tFS: What do you think of fashion articles that tell women how to dress if they’re shaped like a pear or an apple?
BG: It’s a fine line. Learning to dress for your body shape is hugely important. That being said, there aren’t only six body shapes. We should teach women what to look for in terms of how tall they are or where their hips are sitting. Those are great things. But I do think that slimming rules like wearing black and avoiding stripes are old hat. Instead, those articles should show women how they could wear those things.
tFS: What was your journey like to find clothes that flattered your body?
BG: It was really difficult to figure out how to dress myself. As a plus-size girl, we don’t have that knowledge nor do we grow up with a lot of cute options. Our fashion was Sears growing up. For a while, plus-size women like myself had to figure this out around the age of 25 or 30 years old, which is really late in the game to nail down a personal style. I would go to the mall on a Tuesday afternoon when I knew it would be completely dead. I’d take tons of clothes into the dressing room and try everything on. It took a long time. That’s why I post so many photos of myself trying different clothes. I want to give real women a real picture of what these clothes will look like on their bodies.
tFS: And what’s your advice for women who want to accept and love their bodies, but don’t know where to begin?
BG: It’s a big, daunting task. I spent almost 30 years hating my body. It’s not going to stop in six months. I could never leave the house before because I was in leggings every day. It’s really easy for me to walk into my closet, say “nothing fits me” and be done. So, I started to set little, achievable milestones, like finding a great pair of jeans that I feel comfortable in. You need something you can wear right now, not when you lose weight. It gives you freedom.
tFS: At the end of the book, you talked about gaining weight while writing your book.
BG: Writing makes you want to eat. It’s one of the most vulnerable tasks there is. When I’m writing, I just want things around me that are warm and comfortable. When I eat Taco Bell, I think, “Stephen King probably does this, too.”
Brittany Gibbons; Image: Courtesy
tFS: You’ve become a role model to thousands of women and men. Who do you look up to?
BG: I’m a huge comedy nerd, so I really appreciate any great, brilliant writer. In terms of women, I’m really loving Amy Schumer. She’s a beautiful, defiant force right now and I love it.
tFS: Tell us a little bit about the new camp you run.
BG: I run a coed adult summer camp called Camp Throwback, which we launched last year. When I first pitched the idea, people thought it was stupid, but it sold out immediately. It’s a nostalgic-filled week at a legitimate camp for adults 21 and older. We have trivia night, we make friendship bracelets, we tie-dye. But the whole time you can also drink, so we’re incorporating two awesome things into one. We have campers from 25 to 58.
tFS: What’s next for you?
BG: I’m already working on a second book. I love talking to women about relationships and sex, so it’ll be about that. And I’m dying to get my hands on a fashion line. I’ve gotten to work with a lot of amazing companies, like Lands’ End and ModCloth. I would love to partner with a fashion brand like that to make accessible clothes for women of all sizes. My own style is girlie with a mix of boho, so it would be a similar style.
