Taking the next step.... - Secret Plus Size Goddess

Monday, 22nd January 2018

Over the past three years I have certainly had a fair few adventures, as chronicled in this blog! I have had a chance to do a lot of things that I would never have expected.

The last two or three months have seen the adventures being more travel based, which has been fabulous and I have thoroughly loved it, but I haven’t had many opportunities to challenge myself (apart from going to the top of the Eiffel Tower)

I want to do at least one challenging thing a month this year, even if it is a small step. I have completed this in January (which you will read all about soon) and now it was time to start planning ahead.

In the last few months though I have been seriously considering taking what is quite a big step for me. I even went so far to put the question to my friends on Facebook (my personal page and a vintage group I am in) to see what peoples HONEST opinions of the idea would be.

I have to admit I was blown away by the amount of responses that I had, 110 in fact! I also realised that I needed to do this, not only for me, but for any person out there that doesn’t necessarily fit the mould.

Now what am I talking about?

The idea of me entering this years Miss Twinwood competition.

With this years winner, Dawn Trigwell

For many of you out there, you possibly won’t know what this is all about. But for vintage lovers you will know exactly what I am talking about.

Twinwood is a massive vintage festival held in Bedfordshire over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Every style will be in attendance, from the 1920’s right up to the 1960’s and every thing in between.

On the Sunday the festival holds its annual Miss and Mr Twinwood competition. And it is sublime. A wonderful lady, Dawn won it last year and she was simply delightful!

Initially you enter a vintage suitable photograph to the Twinwood Page and on the 6th April they are published on Facebook for people to vote for their favourites. Voting lasts until 1st May when the top 30 photographs are chosen based on the likes received.

These 30 people are then judged by a panel and the top ten women and five men are chosen for the final.

I will already be attending Twinwood irregardless of the outcome of the photo/judged round, so what have I got to lose?

Well, the coward in me says my Dignity for one!

And the knock to my confidence it could cause.

Now there may be quite a few out there asking what the problem with entering is? That you have read of my other adventures, that you see my catwalk modelling photographs, my underwear shoots. Clearly it is all a load of rubbish as I am a confident person who doesn’t let things stop her.

But that is where you would be a little wrong.

I am certainly more confident now that I have ever been at any other point in my life. I have written about this in previous blogs, including this one where I try and explain how my transition into vintage style and body confidence has happened.

But for all my bravado and smiles, there is still that small part of me that doubts everything about herself. So why does the thought of entering Miss Twinwood set me all off kilter.

Well I am not really your traditional kind of Vintage Girl.

As I found out in an article on Vintage plus size fashion that I wrote for Vintage Life Magazine, it is very scarce (quite expensive) and not ‘that special’.

Most of the clothing you find tends to be tent like, button down plain dresses and that is not what I want for Twinwood. This means I tend to wear reproduction clothing and accessories with vintage hats, gloves and bags.

The Vintage World can be a little exclusive. There are some people out there that think that in order to be ‘vintage’ you must have everything original.

Now, that is all fair and well when you are a size 10, 12 or 14.

When you are a size 26 like I am, it is pretty impossible to find something original and special. I am not bemoaning it, after all I could lose weight and have more options if I wanted.

However, I am happy with the me that I am now. But this makes clothing so tricky to get.

I really do appreciate that that there are many people that have this kind of opinion, and if I was taking part in re-enactments, I can totally understand why authenticity is so important.

However, I am talking about entering a competition at a festival I adore, where I go to meet friends, socialise, drink, dance, buy pretty things and much more.

Being Plus Size in the Vintage World is hard. But I work with what I can get.

There are several amazing people out there that know who make original style clothing, even using the original patterns. But it is still reproduction.

Looking back at the Miss Twinwood finals over the past few years, you can see the majority of clothing worn is totally original. When you look at the ladies, you can see the quality of the cut and design. They look the part, right from their coiffured hair to the tips of their shoes.

Of course I am talking about this like I have already gotten through to the final round!

I haven’t even chosen a photograph to enter yet. I am just speeding ahead with my thinking, wondering that if by some bloody amazing miracle I got through to the final ten, what would I look like up there on stage with all those doyennes of style.

Would I look ridiculous, trying to cobble together new and old items to give me a semblance of Vintage? Would I be looked down upon for not having the traditional look? For being the much larger side of plus size?

Or would I be embraced by the people for getting out there and doing it? Even if it was done poorly to some peoples opinions.

And this was the total dilemma I was thinking of when I asked the question on Facebook.

The comments I received in response were just mind-blowing. People taking the time and effort to say the most wonderful things.

Things like this

As I said, I was blown away by the response to my question. It meant that I really had to enter the competition, after all that support.

Now was the tricky part. I need to find a vintage style photograph to enter my name into the ring. And that is where I am struggling.

Most of my photographs are head shots. I think a full body photograph may be better, but the quality of the ones I have been looking at might not pass muster.

On the advice of someone I really trust, I am putting up all the possible photographs that I could enter as my ONE photograph into the competition. Now I need your help and advice on which one to put forward.

Ready?

Here goes. Tell me what you like best!