ImageHello there lovelies,
The amazing ladies of The Demoiselles asked an interesting question in this post - what body image issue has been plaguing you lately? The question kind of threw me, because to be honest, I can't think of anything that has been bothering me. Once upon a time I probably could have competed in the Body Image Olympics for the gold medal in Things That Are Wrong With my Body. Even when I was 15kgs lighter than I am now, I would have said I had a huge ass, and huge thighs, and too much belly fat. I would have said my nose was huge, and my face was too pimply, and my shoulders too broad. But I can't say any of these things worries me much at all any more. I feel awesome exactly the way that I am. And speaking of which, here are my best tips for feeling awesome about yourself:
Tell that annoying voice in the back of your head to piss off. You know the voice. The one that tells you that you suck, casually reminds you that you will never look like Kate Moss in skinny jeans, and derides all your greatest achievements as "no big deal". Every time I get that voice now, I tell it firmly that I don't believe it (sometimes silently in my head, and sometimes out loud in the mirror). It's really hard at first. Or at least it was for me. That voice had gotten so damn loud, because I'd been agreeing with it for so long. But the longer I disagreed, the easier it has become. Shutting that bitch up is hard work, but well worth it.
Ditch the women's glossies that tell you you're perfect, yet try to sell you weight loss products at the same time. I've been "Cosmo clean" for nearly six months now. I used to buy Cosmopolitan, Cleo, and other magazines like Glamour religiously - like, first day on the stands in my hands. The thing was, all those magazines did was piss me off, and make me feel bad about myself. I hated the "body love" specials that included articles like "How to look good while you exercise" and information about cosmetic surgery. I didn't even read half the articles because the titles sounded so stupid. I know this seems way too simple (and silly even) to make much of a difference in your own body image, but it has worked wonders for me. I think this can apply to any media, or even passive-aggressive friends - if they make you feel crappy about yourself, then ditch them.
Do some "sexy exercise". Here is a well-kept secret of mine: my favourite work-out DVD is The Pussycat Dolls Workout (although I am also partial to Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease DVD's and Jillian Michaels Hip-hop DVD). Wanna take a guess why I love them? They make me feel freaking amazing, and incredibly sexy. The best part about finding exercise that makes me feel sexy is that I keep on doing it, even when I'm not losing weight. And the even better part was realising that I don't have to change a single thing to be sexy. Realistically, your "sexy exercise" doesn't have to be the same as mine. It doesn't even have to be anything remotely sex-related, as long as it makes you feel awesome about your body.
Don't talk trash about yourself, and don't talk trash about anyone else. Stopping insulting my own body was a HUGE step in combating my body issues - but now, I try not to insult anyone else either. If I wouldn't say something about myself, or wouldn't like someone to say it about me, then I try not to say it about anyone else either. We're all different, and there are amazing things about all of us. On the same note, letting that negative voice in your head talk trash about other people makes it easier for it to talk trash about you. Talking positive about other people makes it easier to talk positive about yourself. Try not to get drawn into body-snarking conversations with other people as well - all this stuff does is make you feel worse about yourself.
But what about you guys? Are any body image issues plaguing you at the moment? What do you do to feel better about yourself, and your body?
Until next time, xo.
The amazing ladies of The Demoiselles asked an interesting question in this post - what body image issue has been plaguing you lately? The question kind of threw me, because to be honest, I can't think of anything that has been bothering me. Once upon a time I probably could have competed in the Body Image Olympics for the gold medal in Things That Are Wrong With my Body. Even when I was 15kgs lighter than I am now, I would have said I had a huge ass, and huge thighs, and too much belly fat. I would have said my nose was huge, and my face was too pimply, and my shoulders too broad. But I can't say any of these things worries me much at all any more. I feel awesome exactly the way that I am. And speaking of which, here are my best tips for feeling awesome about yourself:
Tell that annoying voice in the back of your head to piss off. You know the voice. The one that tells you that you suck, casually reminds you that you will never look like Kate Moss in skinny jeans, and derides all your greatest achievements as "no big deal". Every time I get that voice now, I tell it firmly that I don't believe it (sometimes silently in my head, and sometimes out loud in the mirror). It's really hard at first. Or at least it was for me. That voice had gotten so damn loud, because I'd been agreeing with it for so long. But the longer I disagreed, the easier it has become. Shutting that bitch up is hard work, but well worth it.
Ditch the women's glossies that tell you you're perfect, yet try to sell you weight loss products at the same time. I've been "Cosmo clean" for nearly six months now. I used to buy Cosmopolitan, Cleo, and other magazines like Glamour religiously - like, first day on the stands in my hands. The thing was, all those magazines did was piss me off, and make me feel bad about myself. I hated the "body love" specials that included articles like "How to look good while you exercise" and information about cosmetic surgery. I didn't even read half the articles because the titles sounded so stupid. I know this seems way too simple (and silly even) to make much of a difference in your own body image, but it has worked wonders for me. I think this can apply to any media, or even passive-aggressive friends - if they make you feel crappy about yourself, then ditch them.
Do some "sexy exercise". Here is a well-kept secret of mine: my favourite work-out DVD is The Pussycat Dolls Workout (although I am also partial to Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease DVD's and Jillian Michaels Hip-hop DVD). Wanna take a guess why I love them? They make me feel freaking amazing, and incredibly sexy. The best part about finding exercise that makes me feel sexy is that I keep on doing it, even when I'm not losing weight. And the even better part was realising that I don't have to change a single thing to be sexy. Realistically, your "sexy exercise" doesn't have to be the same as mine. It doesn't even have to be anything remotely sex-related, as long as it makes you feel awesome about your body.
Don't talk trash about yourself, and don't talk trash about anyone else. Stopping insulting my own body was a HUGE step in combating my body issues - but now, I try not to insult anyone else either. If I wouldn't say something about myself, or wouldn't like someone to say it about me, then I try not to say it about anyone else either. We're all different, and there are amazing things about all of us. On the same note, letting that negative voice in your head talk trash about other people makes it easier for it to talk trash about you. Talking positive about other people makes it easier to talk positive about yourself. Try not to get drawn into body-snarking conversations with other people as well - all this stuff does is make you feel worse about yourself.
But what about you guys? Are any body image issues plaguing you at the moment? What do you do to feel better about yourself, and your body?
Until next time, xo.
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