How to Shop For Clothes When You’re Feeling Bad About Your Body

Far too many of us have had this experience: you head to the mall, feeling hopeful about finding some new clothes. But that hopeful feeling can fade so fast. Suddenly, it can feel like all your body image issues are put underneath a microscope. In those unflattering mirrors under the harsh fluorescent lights, it’s easy for even the most confident shoppers to feel their insecurity creeping in. Before you know it, you’re crying in the dressing room while trying to squeeze into a too-tight pair of jeans. There’s got to be a way to take some of the frustration out of a trip to the mall. What is the best way to shop when you’re feeling bad about your body?

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Here are 10 tips to make shopping on bad body image days a little easier:

Decide if you’d prefer to shop alone or with a friend

Sometimes, having a trusted friend with you can make the shopping experience less stressful. Having someone else with you to pick out clothes and try on outfits can take some of the pressure off. Plus, being able to hype each other up can make shopping trips extra fun!

But at the same time, solo shopping trips might work better for some of us; they do for me! Heading shopping on your own can allow you to do everything exactly the way you want to. Figure out which option makes shopping the most enjoyable for you… And then do that!

Stick to stores and sections that you know carry your size

I am all for trying out new places to shop and experiment with fashion. But idealizing stores that carry sizes or styles that don’t fit or suit you will only make you feel worse when you’re feeling bad about your body.

Instead, head for stores that you know will have clothes for your body right now. It’s not about limiting yourself – but about refusing to let yourself be limited by options that don’t suit you. Some brands I always recommend for size inclusivity:

• Old Navy: Did you know that Old Navy now carries their entire size selection in store? This means you can try on sizes 0-28 in store!
• Aerie: Aerie’s famous lingerie and apparel come in sizes XXS-XXL, plus their commitment against photoshopping means that you’ll only see real, unretouched models while you browse.
• Target: Target’s apparel offers a wide size range in hundreds of gorgeous (and affordable!) styles.

Recommended Post: The Best Mid-Size Inclusive Clothing Brands

Try not to care too much about the size on the tags

For something so arbitrary, we place way too much of our worth in the size of our clothes. Why would we define our worth by something that’s not consistent from store to store – or even from item to item?

There are times that I’ve left the mall with a size small and a size 1X. Both fit my body perfectly. There are so many factors like cut, fabric, and make that changed between these two garments… But my body did not.

Why would I celebrate myself for fitting into a small but feel miserable for needing a 1X? It’s a dichotomy that makes so many of us feel miserable when it really has no business to do so.

Instead, remind yourself that you deserve clothes that fit your body – and that has nothing to do with whatever arbitrary size society has told you is “more desirable”. Taking some of the power away from sizes is one of the first steps to learn to love your body more while shopping.

Try on multiple sizes – starting with the largest

I am a huge fan of bringing multiple sizes into the fitting room to make sure you get the right fit for your body. But I’m also guilty of trying on the smallest first and then feeling dejected when it doesn’t fit and I have to move up to a larger size.

Diet culture has trained us to believe that sizing down is a win and sizing up should be avoided at all costs – and that mindset has a grip on so many of us.

But we’ve got to look for clothes that fit us, not an impossibe beauty standard that idolizes smallness. If I’m deciding between a few sizes, I always try the biggest first then only size down as needed.

I don’t celebrate when I need to size down, but it does take away some of that horrible, internalized shame that comes with needing to go back for a bigger size.

Remember that you’re shopping for the body you have today

The body you used to have and the body you’re aspiring to have in the future don’t matter. The only body you should be buying clothes for is the one you have Right. Now.

That means forgetting about the size you wore and the places you shopped 1, 5, or 10 years ago. It also means refusing to let yourself buy too small (or too big!) clothes with the goal of fitting into it eventually.

More often than not, this leads to you building a wardrobe that your current self can’t fit into. And every time you open your closet, it becomes a reminder that you didn’t consider your body worthy enough to have cute clothes right now.

It seems like it might be a motivator – but it will just keep you stuck in that cycle of self-hate. You deserve so much better.

Recommended Post: 7 Daily Habits That Will Boost Your Body Image + Self-Esteem

See fashion as a form of self-expression

Fashion can sometimes feel impossible when we’re dressing a body that we don’t feel comfortable in. But for me, dressing up my body is one way that I have been able to find more comfort in my own skin.

Start to take more risks with your fashion that have nothing to do with size. Do research on Pinterest and Instagram to get style inspiration from bodies of all shapes and sizes. Experiment with bold colours, patterns and cuts that feel like you.

Don’t aim to fit into a size 2 – aim to find clothes that fits the way you want to feel and present yourself to the world around you.

Don’t be afraid to take risks… Or to do what makes you comfortable

For years, we’ve been bombarded with messages that “big girls can’t wear this” or “thin people shouldn’t wear that”.

But let me let you in on a secret: any body can wear whatever they want. Try on that cute crop top! Wear that tight dress! Remind yourself that society’s rules don’t decide what you get to wear… You do.

But in that same vein, don’t feel pressured into buying things that are just too far outside your comfort zone. Especially if you’re trying to shop when you’re feeling bad about your body, you don’t need any extra pressure or stress.

You deserve clothes that make you feel your best. If that’s a mini skirt and crop top, that’s amazing! But if you’re comfiest in a crewneck and baggy jeans, remind yourself that that’s okay too.

If you don’t love it, don’t buy it

Sometimes when we’re on the hunt for something at the store, we get desperate. I have so many things in my closet that I bought because they looked okay at a certain angle or in certain lighting, only to realize that I HATED them when I actually got them home.

If you don’t love it in the store, you probably will love it even less at home. Don’t we deserve less of these things in our closets and more things that we actually love to wear?

Take breaks when you need to

Even for people who love shopping, it can get exhausting after a while. Why not step back from your shopping mission for a few moments and just give yourself a chance to breathe?

Schedule a break to clear your head. Head to the food court for a snack or a coffee. Maybe even just sit on a bench for a while and give yourself a few moments to recharge.

Recommended Post: What is Body Checking? Here’s How This Sneaky Habit Controls Your Body Image + Life

Treat yourself with as much compassion as you would give to anyone else

Can you imagine going shopping with a friend and telling them, “your body isn’t good enough to wear the clothes you want to wear”. Absolutely not! So why don’t we mind telling those things to ourselves every time we step into a fitting room?

Trying to shop when you’re feeling bad about your body is already hard enough without your mind bullying your body even more. Take this shopping trip as an opportunity to practice treating yourself with a little extra grace.

Remind yourself that clothes are made to fit your body – and not the other way around. If a store doesn’t carry your size or their clothes is just not made for your shape, that sounds like their problem, not yours.

Shopping can be a frustrating experience for people of all sizes. But when you get frustrated, direct those feelings at all the things that make shopping so stressful. Feel furious at the lack of sizes. Be annoyed at the unflattering mirrors and fluorescent lights and pushy salespeople. But your body doesn’t deserve all that anger and frustration. What it does deserve is a little more kindness and self-love in all things… Even at the mall.

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Learning how to shop when you’re feeling bad about your body is a skill that has taken me years to learn. And I’m still far from perfect – there are still some days where trying on clothes makes me feel terrible about my body all over again. But these tips have helped me fall in love with shopping again… Maybe a little too much!

How do you make it a little easier to shop when you’re feeling bad about your body? Does shopping make you struggle with your body image sometimes too? Share your story in the comment below! 

Wishing you many happy shopping trips soon! All my love,