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Dressing up, especially on days when you don’t want to, is like unboxing a brand new pair of Chelsea boots after refreshing the “track order” page for two weeks — it gives you an instant mood boost. In the span of 60 seconds per video, fashion TikToker Kristine Thompson, aka @trendycurvy, manages to re-create that feeling with her body-positive outfit styling tips for curvy bodies.
Kristine, who describes her style as “classic and modern with a twist,” is known for her style advice, outfit inspiration videos, and tutorials on how to elevate everyday outfits into something worthy of sharing on your Instagram grid. “I grew up during a time where plus size was a bad word, where the only time that plus size was talked about in a fashion sense was referring to what we couldn’t wear or what wasn’t going to be flattering on us. And it was like, ‘Well, what do I wear then?'” Kristine told POPSUGAR.
Kristine gets her style inspiration from celebrities like Tracee Ellis Ross, Gabrielle Union, Zendaya, and Rihanna, and has re-created outfits from stars like Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez, and Michelle Obama. Through her fashion videos, Kristine hopes to help people of all different shapes and sizes embrace their style and sexuality, and have the confidence to be “unapologetically ourselves.” “This content is needed,” Kristine said. “There’s a lot of women out there who feel like they are not getting the styles and the trends and the advice that they so rightfully deserve.”
To fill in the gaps, Kristine supports size-inclusive brands like Smash Shoes, which makes shoes for sizes 10 to 14, and encourages her viewers to experiment with their own personal style on a daily basis. “Have a base and a uniform that you feel comfortable with and you feel great in, and then you can experiment from there,” Kristine advised. “Try it for yourself, see what you feel comfortable with, and just experiment because fashion is supposed to be fun. It’s not supposed to be about rules and checking boxes. It’s supposed to be an outward expression of your personality, so have fun with it.”
“My first introduction into the body-positive movement was Black women outwardly saying that we love our bodies, we love our curves, we love everything about it.”
In addition to championing body inclusivity, Kristine — who was recently honored as a TikTok Black Trailblazer for 2021 — is an advocate for diversity in the fashion industry and wants curvy people of color who watch her content to see themselves represented and celebrate their bodies. “There has been a lot of conversations about diversity in size, but not so much conversation with diversity and skin color and size,” she said. “And I feel like that’s really unfortunate because Black women have had curvier bodies since the beginning of time. And so this is nothing new for us . . . My first introduction into the body-positive movement was Black women outwardly saying that we love our bodies, we love our curves, we love everything about it. So I feel like it’s important, when we talk about body diversity, when we talk about the media and how we’re portraying plus sizes, that we don’t forget the sector that really pushed this movement forward, and that is Black women.”
After blogging about fashion for eight years, Kristine has also created her own fashion line for curvy figures, KIN, named after herself, her mom Iris, and her sister Nicole. “I feel like so many women feel like they have to hide and that they can’t partake in certain styles and certain trends, and that they feel excluded from a lot of things,” she said. “And I hope that I can show them that they don’t have to feel that way and that you can be confident in whatever size you are. Confidence is a mindset, it does not have a size number attached to it.”
As an influencer, Kristine knows that having a positive self-image isn’t a 24/7 reality, but hopes viewers will take inspiration from her content and gradually embrace that positivity every day. “What is realistic is that you can choose every day to be kinder to yourself and that you can choose how you look at yourself every day. And so that has power,” she said. “And if you start to think of yourself in a better light, then it will start to become your reality.” Watch some of Kristine’s best style advice videos here.
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