On Saturday, April 13, Boston Orthotics & Prosthetics was proud to attend and sponsor Embracing the Curve: Curvy Girls Scoliosis Fashion Show, an annual fashion show for girls with scoliosis at the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania.
The event is hosted by Curvy Girls of Philly Chapter, a local branch of the national organization that was started by Bridget Llull. “About a month after I received my first brace in 2014, I turned to the Curvy Girls online forum to ask how to sleep at night in my brace,” said Bridget. “I instantly got so many helpful and supportive responses from girls on the website. A year later, I wanted to bring this support to a personal level for girls in the Philadelphia area. We set up the Philadelphia chapter, and it has been such an amazing group and resource for people ever since!”
The show featured spring fashions from mall retailers modeled by 23 girls between the ages of 7 and 13 wearing their scoliosis braces, demonstrating how they “embrace” scoliosis with strength, resilience, and a sense of fashion and fun. About half the girls are patients of Boston O&P.
“The mission of the fashion show is to improve confidence in girls wearing a back brace, increase scoliosis awareness in our community, and fundraise for greater support and research for scoliosis,” said Bridget. “The main goal is certainly boosting confidence, because I know what it’s like to feel as if a brace limits you, and I don’t want other girls to feel the same.”
“Scoliosis can be tough on some patients, and Boston O&P is proud to sponsor an event that provides such an important form of peer support,” said Tom Morrissey, President and CEO of Boston O&P.
The Embracing the Curve event gives girls with scoliosis the opportunity to feel confident while surrounded by positive, supportive people. “Friends and family come to watch the girls on stage, and they meet other girls who have similar experiences wearing the brace as they do,” Bridget said. “My personal favorite part is seeing the girls walk on stage with a smile, knowing they look and feel great!”
Bridget will be going to college next year and passing the Curvy Girls Philly Chapter baton to two new leaders--Haley Faris and Sofia Carlo. Before she leaves, she has this fashion tip for present and future Curvy Girls: “The best fashion advice would be to just ‘embrace’ it. Wear whatever makes you feel good! Personally, I was extremely self-conscious because of my brace and stuck to leggings and sweatshirts. However, I hope the event shows that girls with a brace can look amazing no matter what they choose to wear!”