Rest In Peace Fiona Geraghty

Today coroner Micheal Rose laid a damning verdict at the door of the fashion industry and media, he held them responsible for the heartbreaking suicide of fourteen year old Fiona Geraghty.


Photo: Irving of Exeter


Nicknamed Yoyo becase of her bouncy personality, she had been subjected to bullying from fellow schoolmates with them labelling her as fat. She developed bulimia nervosa and had been making herself vomit whilst at school. Both of her parents are doctors and she had been seen by mental health care professionals. Plans were being made for both Fiona and her older sister to move schools when this tragedy occured.

Mr Rose said in his summing up "Professor Bryan Lask said to me that the prevalence of eating disorders around young people did not exist before the 1970s.

"From that period onwards the fashion industry, particularly magazines, promoted the thin figure.

"I do ask for magazines that trade in the fashion industry to stop publishing photographs of wafer thin girls. For their vanity families like this suffer."

He also said it was one of the most tragic cases he had seen in 4 decades.

My thoughts and prayers go to Fiona's friends and family. I can not begin to imagine how much the loss of this beautiful and much loved young woman has affected those she left behind. I hope that somehow things do change and we start to see more realistic body images in the media. I also hope that those who tormented this young woman at school realise the damagee they have caused.

Too Fantastic For Words - S/S12 Review at Emma Plus Brighton

I and Anna can count ourselves extremely lucky to be down in the south and have the fantastic Emma Plus independent plus size boutique within our reach. Located in Church Street, Brighton this shop boasts an awe inspiring stock from many European designers covering a size range from an 18 to a 34. The store owner Emma Hayes studied art and design and has now worked within the plus size sector for over 20 years. A plus size woman herself she has an exceptional understanding of what plus size women want, need and wish for with our clothing. She has a fantastic blog/forum here. The shop boasts extremely loyal customers from their testimonials who come from far and wide to avail themselves of the unique experience that is Emma Plus. We plus sized fashion fiends are gradually finding our shopping trips limited to the internet. Whilst internet shopping is a boon and can allow us to get items from the other side of the world we lose the interaction and service that stores like Emma Plus can offer from alterations to a cup of tea and a smile

Me and Anna got the train up to Brighton. It's less than an hour from London out of Victoria station. I would also suggest that as a destination for a weekend away and a shopping trip combined, Brighton is fantastic. The store is a short walk from the station (10/15 mins) or about 4 pounds by taxi. Me and Anna arrived at the shop very quickly, another handy point to note is that if you are driving the shop is smack bang next to an NCP carpark which in Brighton is amazingly good news. Emma also does a deal where if you purchase items over £100 you get 2 hours free parking - BONUS!

The day me and Anna came we were in the wonderfully capable hands of Kim as Emma and Jaq were buying for AW12 at Anna Scholz's studio. We had a complimentary coffee, a chance to sit down and catch up but we soon got round to the all important thing - THE NEW SEASONS CLOTHES !!!.

This beautiful Marina Rinaldi Sport embellished top (above) is a classic example of Emma's exceedingly clever eye when it comes to buying for the shop . It reminds me of the beauty of impressionist paintings, in a viscose mix it's breathable and it's a highly versatile piece that looks great teamed with black trousers, or would look lovely under a black skirt suit.

This stunning Anna Scholz aztec print print (below) was the next thing that caught my eye. In a delectable mix of silk and lycra this is one of those dresses that will never date. Worn casually with beaded flats and plaited hair for a day on the beach, it's easily jazzed up for the evening with glitzy earings, heels and an updo on the hair.

For my sins of which there are many I could not resist keeping the Anna Scholz dress on for longer, I then picked up an amazing Kristen Krog lace style cut through shirt that looked amazing over the top of it (below)

The next thing I wanted to try was this gorgeous tunic top from KjBrand (below). I loved this, This vivid blue based print in a viscose mix this would look gorgeous over black trousers, indigo blue jeans and would also work as a throw over a bathing suit.

