Kari, it's brave to put yourself out there with a request like this. I understand both your wish to see yourself (and others like you, or simply different from the industry ideal) represented more broadly. I also understand that it's emotional labour when you're one of the few people posting outfits as a large-sized woman, especially given social attitudes to size and weight.
It's not quite the same burden to post as a petite or for that matter as an older person or a person who shops exclusively at thrift or as the only Israeli or Dane or New Zealander, etc. etc. At the same time, any or all of those qualities set one apart from the mainstream here because it *is* an American blog with a primarily American audience, despite Angie's hailing from Europe and having lived all over the world. Anyway, that's partly why I always get excited to see another Canadian or grey-haired woman or small-but-not-really-petite person with some of my body modifiers join up!
That last point gets at something crucial for me. If we look for intersectionalities here as well as differences, we can find some surprising ones. Size is only one. I respond to different forum members' outfits for different reasons.
You've been on the forum a long time so you know how people come and go. People don't always leave because they feel unwelcome. Sometimes they feel bored (fashion's not their thing any more) or they need time to devote to family or work, or they are ill, or they feel they've got it figured out and just don't want to participate. At the same time, I agree it's important for us as a group to stay alert to what we might be doing unconsciously to make some people feel unwelcome. And then to do what we can to rectify that imbalance.
I really love Inge's choice of bloggers, who have included women of many sizes, ages, and nationalities and a wide variety of style preferences. Bring it on, I say!
I don't follow other fashion blogs and don't do Instagram. I get my inspiration from Angie's ensemble and trend posts, from forum members, from nature and artworks, and from the people I see on the street -- all shapes, ages, sizes, races, gender presentations. So I'm unlikely to post too many large sized inspo. pics. But I can certainly commit to searching out and commenting about whether any purchases I make this coming year are also available in larger or smaller sizes, if that is something that would be helpful.
Apart from that, I recommend our very own Ledonna who makes plus sized thrift shopping seem like the easiest thing in the world (which we all know it is not!!) Or, for a slightly more classic and Canadian take on that, with a sustainability slant to boot, here's this blogger at Green and Gorgeous. http://www.greenandgorgeous.ne.....y/outfits/
