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P&G (Procter & Gamble) have been offering all kinds of products, probably our entire lives, to help make life a little bit easier, better smelling, and cleaner. A lot of their stuff has been in my home for a very long time. Read more
Of all the things I love to do in this world, sweating is not one of them. Especially stress sweating, which smells worse! I know why our bodies do it, but that doesn’t make it any cuter. In fact, when Secret reached out to me for this sponsored post (with a giveaway), I knew I had to jump right in, say yes, and share my tips on how to fight stress sweat! Read more
Dear 15-year-old Monique,
I’m going to make this short and to the point.
Stop it! Stop it right now! Stop hating your body. Stop hating your hair. Stop envying the “popular” girls. And please stop wishing you weren’t you. Read more
Last week I wrote a post titled “I Think it’s Time for a Personal Beauty Intervention.” I wrote about the struggles we go through when it comes to personal beauty and how we’re always criticizing ourselves. I made a point to emphasize how our level of self-esteem is contagious. Sometimes we don’t realize how that affects others around us. Read more
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month ladies! And although it’s honored this month, awareness should last a lifetime. Unfortunately, my aunt lost her battle to this horrible disease when I was 19-years-old. She was the most vibrant, loving, and beautiful person, inside and out. I remember her always making us laugh and she was definitely a feisty woman! Read more
Aging sucks. We’re all trying to avoid it. No one wants wrinkles or super droopy sagging body parts. Some of us will go to amazing lengths to stop the aging process, no matter how silly we look. Lifts here…injections there…it really is an uphill battle. Read more
Our bodies and sexual pleasure are nothing to be ashamed of…right? I mean…we’re only human and as long as we’re taking care and protecting ourselves, then sex shouldn’t be a taboo topic. It took me some time to think about writing this. I’m not a prude by any means, but growing up I didn’t really see or hear the media discuss sex as openly as it is now. And if you follow me via the Curves and Chaos Facebook page, then you know I actually asked you all if I should even host this giveaway. Read more
As a plus size blogger, there are a many things I hear from readers. One of the things that irritates me the most is when I’m being told that I support obesity because I write about plus size fashion. Now, let’s get one thing straight, that is the most idiotic thing someone can say to me. I support dressing the body you have now…regardless of shape or size. No matter what you look like, you still need to wear clothes! Read more
I’m a grown woman. One who can make decisions on what I like, don’t like, don’t want to buy, don’t want to buy into, and who I want to be. As a teenager, that was a whole other different story. I was just trying to figure out who I was, where I belonged, and who I wanted to be. I was easily influenced and often mislead by what would make me “popular” or liked by others.
Have you ever heard the saying that the wrinkles or the lines on your face tell a story? Whether around your eyes, on your forehead, or on the corners of your smile they’ll be there as we age. Could it be from smiling? Frowning? Worrying? Celebrating? Will you remember what was happening in your life during those moments?
I look back and view my stretch marks in the same way.
As a pre-teen, I noticed my first stretch mark. It laid on the lower part of my back and I couldn’t stop looking at it. My mom said it was because I was growing. This made sense, I was a lot taller than a lot of my friends. And it was during this time I felt awkward and a little clumsy. Boys didn’t really look at me. And I’ll always remember who my first crush was.
As I continued to grow, so did the stretch marks. This time they were around my hip area. As a teenager, this pretty much stopped me from wearing swimsuits. I was very insecure, even though I was a mere 125lbs and 5’6. I don’t even think I knew what the word “confident” meant at this age. I did know I didn’t want to look like I did. I envied the pretty girls with the boyfriends.
In my 20′s, I noticed them in my waist area. I would lose weight, gain weight, lose weight, and gain weight. And would often beat myself up when I gained a few pounds. I was in the military and I was still trying to figure out who I was. I found myself trying very hard to fit their standards. During this time, I met my amazing hubby.