Anna tried on this other gorgeous KjBrand tunic (below) With Anna's italian colouring this looked stunning. It looked amazing over her denim skirt and would look equally gorgeous providing a rainbow riot of colour against a black skirt or trousers.

Next Anna tried on this popping xxxx top.. It looked great over the denim, but would look equally gorgeous over black leggings.

Me and Anna really wish we could show you everything in stock but we can't so please go and visit for yourselves. On the 12th of May a really special event is happening Anna Scholz is visiting the store and is bringing the cream of her S/S 12 collection with her for you to purchase. This is going to be an amazing day with drinks and nibbles, prize draws and the opportunity to meet the amazing lady herself so don't miss out get yourself there !!!!__

Product Review - Oskia Skincare Micro Exfoliating Balm

When I went to the Curves in Couture show in November I received some skincare samples from a company called OSKIA. I tried them out and fell in love with them and made an order for their Micro Exfoliating Balm. I've been using it for about six months now and wanted to share it with you how great I think it is

I have ultra sensitive type one skin which is milk pale, never tans and gets very sore with harsh perfumes or chemicals. In addition to this the hormone treatment I am on for the endometriosis gives me horrid spots. I have spent so much money on exfoliating products and have frequesntly ended up binning them because instead of leaving my skin with a youthful dewy glow it looks scratched, red and irritated.

OSKIA's name is derived from the ancient Greek for ‘delivering beauty’, it's a high performance,nutritionally-designed natural skincare range that takes a nutritional and scientific approachto delaying premature ageing. The unique dual-action approach supplies the skin with essential cell nutrients - vitamins, minerals, proteins or amino acids, glucides and essential fatty acids – from both the inside and the outside to help rebuild cell health and efficiency, and harnessing the latest pioneering bio-actives to further promote a younger looking visage. All OSKIA products contain their unique patented MSM-Regen Complex™, natural collagen boosts, repairs and regenerate, these properties combine with breakthrough botanical, mineral and marine bio-actives including Ribose, Nicainamide, Galactoarabinan, Arnica and Laminaria Complex, Hyaluronic Acid, 03 Stressed yeast lysate, Immortelle Bleue, Omega 3 & 6 and powerful Swiss Apple Stem Cells; all scientifically proven to work.

The history of the brand is interesting also. I would really suggest visiting their website for the delicious skin friendly recipies by Thomasina Miers, Masterchef winner and owner of the divine Mexican restaurant Wahaca even if you don't buy anything. The company is still under a decade old and has a total bevy of awards to their name. The other thing I love in this time of outsourcing and offshoring is that the products are made in Wales. Now when my parcel arrived I fell hook line and sinker for the gorgeous packaging. It really embodies the brand. It's simple and elegant. I opened the tub the first thing that got me was the smell. No whiff of alcohol I really cannot put the scent into words but to me its just gorgeous and natural. You gently rub about a 2 pea sized amount onto your skin and there is when you feel the difference. The MSM and silica granules gently buff away dead skin cells and help unclog pores with no scratchy or rough particles. I usually do this for about 5 minutes then you rinse with warm water and it transforms into a soft milky wash that leaves your skin glowing. I usually do this once a week. It leaves my skin soft and radiant, my moisturiser sinks in brilliantly and when I put make up on it doesn't just sit on flaky areas because I don't have them.

Its £46 for 50ml you can buy it at Liberty the department store in London, or online at their website here. I know it is not cheap but the quality of their products and the results are outstanding. They do have regular money saving options, gift sets at Christmas for example. At the moment they are giving you £10 of your first order if you sign up to their news letter which is pretty cool and there are no postage fees. Let me know if you try their products and what you think of them. Tori xx

Dieting Through The Decades

At the time you read this 50% of women will be on a diet. The reasons for this are many. Some are for religious reasons, others will say for health reasons, some say for better clothing choices but the biggest reason by far is societies attitudes towards people of size.

Diets are nothing new. In ancient Rome there were special rooms where people could make themselves sick in between multi course meals. In the 1800's starving to embody the Victorian fad of frail femininity swept through the middle classes and aristocracy.

