Chances are, if you’re a woman and you wear clothes, you’ve experienced, more than one torturous morning staring in the mirror in agony because you simply feel too fat to feel sexy. You realize that you should go to the gym and that you probably shouldn’t have eaten that piece of birthday cake last week, but there’s nothing you can do it about in the 20 minutes you have left to get ready before work.
According to Danica Lo, author of How Not to Look Fat (HarperCollins), there are countless of simple tricks that will work wonders to magnify your “skinnifying potentials.”
“All these magazines try to give people advice about how to look thinner but many of the writers writing this advice wear size-2, size-4 in clothes, I know, because I am friends with some of them but they don’t really understand what it means to live as a full-figured woman,” says Lo.
Now, proud and happy to show off her beautiful size-12 figure, Danica is not ashamed to admit that once upon a time she felt insecure about her perfectly average-sized body. It wasn’t until after her first modeling job, where she barred both her insecurities and her birthday suit, that she decided to put her self-consciousness to rest and put her savvy sense of fashion into good use.
In her insightful guide to creating a slimmer illusion, Danica, addresses the harsh realities of how sporting an unflattering hair cut, the wrong makeup or even wearing the wrong style of shoe can pack on the pounds, she then arms her readers with detail solutions on how, every woman, regardless of body type, can look thinner and maximize their gorgeousness without stepping foot in a gym.
“Some of the most common mistakes are so simple. By simply changing the style of underwear you wear, you can shed pounds and add pizzazz to your appearance," says Lo. “So many gorgeous girls and women I know unnecessarily feel bad about themselves. But after just a few tips from this book and a couple of waves of the hair and makeup brush, they can hardly believe their eyes.”
How Not to Look Fat uncovers top tricks of the trade for looking thinner in all situations. Here’s a glimpse of a few fashion tips we got out of her.
CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET:
Jersey is Not Your Friend:
“As far as fabric goes, Jersey is one of the biggest mistakes. It doesn’t work on a lot of bodies because if you have any kind of rolls of fat and you’re wearing tight-fitting jersey fabric, it shows right away.
Cut Loose the Crew Necks:
“Another really common mistake is crew necks. They just don’t do anything for any type of figure. Even if you are fit and have tons of muscle tone, it doesn’t really enhance your attributes. For somebody who is insecure about their arms, back or chest, crew necks will do absolutely nothing to make you feel better.”
Cheerio Capri Pants:
“Capri pants are the worst things in the entire world. They make everybody’s legs look shorter. Even if you look at supermodels, in runways and you look at the way these models look in Capri pants, their legs look shorter. Can you imagine an average height woman?”
CLOSET KEEPERS:
Long Live V-Necks:
“I, personally, believe that everyone should have a v-neck sweater. If you are very busty you should have a high v-neck, if you’re not busty you should have a lower v-neck.”
Jazz it Up with a Jacket:
“Every woman should have a great jacket with a great high collar. Not only because it’s dramatic but because it makes your neck look longer, it helps bring out your jaw line and it instantly dresses you up.”
SEXY SLIMMING SOLUTIONS:
Banish Back Fat:
“You can fix back fat up in many ways. The number one way is by simply standing up straight. Also, if you wear a really big undershirt, your outer shirt will cling more to the under shirt and, in turn, hide your back fat.”
Redeem your Jeans:
“I know many people believe that if you get a bigger pocket your butt will look smaller or if you get a smaller pocket your butt will look bigger. Really, big pockets make people look shorter. When you put on your jeans look in the mirror then check to see if the middle seams line up and if they are parallel. If they are, then, chances are, you got a pretty good pair of jeans in your hands.”
Say a Lot with Sleeves:
“Never pick anything that ends at the fattest part of anything on your body. If you have a thick waist, don’t pick a top that ends dead at your waist.”
Stick to a Style:
“One of the things that I started realizing when I started working in fashion is that hardcore fashion people, such as top designers, never look different. It’s better to look the same and be hot and feel good about yourself then having to think about different ways to put yourself together every morning under a whole new look. Fashion people don’t dress like that anyway.”
