jeansPicture this: You're sitting at your desk, it's about midday, and you're engaged in an all out staring contest with a package of Fun Size Peanut M&Ms. Everything inside you is urging to pick up the package and devour the deliciously chocolate, nutty goodness but you can't help thinking, "Dang it. Another piece of chocolate and I'll never fit into my jeans." Truth be told, I'm going to eat the M&Ms, but the point of this matter is my jeans. My jeans, people. My snug, comfortable, dark denim jeans.

They're my favorite pair. And they're also the pair I wear basically every day because they're the only pair that fit like I want them to: a little (ok! fine! a lot) of give through the hip, snug at the waist, and tight at the ankle. I wear these jeans religiously because I dread jean shopping. As a lady with a disproportionate figure, shopping for new denim is unbearable. I struggle (and cry) every time I go to the store.

I think my body type is normal. Or kind of normal. Average, even. I'm about 5'5 and I have a small waist but a bigger butt and fuller hips. The fact that my frame isn't the same size all the way through makes shopping for great-looking jeans seem impossible. No matter how many pairs I try on and no matter how well my friends tell me they fit, I am always disappointed and frustrated. I have a yet to find a pair of jeans that I try on and think, "OMG! This fits perfectly!" It doesn't happen. A size up is too loose on my waist and a size smaller is too tight on my legs. No matter how confident I am walking into a store, I always leave upset.

I can't understand why designers haven't figured out that they're dressing REAL women. Not fit models, not mannequins, not Heidi Klum lookalikes. I am a woman with shape. Curves. Thighs. And it's not like I'm in denial about my weight or my body. I like my figure. Is it really so hard to make jeans that might actually work for me, the consumer? I feel like it's not a lot to ask.

I've tried belts, tried taking my pants to a tailor, tried every fad and legitimate diet, tried everything from Pilates to Yoga to training for a marathon. My figure is something I cannot change. But I always, always feel duped in stores. And I know I'm not the only one. It's disheartening to try on a pair of jeans that won't ever hug you in all the right places.

Like I said, I like my figure. I'm just trying to figure out why designers don't.

What about you, ladies? How does trying on jeans make you feel? Got any tips?

 

Image via potamos.photography/ Flickr