Earlier in the summer, Pinup Girl Clothing announced that they were going to be holding everyone’s favorite contest: PUG Changed My Life. They encouraged their customers to share stories on Facebook and Instagram of how wearing Pinup Girl fashions has changed their lives. Of course, I had to enter. Pinup Girl has changed the way I see myself, and the way I present  myself, and I wanted to share how I went from invisible to confident, and discovered that I like who I am along the way. So over the course of the contest, I made several entries, trying to find the right words to explain how PUG Changed My Life.

I wasn’t really expecting to win, although the grand prize of a Pinup Girl shopping spree and a photoshoot with them in California was certainly appealing (yes, I have a not-so-secret dream to appear as a model on their website just once). And, as I expected, I didn’t win the grand prize. But on Bunny’s birthday, I realized I had an unusual number of notifications from Instagram popping up on my phone, and when I looked into it, I discovered that Pinup Girl had decided to award a few “honorable mention” prizes, and one of them was me!

I knew immediately what I was going to buy…the brown harlequin Long Jun skirt. I had been admiring the colors and print ever since it had come out, but I didn’t have the money for it. It took me a little longer to decide on a top (or tops) to go with it, but in the end, I chose a black Harley top, since I knew I liked the style, and I really needed a black top that didn’t have long sleeves. I also ordered a wrap top in pink that likewise goes with the skirt (as well as a bunch of others already in my wardrobe)…I’ll share that one at a later date.

I found some fun accessories to go with the outfit. The earrings are also from Pinup Girl, and match the bright pink in the skirt perfectly. The Erstwilder brooch was a little gift from Ryan, and picks up the other colors of the skirt. And the shoes (from Avenue, my favorite store to buy quality, comfortable shoes that look nice and are available in the wide-width I need after five pregnancies!), are a departure from what I usually wear with Pinup Girl styles, but I love how they go with the colors in the skirt.

The very fact that I was willing to share all this publicly just goes to show how much I’ve changed and how Pinup Girl was a huge part of that change. And while I love that I got a gorgeous new outfit without having to spend any money, I’m even more grateful that I have gotten to know who I am, and am willing to share that person with the world! Thanks Pinup Girl!