Let's Talk Body Image in Pregnancy Town

I don't know about anyone else who is or has been pregnant but one of my biggest struggles in this whole "adventure" is the fact that I feel totally and utterly unattractive ALL.THE.TIME. now. I get it. I am creating a beautiful life inside this body and of course, with that miracle, comes lots of changes in the ol' body. Although I logically understand what is going on with my body, the extra chunk on top of what was already there and now the urge to feed this body more than usual... it's tough to come to grips with what I see when I look in the mirror. It's depressing. One day I will look at myself and say "yep, you look pregnant" and then other days all I see is a fat blob masquerading as a pregnant woman.

Average Size Mannequins... What's All the Fuss About?

I was reading this article on Refinery29 this weekend regarding the hullabaloo surrounding some Swedish department store mannequins. You see, my friends, the mannequins are, get ready for it, average size. These mannequins are size 10-12, which is larger than your typical model/sample size, which ranges 2-4. I remember working at Martin + Osa and when we went to dress the mannequins for floor change, we would grab the smallest sizes that we carried (XS and Size 0) and still we had to use clips sometimes to get the clothes to look right on the super slim frames of the typical mannequin. To me, as someone who as always carried extra weight, even at my thinnest, I logically look at mannequins as just a way to showcase clothing in stores we all shop at even though they do not represent my size. Though I feel this way, I can understand that mannequins that do not represent reality can put unrealistic expectations on women to maintain a certain size to wear certain clothes, but then magazines, movie and television put those expectations on us anyways. So why has it been such a big deal that one Swedish department store, Åhléns, has displayed mannequins that more accurately represent the average woman? There are people who support the mannequins, there are people who say that this encourages obesity, there are people like me who agree with Liz Black... why didn't this happen ages ago?

The average woman wears a size 14. If there are women, size 6 and up, who aren't being represented in the stores they shop at, isn't that a problem? I know I am no skinny minnie but I certainly do spend my fair share at multiple different retailers. Wouldn't you think that a curvier mannequin, a petite mannequin, a medium height/build mannequin could find their way into our stores? Why not have mannequins of every size so that people feel like they are being catered to? I would have to think that if I felt that I were being catered to, I would be more likely to shop there. Again, I do not claim to take huge issue with thin mannequins but also don't really understand the "all one size" thing either... and so the "weight debate" or rather "mannequin size" debate wages on.

What do you think? Would you like to see a more realistic mannequin at your favorite store? 

via Refinery29

A RANT: "Average" Women,Widening the Definition of Beauty and Deodorant

I don't know if you remember seeing the post I wrote about people dogging on Kelly Clarkson's SNL appearance but suffice to say, I take positive body image and related issues to heart.* Lately, I have been kind of offended by advertisements on TV and in magazines because, well, I don't feel like the ads that are meant to entice women to work on their appearance, are representing the diversity in woman or encouraging healthy body image. Here let me give you an example:

I was watching WE television the other day, Wedding Sunday to be exact, and a bronzing lotion commercial came on. Who doesn't want a "natural" glow for Summer by simply purchasing a tube of tinted lotion? I know I sure do. Trouble is, I was immediately off put by this particular commercial because the woman in the advert wasn't just a model, she was like super thin... oh but she was tan so that makes it OK! I love to look at beautiful models just like the next person, but this model just struck me as being bony, which I never usually consider a good thing.  The next commercial represented real women. Enter head shots of diverse women in lots of pain, oh me oh my, my period cramps are so bad, what ever am I supposed to do? The next commercial was two women sharing a cookie over a hedge, mmmm food, average women eat cookies... by the time Bridezillas came back on, I still hadn't seen an ad for beauty products or the like, that didn't have a really thin model... and this was on a Women's network. I couldn't help but feel a little sad, you know? Was it my perception? Do I feel this was because I am premenstrual and blah about the pimple on my chin? Gah, where is my self esteem? Take a look at the ad that sent me into a mini tail spin: