I wouldn’t call myself a fashion guru, but I do like to keep up to date with what’s “in” and what’s “out”, having a disability has created a barrier between what I would like to wear and what I have the confidence and ability to wear.
I can’t think of an exact point where this came about but, for example, when I was younger I used to wear piniffers to school, shorts and dresses and didn’t have any hang ups about what it looked like. Looking back now, I definitely lost so much confidence and this showed through my dress code.
I have always had to dress from the shoes upwards, getting shoes to fit my splints has always been a nightmare so my outfits always depend on what I can wear on my feet.
I went through a stage in my life for about 5 years where dusk til dawn i wore Ugg boots, come rain or shine. No exceptions! No matter what I was doing or where i was going they were a big pile of fake sheep fur i could hide behind.
For a while I had my ‘disco boots’ which I would wear for an hour or so in the club. I used to fall over a lot it in them.
Leaving shoes by the by for a second, there are also certain styles that having a disability means they are really impractical for me. Take the average “work shirt”, it would take me about 45 minutes to button it up – ain’t nobody got time for that! Also there are so many “cute tops” that have a button on the back of the neck or a zip up the side that just not doable for my good self.
Fashion and trends have developed a lot in my lifetime so far, so there are lots more options for jeggings and elasticated (non grandma/non pregnancy) trousers but for a long time it was difficult to get fashionable trousers without a button or a zip. I can wear these types of clothes if I am going out or for a special occasion, either with my mates zipping or buttoning me up, worst case I’ll ask a stranger to help a gal out. In the ugg boot days I wouldn’t have had the self confidence to do that so they were off limits!
Speaking of confidence, when I was at uni I went through some crazy life journeys and made some incredible bonds. Not to gush too much over him, but the time I spent with my galpal Owen, I really can’t even put into words how much he did for my confidence. In my adult life I spent the majority of it in boots that covered half of my legs. He broke down the walls of pure fear of what other people would think and say about me because he has so much faith in me. Somehow he managed to change the way I think about myself in a 99% more positive way and unleashed a new generation of Lauz.
LEGGINZ AND A CROP TOPPPPPP
The focal point here is the Uggs were shed. And I’ve never looked back.
It was a huuuuuuge milestone for me to wear leggings and trousers that were tight against my splints, that showed the shape of my legs and what felt like walking bare.
I get that everyone has hang ups about their clothes and wishes they could wear things if they were taller, shorter, thinner, curvier or a baller. The point of this is not woe is me but to reflect on how much clothing and what’s available to wear can reflect how you feel.
Today I love not caring about what I wear, in a way where I like not matching and if I want to wear something that doesn’t look quite right with trainers then I’ll no longer choose not to wear it, but wear it and with a big middle finger to anyone who looks me up and down. Obv you know if you’ve been following for a little while that instead of hiding my splints or letting them dictate what I wear, I’ve just been letting them be. They’re not going away, so I’ll wear what I want and wear it with pride.
SPLINT UP, LOOK SHARP 