An upfront preface about me:
No, I have not posted even one WIW.
I wish I had the time to comment more here because I have learned so much.
I love the helpful atmosphere here and try to be a part of that.
On to replying to this post specifically:
I do not say something looks great if I do not honestly believe that it does. If I can say why something does not work I will cetianly speak up. By the same token, I will sit quietly if something does not work for me but I cannot articulate why. My natural personality is to be quite snarky and I know I can come off as abrasive if I am not careful. With the amount of help I have received here (simply by reading posts and looking at the photos people have posted here) I would not want to be ungrateful by being rude by posting an off the cuff remark.
If you want an uncensored, off the cuff remark to your post I would be happy to give one.

I like the topic and various perspectives. I have sometimes wanted tougher criticism to help me improve or tweak an outfit or understand how to take it to the next level. I have also wondered on occasion if people were just being nice in their praise, but perhaps that is insecurity. That said, I also appreciate that people are not snarky or mean spirited here.

As has been said many times by many people this is what sets YLF apart from most fashion boards- people respect each other and are kind and constructive in their responses whether they like a person's style or not. I think everyone here does a fabulous job with that and is one of the many reasons Im very, very happy to be on this board

Martie, I hope you don't just go away or stop posting. Your perspective is every bit as relevant as that belonging to anyone else.

You knew your comments may not be well received, so that should come as no surprise to you, whether it was your content or the delivery. I've posted one WIW thus far. It wasn't my best outfit ever but I thought it was fun and it was a little outside my comfort zone so I thought, what the heck?

Constructive criticism is great, but as others have pointed out it must be constructive and it's quite personal when you open yourself up about how you dress. Being kind is more helpful than brutal honesty. People can learn in an atmosphere of caring. If people were too blunt in their criticisms I suspect the number of WIW posts would drop significantly and that isn't what most of us want. I draw a lot of inspiration from seeing what other people wear.

I hope you post again, Martie. And I hope you'll offer kindly worded, constructive criticism if you see a WIW that you don't think works.

Interesting topic you bring up, Martie.

I wonder is it's the difference between critiquing every outfit on it's own merits (the perfect color, proportion, fit, accessories, let's say) vs. supporting the woman to evolve her own style by discovering what fits and flatters her own particular body type?

So what someone posts may be just about the fit, that they are getting used to, or just about shoes that they are trying out. The feedback helps the learning process, and I find there is a balance here between these two extremes" of perfect outfit" and support of that one's discovery.

It is a tender subject, bodies and whether or not one feels attractive. I feel Angie has set a respectful, helpfully suggestive tone on the forum, while at the same time being very clear what works and does not. I think how you have been received here is an example of that as well! She has embraced your suggestions and I hope you can stick around if you feel to do so.

This site is very different from other fashion websites, most of us are on a style journey and are learning as we go, we value each other for our shared experience and Angie is always encouraging but firm.

Some websites offer a carrot where as a lot offer the stick, this website falls into the former category. I have personally always received supportive and constructive feedback of the lose the belt or top to short variety and I find it invaluable.

I would honestly recommend just jumping in on the WIW threads and speaking the truth just bear in mind there are real people awaiting your response.

I am always honest, sometimes brutally so. But I'll never deliver my opinion in a rude or mean-spirited manner. Everyone here seems to be quite civilized about what they have to say. IMHO, the main objective is to have FUN!