You already know this, but it’s worth repeating: You are more than a number. Whether that number is your age, your pant size, or your weight, the numbers in your life do not – and should not – define you.
Now, while as your age increases, you are afforded more opportunities (such as driving, voting, and purchasing and consuming alcoholic beverages, etc.), and medical and insurance companies use some numbers to categorize your health, there’s one number that you should absolutely forbid to affect your mental health and self worth.
That number is the size in your pants.
I recently found the most fantastic pair of jeans. They are soft and comfortable. They look good with flats and boots. And they are super flattering. What’s not to love? Well, ironically, the jeans, which are from Old Navy, are called Super Skinny Rockstar jeans. Me wearing “super skinny” anything is pretty funny.
I had tried the jeans on in the store several months ago, but my usual Old Navy size wouldn’t even come half-way up my thighs. As I’m sure you know, that’s a very discouraging and defeating moment in the dressing room. Well, the other day the jeans were on sale for $19, so I thought, why not give them another try? I went up not one but two sizes, and they fit beautifully. They are not skin tight. In fact, I wouldn’t even call them skinny, but a nice slim fit. They just fit like I feel a pair of jeans should.
At first, it was depressing to look at the tag and see such a big number. But then I thought: Who cares?! The jeans look and feel great, so what does the number on the inside matter? And that’s the kicker: the size tag is on the inside of my pants. No one knows what my pant size is but me. And that got me to thinking, why do we stress and beat ourselves up over something that no one but us sees or knows about?
Finding clothes that fit well and flatter can be difficult no matter what your size. So why make things harder on yourself by limiting your choices to what size you think you should wear, or what size you think society will find acceptable? Because guess what? Society isn’t looking inside your pants!
Normally, I’d tell you to focus on what’s on the inside, because that’s what counts. You are more than your reflection in a mirror or your weight on a scale. But when it comes to your pants? You are much more than what’s on the inside.
