Freelance writer, editor, and fat acceptance activist. Words on Bustle, Romper, BuzzFeed, Refinery29, Self, Dazed, The Temper, Healthline, The Establishment & more; face on Good Morning America and StyleLikeU discussing self-image. If I'm not writing about plus-size fashion, body politics, or motherhood, you can likely catch me watching the latest sci-fi series, listening to that old folk album your grandparents are always going on about, or wiping some kind of goop off my kids' faces.
How 'This Is Us' Perfectly Underscores What Loved Ones Don't Understand About Being Fat
I've lost track of how many times a "well-meaning" relative has remarked upon my weight with wide, sullen eyes and a fearful tone. "I love you no matter what size you are," they'll begin. "But I'm worried about your health." "Why are you actively…
By Marie Southard Ospina
I Never Related To Comedy Until I Watched British TV & Now I Won't Go Back
"Everyone at this party isn't as young, fit, and single as they're making out. Yep, let's face it, we're all falling apart piece by piece. Doesn't matter if you're single or in a couple: You. Are. Going. To. Die." Like so many scenes in Peep Show,…
By Marie Southard Ospina
Get Involved Because These Super Affordable Plus Size Brands All Ship To The UK
Besides a shared language (sometimes), many might argue that the U.S. and the UK actually have very little in common. Where more than three-quarters of Americans identify as Christian, according to the Washington Post, nearly 50 percent of Brits are…
By Marie Southard Ospina
What It's Like To Be Fat In The UK Vs. The US
“Excuse me, but where did you find that outfit?” The question was one I’d admittedly been asked on social media many times before, whenever I’d shared a new fashion post for friends, followers, and fellow bloggers. In real life, however, it felt…
By Marie Southard Ospina
I Couldn't Find A Beauty Campaign With Plus Size Models, So I Made One Myself
In the fall of 2015, I visited relatives in my hometown, a small suburb of New Jersey. There isn't much to do there, apart from dining at Applebee's or hitting the mall. As a plus size woman, cruising through a shopping mall is a mixed bag. Certain…
By Marie Southard Ospina
This Coffee Table Book Is The ULTIMATE Celebration Of Fashion & Fatness
Flipping through Bethany Rutter's Plus+ is an experience as stimulating to the eyes as it is to the heart — no matter if your heart is inside a size 10 body or a size 30. Over 100 images of plus size street style can be found within the hardcover…
By Marie Southard Ospina
How ‘This Is Us’ Did Wrong By Plus Size Women With Kate’s Storyline
Sometimes I look at my 11-month-old daughter and I cannot help but think of all the people who once insisted that she would never exist. People who truly believed that getting pregnant when you're plus size is always dangerous, and often entirely…
By Marie Southard Ospina
A Body Project: Sarah Martindale On Her Joints
With award-winning photographer Substantia Jones of The Adipositivity Project and Manchester-based photographer Paddy McClave, Bustle presents A Body Project. A Body Project aims to shed light on the reality that "body positivity" is not a button…
By Marie Southard Ospina
What It's Really Like To Be Plus Size & Pregnant Like Kate On 'This Is Us'
When the hit television show I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant aired in 2009, I used to joke about how that would someday be me. As someone who spends a lot of time in their own head, and is subsequently pretty unobservant, I just figured I wouldn't…
By Marie Southard Ospina
'Fattitude' Is The Documentary On Size Discrimination That Everyone Needs To See, Activist Or Not
Like it was for so many advocates of size acceptance, the premiere of the new documentary Fattitude has been on writer and plus size style blogger Alysse Dalessandro's mind for years. "I think as a society, we view the mistreatment of fat people as…
By Marie Southard Ospina
I've Been Told That A Thin Woman Lives Inside Me. This Is What I Need Her To Know.
Hey you, my thin woman within. It's been a while, but don't worry. I have not forgotten your alleged existence. First let's establish who, exactly, you are. You're a figure I'd wager most people of size are acquainted with — even if they never…
By Marie Southard Ospina
This Body Image Documentary Is Starting New Conversations About Diversity In Media
Not long into the start of body image documentary Straight/Curve, we see a group of high school students flicking through glossy magazines. They are each asked to choose an image of "beauty," as defined by American culture: An image of the kind of…
By Marie Southard Ospina
29 Plus Size Caftans That Can Easily Transition Into Your Fall Wardrobe
Bustle and Coveteur are working together to bring you the best mix of the season's fashion and beauty releases, shopping tips, and service stories in ways that are both inspirational, and attainable. Check The Fall Style Edit channel weekly to see…
By Marie Southard Ospina
Gabi Gregg Wants Plus Size Women To Embrace Their Sexuality In Her New Lingerie Collection
Scrolling through images of the Gabifresh x Playful Promises plus size lingerie collection, it's clear that these are pieces Premme co-founder and style blogger Gabi Gregg designed with outspoken, unapologetic sexiness in mind. The 11-item line is a…
By Marie Southard Ospina
How JIBRI Founder Jasmine Elder Created A Brand That Fills A Gap In The Plus Size Market
Although JIBRI designer Jasmine Elder wasn't exactly studying the lack of trendy, upmarket plus size goods on the market when starting her brand in 2009, she did know that she wasn't seeing the kind of clothing she wanted to wear.
"I always made my…
By Marie Southard Ospina
This Powerful Video Shows What Unapologetic Self-Love Looks Like
"Do I make you feel uncomfortable?" The question is posed by plus-size style blogger Leah Vernon, of Beauty And The Muse, in the introductory scenes to her latest video Muslim Girl Dance #BodyProject. "Are you afraid that if we could love, really…
By Marie Southard Ospina
45 Plus Size Minimal Jumpsuits For The Most Effortlessly Perfect Fall Look
Bustle and Coveteur are working together to bring you the best mix of the season's fashion and beauty releases, shopping tips, and service stories in ways that are both inspirational, and attainable. Check The Fall Style Edit channel weekly to see…
By Marie Southard Ospina
27 Boots For Wide Calves That You'll Actually Want To Wear This Fall
Bustle and Coveteur are working together to bring you the best mix of the season's fashion and beauty releases, shopping tips, and service stories in ways that are both inspirational, and attainable. Check The Fall Style Edit channel weekly to see…
By Marie Southard Ospina
37 Incredible Plus Size Cropped, Wide-Legged Pants
Bustle and Coveteur are working together to bring you the best mix of the season's fashion and beauty releases, shopping tips, and service stories in ways that are both inspirational, and attainable. Check The Fall Style Edit channel weekly to see…
By Marie Southard Ospina
This Designer Is Bringing Customizable Plus Size Leather Jackets To The Market
A couple of years ago, Jeff Cafone picked up his grandmother's old sewing machine from the 1950s. Having recently decided to eschew a career in music, he found himself in need of a new creative outlet. Sewing, he figured, was a hobby he could carry…
By Marie Southard Ospina