In the 1920's women started dieting for the sake of 'Beauty'. The curvy role models like The Gibson Girl were no longer the favour de jour and the ultra thin waistless figure of the flapper was seen as the ideal. These ultra slim figures were seen in advertising and cinema. Following on from this many 1920's fashions showed a lot of leg and had sleeve less tops so young women in their teens and twenties in much the same way as young women do now dieted to emulate their idols.

Diet books, reducing creams and other weight loss quackery flooded the market. Women's magazines ran articles, advice columns and weekly menu plans to give their readers advice on shedding the pounds. It was in the 1920's The Hollywood AKA The Grapefruit diet came to public consumption – this diet which is still used now says that grapefruit has fat burning properties.

We then moved into the thirties. Skirts became longer and feminine curves became popular once more with idols like Mae West causing headlines. Did you ever wonder where models got the idea that smoking keeps you skinny? well lucky strikes did an advert with the strapline - “Reach for a Lucky Instead of a Sweet.” This was also the decade in which The Master Cleanse diet was invented, a Mr. Burroughs came up with this blend of lemon juice, pepper and maple syrup to burn the pounds. This was alledgedly used by Beyonce to fit into her miniscule dresses for the film dreamgirls. This type of mono fast where you restrict your intake to such aan extent is dangerous and unhealthy.

In the 1940's a fuller figure was become popular clothes were seen as functional however but with WWII food rationing beginning in 1940 and not being phased out completely until 1954 British people were essentially on a state controlled diet anyway.

The 1950's gave us Dior's New Look and a tailored feminine style. Curves were on show with actresses like Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe but regardless it gave us the faith diet industry which exploded in the US with the book Pray Your Weight Away by Rev C Shedd.

Then we rolled into the 1960's. This was a decade marked by its extremes. We had the womanly curves of Jackie Kennedy at the beginning and then the super slim model Jean Shrimpton towards the end. This was also the decade that gave us mini skirts and bikini's. This was also when Weight Watchers the global diet money spinner started in the states.

Then we went into the 1970's. This was the decade for form fitting clothes leotards and one piece swimsuits were made popular by actresses like Farrah Fawcett. Slim was the aim with celebrities like Bianca Jagger taking headlines. This decade gave us the ultra low calorie Scarsdale diet and the Atkins plan.

The 80's gave us leotards again this time for the other buzz of the 80's aerobics and exercising to feel the burn. Power dressing was the fashion craze and whilst celebrities were more on the normal size this was the decade to show the real beginnings of the Supermodel. The diet industry grew massively latched and went apace with the F Plan , the hip and thigh diet and many more. This was also the decade of diet convenience foods – processed garbage in many cases.

The 90's began with slim but still healthy models. The body con dresses of Herve Leger were everywhere Then began a dangerous turn of events with the showing of the heroin chic aesthetic. Very young women looking dangerously slim it is said this began the triggering of eating disorder epidemic in young women seeking to look like these models. The Atkins diet resurfaced with a celebrity following and the war on obesity began.

We are now in 2012. The diet industry is worth 2 billion pounds a year here in the UK. And the sad fact through the decades is – DIETS DO NOT WORK. They have a 95% failure rate. Women look in magazines or view the TV and see celebrities looking ultra slim and want to follow them. Diets appear in every magazine and women take the view that if they lose weight all their problems what ever they may be will also stop. The sad part about it is until you deal with whatever demons are causing you to overeat/abuse food no diet plan will work. There are beginnings of change showing, plus size fashion shows, research into weight loss in particular the HAES (Health At Every Size) movement are SLOWLY moving things forward but it all boils down to that we need to love the skins we are in now and not hang ourselves up on unrealistic images.

