UNCONDITIONAL BODY BEAUTIFUL - PART 5: MY BUTTOCKS

So, it's time for another post in the #UnconditionalBodyBeautiful series!  This month, we are talking about our backsides.

Jeans:  New York & Company

When I agreed to participate in this series, I had a little misgiving that by separating our body parts out and talking about a different one each month that we were somehow objectifying our bodies, reducing ourselves to individual parts of our bodies even. 

Tank:  Wet Seal+

The more I thought about it though, I realized talking about individual parts of our bodies has a lot of merit.  Some of us who have suffered from body issues have struggled with generalized body anxiety.  Others of us have been fixated on individual parts.  Discussion about one body part might resonate while another may not.  For that reason, I think it's helpful for us to discuss our body parts individually in this way.

Wedges:  Sugar (Available at Kohl's here)

And as I said, this month, we are talking about our butts, our booties, our posteriors!

Sunglasses:  Calvin Klein

Tote:  Target (Available here)

I don't have a lot of strong feelings towards my butt.  Since it's behind me, I don't really spend a lot of time looking at it, which means that it's generally not a site of focus for me.
  
Anymore, I'm kind of neutral about my butt.  I've been told before that I had a square shaped behind and that used to bother me, but now I don't really care.  I have slightly narrower hips in proportion to my waist and bust.  This creates a bit of a squarish effect to the hip area.  I've had this shape at all weights - I doubt there's a way to change it, and I no longer see a reason to try.  It's what my body looks like, and I am completely okay with that!

Tank (under fringe top):  The Limited

At different times in my life, I was obsessed with the shape and appearance of my butt, just as I was with every other part of my body.  While it was never as big of a concern as my tummy, I would often stand with my back to a full-length mirror, viewing my posterior with a hand mirror.  I would bend over and look in the mirror, thinking my hind end looked like that of cow.  Yep, I did that...I get sad when I think about how much I hated my body and how hard I was on myself.  No one should ever feel that way about themselves.  We are ALL beautiful and we all deserve to feel that way!

I sometimes give my butt a glance to check for cellulite or for visible panty line in a particular outfit, but generally speaking, I really don't give it much thought.

Since I am thinking about it now, I will say that from the side view, it has a nice roundness.   I don't have a Kardashian butt.  I don't have a "booty," but my butt does look pretty cute in a pair of jeans. It's also surprisingly firm.

As I type this, it's really sore from long overdue exercise. LOL

My butt is beautiful because it's part of me, and I have accepted myself as beautiful. 

At the end of the day though, it's just a butt.  I can appreciate a round or tight butt on others or the way that my man's tiny hiney looks in his scrubs, but in general, I tend to take Amy Schumer's point of view as illustrated in this probably NSFW video.  For those of you not familiar with Amy Schumer, please be aware - strong language and butt/toilet humor with a feminist POV await:

Do you have a healthy view of your butt?  Have your views of it changed at all over the years and how so?

For the top in other looks, see here and here.
For the other posts in this series, see here, here, here, and here.

Catch up with the other amazing bloggers participating in this month's #UnconditionalBodyBeautiful post:

Katherine Hayward, The Glitter Notebook
https://theglitternotebook.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/unconditional-body-beautiful-sitting-on-my-cute-behind/

Josofab's Curvesity World
http://www.josofabscurvesity1.com/?p=82#
Zadry Ferrer-Geddes, Curves A La Mode
http://curvesalamode.com/2015/05/21/unconditional-body-beautiful-part-five-my-derriere/

Beca:  Under Construction!
https://beckamaynewbeginnings.wordpress.com/its-time-to-get-bootylicious-girls/

Honorable Mentions 4

It's time again for an honorable mentions post! 

If you missed Honorable Mentions 1-3, catch them here, here, and here.

DATE:  Black and White
The first look is a recent date look.  The man and I grabbed a quick dinner, and I chose my white mini dress with shadow stripes and added a faux leather jacket for the air conditioned restaurant.

