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| Top (similar) and shoes, Modcloth. Shorts, GAP. Necklace, Etsy. |
I've never been much of a shorts person. When I was younger I didn't like how my legs looked, I thought they were too chubby, so I spent every summer sweating in dark jeans just to keep from exposing my thighs. So silly! I also had an aversion to tops that didn't show off my waist because I thought they made me look too top heavy.
Thank goodness I got over that! Now I know that if you feel comfortable in your own skin, you always look beautiful. Yes, there are clothes that are technically more flattering on one body type than another, but there really are no hard and fast rules as to what you should or should not wear. Paying too much attention to fashion rules takes the fun out something that can really be a great way to express yourself. Besides that, rules in general are based on ways to disguise what is wrong with you, not enhance what is right. Repeat after me: "there is no part of my body that is bad and needs to be hidden!" I know you don't believe me, but the second you start to really believe that you are great as you are right now will be the second that you are free to have fun and let your true beauty shine through.
We are all made to be beautiful in our own way. How you choose to embrace and enhance that beauty is up to you! And don't forget that our bodies change, and that is okay too. Getting older, loosing weight, gaining weight, yes-even having babies, changes us. But those changes don't have to be a bad, scary thing! Learning to embrace different kinds of beauty and not getting stuck thinking one body type is more beautiful than another goes a long way to helping each of us continue to love ourselves through all of the changes.
Finding a way to see your own unique light, without comparison to others or yourself in a different time period, can be a very freeing thing. You are living in the only body that you will ever have (in this lifetime anyway). There is no use wanting a different one. Be kind to the one you have and give yourself permission to dress it however you want to, in whatever way makes you feel good and happy.
I started this blog for a lot of reasons. Wanting to share my love of fashion was certainly one of them. But the main reason that I wanted to share my life and my style with the world wasn't that I believed that I was so beautiful and perfect. It was really because we all are. I know that I am no more or less lovely than the next person. I simply refuse to live a life where I have to be perfect to love myself. I am an average girl who was sick of hearing that average girls didn't belong in pretty clothes, or that we should all be striving to fit into the same box to finally be the right type to participate in the fashion world. I was sick of hearing gorgeous women describe to me what was so wrong with them that they simply couldn't wear the clothes that they dreamed of wearing. I was angry that it was more acceptable to describe your flaws to a group of friends than to talk about what you liked about yourself.
Yes, I am a very confident person. But that confidence came from a decision to learn to be kind to myself. It took practice. It took the realization that the only one putting limits on me was me. Friends, please stop picking yourselves apart and telling yourself that you will finally be good enough when you are five pounds lighter- or if only you were something else entirely. You are you right now, and that is good enough. Don't ever let yourself believe that you don't deserve to wear whatever the hell you like because of some rule that some idiot made up to sell products.
Also, don't forget that taking care of yourself through exercise and healthy eating doesn't have to have anything to do with losing weight or appearance. You deserve to feel your best from the inside out at any size! I always make room for treats in my life, be it a fancy coffee, a nice warm bath or a new pair of shoes. But getting a little activity in can be a treat too!
Like so many people, I sometimes forget that taking care of my body is a big part of honoring it, and it doesn't have to be painful! Have fun and do what you like instead of pushing yourself for hours in a gym (unless that is what you love!) and you can't help but feel more positive about yourself, as well as life in general.
I decided when I was trying to get pregnancy that I needed to make exercise a priority again for the health of my future baby. I wanted to make her home for the next nine months a healthy place to visit. Did that mean I went fitness crazy? Sorry, not in my nature. But I did make time for walking and getting outdoors because that is what makes me feel good. It wasn't a lot, but it helped me stay fit through my pregnancy, and helped me to stay strong enough to take care of my little one once she got here. Don't forget that taking care of yourself is part of taking care of the ones you love. They need you to be healthy and happy so they can love you for as long as possible too!!!
And with all of that in mind, my next post will be a swimsuit addition! Yes, ladies with post pregnancy bellies are allowed to wear bikinis too, and no one has ever died from it! I'm living proof. I am also not quite done with the pregnancy related posts, but I wanted to take a break from that for a while for some more recent fashion fun. I am so ready for Spring clothes!
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