The Hidden Horror - Endometriosis Part 2

While I am looking at a hysterectomy, at the moment my condition is managed by a whole host of medications, self help and alternative therapies. I have a 3 monthly injection of Prostap aka leuprorelin. This drug is also used to treat prostate cancer in men. This drug gives me a chemical menopause. Whilst the monthly bleeding has stopped I contend with symptoms like hot flushes, skin thinning and moodswings. One of the major side effects of this medication is bone thinning which can lead to oesteoporosis so I have regular checks. I also take Lyrica aka pregabalin to reduce the affects of overactive nerves causing pain. I take co-codamol 500/30, Tramadol and oral morphine when needed. I practice relaxation techniques. I also use accupunture and massage.

The pain I live with I would not wish on my worst enemy. The only way I can describe it is abdominal toothache. I have a personality transplant when it's bad so my family tell me. I act like a hermit I dont want to go out and all I really wish to do is curl up in a ball on my bed. There have been times when I have just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up. They tend to come when my sleep is being affected by the pain.

I am in two minds over the hysterectomy. In my case due to my age they would either have to leave my ovaries in or give me HRT. The problem is that ovaries and hrt would supply hormones that keep the endometriosis active. In addition to that if my pain is due to scar tissue and adhesions these will not be removed by the surgery so I could under go this highly invasive surgery and still have problems.

It appears that after speaking to a lot of women they are told a hysterectomy will "CURE" their endo. Sadly this is not the case.

There are a lot of theories about what causes endometriosis in women but research into this disease is at infancy stages. They believe that 1 in 10 women have endometriosis but the figure may be even higher as some women are just too embaressed to seek medical advice.

If any of the issues I have spoken about here effect you and you want to chat please feel free to email me. And on that note I am going to finish, but I'lll leave you with this cute teddy pic.

The Hidden Horror - Endometriosis

This particular blog post of mine is minimally related to fashion, however my endometriosis can and does affect my clothes choices and this is why I am sharing in this public place. I can live with the embaressment if I help one other woman get diagnosed. March is endometriosis awareness month. This invisable illness inflicts horrendous damage. It is a lead cause of female infertility and has many more crippling effects. Unfortunatly public knowledge of the disease is low. The average time for diagnosis is 7 YEARS! Many women are misdiagnosed and receive the wrong treatments as happened with me. Early diagnosis is terribly important. I'll start with explaining the sciencey bit.

Endometriosis (pronounced end - oh – mee – tree – oh – sis) is the name given to the condition where cells like the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body. Every month the body goes through hormonal changes. You naturally release hormones which cause the lining of the womb to increase in preparation for a fertilised egg. If pregnancy does not occur, this lining will break down and bleed. The blood is then released from your body as a period. Endometriosis cells react in the same way – except that they are located outside your womb. During your monthly cycle your hormones stimulate the endometriosis, causing it to grow, then break down and bleed. This internal bleeding, unlike a period, has no way of leaving the body. This leads to inflammation, pain, and the formation of scar tissue (adhesions). Endometrial tissue can also be found in the ovary, where it can form cysts, called ‘chocolate cysts’ because of their appearence

Endometriosis is not an infection!

Endometriosis is not contagious!

Endometriosis is not cancer!

Endometriosis is most commonly found inside the pelvis, around the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, on the outside of the womb or the ligaments (which hold the womb in place),or the area between your rectum and your womb, called the Pouch of Douglas. It is also found on the bowel, the bladder, the intestines, the vagina and the rectum. You can also have endometrial tissue that grows in the muscle layer of the wall of the womb (adenomyosis). It can grow in existing scars from previous operations. In rare cases it has been found in other parts of the body such as the skin, the eyes, the spine, the lungs and the brain. Endometriosis affects approximately 2 million women in the UK. It can be a chronic and debilitating condition. Endometriosis can impact on a woman’s life in a number of ways which include:Chronic pain, Fatigue/lack of energy, depression, isolation, problems with a couples sexlife/relationships, fertility problems. Endometriosis is generally rated on a scale of 1 - 4 with 4 being the most severe.

