Marie Southard Ospina's Recent Articles

I had three best friends throughout most of school, all of whom were thin. Like most teenagers in our tiny suburban town, their favourite thing to do on we

by Marie Southard Os...

Fashion

This Is Where Ethical Plus-Size Influencers Actually Shop

The year was 2011 and I was a journalism student in university. My studies led to a part-time role at the now-defunct iVillage.com, a self-proclaimed “fe

by Marie Southard Os...

Beauty

For Fetish Models, Makeup Is A Way Of Getting Into Character

In the days of yore — when Tumblr was the social media platform de rigueur and My Chemical Romance turned adolescent angst into a bona fide culture — I

by Marie Southard Os...

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Beauty

What Growing Up With A Pretty Mum Taught Me About Beauty

As I waited for my ride home from an after-school newspaper meeting back in 2005, I heard my English teacher ask “Who is that?” in a shocked to

by Marie Southard Os...

Dedicated Feature

7 Stress-Free Smart-Casual Outfits For Rushed Mornings

by Marie Southard Os...

Plus-Size Fashion

The Complexities Of Wearing Suits When You’re Plus Size

I was 21 years old when my mother bought me my first suit. The matching skirt and blazer were houndstooth print, terribly ill-fitting on my plus-size body

by Marie Southard Os...

Mind

The Pandemic Has Fuelled My Compulsive Shopping Disorder

Upon hearing the news that the UK would be entering its first lockdown in March 2020, my instinct was to check social media immediately. I hoped to see how

by Marie Southard Os...

Fashion

What The ‘Death’ Of Skinny Jeans Means To Fat Women

Much like the year that preceded it, little about 2021 so far has felt expected. Never could I have predicted that the UK would still be locked down nearly

by Marie Southard Os...

Beauty

Here’s Why Fat Babes Are Deciding To Reclaim “Tacky&#...

During my third year of university, I spent a semester abroad in Madrid. It was there that I first saw Daniela, an older woman who lived in one of the flat

by Marie Southard Os...

Fashion

The Catch-22 Of Plus Size Activewear

On 1st January, renowned plus-size blogger, advocate and influencer Callie Thorpe shared a photo of herself on the cover of Cosmopolitan. For its February

by Marie Southard Os...

Hair

For New Mums Like Me, A Drastic Haircut Is Much More Than A Beaut...

When I first saw my cousin after chopping my very long, curly hair from bum-length into a short back and sides, she said she wasn’t surprised I had done

by Marie Southard Os...

Modern Queer Family

My Life Raising A Queer Family In The Lesbian Capital Of The UK

To fresh eyes, Hebden Bridge might seem like any other well-preserved former mill town in rural Yorkshire. Factories-turned-flats are scattered throughout

by Marie Southard Os...

Bags Of Style

Plus-Size Women On Why Handbags Made Them Fall In Love With Fashion

If you had asked me what I wanted for any birthday or Christmas between the ages of 14 and 24, I would have definitely requested a handbag. My collection s

by Marie Southard Os...

Beauty

Pin-Up Makeup Allows Fat Babes To Reclaim Visibility, Boldness & ...

When I was 21, I found a tube of matte red lipstick under my bed, which my sister must have dropped the last time she’d visited. It was MAC’s Ruby Woo,

by Marie Southard Os...

Fashion

Why Are We Still Judging Mums For How They Dress?

When my firstborn was a few months old, I dyed my waist-length curly brown hair into a bright red hue reminiscent of a fire engine. Emboldened by the trans

by Marie Southard Os...

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Fashion

Why Plus-Size Women Are Reclaiming Cottagecore For Themselves

In a scene from 2019’s Shrill, the television adaptation of author Lindy West’s feminist, fat-positive memoir, protagonist Annie (played by Aidy Bryant

by Marie Southard Os...

Dedicated Feature

Pride & Beyond: 4 Bold, Bright & Beautiful Hair Transformations F...

If there’s one thing self-isolation has made universally clear, it’s the value of community. Of course, community is vital for most of us but it’s es

by Marie Southard Os...

Fashion

On Rediscovering The Glory Of ‘Shapeless’ Plus-Size D...

After discovering the worlds of plus-size fashion blogging and fat liberation advocacy in 2012, I began taking steps to reclaim my own fat body, one of whi

by Marie Southard Os...

Body

Lockdown Has Exposed How Embedded Fatphobia Is In Our Society

“How are you?” I texted a friend a few weeks into the UK’s lockdown. When we last chatted, she (a social butterfly by nature) had been strugg

by Marie Southard Os...

Fashion

I’m Plus-Size & Making My Own Clothes Helped Me Reclaim My ...

When Lydia Morrow was pregnant with her son, like so many people she gained weight fairly quickly. Faced with a “full-on wardrobe makeover project

by Marie Southard Os...

Relationships

Fetishisation & Feelings: The Fat Girl’s Guide To Plus-Size...

When it comes to dating, I was something of a late bloomer. Around the time my friends started losing their virginities and acquiring partners, I alternate

by Marie Southard Os...

Beauty

Why I Let My Daughters Play With Makeup (Even Though No One Else ...

“I never used to let my daughters play with that stuff,” my neighbour, a pixie-like 69-year-old woman with an eccentric mop of curly grey hair,

by Marie Southard Os...

Dedicated Feature

5 People On How Their Hair Shapes Their Identity

by Marie Southard Os...

Beauty

Giving Up Makeup As A Fat Woman Taught Me Some Difficult Life Les...

I saw them before they saw me. As I made my way across the street to the local Co-op, I watched as one of the boys elbowed a mate and pointed in my directi

by Marie Southard Os...

Fashion

The Sorry State Of High Street Shopping For Plus-Size Women

As a plus-size consumer, I am used to not being catered to in stores, but as the winter months drew in, I needed a size 26 jacket. I assumed it would be pr

by Marie Southard Os...

Beauty

Chopping All My Hair Off As A Plus-Size Woman Taught Me Some Diff...

As I watched my hair fall to the grey tiles in frizzy, scattered piles, I felt a sudden wave of panic. The stylist took scissors, then clippers, to the lon

by Marie Southard Os...

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