The Student Room Group

My Scoliosis- issues with clothing and self confidence

I have scoliosis, it's not a major issue as the curve is below 30 degrees which I think is meant to be minor however it's stopping me from wearing clothes that I want to wear e.g I have my leavers coming up and I want to show off my body but I can't because I'm worried that dresses will look weird such as an open back and I'm afraid of people's opinion. I know to just ignore people's judgement, and I've been trying to my whole life however it still gets to me.

Does anyone have scoliosis or know of anyone that does, who is experiencing the same issues as me?

It would be great if anyone who knows of this could give me some reassurance as I don't know anyone who has it.
Reply 1
Original post by RockChic26
I have scoliosis, it's not a major issue as the curve is below 30 degrees which I think is meant to be minor however it's stopping me from wearing clothes that I want to wear e.g I have my leavers coming up and I want to show off my body but I can't because I'm worried that dresses will look weird such as an open back and I'm afraid of people's opinion. I know to just ignore people's judgement, and I've been trying to my whole life however it still gets to me.

Does anyone have scoliosis or know of anyone that does, who is experiencing the same issues as me?

It would be great if anyone who knows of this could give me some reassurance as I don't know anyone who has it.


Hi there. No experience myself, but I've found some support groups on facebook you might want to check out:
https://www.facebook.com/scoliosissupportgroup/?ref=br_rs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/251098911667895/?ref=br_rs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/765072896842063/?ref=br_rs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/554847921337595/?ref=br_rs

There's also a site called HealthUnlocked which is a health related forum with sections for various things. I'm willing to bet there's a section for scoliosis or various spine issues. This one might fit the bill:
https://healthunlocked.com/youngspine

As far as your dress conundrum goes, maybe go to a dress shop with your family or a good friend and try on some stuff to see how it fits on you and see if anything could be done to make a dress work for you and what you want from it. A flattering dress with a little jacket could look good.

And you're right about not letting what people think get to you- confidence is attractive and if you're confident with your body other people won't be as fussed with anything "abnormal" cos they'll care more about who's inside that body and how awesome they are.

Hope that helps and best wishes. :smile:
My mother had the surgery back in the 90's and her curve was 79 degrees and now she has arthritis in the bottom of her back. Subsequently, she has a large slice as such all the way down her spine and most clothes don't sit properly, but you can't let it get to you. It's your body and that's all you can do. Everyone who knows you will know what a lovely person you must be, and therefore they shouldn't if they have an ounze of decency question it at all.
Reply 3
Original post by Kindred
Hi there. No experience myself, but I've found some support groups on facebook you might want to check out:
https://www.facebook.com/scoliosissupportgroup/?ref=br_rs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/251098911667895/?ref=br_rs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/765072896842063/?ref=br_rs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/554847921337595/?ref=br_rs

There's also a site called HealthUnlocked which is a health related forum with sections for various things. I'm willing to bet there's a section for scoliosis or various spine issues. This one might fit the bill:
https://healthunlocked.com/youngspine

As far as your dress conundrum goes, maybe go to a dress shop with your family or a good friend and try on some stuff to see how it fits on you and see if anything could be done to make a dress work for you and what you want from it. A flattering dress with a little jacket could look good.

And you're right about not letting what people think get to you- confidence is attractive and if you're confident with your body other people won't be as fussed with anything "abnormal" cos they'll care more about who's inside that body and how awesome they are.

Hope that helps and best wishes. :smile:


This is great thank you! I try to avoid Facebook as there's a lot of stuff to do with body image on there which is why I don't like it however thanks for letting me know about it😊
Reply 4
Original post by RockChic26
This is great thank you! I try to avoid Facebook as there's a lot of stuff to do with body image on there which is why I don't like it however thanks for letting me know about it😊


That's a shame. Hopefully you can hunt down something else. A lot of medical support groups can be hard to find cos they're quite niche, but they are around so hopefully there's one for scoliosis knocking about.
And although you may not find too may people on here with the same type of issue as you, there are a fair few with various conditions so you're not totally alone.
You might like to take a peek at out Disabled Students section and chat thread. You might be able to find some people who can relate to some of the situations you're in, even if they have different conditions. :smile:
Reply 5
Original post by ExamJon54
My mother had the surgery back in the 90's and her curve was 79 degrees and now she has arthritis in the bottom of her back. Subsequently, she has a large slice as such all the way down her spine and most clothes don't sit properly, but you can't let it get to you. It's your body and that's all you can do. Everyone who knows you will know what a lovely person you must be, and therefore they shouldn't if they have an ounze of decency question it at all.


Thank you for this, it makes me feel much better knowing other people's experiences, I haven't told any of my friends, but when I go dress shopping I don't know if I should tell my friend about it? Sometimes I want to bring it up but there's a part of me holding back, but I guess over time it should get better.
Original post by RockChic26
I have scoliosis, it's not a major issue as the curve is below 30 degrees which I think is meant to be minor however it's stopping me from wearing clothes that I want to wear e.g I have my leavers coming up and I want to show off my body but I can't because I'm worried that dresses will look weird such as an open back and I'm afraid of people's opinion. I know to just ignore people's judgement, and I've been trying to my whole life however it still gets to me.

Does anyone have scoliosis or know of anyone that does, who is experiencing the same issues as me?

It would be great if anyone who knows of this could give me some reassurance as I don't know anyone who has it.


Hey, I have scoliosis at the same degree as you. I worried about what people would think and what clothes might look like. I would wear baggy unflattering clothes to avoid people maybe noticing something that when I mention it, they didn’t even notice!

Don’t worry about wearing what you want! Many people won’t even notice. Speaking from personal experience, the people that comment negatively, they have self confidence issues themselves and are trying to draw attention away from them, and friends/family/romantic partners won’t make an issue about something medical like this!

Wear what you want and be proud :smile:
Reply 7
Original post by heretochat
Hey, I have scoliosis at the same degree as you. I worried about what people would think and what clothes might look like. I would wear baggy unflattering clothes to avoid people maybe noticing something that when I mention it, they didn’t even notice!

Don’t worry about wearing what you want! Many people won’t even notice. Speaking from personal experience, the people that comment negatively, they have self confidence issues themselves and are trying to draw attention away from them, and friends/family/romantic partners won’t make an issue about something medical like this!

Wear what you want and be proud :smile:


you've honestly made me feel so much happier about myself, by reading this! It's nice to hear it from someone else and I feel like I can move on from caring what other people think x

Quick Reply