Forget the fashion magazines.
Full-figured women have been considered attractive for centuries and they are still considered attractive if you know how to make the most of your looks.
Here's how.
The single most important thing you can do to make yourself look better is to wear clothes that actually fit.
And fit you well.
Do not try to squeeze into clothes that do not fit you.
This will make you look awful.
I know that everyone hates to give in and buy a larger size because of all the connotations that those numbers have for us, but the reality is that you will book 10-20 pounds lighter if you wear clothes that fit you well.
Bunched up, overly-tight material is not your friend.
This requires a bit of self-acceptance, maybe a bit more than some of us have at the moment.
The second most important thing to start doing this to accentuate the positive.
Make the most of your best features.
Also, stop dressing like you're apologizing for your body.
You have nothing to apologize for.
Confidence is sexy.
And you will automatically walk into your closet and pick things up that make you look better and feel better if you can sustain a positive confident attitude.
If that means putting posters and images of gorgeous, full-figured women up throughout your home, so be it.
While confidence and self-care can get you a long way, there are a few fashions tips that will be helpful.
Almost everyone knows that black is a slimming color.
But you can also use black to tone down parts of you that you would like to be smaller, and use brighter colors or patterns (or even stripes) to make other parts of you look larger.
If you immediately think "I don't want any part of me to look larger", consider this: If you have a large bottom but a smaller top, making your top look larger will make you look more proportionate and thus slimmer.
Other proven fashion tips for making larger women look better is the use of ornaments, specifically belts, buckles and buttons.
This kind of "hardware" breaks up large blank spaces across your clothes, creating the visual illusion of making you seem smaller.
It helps to accentuate different parts of your body as well, so you don't look like you're just wearing one solid blob of color, even if it's the slimming black.
If you've never tried wearing a hat before, give it a whirl now.
A hat will make your head look larger and thus will make your body look more proportionate.
Hats are also associated with confidence and many women report that they feel slightly more confident wearing an attractive hat.
The key word here is "attractive".
Don't put on a hat just because you think you should be wearing a hat and then look at the mirror and not like how you look.
It may take some time to find a hat that you really like, but you only need one or two great hats to make a wardrobe.
Another principle is to accentuate your shoulder area.
This works off the principle of making your smaller parts larger to make you look more proportionate.
Usually this means shirts and coats that are more open at the throat.
You can also use colorful scarves if you don't want to freeze during the winter.