Friday, February 18, 2011

Fashion Beauty Friend Friday - 02.18.11

FBFF Questions for 02.18.11 - This week, the topic is body image, courtesy of ModlyChic.

1. Since you started blogging has your image of yourself changed?
Yes & no. I think I've become more aware of myself & what styles & shapes work on me, how to play up my best features. I'm no more or less conscious of things like my size, for example, but I do know better how to, say, wear a belt to draw attention to my waist but not my belly.

2. Are you self-conscious about any aspect of yourself? If so, do you go out of your way to avoid it or do you post it/talk about it anyway?
I don't mind talking about anything about me -- again, with size, I think it's pretty damn obvious that I'm not tall & willowy, I have big ol' curves & not just in the hotsy-totsy va-va-voom way. I have a big gut & butt & boobs, so I am not like the those teeny little "petite bloggers" even tho' I'm their height. I don't mind, & if you do, that's your problem.

3. Based on how you are feeling now, what do you think the future holds in the evolution of your body image?
I suppose I could get even hotter, but I'm kinda rockin' my own world right now ;-)

Y'know, about five or so years ago, I did lose a bunch of weight thru Weight Watchers & jogging like crazy. I hated it, but I did it because I thought it was the "right thing" to do. But that really screwed up my body & was totally unsustainable. It made me horribly unhappy & kicked off a host of medical problems, even tho' it wasn't a crash diet. I don't think my body wanted to be that thin. My mind sure as hell didn't. I only have one photo from my lowest weight, & I had "lollipop head syndrome," where my head looked too big for my body. It was icky. While I may have a double chin now, I have a more proportional figure again, & I'm a million times happier & I feel far more confident.

4. Do you photograph yourself for your blog? If so, how do you feel about the experience when you're having your picture taken? If you choose not to post pictures of yourself, what prompted that decision?
My blog is definitely an "outfit a day" blog, so photos are crucial. The worst part is the poor lighting around my house. Body image doesn't play into it much, altho' dammit, why can't I smile in front of the camera when it's just me & the tripod? Don't know. I also have a problem posing myself in non-boring ways. Other people can do it for me (a few wonderful costume photographers have in the past), but solo on a timer, I lose all imagination.

5. What would you want every person who struggles with body image to take to heart?
I always come back to RuPaul: If you can't love yourself, how'n hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen? Just try it. What's the worst that will happen if you look in the mirror & say "I'm fucking HOT!" If people disagree with you, so what?

People disagree with me on lots of things -- from politics to what's the best book ever written. Does that mean I succumb to their opinions? No. I persist in my belief that climate change is real & that J.R.R.R. Tolkien was a true genius. Likewise, I can have my own opinion about my body & looks, & that matters as more than what anyone else thinks. Keep thinking your own thoughts long enough, & you'll believe.

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