Baring it all.

.... this morning I was watching one of my favorite girly fashion shows "What Not to Wear" and I realized what I loved most about it, besides the New York fashion district and boutiques, is in fact what the hosts and what the message of the show is trying to tell us: that the way you view yourself can define the way you live your life. Body Image for women has been an issue in our society for generations. Today the pressure for women to dress for sex appeal, to be rail thin and to wear designer fashions and keep up with trends is at an all time high thanks to media, magazines and our obsession with celebrities.

In retrospect, while the pressure to look good can be negative and cause us to eat poorly, kill ourselves in the gym, take pills that could harm us and break our banks to by the right clothes; there is a positive side of Body Image. If we do the right research and consult with the right people- like doctors, nutritionists and trainers, we can work our way to living a healthy lifestyle and will hopefully be happier people overall. Since I graduated high school I have not only gained the Freshman 15, but triple that amount and today I feel like my body is at my biggest. I have come to terms with the fact that I have curves and I will rock that but I want to feel beautiful and healthy like any girl. This blog is just to encourage any girl out there with self image issues, who hate going to the gym and exercising, eating right and living an active lifestyle but who cries when they shop for new clothes and try to hide behind fashion and makeup. Inner beauty is truly of far more value than outter beauty but like the TLC show says, what you wear and how you view your body shows how you wanna represent yourself to the world- to your family and friends, in the dating world, in your career or at school. I don't want people to see my clothes, I want them to see my smile and my heart and character being reflected. The point is to have fun with fashion and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and remember that you are beautiful!

Here are some encouraging quotes:

Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit into that big black space where the audience is.
Mae West Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mae_west_3.html#ixzz1FTd4XxNJ

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech     

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.” MISS PIGGY

Proverbs 31: 9b-31The Wife of Noble Character
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
6 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.  

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what you're worth