The Only 5 Shirts I Wear In The Summer As A Gal With Fat Arms
If I get even ONE hateful dm I quit.
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by Audie Metcalf
Please don’t rate my fatness of arm against your fatness of arm. I’m sick of this game. Yes, I have lost a lot of weight and used to be a size 14 and am now a size 6 but my arms sort of haven’t changed. I’ve been self-conscious of my arms and have dressed “around my arms” since I had sentience. Maybe my arms are fatter than yours, maybe your arms are fatter than mine but either way, you’re reading an article with lots of ideas and solutions and hacks and shirt recommendations to dress more comfortably by a person who literally thinks about their arm-width constantly.
And by the way, I don’t always believe in total coverage—quite the opposite. Especially since so many shirts are tight on my arms! But depending on the type of coverage and length of shirts, I find exposing more arm can actually be more flattering.
Here’s my fat arm for some “proof” (even though I don’t believe in proving it) because I’ve compiled a lot of preexisting photos of myself in all my various favorite tops, and I naturally sort of pose myself so my arms won’t look as big so I want you to see the reality.
1. T-shirts that cover my elbow aka the knee of the arm
A regular t-shirt is a thick-armed gal’s worst nightmare. Here’s how I look in a regular t-shirt:
It hits us at the widest part of our arm. See? It’s not us. It’s the shirt. There’s a reason you’ve never felt gorgeous is in a t-shirt. Here are the t-shirts I DO feel gorgeous in:
2. The perfect tank
I know you’re scared of tanks. I was, too. But the key is finding the right width of strap, because showing the full length of your arm creates so much more of a long, lithe line. Trust me on this one. Here’s my fave:
3. Extreeeeeemely lightweight and/or cropped button-downs
If a button-down shirt is light enough, I can definitely get away with it in the summer. I have searched far and wide for ones that don’t make me sweat in the dog days of August in LA, and here they are:
4. Tube tops you’ll hate
As if tank tops weren’t terrifying enough!
I might lose you here but I think the full display of clavicle and décolletage balances out the arm so beautifully, and I find it to be the most flattering of all cuts on a thick arm!
1. I’m in love with THIS* denim top that looks great with everything (especially all your millions of black pants) and the cut of the stomach is also hugely flattering.
2. THIS* super stretchy tube is what I’ve been living in all summer, and it goes with all my white bottoms and everything denim. It’s so shapely that I don’t need to wear a bra.
3. I loooove THIS* white tube that also comes in black to wear with all my maxi skirts, which are abundant in my closet because in addition to loathing my arms, I loathe my legs, too!
4. THIS scarf hack is one of my faves.
5. THIS* is a more buttoned-up look and this tube is a in a sort of crepe material so you can really dress it up.
* Gifted items included
5. Everything else.
These are a hodge piece of various pieces selected entirely based on how they work on my fat arms while also making sure I don’t melt into protoplasm when it’s 100 degrees:
1. The best STRETCH, LINEN, LIGHTWEIGHT BLAZER that’s so airy I can wear it as a top and not dissolve into vapor. Also the cut is insanely flattering and it’s worth every penny.
2. I love THIS SHEER SWEATER so much I bought it in pink as well. It highlights my shape and grazes over my arms but doesn’t feel tight.
3. Perhaps you know my mental illness when it comes to jean jackets* but THIS ONE* is, truly, my favorite. It’s basically the only outerwear I reach for in the hot months because it’s light enough to not make me sweat but warm enough for evenings. And the arm holes are huge!
4. THIS* is the only bodysuit I can wear because my torso is monstrously long and this is the only one that doesn’t slice my vagina in half!
Audie Metcalf is the Editor-in-chief of The Candidly, and lives in LA with her family. You can find more of her articles here.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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