As awareness of fashion’s negative environmental impact grows, a thrifting movement has emerged—leading to the proliferation of well-kept, heavily trafficked used clothing stores throughout the metro.

For shoppers new to the scene, or those who are a little taller, shorter or wider than the average person, the endless racks of seemingly random merchandise can be intimidating. As a result, an increasing number of wannabe thrifters consult various online resources to help them navigate the marketplace. Emily Hanson’s Instagram page, @ThriftyFatty, is aimed at women on the lookout for plus sizes.

Plus-sized clothes are both hard to find and expensive, says Hanson, who wants all women to have access to clothing that is sustainable and encourages a positive body image. She continues to hope that locally-owned, intimate shops will start carrying more plus-sized options. But, until then, you can find her scouring the racks at local thrift stores.

Hanson found that thrifting can serve as a kind of retail therapy. “I really like clothes and that quickly can eat away at all my bank account,” the St. Paul native jokes. And, since she’s always loved fashion and has become adept at dispensing advice—she currently works for Luxe Bridal, a plus-sized wedding gown boutique in Eagan—starting a social media stream seemed the perfect fit.

While living and working in California, Hanson started picking outfits for family and friends and offering advice on where to shop. She was receiving a lot of questions about her clothes, which tended to be either thrifted or purchased new at an extremely low price. When she moved back to St. Paul, she decided to use her Instagram account to “just kind of try to share everything I know and how I get all of my stuff for so cheap.”

Today, Hanson has more than 4,500 followers, who seem particularly drawn to the clever hashtags she creates to accompany images of her stylish, plus-sized finds. Her two favorites to date:  #effyourbeautystandards and #whatfatgirlsactuallywear are meant to be both disarming and serve as an inspiration. “If somebody who feels insecure about any part of their body or anything can come look at my page and see that I’m doing it, and then feel better about themselves, that’s the ideal,” Hanson says.

Body-conscious topics like “dressing for your figure” and “what looks are the most flattering” are absent from her page. Instead, her posts encourage people to wear whatever they want.

“We’ve been told for forever you can’t wear that, you can’t do this, that doesn’t look good on you, that’s not flattering,” Hanson says. “So it’s inspiring to see girls saying, ‘Screw that!’”

Her own style and confidence level have changed dramatically since starting her account.

Before her page, she wasn’t dressing for herself. Now, she says she’s happy wearing clothes that make her feel confident and fit her personality.

Her Instagram page also serves as an emotional release.

“I think it became a safe place for me where I could just start sharing more real-life stuff,” Hanson says. “I think people just really started responding to that and I started to create this little community on there.”

Hanson recently began posting more personal stories online, and as a result has come to better appreciate how many people relate to her day-to-day issues. As of now, her online community is made up primarily of  Twin Cities shoppers, who message her to share struggles or solicit advice. While she didn’t anticipate these sorts of conversations when creating @ThriftyFatty, they have become a priority. In fact, Hanson goes out of her way to respond to every person that messages her for support or advice.

“This little app has changed how I perceive myself and my life,” she says. “What I see for my future has changed solely because of strangers on the internet.”