If I buy a bag of Dorito’s I expect it to contain Dorito’s, not pancakes. If I buy frozen yogurt and the container claims that it is flavored with real strawberries, I don’t expect to find blueberries in there. If we enroll our children in a gymnastics camp, I expect that there is a significant amount of gymnastics going on, not horseback riding. I’m pretty sure I speak on behalf of the rest of the universe on this one. Truth in advertising, in labeling. No misrepresentation allowed. Now save this tidbit for a minute, I promise I will loop back around.
I gave up drinking soda 2 months ago. I have been working out twice a day. I have been eating smaller portions. I have been working very hard to get in shape. Not lose weight per se, just get in shape. I’d like for my belly button to look more like a belly button and less like a crater. I’d like to see no jiggle when I wave at people. I want to look good naked. I don’t plan on running around nude or anything, but I would like for my bathroom mirror to cringe a little less when I am getting in and out of the shower. These are my goals.
Now, inevitably, if I am dumb enough to say to someone that I am trying to get into shape, they will say: “You look great for having had 4 kids,” “Shut up, you look much better than me,” “Shut up, you’re what a size 0?” (For the record I am a size 4). And I get what they’re saying. I know that I am in the healthy range. I wasn’t suggesting I want to look like one of the Olsen twins. I’m just tired of participating in this false advertising.
Spanx, push up bras, padded bras, water bras, swimsuits with spanx panels built in, silicone breast inserts for your bras, padded underwear (to make you look a little JLO), control top pantyhose, control top briefs that will tighten your thighs even. These are just a FEW of the items available for purchase to make you look better than your reality. And they sell like crazy. I saw an episode of a reality show once where the girls routinely wore the silicone breast inserts and 2 bras to increase her apparent bust size! And do NOT even get me started on plastic surgery.
But guess what? You still look like you when the crap comes off. Your thighs still touch, the breasts that fed 4 babies aren’t as perky as they were when you were 23, your couple of extra pounds has settled in as muffin top when you wear those cute jeans. So your spanx might help you hold it in all day and catch the eye of the guy walking behind you at Wal-Mart, but really all we’re doing is selling a false bill of goods. That’s right. We are. With all our creative little contraptions we’re labeling ourselves as organic granola bars when maybe we’re a little more Snickers bar. I’ve done it too. Every time I put on a regular bra by accident, I think, “holy hell we can’t have that.” And immediately switch it for one that is a bit more Victoria’s Secret and less, Ma Kettle. I bought a swimsuit for the summer that has a lovely control panel in the tummy area. And I fully intend to use it.
But I’m working on it. I am tired of feeling disappointed in myself everytime I see myself in the mirror naked. Now, before you get all up in arms and think that I’m betraying feminism or women’s body image empowerment, or whatever we’re calling it now, you need to go re-read. I'm not saying you have to look one way or the other. I'm not saying you have to be skinny. I'm just saying, if you feel you need to appear to be something you’re not, you’re not empowered at all. Stop trying to make yourself be what you think the general public would like to see and be the you you’re comfortable with. And if you’re not comfortable with you, then get comfortable with you. And if the you that you’re comfortable with really likes wearing spanx, then by all means, keep pouring yourself into every day, and I will continue to wonder how in the hell you can stand to have that on all day. But I think if I was making a roadmap to happiness, liking myself would be step one. So my step one, is getting comfortable with me. I don’t like the naked me, so I’m making the naked me into one that I like.
I gave up drinking soda 2 months ago. I have been working out twice a day. I have been eating smaller portions. I have been working very hard to get in shape. Not lose weight per se, just get in shape. I’d like for my belly button to look more like a belly button and less like a crater. I’d like to see no jiggle when I wave at people. I want to look good naked. I don’t plan on running around nude or anything, but I would like for my bathroom mirror to cringe a little less when I am getting in and out of the shower. These are my goals.
Now, inevitably, if I am dumb enough to say to someone that I am trying to get into shape, they will say: “You look great for having had 4 kids,” “Shut up, you look much better than me,” “Shut up, you’re what a size 0?” (For the record I am a size 4). And I get what they’re saying. I know that I am in the healthy range. I wasn’t suggesting I want to look like one of the Olsen twins. I’m just tired of participating in this false advertising.
Spanx, push up bras, padded bras, water bras, swimsuits with spanx panels built in, silicone breast inserts for your bras, padded underwear (to make you look a little JLO), control top pantyhose, control top briefs that will tighten your thighs even. These are just a FEW of the items available for purchase to make you look better than your reality. And they sell like crazy. I saw an episode of a reality show once where the girls routinely wore the silicone breast inserts and 2 bras to increase her apparent bust size! And do NOT even get me started on plastic surgery.
But guess what? You still look like you when the crap comes off. Your thighs still touch, the breasts that fed 4 babies aren’t as perky as they were when you were 23, your couple of extra pounds has settled in as muffin top when you wear those cute jeans. So your spanx might help you hold it in all day and catch the eye of the guy walking behind you at Wal-Mart, but really all we’re doing is selling a false bill of goods. That’s right. We are. With all our creative little contraptions we’re labeling ourselves as organic granola bars when maybe we’re a little more Snickers bar. I’ve done it too. Every time I put on a regular bra by accident, I think, “holy hell we can’t have that.” And immediately switch it for one that is a bit more Victoria’s Secret and less, Ma Kettle. I bought a swimsuit for the summer that has a lovely control panel in the tummy area. And I fully intend to use it.
But I’m working on it. I am tired of feeling disappointed in myself everytime I see myself in the mirror naked. Now, before you get all up in arms and think that I’m betraying feminism or women’s body image empowerment, or whatever we’re calling it now, you need to go re-read. I'm not saying you have to look one way or the other. I'm not saying you have to be skinny. I'm just saying, if you feel you need to appear to be something you’re not, you’re not empowered at all. Stop trying to make yourself be what you think the general public would like to see and be the you you’re comfortable with. And if you’re not comfortable with you, then get comfortable with you. And if the you that you’re comfortable with really likes wearing spanx, then by all means, keep pouring yourself into every day, and I will continue to wonder how in the hell you can stand to have that on all day. But I think if I was making a roadmap to happiness, liking myself would be step one. So my step one, is getting comfortable with me. I don’t like the naked me, so I’m making the naked me into one that I like.
I would kill to be a size 4 and wear all the cute clothes some of the girls in my office wear...But sadly I'm not it is a big achievement of me loosing 50 lbs being the 230 I was. For the longest time food has been there my constant comfort and bff. Every day is a constant battle reduce portions and my love affair with bread I understand completly of not looking good when the clothes come off.....
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