Dress, Jacket, and Boots:  Target
Purse:  Forever 21

Necklace:  Kohl's

WORK:  Black Pants and Textured Tops
For work, I'm always reaching for black skinnies and textured tops.

Recently, I chose a beige textured Aztec print tank and added a blue blazer.

Pants and Blazer:  The Limited
Top:  The Limited (Available here)
Shoes:  Target (old)

Necklace:  The Limited
Rings:  Torrid (Available here)

A lace-front top adds interest to a simple black and white look.

Pants and blouse:  The Limited
Tote:  Isabel & Ruben Toledo for Lane Bryant

Sandals:  Payless (old)

CASUAL:  Denim and Grey Tee

A loose grey tee paired with denim and silver gladiator sandals make for easy casual looks.  I added denim crops to watch fireworks on the 4th of July and opted for shorts and a fun tote for a quick weekend run to the store.

Denim crops:  The Limited
Tank:  Gap
Clutch:  Vintage
Necklace:  New York & Company

Shorts:  The Limited (Similar here)
Top:  Babooshka Boutique (Available here)
Sandals:  Target Kids

Rings:  Earthbound Trading Co. and local jewelry show
Bracelet:  The Limited

Hope you enjoyed today's honorable mentions!  :-)

DATE LOOK:
For the white dress in another look, see here.
For the jacket in other looks, see here, here, here, here, here, and here.

WORK LOOKS:
For the black pants in another look, see here.
For the blue blazer in other looks, see here, here, here, and here.

CASUAL LOOKS:
For the crops in other looks, see here, here and here.
For the shorts in another look, see here.
For the top in other looks, see here.

Cassential Links, 4/28/14

It's been a while since I did an installment of Cassential Links...these are my links for the month of April.  Enjoy!

Fedora. Check. Citron. Check. Ultra cool laid-back look.  Triple Check.  

Aztec print and leather with pretty pops of berry.  Perfect look for an evening out.  

Clothing is never without social meaning.  Interesting take on lingerie as a tool of empowerment. 

Needing a little body image inspiration?  Look no further than here. 
 
Head-to-toe, this look is gorgeous.  The Aztec print dress and starfish cuff are so unique.

Mindy Kaling reacts to the characterization of her wearing a crop top as "courageous."

Amani Terrell makes a bold statement towards body acceptance. 

This article explores the desire to be the "right kind" of fat.

Amazing collection of photos...the beautiful diversity of humanity

Blogger Nicolette Mason reflects on the tools that led to her success and talks size discrimination in fashion.

This look manages to be cool, edgy, and summer chic all at the same time.  Love the jacket and organza panel!

Especially agree with Rules #1 and #5 for dressing a curvy figure. 

Black for Spring: Aztec Print and Fringe

It's back to an all black look today.  I personally love an all black look for evening and don't see why anyone should stop wearing it in the spring and summer.

Pants:  Target (old)
Fringe top:  Wet Seal (Sold out on-line; See here)

Again, the key to incorporating so much black into the warmer seasons is to keep the fabrics lightweight and to add prints or other design elements that are more typically associated with spring and summer.

The sheer top and lightweight pants are perfect for warm weather.  Fringe is a MAJOR trend for spring 2014, and the print on the top has an easy summer feel.

Ring:  Shoxie.com (Similar here)

My blog profile pic notwithstanding, I'm not someone who likes showing a lot of midriff, but the fringe makes tummy baring a little easier here.  It's covered while not concealing.

For my own comfort level, I would pair a black or beige tank underneath this top as I did here.

Heels:  Target (Available here)

For those of you who are a little more daring, the top looks great with just a bra as well.

Clutch:  Vintage

 A red clutch and sparkly jeweled bangle from Ixora Boutique add fun pops of color!

Bangle:  Ixora Boutique (Currently sold out; See here)

Necklace:  Ixora Boutique (Currently sold out; See here)

 Do you plan on taking part in the fringe trend for spring?  Would you wear a sheer top?

For this top in another look, see here.
For these pants in other outfits, see here, here, here, and here.