Feeling great about your body could be one of the most difficult challenges we face. As women, most of us deal with our relationship to our body on a daily basis. I have found over the years that it’s the same story with a woman who is a size 2 or a size 20. As women, we aren’t gentle with ourselves and in fact judge our bodies daily. I was watching a piece on the Today Show yesterday morning on a woman, Joni Edelman, who blogged about this very issue. She was very unhappy and practically killing herself over the years to be thin at the cost of not enjoying her life. Now up many sizes, enjoying her life, she says, “I am happy. I’m fat and I’m happy.”
I also love this photo and the project Neringa created called We.Women. She said her goal was to challenge the ‘mass hypnosis’ that the omni-present media portrayal of the ‘perfect’ women creates. Check out this amazing project and more photos here.
I hope you know, I don’t have an opinion on what you should weigh, eat, the size you are or anything else about your body. It is precisely that, your body. I do however have an opinion about your happiness and your willingness to embrace yourself today and every day. I know that this is easier said than done but here are a couple of tips I have to love your body. I’ve given these tips to countless clients over the years of dressing them and the results they have had is AMAZING! They actually begin to love themselves as they are now. I hope these tips work for you and your friends.
My tips to love your body.
Tip #1: Be gentle with yourself.
Tips $2: Every morning stand naked in a full length mirror. See how long you can look at your body. In the beginning it may only be a moment in time but if you do this every day, you can work your way up to a minute or longer. While you are doing this, take the time to look at parts of your body and see if you can appreciate them for what they are. Maybe you don’t love your stomach but you can learn to appreciate that why you have that stomach is because you have an amazing child or children. Maybe you can love it because it represents all of the fabulous meals and wine you’ve had celebrating your amazing life. Your body is an incredible vessel for you each and every day.
Tip #3: Buy clothes that look great on you now. Not 5 pounds ago and not 5 years ago. Our bodies change frequently and it’s best to change your clothing style with it.
It’s important to get the word out that a woman’s beauty comes from within. It’s the way she smiles, loves, listens and leads.
