Timidity, thy name is Terri.

I’ve always been one of those bookish, word-y types who didn’t have time for shopping. Throughout high school, college and my post-grad years, I was always more comfortable with poetry than Prada. Even the salesgirls at Nordstrom were like priestesses of a cult into which I was not initiated. I was intimidated. I went through my own five stages of fashion grief: Confusion, Denial, Anger, Embarrassment, Online Shopping.

If you’re like me, you know that traditional online shopping can be a nightmare. I never knew what would fit or what would look as good on my body as it did on those little headless mannequins. (I have a head and need a sweater that can work with that.) I was terrified of making a fashion faux pas, so I did my best to blend in. I may not be Giorgio Armani, but I knew that a jeans-and-T-shirt combo, if not super trendy, was at least completely inoffensive. (Yes, that was my fashion goal: looking inoffensive. Fun, right?)

After grad school, affectionately known as “the sweatpant years” (Hey! Those librarians don’t judge!), I came to work for MyShape. I’ll admit I was curious. I set up my Personal Shop and kept an eye on new arrivals but stuck with my mantra of “plain, plain, plain.” No risk-taking for me. Then one day a dress landed on my desk, and my boss happened to notice it. The dress was beautiful, and in my Personal Shop. She suggested I try it on. It was cute. I liked it—for someone else. Because the dress had…ruffles. Ruffles stood out. Ruffles were eye-catching. Ruffles were the enemy.

After a mix of coaxing and some very unsubtle peer pressure, I went to try it on. It didn’t look good. It looked great. Beyond great. It was all I could do not to strut through the IT department of our office like it was a runway in Milan. Suddenly, I started looking at the other items in my Personal Shop—previously disregarded with no small amount of pre-judgment—with a distinctly suspicious eye. Could that pleated skirt actually look good? Was a surplice top really right for me? Could I secretly be…stylish?

This isn’t a Cinderella story. Our CEO did not wave a ShapeMatch wand and turn me into Kate Moss. I still rely on our fashion team’s outfits and tips when I’m unsure of how to wear a dress. But I have help. Because, with my Personal Shop, I can experiment with the assurance that everything I buy will look good with my shape. And I’ve come to realize that maybe, just maybe, I have room in my life for short stories and short skirts.

Posted by Terri at MyShape