Loving Our Bodies v. Loving Our Fat

There's a big difference between loving our bodies and loving our fat.

I love myself, and I love my body.  Aesthetically, I love my curves, my legs, my breasts.  I love being a woman and all the aspects associated with that.  I also love my body for its functions.  It gave life to two beautiful children.  It has endured two caesarian sections, from which I bounced back physically within only a couple of weeks.  My body takes me from point A to point B.  It can contort into a pretzel or stretch like a cat. 

My body is pretty amazing, and I love my body!!

Your body is pretty amazing too, and you should love your body too! 

Dress:  Target Petites

But with all that said, does loving our bodies mean that we have to also love our fat?  Do we have to love the jiggle in our thighs, the cellulite on our butts, or the hanging flesh from our arms that tells people hi or goodbye before our words do?

To love our bodies, does it mean that we have to love all of us?  Is it un-feminist to say we don't love our fat?

I try to promote a very body positive message on the blog.  After 37 years, I have really and truly grown to love my body, and I want to help inspire other women (and men) to love their bodies too.  I spent too much time loathing my body and comparing it to others, and I don't wish those feelings or mindset on anyone.

Tights:  New York & Company

I mentioned on a recent post that I had been eating too much over the holidays and was feeling the need to disguise some extra poundage. I've accepted my body at its size, but I'm not happy with the few extra pounds I seem to have put on in the last few months. 

Many people who are overweight practice healthy habits.  I don't.  Lately, I'm becoming more aware of the effects of my unhealthy lifestyle on my body, not just in adding more fat to my body, but also in how I feel.  I haven't really made any New Year's resolutions, except for a few light-hearted style-related ones which you'll see on the blog this week, but I am trying to make some smarter decisions about what I put in my body and how much I move.

Purse:  Target
Boots:  Target

I love my curves, and I have learned to accept my body at any size.  I just don't love all the aspects of being fat.  Maybe it's simply years of socialization towards preferring a thinner ideal, but I prefer my body aesthetically when it's a bit smaller.  I don't usually like the way that my belly looks.

Acknowledging this is being honest to myself and being honest to you, my readers.  Acknowledging this doesn't mean I don't love myself or my body...it just means that I am admitting my imperfections to myself and to you.  

We all have aspects of ourselves we don't like or of which we aren't as proud.  I can be selfish, possessive, lazy, obsessive, and overly critical.  I also know that I'm passionate, loyal, affectionate, giving, and kind.  By the same token, I don't necessarily love some of my extra fluff, but I do love my body.

Necklace:  The Limited
Earrings:  trendylittlepieces

My body is beautiful and amazing, and SO IS YOURS!

Merry Christmas!!

Sorry I've been absent for a while from the blogsophere.  I did almost ALL of my Christmas shopping at the last minute this year, and the last several days have been a whirlwind of hectic shopping trips, frantic gift wrapping, and oodles of cookie baking.

Presents for five kids wrapped and ripped open and two Christmas dinners down, I am finally enjoying some relaxation!  The holidays can be super stressful, but thankfully, it's mostly a positive stress.

The magic of Christmas is alive with this one!!

I loved watching the excitement on my kids' faces as they opened up their gifts.  I loved seeing five generations of my family together for the holidays. I loved spending time with my honey wrapping presents, laughing at how awful he is at this task, and commiserating over our aching feet.

As much as I've been going the last few days, Christmas is often the one time of year that I truly stop and enjoy my family.  It's so easy to get caught up with the stressors of work and day-to-day life that we often don't get that chance to step back and appreciate, listen, and engage with our families and friends.

I just love sharing in the magic of Christmas with my kids, especially my youngest, Savanna, who is such a true believer in Santa and so enthusiastically appreciative of each and every aspect of the holiday.

The motley crew - at 3 am after Santa had arrived!!

I'm not a very religious person, but I tend to see all religions as teaching very similar ideals and values.  The values of peace, love, sharing, compassion, forgiveness, and hope that the winter holidays bring help warm the heart and the home.  I grew up with Christmas as a cultural tradition, so it's still an important part of my life.  And, I love sharing these traditions and passing them along to my family.

To those of you who celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful holiday filled with love, laughter and warm moments. 

Thank you to all of who read and follow my blog, and as we wrap up 2014, I wish you a safe and happy new year! 

I Heart NYC

It's Monday, which means back to work, but a girl can fantasize about being somewhere else, right?

Skirt:  eShakti (Sold out on-line; Available in black here)

Today, I explored the juxtaposition of a casual sweatshirt with fancier pieces.  I paired my NYC love sweatshirt with my pink tulle skirt, lace-up heels, and a necklace with bling.

Necklace:  LOFT

Sweatshirt:  Wet Seal

I do love New York!  Being from small town USA and a pretty laid-back gal, the hustle and bustle of NYC probably wouldn't be my ideal for long-term living.  That said, I have visited twice and am looking forward to more visits. 

In fact, it was around this time last year that I last had an opportunity to visit New York for the second time.  The street culture and other dynamics of the city nurture my sociological mind, and I feel like I've only begun to scratch the surface of what NYC has to explore.

Shoes:  Prabal Gurung for Target

Ring:  Target
Bracelets:  Torrid and The Limited

I've always had a strong desire to travel the world.  So far, my journeys have only taken me to various parts of North America, but I feel so fortunate to have seen so much of the United States and small parts of Canada and Mexico.  

