Lisa Sun, fashion entrepreneur and CEO of Gravitas, learned how to truly shine early in her career and is on a mission to help other women do the same. In Refinery 29’s new feature article, Lisa talks about how she created a clothing line that is size inclusive and helps women see themselves in a more positive light.

In her first professional review at age 22, Lisa was told she lacked gravitas. Her boss said, “Go buy a new dress, wear big jewelry, get great shoes. I will teach you how to be a great consultant, but every morning, you have to wake up in your own body, and you have to like yourself.”

Lisa soon realized that great clothing could help her change the way she saw herself. Over the next ten years, she used that “gravitas” comment to drive her career forward and to build her own self-esteem and confidence. Then she took a year off to travel the world and figure out what she wanted to do next.

With a little unsolicited push from her mom, whom she calls “the leader of the tiger moms,” she started her own business, Gravitas—a clothing line with shapewear built into each garment to help women of all sizes look and feel their best.

She understands other women’s pain. “Growing up, I’d be shopping with my friends and we would look at handbags and jewelry together, then they’d go on shopping on the 4th floor—but because I was a size 18-20, I’d get sent up to the 8th floor to find clothes that fit me. I hated that.”

So Gravitas clothes come with inspiring “life labels,” not numbers, as part of the company’s mission to “catalyze confidence.” Lisa says, “Most women over the age of 12 walk out of dressing rooms hating themselves. Every woman will tell me she doesn’t like her arms, she doesn’t like her butt, she’ll give me a long list of things.” After the women try on Gravitas clothes, they end up loving the way their body looks and often ask if the clothes are magic. The clothes aren’t magic, but they are designed to help women see the best parts of themselves.

Lisa does the same thing—always asking women to talk about one thing they feel very confident in and then reinforcing the positive back to them. She says,

“I’m like the body positive version of a skinny mirror, but all I’m doing is telling women the truth when they most need to hear it.”

At Clear Eyes, we want to celebrate those shining moments of truth when we finally can see ourselves clearly. You can read more about Lisa Sun’s journey to Gravitas and how she helps others look and feel their best in “Traditional Clothing Sizes Aren’t Inclusive — So This Designer Is Getting Rid Of Them.”