Tricia Stoecklin always loved fashion, but she struggled with finding clothes she felt fit her well. It’s part of the reason she studied fashion merchandising at Southeast Missouri State University. It’s also why she started her blog and Instagram where she posts outfit inspiration and styling tips. In doing so, she’s connected with women globally.
“I was scared, don’t get me wrong,” Stoecklin says of first expressing herself on Instagram. She pursued fashion because she “wanted to make movement and make things happen that weren’t happening for plus-size women, or for women in general. Because it’s just, it’s not even just about plus-size. I wanted to make people understand that it’s okay to be confident and be different.”
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What brands are you loving?
The Loft in the Saint Louis Galleria. They just brought a plus-size section in, and it goes up to a 26 or a 28. It’s really good if you’re looking for more professional wear. Lane Bryant. Target! I love Target—I know I sound like every other human being on the planet. I don’t know what they’re doing but they’re doing it right. Their plus-size section goes up to 4X, which is awesome because most brands go from a 0 to a 3X, but they never go above that. But there are more bodies that you need to fit.
Trends?
Leopard. Belts are coming back. Gucci belt shook the world. It was like someone was wearing a Gucci belt and now everyone has to wear a Gucci belt. I can’t afford a Gucci belt, so I bought this ASOS belt which reminds me of a Gucci belt. [Laughs.]
What reactions have you received on Instagram?
A lot. I’ve gotten a lot of messages from women, like one, in particular, she was just thanking me because I made a post about being plus-size and my journey along that road in finding my self-worth and my self-confidence. She said, “Thank you so much for doing what you do and putting yourself out there. I bet it is scary.” And I was like “Yeah, it is.” [Laughs.] It can be kind of brutal on the internet and posting your life like that. I didn’t even know I was doing anything in her life. I motivated her to want to go shopping and find plus-size outfits and be comfortable tucking in her shirt and showing her stomach. I thought, “Wow, I did that.”
What do you think your followers are resonating with?
I sometimes receive things like, “I love that you show your stomach.” I made a post about tucking in my shirt one day. That was just a little accomplishment for me. You don’t think it’s really hard, but when you live in a society where it’s like “You need to cover up your stomach, that’s a bit too much,” I finally thought: “Mm, no I don’t.” You’re giving [those followers] more than just an outfit.
You’ve hashtagged #bodypositive in your Instagram bio. What steps do you take to promote body positivity on your feed?
I don’t even think about it. I’ve always just kind of spoke my mind. But it doesn’t have to be crazy. [It can be] saying to just feel confident—even if it is just tucking in your shirt and wearing leather pants. I always say “fake it till you make it” because I’ve always walked around this city like I owned every street—even though I didn’t feel that way inside.
There seems to be a cultural reclaiming of the word ‘fat.’
This company that makes shirts about supporting women sent me a shirt and it was basically [about] how the world is all of these different types of women and it listed off all the women. On that list was ‘fat women.’ And I was like, “That’s me.” It kind of took me back for a second. I was like “Whoa.” But then I thought: “You know what, that’s accurate. I’m fat. That’s just how it is.” But that’s not what defines me. It’s just a word. Call me fat all you want; I’ll call myself it… I like that people are using it because we’re telling the people who told us we were fat as a negative thing that it’s a positive thing. I like “plus-size” and “curvy”—those are great words, too. But I like that people are like, “I’m just fat. Deal with it.”
