As women in today's society, we have to deal with the constant barrage of advertisements, television programs, designers, everyone and anyone, who constantly compare our bodies and have an opinion of what or who we should look like! Add being a curvy woman to that equation and what we get is often that we do not measure up to the "American ideal" of what beautiful is, just because of our size!
Back in the day when corsets were ever so popular, the women who used to wear them (and some still do) were often seen as very beautiful because of their tiny waistline! Today, looking at a photograph such as the one below, the woman in that picture seem almost skeletal, and dare I say, "in-human"? How is it possible for women to want to have such a tiny waist? While having too much fat around the middle is unhealthy for anyone, male or female, being that naturally small for any woman is practically impossible!
For me personally, I know I will never be that small. The smallest I have ever been in my life, as a grown up is a size 14 (as much younger grown up!). Since having children, I have never returned to that size. Recently as I perused the stores to look at styles for my size, we stopped at JCP, which I love to do! I loved what I was seeing in their women's department, but more on that in later blogs. What I realized, and the reason why I wrote this article, was because on that particular day I wasn't being the beautiful, curvy diva I represent. I kept thinking of myself as FAT! Yes, I know I'm not skinny, and I do my best to be as attractively dressed as possible 99% of the times! Well, a girl as to do laundry, work out, go on dry runs to the Wal-mart!lol!
But that day I was not dressed up, I just threw on an outfit to make myself presentable, and while I just didn't care what others thought of my outfit, I actually liked what I was wearing! Although I loved the top, a mini dress that I wear as a tunic, I wasn't "feeling" the top's usual clingy-ness simply because my stomach was protruding from my silhouette! While at JCP, I decided to 'try-on' belts and to take photographs while doing so. (Hey I might just use them in my blog!) I noticed in the first photo I took of myself wearing a belt this was my reality:
Then my daughter said to me, "Mom, you're not fat, you're working out aren't you? You will get rid of your tummy, and you will be the same person you are"! Yep, an eleven year old who is wise said that! But we do that to ourselves all of the time don't we? We chastise, criticize and ostracize ourselves because of the way society makes us feel!
So with my daughter's words 'ringing in my ears', and with a bit more confidence I turned the camera on myself again, with the choice of a better looking belt, and I had this photo! Belly fat, gone!
I realized, hey, I'm not as bad as I think I look at all! We all have our days when we will feel as big as a mack truck and then we proceed to schlep about feeling sorry for ourselves. We can allow ourselves those moments, because sometimes we just have a "sucky" day and we need to let it out!!! And then there are the times when we will feel svelte (yes svelte, you are no matter your size) and wonderful and we see ourselves as the beautiful divas we are, and that my dear curvy divas, is who we are!
Back in the day when corsets were ever so popular, the women who used to wear them (and some still do) were often seen as very beautiful because of their tiny waistline! Today, looking at a photograph such as the one below, the woman in that picture seem almost skeletal, and dare I say, "in-human"? How is it possible for women to want to have such a tiny waist? While having too much fat around the middle is unhealthy for anyone, male or female, being that naturally small for any woman is practically impossible!
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| Photo from: http://indulgy.com/post/VXs2lfCf41/jean-patchett#/myrna/l%20o%20v%20e%20%20%20%20l%20o%20v%20e%20%20%20%20l%20o%20v%20e/from/61303066830 |
For me personally, I know I will never be that small. The smallest I have ever been in my life, as a grown up is a size 14 (as much younger grown up!). Since having children, I have never returned to that size. Recently as I perused the stores to look at styles for my size, we stopped at JCP, which I love to do! I loved what I was seeing in their women's department, but more on that in later blogs. What I realized, and the reason why I wrote this article, was because on that particular day I wasn't being the beautiful, curvy diva I represent. I kept thinking of myself as FAT! Yes, I know I'm not skinny, and I do my best to be as attractively dressed as possible 99% of the times! Well, a girl as to do laundry, work out, go on dry runs to the Wal-mart!lol!
But that day I was not dressed up, I just threw on an outfit to make myself presentable, and while I just didn't care what others thought of my outfit, I actually liked what I was wearing! Although I loved the top, a mini dress that I wear as a tunic, I wasn't "feeling" the top's usual clingy-ness simply because my stomach was protruding from my silhouette! While at JCP, I decided to 'try-on' belts and to take photographs while doing so. (Hey I might just use them in my blog!) I noticed in the first photo I took of myself wearing a belt this was my reality:
Then my daughter said to me, "Mom, you're not fat, you're working out aren't you? You will get rid of your tummy, and you will be the same person you are"! Yep, an eleven year old who is wise said that! But we do that to ourselves all of the time don't we? We chastise, criticize and ostracize ourselves because of the way society makes us feel!
So with my daughter's words 'ringing in my ears', and with a bit more confidence I turned the camera on myself again, with the choice of a better looking belt, and I had this photo! Belly fat, gone!
I realized, hey, I'm not as bad as I think I look at all! We all have our days when we will feel as big as a mack truck and then we proceed to schlep about feeling sorry for ourselves. We can allow ourselves those moments, because sometimes we just have a "sucky" day and we need to let it out!!! And then there are the times when we will feel svelte (yes svelte, you are no matter your size) and wonderful and we see ourselves as the beautiful divas we are, and that my dear curvy divas, is who we are!
The one thing that I would say to any of you is to continue to love who you are and believe in what you stand for. Being fit is healthy. Being fit doesn't mean starving yourself, or living the life you don't enjoy. We all should strive to be healthy, that is the important thing. Do continue to be you, there's none other! As Maya Angelou said, "If you are always trying to be normal, you'll never know how amazing you can be"!!!
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