#113: We Don't Need to "Define a Waist" with Dacy Gillespie, Anti-Diet Personal Stylist

"Dress for your body type", "define your waist", and "only wear what is flattering". How about...no. 

As our bodies change (as they will continue to do throughout our life), many of us are met with barriers to body acceptance. And our clothes are a massive part of that. But they can also be a pivotal part of our liberation.

Tune in to this week's episode to hear my conversation with Dacy Gillespie, a weight-inclusive anti-diet personal stylist. We untangle the mess of our closets, dismantle from patriarchal ideas of fashion, and challenge our sense of what we "should" be wearing based on our body shape and size.

• What’s on Dacy’s plate right now (and importantly, what's not)
• How she got into personal styling
• Being raised to think having a passion for clothing was vain
• The conversations that made her realize the ways patriarchy and white supremacy have informed our fashion choice
• How to approach shopping for new clothes as your body changes
• What steps to take to identify your personal style separate from patriarchal ideas of beauty and fashion 
• What to do with old clothes that no longer fit
• How clothing sizes impact our body image 
• The life-changing magic of finding your authentic style
• Challenging the inner critic when shopping
• Barriers to accessing clothing in a larger body
• The fashion rules we need to ditch 
• How to deal with your closet 
• All about the word “flattering”

 

About Dacy:

As a weight inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie helps her clients reject fashion rules and ideal standards of beauty imposed by the patriarchy, white supremacism, and capitalism so that they can uncover their authentic style. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy’s clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what’s flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world.

After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn’t suit her highly-sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. Her work has been featured in Forbes and Real Simple and she is a frequent podcast guest. Dacy is married and has two boys, ages 5 and 9.

You can find more from her at mindfulcloset.com, @mindfulcloset on ig and tt, makingspacecourse.com for her group program. 

 

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Group program:

Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching

 

Group membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

 

Social media:

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Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast

 

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

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