Every Thursday I feature a lovely lady, bloggers as well as other gorgeous ladies I know or meet, who tell us what makes their bodies fabulous! The purpose is to empower women to to accept and love their bodies’ as they are by showing women with various body types, skin colors, hair textures, and more. This week I share with you the wonderful
Merl owner
Mo Vintage, and
Clyde’s Rebirth!!
What makes your body fabulous?
The fact that it can handle getting abused on a daily basis thanks to my clumsy nature and keep on trucking.. seriously I have over 20 bruises on my person right now! You’d think my cats ganged up on me at night. But really the fact that it’s strong, womanly and uniquely mine. I have little quirks and scars that technically mar the perfection, but they are memories I’ll keep with me always.
What is your favorite thing about how you look? And why?
The ginger locks atop my noggin for sure. I can say this proudly now, as I spent YEARS of my youth trying desperately to have any hue but red. I just wanted to be like everyone else with their ‘normal’ blonde or brunette hair and couldn’t appreciate the rare and unique gift that is my fiery red mop. While I’m on this love fest, I’ll also toss in some kudos to my curves and hazel/brown eyes :).
What are your favorite things to wear to flatter your body or just help you feel good?
To flatter my body, I would say anything form fitting with some stretch. I live in bodycon dresses in the winter, since I can wear thick enough tights that I don’t feel like a hoochie.. but the bottom line with anything I put on my body is that I have to feel comfortable. I could be wearing the most beautiful dress ever crafted, but if it pinches or limits my movement, I will feel horrible which translates into looking horrible. I will make exceptions for shoes on occasion, but only if I don’t have to walk or stand for long periods of time ;).
When it comes to finding clothes, what are some issues you come across? And how do you solve them?
JEANS. Being a curvy girl, jeans were my enemy for many years. If I found a pair that fit the rump, they gaped big time in the waist. I couldn’t find any that fit my waist because they couldn’t go over my hips. Though I’ve never, and will never go full on jegging style, I have grown to vehemently love some stretchy denim, the more high waisted the better. They fit like a dream, suck in just a bit while allowing me freedom of movement. A merl’s best friend fo sho.
What role do you think the media plays in body acceptance?
I think it both plays a huge role, and also shouldn’t be allowed that much clout. Young women are much more impressionable than older women, and the pressure to be the prettiest, skinniest, sexiest will always be there no matter how many steps the media or celebrity role models attempt to feature a more realistic image. That is not to say that those steps shouldn’t be mandatory and wouldn’t foster a greater acceptance of an individual’s beauty but they won’t eradicate the problem entirely. I think it should start in the home, by providing a solid groundwork for loving your body, that way when a young woman enters puberty and the pressure to look a certain way doesn’t have as much effect. All that said, I do think that the amount of photoshopping done on models these days is obscene. I know Glamour recently stated that they will resist going to extreme lengths in their retouching, but didn’t claim to eradicate it entirely. It makes me wonder if retailers featured ‘real’ [and not just beautiful plus size models, but real women of all sizes with quirks and imperfections that accrue from a life well spent] women more, if their sales would actually increase? Sure everyone likes to look at that attractive, skinny model in the clothes.. but what if they saw someone just like them in those garments instead?
What are your thoughts on female body acceptance and appreciation?
I recently read an article [
http://feministing.com/2012/04/02/there-is-no-right-way-to-hate-your-body/] that literally took the words out of my heart and spoke them with articulated clarity. The author Chloe took Glenn Marla’s quote “
there is no wrong way to have a body” {brilliant in and of itself} and proposed a spin:
There is no right way to hate your body. I could quote the entire article, but I’ll let you and your readers read it first hand on the website. It really struck home with me though..not only because while I, for the most part, respect my body, I also have days of negative, hate filled thoughts. And that’s incredibly absurd. My body is healthy, blessed with curves, fair skin and an over abundance of freckles. I have a crooked nose, scars on every limb and cellulite. But I love it. I will never be a size 2, and that’s ok. It doesn’t make me any more, or any less of a woman that is a healthy size 2 or 22, but it’s what works for me. I have no grounds whatsoever to hate it, and so many to love it. I think that no matter what your current size, you need to learn to love exactly how your body looks and feels and functions at this time. You should always strive to be the healthiest in mind and body as possible.. but not kill yourself if you aren’t a body builder or constantly serene and content with your current state of affairs. Count every positive, and quit tallying up the negative!
I’m so smitten with
Merl’s red hair, freckles, and awesome smile!! I love what she said about not giving the media clout and focusing not he positives instead of tallying up the negatives! Loves her
.
