We Don’t Need to “Define a waist” with Dacy Gillespie, Anti-Diet Personal Stylist

Apr 15

As our body changes (as it will continue to do throughout our life), many of us are met with barriers to body acceptance. And our clothes are a massive part of that. But they can also be a pivotal part of our liberation.

Tune in to this week's episode to hear my conversation with Dacy Gillespie, a weight-inclusive anti-diet personal stylist. We untangle the (emotional and practical) mess of our closets, dismantle from patriarchal ideas of fashion, and challenge our sense of what we "should" be wearing based on our body shape and size.

Topics we explore include…

What’s on Dacy’s plate right now (and importantly, what's not)
How she got into personal styling
Being raised to think having a passion for clothing was vain
The conversations that made her realize the ways patriarchy and white supremacy have informed our fashion choice
How to approach shopping for new clothes as your body changes
What steps to take to identify your personal style separate from patriarchal ideas of beauty and fashion
What to do with old clothes that no longer fit
How clothing sizes impact our body image
The life-changing magic of finding your authentic style
Challenging the inner critic when shopping
Barriers to accessing clothing in a larger body
The fashion rules we need to ditch
How to deal with your closet
All about the word “flattering”

About Dacy:

As a weight inclusive, anti-diet personal stylist, Dacy Gillespie helps her clients reject fashion rules and ideal standards of beauty imposed by the patriarchy, white supremacism, and capitalism so that they can uncover their authentic style. Through their work building a functional wardrobe, Dacy’s clients make a mindset shift from thinking they need to wear what’s flattering to unapologetically taking up space in the world.

After a lifetime of jobs in high-stress careers that didn’t suit her highly-sensitive, introverted personality, Dacy started mindful closet in 2013 in an attempt to create a more emotionally sustainable lifestyle. Her work has been featured in Forbes and Real Simple and she is a frequent podcast guest. Dacy is married and has two boys, ages 5 and 9.

You can find more from her at mindfulcloset.com, @mindfulcloset on ig and tt, makingspacecourse.com for her group program.

Support the show:

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Group program:

Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching

Group membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group