Photographed in East Nashville
Melissa Watkins has made it her job to look good. As a plus-size fashion blogger, she fills her website, Fab Glance, with styling and shopping tips and photos of her posing around Nashville while rocking tight dresses, crop tops, bold geometric prints, bikinis and many other amazing clothes that plus-size women are often discouraged from wearing. Need a sexy fitted red dress for a big date? She's got you. Want something comfortable but stylish to wear during the inevitable summer heat? Fab Glance has plenty of chic sleeveless tunics and bathing suit suggestions to keep you cool. There's only one rule Watkins follows: "Does it make you feel good when you put it on? Do you feel good? Go for it."
Watkins discovered her style and love of fashion like so many other teen girls in the '90s: by flipping through the pages of Seventeen magazine and watching Clueless. This was before plus-size fashion icons like Beth Ditto collaborated with the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier and body-positivity blogs were trendy on Tumblr (in fact, this was before Tumblr). At the time, women above a size 4 were barely represented in the industry, but that didn't hold Watkins back. "I'm sure internally I was affected by seeing smaller girls, but I always just looked at their clothes," says Watkins. "I was like, 'I like that, I just need to find that in my size.' "
So Watkins scoured every section of every department store and taught herself how to piece together cute outfits while also learning the importance of different cuts and fits. When she graduated from high school in Massachusetts and moved to Tennessee to attend TSU — she majored in English with a minor in African studies — her skills proved fruitful, especially with her less-fashionable dorm mates.
"It was the hustle mentality. I was like, 'How can I make some extra money and still have time to study?' So I put a dry-erase board up and took appointments. Every school has balls and galas, and girls would be like, 'I don't know where to find a dress,' or, 'I need help doing my hair.' "
Watkins offered her styling expertise for $10 or $20 a pop, and she eventually started posting her advice online so her friends had 24/7 access to her tips. Voila! She had a fashion blog. At first Watkins mostly focused on how other people should dress — only years later did a mentor point out that Watkins could focus on herself.
"He said, 'You're African-American, you're tall, you're plus-size and you dress well. Why don't you write about yourself?' I was like, 'Yeah, I don't want to do that because I'm an introvert,' " Watkins says, laughing.
Around the same time, another fashion blogger asked Watkins why she never did "Outfit of the Day" posts. "People want to know where you get your clothes!" she exclaimed. So Watkins caved. "I did my first [Outfit of the Day] post, and it was super awkward," she says with a laugh. "I looked like a deer in headlights. But my outfit looked nice!"
Positive feedback and hearing that her readers were inspired to get more creative with their own looks pushed Watkins to keep posting photos. "I think that was the biggest deal, realizing that I'm helping someone else across the screen. There's a girl looking at me thinking, 'Oh man, I didn't think I could wear that kind of dress, I didn't think I could show my arms, I didn't think I could wear a short skirt.' "
And because she's always looking for ways to involve community outreach in her efforts, Watkins also offers a free personal style class at her church, teaching women everything from how to find their style to shopping on a budget. And she's available for styling sessions, too — whether you're plus-size or not.
"I hate when women shame other women no matter what size they are. Even bigger women look at smaller women and think, 'Oh, it's so easy for you.' It's not easy for anyone! We're all standing there in our closet with bra and panties on going, "I have no idea what to wear.' "
More From the 2016 People Issue
The Celebrity Chef: Maneet Chauhan / The Gold Medalist: Scott Hamilton / The Perception Changer: Kent Wallace / The Blogger: Melissa Watkins / The Biker Chaplain: Allen Tanner / The Man: Charles Kaster / The Islamic Leader: Rashed Fakhruddin / The Tubatroll: Joe Hunter / The Dog: Doug the Pug / The Emancipator Impersonator: Dennis Boggs / The Booker: Kathryn Edwards / The Right Brain/Left Brain: Coke Sams and Clarke Gallivan / The Professional Ass-Kicker: Eric Young / The Watcher: Debbie Field
