Why you should be following Trinny Woodall
By: Mariana Soto Pacheco
Tags: Fashion, Body Image, Body Positive, Beauty

This text is my intent to share a piece of information that I think you might need and didn’t know. As you might have guessed by my name I’m not from here. That means that in the early 00’s I wasn’t here to watch What not to wear with Trinny and Susannah. Flash forward to 2020, I find myself grappling with the notion that my depression-anxiety is not as manageable as I thought it was. In addition, fighting an ongoing dissatisfaction with my body after a wrongly prescribed steroid left me with +25 kg (that’s like three stones and a pebble for those who refuse to count in decimal numbers).

During this year came the reckoning that those said stones would probably not leave me. I needed to find a way to be happy with them, not despite them, if I ever wanted to move on from the pain of not recognising myself in the mirror. I came to the conclusion that losing my overweight was not the solution I had thought. What I lost in 2012 was my self-confidence and losing the weight wasn’t going to bring it back. In fact, it might do the opposite. It would only reaffirm that I am only worthy if I am back to my ideal weight. I am well versed in the compliments that come when people see that I lost weight in the past. Compliments that do not come when I’m healthier necessarily and they hurt so much. In fact, when I’m in the lowest of the low I easily forget to eat and forgo meals without wanting to. That is how in 2010 I lost 9 kg in two months. Two months when everyone but my now husband complimented me for how well (thin) I looked. You get where I’m going. The 'slim = happiness' equation is a scam and I should have known better. But, here I am. With not the body I wanted but one that has survived cancer, paralysis and a sh*t load of cortisol and adrenaline.

So, what? I realised I haven’t bought clothes out of joy in many years. I tell myself why spend the money if I am soon going to lose this weight and then they won’t fit. I also consistently keep clothes that are too small and no longer fit me as “motivation”, which are actually just a way of shaming myself to oblivion for my inability to lose the weight.

Lastly, I don’t know when this happened but I stopped wearing bright colours. In Argentina people don’t normally dress in bright colours and clothes in my size (16UK/12US/44FR) are difficult to come by in general, so I dressed how I could and not how I wanted for as long as I can remember. Yet, I have lived here for almost 3 years and I was still dressing for the funeral of the body I had.

Well, that’s when Trinny came into my life in the form of her social media content. And I will argue here that I think every female identifying person should follow her. Here’s three good reasons why:

She’s an influencer in her own right. Influencer is such an awful term. I associated it to a manipulative being with promo codes and undisclosed partnerships. But Trinny is an influencer in the sense that she truly influences my style choices. I write these lines while I wait for my first pair of Stella McCartney brogues to arrive. Yes, I said first. She is extremely generous with her time and counsel. You might think I’m being naive, but kindness and generosity are not that easy to fake. She has helped me get in touch with areas of my personality and feelings I thought were far gone after my childhood ended. I now dress in fuchsia and neon yellow. Are you reading this?! Neon yellow! In my lowest days, when getting out of bed seems unlikely, I am still able to fantasise what I would dress like and sometimes I actually do! The child in me can’t help but want to see the sequin and wool ensemble concocted in my head come to life. Even if I will just go back to bed after putting it on. She bases her advice on real women with real existing bodies. I cannot stress how much this does for your confidence. Not having to do the mental gymnastics of imagining how something would look on a body that is not one of a model (size 8UK, worried/constipation look… you know who I mean). By the way, I can’t believe I have to clarify this, but I might as well do. This is not a hit on models. They are also getting the worst part of this schtick. Editors, photographers, casting…maybe aim your disappointment towards them. Anywho… let’s get back to our arguing for Trinny, shall we? She is a genuine flawed human being and I don’t need to tell you how refreshing that is if you haven’t been in a coma in the last decade. I’ve just turned 33 and I have felt for some years like I’m late. Always late to my career path. I should have known what I wanted to do earlier (*spoiler alert* I’m still unsure). I should have achieved more by now, earn more, and have a higher job title. But seeing her launch a successful business, don’t get me started on how great her makeup is because you’ll think this is sponsored, has been a true inspiration. Seeing a woman in her fifties being unapologetically herself, overcome grief and loss of all kind, and reinvent herself is so gratifying. It brings me so much joy and I think you might find joy and inspiration in this too. Overall, she’s an inspiring fellow mortal.

Cheering myself up by channeling some 'Big bird' energy. Photo credit to Daniel Migliorelli

Here’s some links to bits of my favourite content she’s put out:

Scarfs “Think of scarfs like your makeup. They go very close to your face.” Trinny

How to start a business

Great workouts

Instagram

Much love,

Mariana