Maybe it is because I can be more of a loner, an introvert who usually feels a little awkward socially, but I have never felt a strong tie to a base location or a need to nest, if you will.  The idea of traveling through life sounds wonderful to me!  I feel like I have so much more exploring to do!

Purse:  The Limited (old)

Do you have a wandering nature or are you more of a nester?

For this skirt in another look, see here.

P.S.  eShakti was kind enough to provide an exclusive promo code for you, my dear readers!  Use code 'stylecases' to save 10% off your order. This code can be combined with most other codes and offers, and it can be re-used as often as you want now through 6/20/2014.

Fun Valentine's Day Prints: Kisses and Hearts

Happy Sunday, everyone!!

Hope you're all having a relaxing day.  I've had a wonderful weekend so far and am feeling great. 

Right now, I'm making plans for our Valentine's Day celebration.  I'm a big fan of V-Day.  It's a day that celebrates love, and since we need more love in this world, Valentine's Day is wonderful in my book.

For me, Valentine's Day is about love and romance - NOT flowers, candy, or jewelry.  I especially hate that the commercialization of Valentine's Day has made it one in which men are expected to perform and cater to their sweethearts through the purchasing of material goods.  Our Valentine's Day celebration will not be about gifts - it will be about shared experiences and mutual gratification. 

Of course, it will also be about fashion (as almost everything is!! :-)).  I've got a few Valentine's Day looks in mind, which I will share with you later.

Today, I'm featuring a few of my recent Valentine's Day-inspired work outfits featuring fun prints.

Pants:  The Limited (Similar here)
Blouse:  The Limited (Available here)
Blazer:  New York & Company Petites

The first includes a kiss print blouse I recently picked up from The Limited.  I already had a similar blouse in navy and red (featured here), but I just couldn't resist.  The black and pink color combination is one of my top five favorite color combinations, and since I wear so much black, I knew that this one would get a lot of wear.

Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)
Heels:  Target (Available here)

Amazingly, the pink blazer I already had in my closet was a perfect match for the blouse.  Black skinnies and stilettos completed the look.

A heart shaped locket added a simple but sweet finishing touch.

Locket:  Target (old) (Similar here)
Earrings:  The Limited (Available here)

For last Friday's casual work look, I wore this heart print blouse.  Friday was the annual Go Red for Women - a day to wear red in support of women's heart health.

Blouse:  New York & Company (old)
Blazer:  The Limited (Similar here)
Clutch:  The Limited (Available here)
Bracelet:  The Limited (old)

As heart disease is the leading cause of death of women in the United States, greater awareness to the signs and symptoms of heart disease in women is greatly needed.  I decided my red heart blouse was a perfect choice for this day. 

While I enjoy this blouse, I am not a huge fan of this outfit. I was trying to come up with a new way to wear the top, but I wasn't very happy with the result.  I much prefer the combos I wore here and here.

Jeans:  The Limited (Available here and Similar here)
Tank:  Old Navy (Similar here)
Boots:  Fergalicious by Fergie (Available here)

What do you think?  Are you a fan of Valentine's Day?  Have any fun plans you'd like to share?  Do you like kiss prints and/or heart prints?

For the pink blazer in other looks, see here, here, and here.
For the white jeans in other looks, see here, here, here, here, and here.

For more Valentine's Day inspiration, please check out my lingerie post here and my post for petite plus V-Day looks on The Curvy Fashionista here.

Valentine's Day is also a great reminder of the importance of loving one's self - check out this post for one of my strategies towards greater self love.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

Source:  Fanpop.com

To those who celebrate, I'd like to wish you all a very merry Christmas!  I hope your day was filled with love, laughter, and family. 

For those of you who don't celebrate, happy holidays or happy Hump Day!! 

I've had a wonderful day, and I've used the last few days off work to set a web re-design into motion.  I hope to have a new site design live around the beginning of the year!  New year - new look! :-D

Back tomorrow with more NewYear's Eve fashion ideas!

Cassential Links, 12/12/13

Kudos to Jennifer Lawrence for her straight talk about body image

This young woman beautifully articulates how women are subtly taught to hate their bodies.

I absolutely love evening/holiday fashion.  Unfortunately, I don't have enough fabulous places to wear sequins or get otherwise glitzy.  These two lovely ladies show how to do holiday chic in fab style.

Sexual abuse victims are often silenced in our culture.  These women holding signs quoting their attackers give them a "voice."

I'm not a fan of the memes that pit skinny women against curvy/fat women.  All women are beautiful, and it's important that we support each other as women.  Unfortunately, just as stereotypes and meanness about fat women abound, so do those about skinny women.

Keeping with the theme of holiday dressing, Wendy looks gorgeous in leather and tulle.  Perfect for being the Cinderella of your own ball!

Learning to love our bodies means learning to listen to the clues we give ourselves about our bodies and paying attention to our self-talk.

Gap responds to racism towards Sikh model.

More holiday fashion fabulousness from Nicolette Mason.

 

Sunday Lovin'

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Today, I went for a casual family brunch and this is what I wore:

Corduroy pants:  The Limited (Similar here)
Sweater:  Target (Similar here)

Tank:  Gap Petites (Available here)
Shoes:  Target

I don't usually wear so much color together, but it's fun on occasion.  The casual vibe of the outfit and black accessories help offset the sweetness of the sweater and the color palette.

Purse:  The Limited (old)

For this sweater in another look, see here.  To see these pants worn differently, see here.

 Hope you have all had a relaxing Sunday Funday!