My endometriosis story started when my periods arrived at 14. From the word go they were difficult. I would have chronic constipation along with severe PMT the week before, then when my period started I'd have dreadful diarrhoea. My stomach would balloon out so I had to wear elasticated waist clothing. I still have to do this now but I now know how to disguise it but I didn't at a younger age I also had to keep to school uniform. This was so hard to cope with back then. The actual period symptoms of excruciating cramps that would go up my back and down my legs and bleeding so much I thought I would die turned me into a wreck. My Mum was very supportive and took me up the Dr's where I was fobbed off with an anti inflamatory drug. It thenquickly came to the point where I was missing school as they were so bad, when I could go in on my period I could not do PE. My school started getting difficult. I went back to the Dr's and got referred to my first gynecologist I was just 15. He was old enough to be my Dad and I was in tears squeezing my mums hand as he did an internal examination. He told me that young girls often have painful periods and it would get better when I had kids but he reccomended I went on the combined pill. Well that was the start of over a decade on various combined pills none of them worked for longer than 6 months (I'd always continue to bleed through them) I had two relationships fail because the pain makes me want to be at home, also physical intimacy(sex) HURTS. I had 4 stays in hospital over this decade with accute abdominal pain I got told I had IBS, constipation, PID you name it when they said PID I was so humiliated they were inferring in front of my mum I slept around. I kept myself together by taking obscene amounts of OTC painkillers and sleeping as much as I could I wasn't aware that at the time I was clincally depressed because of the pain. I kept going to and from the dr's and it was when I had a smear that left me in agony for hours she re-referred me to the hospital that was in december 2007. It was then I heard the word endometriosis for the first time. The consultant said they would treat it as suspected endo I got given naproxen and norethisterone but that still wasn't helping. I then had a d+c with a mirena coil. It caused so much pain I had it removed after 12 weeks. Then in August 2008 I collapsed at work with right side abdominal pain. I explained to the paramedics what I was being treated for but I got rushed in regardless. The pain was so excruciating it took the ambulance crew 30 minutes to get me comfortable enough to travel. I got taken to the majors section of a+e and they said they would treat as suspected appendicitus. I went down to theatre. I came to and the surgeon spoke to me and my mum. He told me that I did have endometriosis and it looked like I had a cyst burst which had caused the pain. Then came the joke part my gynecologist would not accept the word of the surgeon who had operated as he was a general surgeon. At that point I found out my hospital does have an endo specialist so I asked to be transferred to his list. I saw him in December 2008 and had my laparoscopy and diathermy on March 2009. I had my diagnosis grade 3 endometriosis with adhesions on my bladder and bowel. I was 30 I waited 16 years for my answers. I went for a follow up appointment and was told that because of the damage the disease has caused the odds of me being able to have children are very very low. That crucified me and even sitting here typing it I have tears streaming down my face. I am now looking at the possibility of a hysterectomy at the age of 33 After my diagnosis I found amazing support at the charity Endometriosis UK They have local area support groups, a freephone helpline and will send information leaflets and a whole host of other helpful stuff. They have saved my sanity. Sharing what I have been through is very emotional. I just really want to get the message about this evil disease out there, it attacks your femininity so if you have any of the symptoms shown below on the picture PLEASE ask your doctor about it.

Ladies lets raise awareness NOW.

Another Voice at Fierce Fat and Fashionable

I am so excited to share with you all some fantastic news. My totally gorgeous, fashionable and fierce friend Anna Martin has agreed to help me with my blog.

Anna is going to be taking lots of photo's for me. We will also be wearing/reviewing/trying on some of the same things. I think this is really really important.

I am a tall 5.9 apple top pear bottom,I also have short legs and a long torso. I can vary in size depending on retailer anywhere between a 26 and a 32. Anna is 5.4 pearshape with an hourglass look who can wear a size 24 top, 30 bottom and a 28 dress, the same as me. I want to show you how the same item can look completely different depending on who is wearing it.

Anna is American, her hubby is English and shes been over this side of the pond for about 7 years. She is a veritable GOLDMINE of information on looking for clothes for specific occasions like fancy dress or ultra big or tall.

If you have a particular fashion dilemma you want help with please drop us an email to fiercefatandfashionable@gmail.com and we will do whatever we can to help.

xxxx Victoria H