Thanks for reading! This independent newsletter is fueled by likes, shares, and subscriptions, so if you’re into it, here’s how to help me: Click the ❤️ at the bottom so I get more visibility on Substack. Consider going paid for access to all posts (here’s my archive). Share with a friend or on social media. Follow me on Instagram. You have my endless gratitude!
Last night I watched an Instagram Reel of a woman a bit older than me demonstrate how to “add shape” to a T-shirt dress so one does not “look boxy.” As a millennial woman built vaguely like a refrigerator myself, I knew what was coming. I felt the boulder of recognition sink to the pit of my stomach, I felt the icy fingers of dread reach up the back of my neck. She’s gonna do it, I thought. She’s gonna fucking belt it.
Reader, she did. She cinched an utterly incongruous belt atop a relaxed-fit, cotton T-shirt dress — thus obliterating the lines and print of the garment — because the shape was too boxy and boxy is unflattering and unflattering is code for makes you look bigger and “not feminine,” which millennials were taught when they were teenagers is something to avoid at all costs. I have done regrettable belting many, many times, mostly circa 2004-2010 when many women were dressing like this: