Yep, My Thighs Touch — but I Still Wear Shorts

By CeCe Olisa, Refinery29

On her blog, Plus Size Princess, CeCe Olisa has detailed everything from what it's like to be the only big black girl in a yoga class (fine, thanks!), to her adventures in plus-size dating in the Big Apple. Now, the New York City transplant is lending her poignant, often-hilarious voice to R29.

As I turned the corner to get my morning coffee, my peppy coworker was already smiling in my direction. "I always know when you're coming down the hall, I can hear your feet dragging!"

Although it was embarrassing to be accused of dragging my feet by a girl who wears stilettos every day, it was more embarrassing to explain to her that the noise she heard was not my feet dragging.

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"That's the noise my jeans make when my thighs rub together," I replied, a little too loudly because one of the executives looked up at me through his office door.

"Oh…," she said, confused and slightly embarrassed herself. I just got called out on my thigh swoosh, which made the rest of my 30-second walk to make my morning coffee feel like it lasted an eternity. With every step I took there, was a swoosh and with every swoosh I cringed and tried to clear my throat to mask the noise.

The funny thing is, I actually get lots of compliments on my legs. A combination of good genes (thanks, Grandmother!) and 12 years of tap dance classes (thanks Mother and Papa!) have given me a set of solid, shapely stems that carry my plus-size frame with ease.

As I stood there pouring my coffee, I tried to figure out how I could get back to my desk without making noise. Everything I could think of involved me waddling down the hall with my legs straddled wide. Was I really going to let my inner thighs keep me from a full-on love affair with my legs?

Yes, I have to hold quarterly funerals for jeans that have died a slow death at the hands of my inner thigh friction. Yes, wearing biking shorts/shapewear under a flowy dress sometimes feels like a modern chastity belt. Yes, I have a drawer full of my favorite anti-chaffing products to fight chub rub when I want to go bare-legged.

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Some girls have cellulite. I have chub-rub. And, none of these things are the end of the world.

As I finished making my coffee, I let go of the idea that I should be ashamed of my thighs touching and gently "swoosh-swooshed" back to my desk.

Perhaps I'll never be able to sneak up behind someone because my thighs will give me away, but I've got a nice collection of mini-skirts and shorts that I feel completely comfortable in, and that's not something I take for granted. If full shapely legs means a little extra noise and anti-chaffing product, is it really that big of a deal?

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