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Everything in fashion cycles, including crop tops. If you told 18-year-old me that 32-year-old me would be wearing crop tops, she would’ve laughed real hard. But you know what? I recently wore not just one, but TWO crop tops on vacation, and I wanted to share what the crop top trend taught me about myself.
crop top–on sale for $7.50 // rainbow stripe maxi skirt (similar styles) // lobster earrings // clutch c/o // charm bracelet c/o
Now, to start, I didn’t even wear crop tops as a teen. I simply wasn’t brave enough to wear something that showed my belly. I wasn’t comfortable enough with myself to wear what I wanted to without worrying about (and dreading) what other people would think about me and/or my body. This was despite being super confident in most other areas of my life. At the end of the day, I was confident in myself but not comfortable with body.
It’s crazy to think that we live our whole lives, but may never be truly comfortable with ourselves. Let that sink in. Whether it’s our bodies, our personalties, whatever–so many times we have trouble being comfortable with ourselves. And why is that?
Fast-forward to being in my thirties. My twenties were a time of self-discovery. While this sounds so cliche, I feel like I truly found myself somewhere around age 24 to 25. This was the time when I was finishing law school and getting ready to launch my career. I had developed my sense of style (which I think is such a great way to express your personality). It took turning 30 and having my second child, however, to truly become comfortable with myself in all aspects, including my body. Which is crazy, because let’s be honest–this body has seen better days. But it’s 100% true.
Which brings up to the crop top trend. Y’all know I typically share new trends, and I just could never see myself wearing a crop top. But when I was shopping for vacation, I saw all these cute crop top outfits popping up, and I thought to myself, “Hmm. That’s kind of cute.” Next thing you know, I was all “add to cart” and bought this outfit. Then I went shopping in store, and found this crop top. I tried them both on, and thought, “You know, I can wear this on vacation. It’s cute, and it’s vacation, so who cares?!”
Honestly, how did I feel once I wore a crop top out in public in front of other people? I felt beautiful! I didn’t worry about what people thought of me, or if my belly was too pudgy to wear them–I just wore them and enjoyed myself. I was more concerned with what I was ordering for dinner and dessert.
So the crop top trend taught me that I am finally 110% comfortable with myself. I’m comfortable with my body. I’m comfortable with my personality. I’m comfortable with being myself. It confirmed that I have reached the point in my life where I don’t need validation about myself. In all honesty, I’ve known that for awhile, but it took a crop top to really bring it home. Most importantly, it taught me that stepping outside of your comfort zone can not only be fun but more importantly, EMPOWERING. You should never wait until you are [insert more _______ requirement here] to wear the crop top, take the next step, or make the next step.
There’s just one YOU–that’s all you get in life. And the sooner you get comfortable with yourself, the happier you’ll be.
