mellisa & chandroutie

From the young age of eight, Mellisa’s goal was to become a fashion designer. She spent hours on end drawing clothes, sewing, and choosing outfits for other people. However, when it came to fashion for herself, the feelings were quite the opposite. She explained that something as small as going shopping for herself would create a lot of turmoil and tears. The reason why is because whenever she saw something that she liked, it would either not be available in her size, and if by chance it was, then it would not look the way that she wanted it to look.

With time, shopping became an activity that reinforced the idea that she did not have a body type that was considered desirable and beautiful for her generation. It made it very clear that the standard of beauty in society was not something that aligned with her idea of beauty. In fact, she was raised in a household that saw curvy bodies to be beautiful. Growing up, her mother had always told her that all body types are absolutely stunning.

Therefore, when Chandroutie, Mellisa’s mom, started to see her struggle with fashion and the idea of beauty, she made it her goal to ensure that her daughter knew how abundantly beautiful she was. She emphasized the idea that beauty is from within and that Mellisa should dress in a way that makes her feel beautiful and comfortable. She instilled this newfound confidence in Mellisa that affected so many different areas in her life. It was this heart-to-heart conversation with her mom that completely transformed the idea of beauty in her eyes. Ultimately, Mellisa learned to love fashion for herself and, more importantly, love herself.