“You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy."
Today is a tough day. I am actually feeling a little sick (maybe strep - not sure, heading to the d-o-c this afternoon.) Since I had a little extra time, I thought I would visit all of my favorite blogs. I came across one of my favorite writers. Her name is Courtney and she is the author of Loving The Reflection. Basically she writes about how to dress on a plus sized figure. Today's post in particular got me to thinking. She was talking about the issues with being a bit shorter in stature yet needing clothing in a plus size. It's difficult to find the right cut, etc.
I just started thinking about sizes in general. I have lived in both worlds. I was a lean kid and teenager. Perhaps it was due to the ballet classes and the fact my mom would not let us eat junk food or drink sodas that often. Or maybe I just had a high metabolism. Who knows.. but the truth is, over the years - my body changed, drastically. By 24 - I really started putting on some weight. I have been on both sides of the size issue.
When I was younger - it was such a joy to try on clothes. God blessed me with decent sized breasts, a small waist, and well.. a cute little booty. Over time, the breast blew up and the butt grew too. Not to mention the tummy. Oh, and the thighs. And the cheeks... yeah - slowly but surely, all of those cute curves became obscene. Should have known. If I looked at my Grandma Thurston - she was 5 feet and round as a butterball.
Do I feel ugly? No. Honestly - no. Do I feel heavy? Some days more often than not. I know what I look like, and I know what I need to do to be healthy. If that means I can look good also - so be it. I have made some changes, and I know, without a doubt, I can get back in shape. It just depends on how fast I want to get there. Honestly, I don't want to go too fast. Because I don't want to be one of those girls that loses a lot of weight really fast, then gets back into a normal routine and gains it all back. Because if I head back down the scale - I am not coming back.
Yes, I think if you are plus sized, you should try to feel good about yourself. Certainly! No one should ever put you down because of the way you look. However, on the same token, I think HEALTH is the most important piece of the puzzle. Carrying more weight on a small frame makes my heart work harder. The only time my heart needs to be pumping harder is when I am in my Zumba classes. ;-)
Confidence, positive attitude and taking care of yourself is essential. The absolute least I can do is take care of my skin, learn ways to enhance my features that are positive, and try to look as well-groomed as possible. There is nothing worse than seeing someone who feels bad about the way they look, and they don't do anything about it. Not that outward appearances should matter, but honestly - that's what we see. That's what we do.
When you smile, when you are well groomed, when you put care into your presentation - size will not matter. When you eat healthy options, take time to move vigorously, and tend to your spirit - that glow will come through and the outward changes will follow.
What about you? What is your opinion on different sizes and taking care of yourself and beauty?
Below are the different sizes of Nicole:
