Alicia Mccarvell opens up about dresses that 'outline my belly'

Alicia Mccarvell isn't letting her insecurities stop her from taking fashion risks.

On Thursday, the Canadian influencer took to Instagram to share a video of herself trying on gowns ahead of the Canadian Screen Awards.

She paired the footage with a powerful message about getting rid of beliefs about her body that might rob her of the opportunity to find the perfect dress.

She began by explaining that whenever she declines trying on a new style, she asks herself "why?"

"For example, this dress was on the hanger and the employee asked me if I wanted to try it and I said 'no' and then I stopped, looked at the dress, and thought 'why no?'" Mccarvell wrote.

While the Halifax-based influencer initially said no to the dress, "because I knew it would show the outline my belly," she decided that that wasn't "a good enough reason to say no without trying it on. So I did."

"Turns out it was the sexiest dress I have ever tried on," Mccarvell said. "I am so glad I decided to try it on and see my body in it!"

She continued: "I was so afraid of seeing the outline of my belly that I almost missed out on the opportunity to see how sexy I looked — how good my curves looked, and how confident I’d feel. Had I not tried it on, I wouldn’t have realized how silly it was that I was afraid to see my belly."

The body-positivity advocate recalled "saying no as a self-preservation mechanism."

"If I say no to trying it on I won’t feel disappointed. If I say no to trying, I won’t have the chance to fail. If I say no to the picture, I won’t have to look at myself," she penned, adding, "I may have needed that preservation. But now, with all the work I’ve done, saying 'no' because of my insecurities just holds me back."

Fans met Mccarvell's post with supportive messages thanking her for the important reminder.

"You have motivated me to start saying yes to things more," one Instagram user commented. "Love you for being so vulnerable."

"Needed this today! Thank you for sharing. Your transparency is so inspiring" added another.

"I'm definitely going to start asking myself this! Thank you for sharing!" someone else wrote.

"Thank you, Alicia," a fan shared. "You have yet again made me proud to be in my own skin!"

Last week, Mccarvell shared another video mulling over outfit choices, paired with a note about dressing how she wants, not in what's "flattering" for her body type by societal beauty standards.

"I am trying really hard to move away from making decisions for my clothing based on how flat my stomach looks, or how outlined my belly is or if you can see my belly button," she wrote. "I'm now trying to choose the things that make me feel confident, sexy and happy."

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