Side By Side

Bring on the Friday and bring on the fabulous!! 

It is fabulous Friday once again!  How quickly the week can zoom by!! At least mine did!  Hope yours did too!!

So, today's assignment is all about comparison; flaws and how we perceive them. 

We've made lists before of all the things we like about our bodies. Today were going to think of one or two things we don't like. And then...well, THEN is a bit of a surprise so...

So, I'll go first...

Well, I don't like my stomach. It's big and floppy and un-a-ppealing!! I also don't like my big butt and wide hips. Now I'm going to focus on those flaws for a moment and feel my dislike for them. 

... ... ...

... ... ...

Now...I'm going to think of someone I know and love that has the same body traits that I dislike and think hard about how I feel about them and the way they look. 

... ... ...

... ... ...

Does their size or body traits change the way I feel about them? 

... ... ...

No, it absolutely does not. 

So, what does this lesson teach us?  It shows us that our body obsessions are ridiculous and won't affect the way out friends and family see us and how much they love us. The only people who might "care" are strangers and mere aquaintances. And how much do we care about how THEY see us?

Having said this, of course we all want to be as healthy as we can be, but obsessing about being a certain size is ridiculous. Our bodies will always have flaws. That is the reality. So, before we can be happy and at peace with ourselves we have to be happy and at peace with our bodies. 

Our bodies are ALL beautiful gifts from God and as such we should love them unconditionally and care for them to the best of our abilities. 

K, now I made myself feel really guilty for that cheeseburger I ate earlier!  :P

"We're Having a Heat Wave! A Tropical Heat Wave!"

Many parts of North America and Europe are suffering through a heat wave right now. 

I say suffering because I'm not one of those people who LOVE the heat. In fact, I'm one of those people who HATE the heat. I'm one of those people who want to punch those people who LOVE the heat in the nose. Not punch them hard, just...okay, punch them hard. 

I'll let you in on a little secret. I know this will be hard for you to believe.  Being 300 + pounds makes you a lot HOTTER than your average 115 pound; beach body, bikini wearing; gotta-take-a-sweater-cause-the-air-conditioning-is-too-cold; pretty little thing. 

Not that I'm bitter or anything.  

But I recently saw THIS on the Internets: 

And I get it. I get the joke. And even, to a  certain extent, can agree with it. Some people do take the opportunity of a heat wave to wear as little as possible. 

But here's the thing. I think that at 300 pounds, wearing a bikini in a heat wave IS dressing for the body I have. I'm wearing VERY little because I can. I come with my own insulation. My thin sisters should of course pack on the sweaters and coats if they find the air conditioning too cool. But I'm good. This bikini allows for optimum cooling of my overweight, overly hot, body. If I was dressing for the body I want, I would be huddled up in a sweater saying, "Ooh! It's SO chilly in here. Can we shut off the air conditioning?"  

(Btw, the answer to that is ALWAYS no! Put on another sweater!!)

I am; of course, joking. The chances of me EVER being at home enough in my body (no matter what it's size) to wear a bikini, is pretty much zero to nil. 

And I realize that some people have internal thermometers that have very little to do with their size and no two people will EVER agree with on what the correct temperature of a room should be.  

But maybe, when you see a fat woman showing off her back fat in a tank top that is too small for her, cut her some slack. She's slowly melting away into nothingness and is SO hot she feels like she's going to puke at any moment.  

Or she just thinks she's rockin' that look. In which case...well, still give her a break. Why the heck do you care what she's wearing? 

Don't like it? Don't look. :)

Calling All Men!

Just a quick blog post today to go along with my video blog post that I'll be posting later. I've been behind the last couple of days since we've had a long weekend here in Canada. But I'll catch up now. 

This blog is a bit of an apology to any men out there who are reading my blog. 

My Dad pointed out something the other day that I hadn't noticed; or at least hadn't noticed was a problem. He mentioned that my writing tends to skew toward the feminine. Of course, being a woman , I'm a lot more in tune with the pressures that women face when it comes to body image. 

But our chunky brothers regularly feel the pain that comes from this crap too.  Apparently. 

I had always thought that, while young boys certainly felt the sting of playground bullies' cruel words, by the time guys got to be grown up, weight wasn't a very big factor in how they saw themselves. 

I believed that a successful woman, no matter how successful, still has her looks and figure scrutinized continuously. But I thought that when a guy reaches a certain level of success, he's pretty much left alone. 

But I have a feeling I may be wrong in that. I think there may be quite a few men out there suffering from this ridiculous societal pressure to look a certain way.

Of course for men the emphasis isn't on being as slim as possible, but on having all those big muscles and rippling six pack abs. Maybe because my personal tastes have always leaned toward the cuddly, chubby guys, I think I overlooked the pressures that men face in this beauty-obsessed culture of ours. 

So, I was hoping for some input from my readers. If you are a man (or you're a woman who knows of a man) who has faced body image issues and who feels they've been ridiculed and made fun of for their weight, please leave a comment letting me know your story. I would love to hear it, and would really like the chance to broaden my mind.