Today, I have stretch marks in areas I didn’t know we could get them. I’m not even going to go “there.” But, I will tell you I know when they first appeared and what was going on in my life at that time. I don’t hate them, in fact I embrace them. They remind me of the roads I’ve traveled. I’m thankful they will never go away. They tell me the story of my life.
Hey my loves! I’m back from my conference and I can’t wait to share this with you. This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDA). You know I can’t stress how important positive body image and self-acceptance is. I found out today, that 24 million Americans are affected by eating disorders. This includes Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder. This breaks my heart. During this week, I’m participating in spreading awareness. As part of this, you’ll see me tweet some startling facts, like today.
Most models are thinner than 98% of Americans. Instead of trying to change our bodies, how about we try to change our culture? #NEDAwareness
— Curves and Chaos (@CURVESandCHAOS) February 27, 2012
Today, I’ve decided to share a story with you from NEDA’s web site:
It’ll Be Better When I’m Thin…
By Geneen Roth
For many years, I was convinced that by changing my body, I would change my life. Because I was certain that my suffering was due to my size, I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts, and rejections with it. I thought that changing the shape on the outside would alter the feelings on the inside. Silly me.
Consider a milk carton. No matter what you do to change its shape — switch the spout to the other side, round the corners, cut off the top — you know that what’s inside is milk. Not apple juice, not vegetable soup, but milk. But somehow we don’t know that changing how we look on the outside — shedding pounds or cinching in our waists a few inches — doesn’t change what we are, either.
We mistakenly believe that altering our bodies will fix everything. That’s because we think that body size is the cause and, therefore, the healer of all wounds. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved, being special, being cherished. We couldn’t be more wrong.
Think of the women who live in Samoa. Legend has it that a woman there is not
considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. Size is relative: Samoans might equate being fat with being cherished, and being thin with being miserable. (Forget about booking a one-way trip to Samoa. It’s too expensive.) The truth is that beauty standards vary from culture to culture, but no matter where you live or how big your body is, some things remain the same. We still have to find a way to live comfortably inside our bodies and make friends with and cherish ourselves.
A woman once came to my class after she’d lost 100 pounds on a fast and then gained back 50. “They lied to me,” she said. “They said my life would be great when I got thin. That I would be happy. That I would love myself and be loved. But that’s not what happened. Sure, I liked being thin. I liked wearing clothes in smaller sizes. I liked that my body felt lighter. But I still felt unworthy, unlovable, damaged. I was so disappointed and felt so betrayed by everyone– that I started to eat again.”
This lack of finality–the fact that our relationship with food and body size is an ongoing process, not an end point–is the most elusive insight to sustain. Even people who’ve lost weight 5, 10, or 20 times and always gained it back continue to believe that next time, it will be different. Next time, they will keep it off. Next time, being thinner will finally fulfill its alluring promise of everlasting happiness, joy, self-worth, and, of course, love.
But if it’s happiness you want, why not put your energy and attention there rather than on the size of your body? Why not look inside? Somewhere in there are the clues to what would make you happy right now.
I often get letters from people who say that when they start my program of intuitive eating and pay attention to their inner lives, they quickly discover that losing weight is not their first priority. It takes them by surprise because they’ve focused their entire lives on becoming thinner. But when they begin to take even small amounts of time for themselves, when they allow themselves to rest or do nothing for 5 minutes a day, they realize that it’s what they wanted most of all. They want permission to slow down and to
live like they are special, valued, and belong here. This is what they thought being thin would give them; now they realize that it is something that they need to give to themselves.
The truth is that you deserve to be cherished and should cherish yourself no matter how much you weigh or how you look.
Being thinner will never do what you think it’s going to do. But you can have whatever you believe that being thinner will give you, and you can have it now. The only way to do it? By starting to live as though you love yourself. By making a commitment to be kind to yourself and by not letting anything stand in your way. By setting aside time for yourself daily. By being vigilant about acting on your own behalf. By beginning today.
