Let’s Talk About Confidence For A Moment (And this Amazing INSPR x Tezza Dress!)
Or, in this case, lack-thereof.
Growing up, I was a tall, lanky, and quickly frankly, awkward young girl. Painfully skinny (“Praying mantis” was a common nickname given to me) and forever tripping over my own feet; for a long time I lacked confidence in my body.
As a basketball player, for years I hid behind being a tomboy; I cut my hair short, wore predominantly jerseys (Cute), and collected books about Michael Jordan. I remember eating butter to try and gain weight, crying on the bus ride home from school because I got made fun of, and icing my legs because they regularly would ache from growing so fast. Oh, the joys of middle school! (By the way, I firmly believe that going through something like that makes you stronger. So, genuinely, thank you to those mean middle school boys because you helped me to be confident in my own skin.)
It’s funny how the things you use to hate about yourself become the things you appreciate later on, isn’t it?!
I wish I could tell childhood Emily to stop worrying, hold her head high, and be proud of her body. I wish I could tell her that every body is beautiful, even her awkward and skinny one. But the truth is that it took me a long time to like and even understand who I was. It wasn’t until years later, when I started to embrace both the masculine and feminine sides of myself, that I started to become confident.
Switching gears, for as long as I’ve had Instagram, I’ve loved and admired Tezza for her boldness and creativity.
Every post, every touch point, is a visual story being told. She’s one of those creatives where I’m constantly learning from. So when she launched her INSPR x Tezza clothing line, I was ecstatic. Not just because it’s Tezza, but because her style is always on point, and I know from following her for a long time that she had similar “tall girl” childhood struggles like I did, which I clearly identify with. In fact, I felt like the below excerpt from this post was me writing:
“When designing this line, I thought back to my childhood. Growing up being very tall from a very young age, I hid behind my tomboy look and was too afraid to be bold and confident. It was when I fell in love with fashion that I finally understood how to express myself. The first drop of this collection highlights the masculine, structured, and bold side of myself. Each next drop continues to become more feminine and soft, reminding me to celebrate all sides of who I am.”
I love that she is embracing that masculine side that for so long was something she hid behind. I love that she’s also embracing the feminine.
The whole line is so well done, but one item that really stood out to me was this Cotton Ruffle Maxi Dress. It was all the things my middle school self would hate (Ha!), but that my adult self loves.
Tezza described the beginning of this line as “If Indiana Jones was a woman”, and I certainly was embracing my adventurous side in it!
….Alriiiight…fine. I wasn’t fighting bad guys like Mr. Jones or kicking ass on safari, but running from lizards on the beach and admiring a pretty dramatic sunset sky is a form of adventure, okay?! 😉
The breezy ruffles and the feminine waistline paired with the collared top and boxy sleeves are the perfect combination. I paired the dress with my Steven Greece Slides and BaubleBar Tassel Hoop Earrings, both of which I wore on repeat all vacation, and couldn’t help but feel confident. If you’re looking for some great, versatile sandals, these Steve options are cozy enough for a beach walk and elevated enough for dinner. I was beyond impressed with them and am even considering getting them in black!
Cheers to embracing all of our sides that make us who we are. The masculine, the feminine, the parts that made you insecure when you were younger, and the parts that make you feel confident today. They’re all beautiful. xx
