Body positivity, confidence, self-acceptance — if any of those words pique your interest, then it’s time to get The BodCon on your radar. It’s the only one-day virtual conference that focuses on body confidence and self-acceptance for the way we look no matter our body type. This year it’s being held on Sunday, February 27 (get tickets here) from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET for a day full of thought-provoking interviews, inspiring conversations, and networking. It’ll bring together over 25 body confidence movers and shakers to discuss the intersection of body image and dating, having a disability, beauty, style, and more. In celebration of this event, Sunday Edit introduced a three-part interview series featuring some of the panelists. Our final spotlight is on Lisa Schoenberger who has made a name for herself in fashion as a voice for size inclusion. As someone who lives with a chronic illness, lipedema, she struggled with body confidence — particularly when she worked in the finance industry. Below, she shares her thoughts on body diversity in the corporate workplace and her favorite style advice.
You started off as a CPA — how did you get involved in advocating for body inclusion in fashion?
Lisa Schoenberger: At the time I started my blog when I was 40, I was a principal in an [accounting] firm, working full-time in charge of my department. I went to an event for a plus-size store and I met the owners as well as bloggers who encouraged me [to pursue fashion]. I always thought that blogging would be a side hobby, but I experienced a lot of growth when I joined Instagram and it really became two full-time jobs for a long time. I’ve been on long-term disability for the last two years so I’ve been moving more and more towards content creation being my full-time role.
What has your journey to self-confidence been like these past couple of years?
Shoenberger: Having to go on disability has been a blessing in disguise. It put a lot of things into perspective for me. I had very high-functioning anxiety and I just pushed myself to the point where I was just consumed with work and it wasn’t a healthy balance for me. It’s been a lot of reflection and a lot of therapy and being more self-aware. Accounting [is a popular profession that leads to] burnout. I don’t necessarily know how to find my confidence on dark days, but it’s more about how to not let a bad day turn into a bad week or get to a certain level of depression. I think it’s about being kinder to myself and letting myself have a moment if I need a moment. Especially as women, right? There’s a lot of pressure to just deal with it. You’ve got work, partners, kids, family, friends. Allow yourself that grace, and then once you’re in a spot where you’re starting to feel better, then you can start to focus on the good things and what you like about yourself and doing something that makes you feel good about yourself. So whether it’s exercise or getting the mani/pedi or playing with your kids or going to visit a friend — just reframe your mind.
And what does that self-care look like for you?
Shoenberger: I love to go in the water. I’m a huge swimmer. I love being outside in the sunshine and we have a small above-ground pool because I don’t have a huge backyard, but it’s my happy place. I love having some great food and a drink and just being able to sit on my lounger or float in the pool and soak up the sun. Wearing a good bathing suit makes me happy. I also love getting a facial. Sometimes it’s also just about a good TV show that I’ll binge watch or a movie.
Your panel at The BodCon will discuss your experience with body confidence and the workplace. Have you ever been discriminated against at your job based on the way you looked?
Shoenberger: I definitely have felt discriminated against and have been stigmatized about being fat in the workplace. Unfortunately, it’s been more than one employer through the course of my career. Something that we strive for as accountants working in public practice is [achieving] partnership in a firm. I always wanted that, but I always felt that I was discriminated against in getting selected for that opportunity because I was fat. I was held back from opportunities and I felt like the bar was set higher for me. There’s a very one-note, one-dimensional kind of thing that they expect will make a good representation in a firm. Because you are that representation as a partner. It was frustrating because not everyone fits that mold and not everyone’s the same. When I started my blog, I shared photos of myself in a bathing suit. I was asked [by my employer] to remove the photos. I walked into a meeting and had an 8.5″ x 11″ printout of a photo of me in a bikini. It was not scandalous. But I was told by two male bosses that it was inappropriate. I received a written reprimand for it. If I was a size two or if I was thin, would they have cared?
What do you think workplaces can do to create a more inclusive environment?
Shoenberger: There needs to be more attention for everyone that’s in a leadership role in the organization, as well as HR. [D&I teams] need to include people with disabilities, people that are fat, people that are anorexic — or just people that don’t fit your traditional norm. Education is important. I felt sometimes I had to explain myself and what my triggers were as someone who suffers from anxiety. I don’t expect you to know what every possible trigger is, but there is education that people can have about anxiety in general, and what the typical things are that people struggle with, whatever it may be. We have a lot of empathy for people who have a physical illness or a physical disability, but we don’t necessarily have that same empathy for people who have mental health issues or who even have an invisible disability, which I have. I think we need to see an opportunity to create more openness and more acceptance across an organization.
When it comes to finding stylish options when you’re working in a more corporate culture as you did, what are your go-to brands?
Shoenberger: If you want well-tailored and on-trend pieces, I would recommend Eloquii. They go up to size 20E. They also have their Elements line, which they sell in Walmart and that’s a more affordable price point for people. I would also say Universal Standard because they offer sizes zero to 40 and they are really focused on providing you with quality pieces. I love Lane Bryant and last year they expanded their size range up to a size 40. I think that they have an affordable or average price point, and you can get a variety of both casual, active, work-appropriate, and a little bit of more stylish, sexy stuff. If you really want to be fashion-forward, you’re going to ASOS online or Fashion to Figure — they are more edgy and what you would hope you would get from a straight size. I would also say Anthropologie. For me, they’re not fully size-inclusive. They only go up to 26. I would love to see them expand some more, but sometimes they fit me. Lastly, for the office, look at Ashley Stewart and Torrid. I don’t necessarily think about Torrid from a work perspective, but they do offer great options.
We love that you’re not afraid of wearing print and color. Often people who are plus-size get the advice to wear head-to-toe black. What do you say to women who feel intimidated?
Shoenberger: I grew up with aunts and grandmothers that told me that I should wear black. Some of them were bigger and that’s what they grew up with. I think that there’s a misconception that black hides things. It doesn’t hide things. Your body is your body. Yes, there are things that will be more flattering than others, but that has nothing to do with that color. Especially if you’re choosing to wear something that’s shapeless, as an example. It’s not going to hide anything. And why hide yourself? Part of learning to love yourself is embracing what your body is. We can all find things that look good on us and make us feel good about our bodies. So for people who are afraid of color, I always ask them to start with a color or print that they like and add it to one piece of your outfit. Maybe it’s just a colorful top, your shoes, or you add a scarf or a bag. You don’t have to go full force at first.
Now that you’ve been doing content creation for a while, do you have other people who have made a positive impact on your body confidence journey?
Shoenberger: I’ve always looked up to Tess Holliday because she was someone who was on the larger side of plus who I could relate to. She got signed as a model and she lives her life unapologetically but has also struggled. That really resonated with me. Let’s face it, most content creators are on the younger side. However, there’s Madeline Jones, who is the editor-in-chief of Plus Model Magazine, who encouraged me along my journey. She often talks about doing this in her forties and that representation matters. She advocates for defying ageism as a woman in this business and in the fashion space. Then there’s a photographer named Velvet D’Amour. She is a model based in Paris and she walked for Jean-Paul Gaultier back in the day. A little after a year I started blogging, I did a photoshoot with her and it was really life-changing for me. She gave me confidence that I didn’t see in myself. She saw me as a model, which I had never thought of myself that way.
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