Everybody Knows Somebody. Get involved in NEDAwareness Week 2012, February 26- March 3! Visit the NEDAwareness Week homepage under Programs & Events at www.NationalEatingDisorders.org to register today and learn more about how you can do just one thing to help raise awareness about eating disorders and become part of the solution. Helpline: 800 931-2237
Do you know someone who deals with an eating disorder? Remind them they are beautiful, inside and out.
According to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure web site, Breast cancer is a type of cancer where cells in the breast divide and grow without normal control. Between 50 and 75 percent of breast cancers begin in the ducts, 10 to 15 percent begin in the lobules and a few begin in other breast tissues.
Tumors in the breast tend to grow slowly. By the time a lump is large enough to feel, it may have been growing for as long as 10 years. However, some tumors are aggressive and grow much more rapidly.
It is important to understand the difference between invasive breast cancer and non-invasive breast cancer, called ductal carcinoma in situ (kar-sin-O-ma in SY-too). Click here to find out more.
Breast self-exam (BSE) is not recommended as a screening tool for breast cancer. However, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® recommends that you become familiar with the way your breasts normally look and feel. Knowing what is normal for you may help you see or feel changes in your breast.
Warning signs of breast cancer
If you notice any of the warning signs of breast cancer listed below, see your health care provider.
If you feel a lump in your breast, do not panic. Most lumps are not breast cancer, but something less serious, like a benign breast condition (more on benign breast conditions).
Some lumps will go away on their own. Often, they are related to your menstrual period and will go away by the end of your cycle. However, it is best to see your health care provider just to be sure.
Please remember this post is not to scare you, but make you more aware of this disease. Let’s be vigilant and more aware of our health. Early detection and screening is key!!
This is a topic, not only in the plus community, that pretty much wreaks havoc everywhere. Regardless, of how small, big, tall, or short you are-we should learn to love ourselves and others around us.
Starting today, the Lingerie Loves Your Curves-A Size Acceptance Charity Drive is ready to spread the word of size and self-acceptance. It’s a two week “blogathon” event that is based on the much needed philosophy of health at ever size.
Let’s fight back against industries that make money from women’s lack of self-esteem, and share our stories so that we can help empower women everywhere. Let’s celebrate our curves!
You and I both know how the media affects us and how we look at our bodies. Of course, I believe that accepting your body and yourself, starts at very young age. What our youth see portrayed in the media as “beautiful” plays a large part of how they view themselves. I’m no psychologist, but it just makes sense.
Growing up, I was surrounded by healthy curvaceous women, but I was also consumed by those teen magazines. I wanted to look like the girl dating my favorite star. And like a lot of young women, I thought I was fat and not pretty enough. Today, I love my body more than I ever have. Unfortunately, I still have moments when I wish I could lose a few pounds, but then I have to myself why? Is it for health or appearance reasons?
I tell myself that there are no “mistakes” in creation. I’m beautiful inside and out.
Accepting our own bodies and appearance is where it all starts. Once we do that, then the rest will fall into place.
The Lingerie Loves Your Curves-A Size Acceptance Charity is sponsored by About Curves and runs until August 21st. Get involved here.
No one wants to admit they have dandruff right? In reality, it’s a lot more common than most of us might think. I’m not afraid to admit my bouts with it in the past. (Don’t know what causes dandruff? Click here.)
I know dandruff is on the way when my head starts to itch. When that happens I make sure to wash my hair with Head & Shoulders. Yes, we all know this brand. They’ve been around for years and have really evolved to be the best dandruff shampoo on the market. And that’s for good reason. Their shampoo and conditioner really work. No, I’m not a spokesperson, just a satisfied customer.
I don’t have to worry about “that smell” either. You know what I’m talking about. The smell that most generic dandruff shampoos leave you with. The new Head & Shoulders collections come in 11 different scents at an average price of $7.99. The hubby and I have been using the “Ocean Lift” formula and it has done wonders. And I’ve even noticed how soft and manageable it has left my hair. I only use it once a week now, but it has helped to maintain the health of my scalp.
Disclaimer: I was NOT financially compensated for this post, although the items were gifted. The above is my true and honest opinion.
