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"Meet Amanda\n\nBecoming the voice of SWAK Designs was a natural fit for me. Our values align, we believe that fashion should be fun and easily accessible. We believe fashion choices shouldn\u2019t end at a size 24. We believe plus size clothing shouldn\u2019t cost more simply because it is designed for the size 14+ figure. We believe plus size women are beautiful. So I moved my lil\u2019 family across country to sunny southern California where my story here begins.\nChronically plus size might not be a thing but that\u2019s what I call myself. I was the chubby kid who got poked fun of for having glasses, curly hair and a protruding belly. Whether it was subtle or forthright I knew my fat body was bad. I have distinct memories of crying in the dressing room while my mom forced me to try on husky shorts (she insisted NO ONE would know the difference) But I did. I knew. These thoughts and feelings followed me into my teens and twenties. I still remember the day two of my middle school classmates told me I weighed as much as an elephant and followed me down the crowded hallway stomping and making elephant noises. I still remember being called FAT and how the words pierced my stomach causing it to bludgeon in pain. In high school I was determined to keep the fact that I was fat a secret, so I neglected my body and listened to my bullies. It wasn\u2019t until my late twenties that I had an epiphany- I realized I would always be fat. It didn\u2019t really matter how fat, I just realized that I\u2019ve always been fat and everything I did, everything I thought- couldn\u2019t change that. Years of therapy seemed wasted as I imagined what my life would look like if I just loved my body- TODAY. If I would just accept it-for the way it was/is. I was born this way. Skinny didn\u2019t come natural to me. And that\u2019s when I decided to start a plus size fashion blog Bella Moxie and decided to pursue a career in plus size fashion.\n\n\u00A0\n\nWhere did you move from? The great Midwest- Minneapolis, MN\nWhat size do you wear? I weigh 320lbs and am 5\u20198\u201D. In SWAK I wear a size 3x. I\u2019m a 24/26 on top and 26 on bottom. I\u2019m open about this because I want to you to find the perfect fit for your plus size body.\nWhat\u2019s the one thing you can\u2019t live without? Coffee and Chocolate. All day, every day.\n\nWhat was the biggest risk you ever took and what did you learn from it? I\u2019ve taken a lot of risks. I believe in living each day like it\u2019s your last. After High School I moved to another state to go to college where I knew no one- it was a new slate. Last month I moved across country for this job-knowing no one as well.\u00A0 I believe in moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things. It can be lonely at first but it\u2019s a decision I\u2019ve never regretted.\nWhat do you do in your spare time? Watch TV with the hubba bubba, snuggle with my cats, shop and swim. I\u2019m pretty basic in that way.\n\nDescribe your fashion style. I\u2019d say classic, feminine and comfortable. My style is always evolving but right now I\u2019m really into collecting wardrobe staples. I\u2019m drawn to black right now and there is a part of me that thinks I should add more color to my wardrobe but I don\u2019t want too. So I\u2019m gonna listen to my fashion gut- it knows me best.\nIf you were to give us one piece of fashion advice what would it be? Buy clothing by fit NOT size. Each fabric and cut is different. A 2x in one fabric might not fit you the same as a 2x in another fabric/brand.\nShare with us your three favorite SWAK pieces: Only three plus size pieces?!? When I think SWAK I think plus size dresses. My current favs are Celia Pocket Dress, Megan Dress and Farrah Maxi Dress.\nThe voice of SWAK isn\u2019t going to be shy ladies, make sure you connect with her on social media at @swakdesigns. Watch our snapchat for behind the scenes fun! Still want to learn more about Amanda? Check out her blog Bella Moxie here\u00A0and follow her on social media at @mybellamoxie.\n\n\u00A0\n\u00A0"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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