Let's Talk: Body Image & Confidence
January 30, 2013
"Someones opinion of you does not have to become your reality" - Les Brown
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| Image Credit: Tumblr.com |
Something a little different to my normal beauty and fashion posts but something that is as important and widely talked about within the blogger world especially more recently.
Just a small disclaimer, I am not writing this in order for people to feel sorry for me or to gain sympathy but to raise awareness and to show that nobody is alone when it comes to body issues and speaking about them.
Just like every person in this world, I to have had my fair share of body issues over the 19 years I have been alive. For as long as I remember I have had an issue with how my body looks and my weight, which does have a major affect on my self confidence especially when it comes to showing my body.
I have always been one of those people that carries a little extra weight, where I wouldn't call myself skinny/slim but I wouldn't call myself fat either so I kind of sit in the middle and I've always been labelled as 'chubby' which is the most horrible word ever and during my school years it was difficult because I also have naturally ginger hair which you can imagine a lot of kids bullied me for which I doesn't really affect me anymore but is another reason why my self confidence isn't one of my strongest points. Also as I am studying Fashion, the majority of the girls that attend my uni are slim, tall and generally very confident which is also something that I compare myself to especially as the fashion industry is such a competitive industry that it sometimes scares the shit out of me, to put it bluntly haha!
So what have I done? - I didn't want to do the whole set a goal weight and try and get to it as I knew I wouldn't stick to it and would probably give up so instead I decided to just try and be more healthy in general. Now back at the start of January I set out my resolutions and one was to not eat as much junk, which I have to say i'm not doing too bad. At the moment I have cut potato out of my diet, which I did for lent a couple of years back and I noticed that I did slim down a little and I felt more healthier and energised. By cutting out potato it doesn't just mean I can't potatoes it also means no crisps (made with potato or potato starch), chips, croquettes etc which I seem to eat a lot of, so I have been replacing them with more green veg and I have also tried to lay off desserts only having one a week normally with my sunday roast, so fingers crossed I can keep this up.
As for my self confidence, I have started to not really look to peoples opinions on what to do and more took my own instinct by stepping out of my comfort zone and this seems to be working, especially as I have managed to organise my work placement and the fact that living London is something that I wasn't too keen on as it's very different to just visiting London for a few day but now I honestly cannot wait!!
The main aim of this post it to get you out there talking about body image. This post was a really hard one for me to write especially as people I actually know do read my blog, but if I can do it and share this with all of you then I am sure that you can also :)
Also, a close friend of mine is doing a fundraiser for the charity Beat - beat eating disorders, which is a charity that helps those out there with eating disorders by offering support, advice and help in order to take control of their eating disorder and to help beat it. My friend will be climbing Ben Nevis Mountain in Scotland and it would mean a lot if you guys could check out the charity and possibly sponsor her as she is fundraising for a great cause. If you would like to sponsor her then head over to her page here, but I do not expect any of you to.. just if you wanted to :)
I hope this post has been one that many of you will value and appreciate.
xx
12 comments
i loved the post. i'm struggeling with me and my body for the past 4 years and had serious problems comming up. sometimes its hard for me to realize that people define others over their body type. why can't just every girl look as the nature wanted her to. i eat very healthy and do sports every week and try my best to live healthy. but sometimes i wish i was as skinny as some of the girls out there.
ReplyDeleteThank you, this means a lot as this was a hard post for me to write. I think it's important that we can feel comfortable in our own skin and no ones opinion should be allowed to change that in anyway what so ever. As long as you can begin to feel comfortable in your body then that is all that matters :) xx
DeleteThanks so much for this post, I suffer from these kind of problems and this needs to be said as much as possible. Also, on a happier note, I have added your button to my page! xxx
ReplyDeletehttp://unstitchedd.blogspot.co.uk
I'm glad you liked this post, as like I mentioned it was a difficult one for me to write about :) Aww thank you Maddie, you are such a loyal blogger :) xx
DeleteI wrote a post on Monday relating to this and have had such a lovely response from bloggers. Don't ever feel unsure about posting stuff like that on your blog, everyone's going through something!
ReplyDeleteI'm a size 12, I have stretch marks, cellulite, the lot, the best thing for girls like me is to see other people going through similar problems.
Lots of love, Jamie.
whatjamiewears.blogspot.com
xx
I know, I believe I read your post amongst others that are also posting about this topic as it is something I feel we should be comfortable to talk about without any negativity. I totally agree, i know plenty of girls similar to me who are the most confident people ever and if they can be confident then I know that surely I can be too :)
Deletexx
This is such a good post and definitely a topic that should be spoken about more often.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I wouldn't call myself skinny/slim, nor would I call myself fat. I'm just normal. You're regular size 10-12 girl, which have all seemed to completely disappeared off the face of the earth these days! I have the chubbiest face which I have always had issues with alongside my body. As the years go by I do feel more comfortable with myself. I eat healthy and exercise 80% of the time, but I do still allow treats and days off. I will always have some insecurities, but being surrounded by the right people and a better mindset I know they'll never be as bad as they used to be :) What you're doing is such a great step in the right direction, after all, half the time we are our worst enemies xx
betweentodaytomorrow.blogspot.co.uk
Thank you, that means a lot. I totally agree with everything you have said. Especially as the average womens size in the Uk is a 14 which you would not believe from the amount of skinny girls there are all around us. Like you, I think I am learning to accept my body at the end of the day I kind of look at it that I could be in a completely different situation but I could feel a lot worse, so I can start to say I am happy :) xx
DeleteI enjoyed this post, it's nice to see someone be so honest about their issues with their weight etc. I think most girls do. I have friends that range from size 6 to a size 16 and each friend is bothered by their weight. It just goes to show that even the slimmest of people aren't happy. I'm like you, wouldn't label myself as fat but I'm far from slim. If I could give you one tip that I've learnt over the years it's to eat as much melon and pineapple as you can. These fruits do wonders for your weight loss :)
ReplyDeletehttp://lexiaa2202.blogspot.co.uk/
x
Thank you, means a lot that you liked this post :) xx
DeleteI love honest and true posts like this!
ReplyDeleteI've had a few friends with eating disorders an it's made what people think is the "right" way to look.
Good luck on your move to London, it may seen daunting but you're really going to love it... I've been here since september and have loads of tips if you need any help! :)
www.SamuelJamesMorris.com
Aww thank you Sam! I really am looking forward to it! :) x
DeleteThank you for all of your lovely comments. I do read every single one and I appreciate all of the amazing feedback from you lovely people! I will try to reply, but you can also tweet me @stylesplurging for a quicker response :) x