I felt like maybe, just maybe, if I wore enough jewelry, it would distract eyes from my humiliating outfits.

Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. Who knows?

Even as an adult, picking outfits that suit my disability usually consists of various pairs of jeans, loose pants, shorts, and lots of plain blouses.

That’s it.

I can’t ever wear the latest fashion trends with cuts here, trimmings there, cropped this and slutty shorts that.

It’s just not a thing for me.

Jewelry has allowed me the creativity to produce my own style. To take an outfit that would normally cause me to shrivel away with insecurity, and turn it into something that makes me proud to show myself off. It’s more than just an accessory, it’s become a part of finding who I am.

Sometimes jewelry is all a girl needs.

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Question Time

• What is one piece of clothing/accessory that brings you the most confidence and why?

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When it comes to finding work as a disabled person, options are very limited. Writing and getting to connect with people on a special level is something that I love to do. Nothing in the world beats being able to be your true, authentic self and have someone not only appreciate, but be able to relate to it in one way or another. It is my absolute dream, no, my goal to be able to do this as a career one day. Until then, if you'd like, you don't have to though (trust me, I know the struggle), you can visit the link by clicking here and donate to my blog. By doing this, you're helping me be able to one day stop doing freelance and be able to solely focus on my blog. Either way, thank you for stopping by and checking out what I have to say. I really appreciate it.

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