Once upon a time a young girl was flipping through a catalog that might as well have been a magazine to her. She eyed each piece of clothing secretly wishing she would receive one of the pieces as a birthday or Christmas gift. The style of the shirts, skirts, and dresses was vastly different than clothes found at the JcPenny in the neighboring town. That catalog was a Delia’s catalog and that girl was me.
Growing up in the small community of Window Rock meant that the majority of the clothes shopping happened in the nearby town Gallup and occasionally in the nearest city, Albuquerque NM, approximately 4 hours away. Gallup had a Wal-Mart and the mall had a K-Mart, JcPenny, and a Millers Outpost. None of my clothes came from Millers Outpost until the last couple of years in high school. But somehow in the eighth grade I ended up with a Delia’s catalog wishing for those clothes. I once tried to order clothing by mail (to think you used to have to call in an order to order by mail!) but sadly realized they did not carry my size. Even still I held on to those catalogs flipping through the pages and wishing.
When I was about 13 years old and in the eighth grade I received my first “woman” magazine it was something like Seventeen, Marie Claire, or Mademoiselle. I don’t recall who purchased it for me or why but I do remember sitting on my bed flipping through it. One story in particular caught my attention – how to tone your glutes. The story’s accompanying picture featured a young lady in boy shorts standing near an outdoor shower. I questioned if I should be toning my butt as I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror.
Reflecting back on these moments, as a young girl, I was easily influenced to think about my appearance, my body, the clothes I wore, how others might view me, and what I “should” look like.I began realizing that because of my size I was different and sometimes feeling different did not feel good, especially when I could see people’s glances and hear their whispers. Even if my parents could have afforded to buy me catalog clothes the clothes would not have even fit me. And lately, as an adult, I have encountered this similar issue that cute, trendy clothes must not be for me because they don’t exist. And that is a sad feeling.
I started this blog to discuss plus size clothing and to share my thoughts and experiences on a lot of things… From finding clothes, being comfortable with my body, and having fun with family and friends. It took me a couple of months to name my blog because I wanted a blog name that I felt reflected who I am. And so I present to you the title of my blog:
Redstreak Girl
“Redstreak” refers to the clan I am born for. In the Dine’ (Navajo) way a person identifies themselves based on their clans, the lineage of their parents. The clan I am born for (my father’s clan) is Deeschii’nii, Start of the Redstreak People. “Redstreak” honors where I come from and my culture as a Diné woman, something that lives within me and I will not forget. Everything I do in life reflects my upbringing. Red streak also refers to one of my favorite hairstyles, streaks of red highlights flowing through my almost jet black hair.
While I’m no longer a young girl, I used the term “Girl” in my blog rather than lady or woman because I feel young like a girl with hopes and dreams, and goals to work towards. Being a girl is also fun and carefree, and sometimes I need a reminder that this is okay.
Redstreak Girl also sounds like a comic heroine! My tag line, “F’n Awesome: Family, Fashion, Fitness, Fun”, is an indicator of the parts of my lifestye that I hope to cover in my blog.
I hope you’ll subscribe to my blog, add it to your RSS feed, follow me on WordPress, or bookmark my page and come read my posts. If you have suggestions on a topic you’d like to read me cover I’d love to consider it! Just send me a message, or post a comment on my blog.
Thanks for being a part of my blogging journey. See you around!
-Nicky
