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.  Today I share with you the lovely Hilary of Hilary Inspired!!

What makes your body fabulous?
Oh goodness… I’m not used to that sort of question! I can much more comfortably answer the question “What do I like most about my body?” (which I think in turn is probably what makes it fabulous). So, humility aside for a moment… I like my slender shape and feminine curves. I’m wonderfully blessed to have a pretty high metabolism which keeps my waist trim but I’ve never been able to fully avoid generous endowment in the chest and hip regions. And why would I? I’m a woman after all, right?! From an early age to the present, I’ve been a dancer and that has not only helped me set a habit of exercise but also a sense of good posture and graceful carriage. I feel like that’s as much of what makes my body fabulous as anything else!

My favorite thing about how I look is probably not what you’d think. I really like my strong eyebrows and “dancer” feet. Strange, I know! I don’t wear a lot of make up but I always pencil my brows. I think it creates a strong structure for my face and makes a striking statement. My high-arched feet are undoubtedly a result of my many years studying and performing ballet but now I enjoy the way they look in soaring high heels!

I’m a bit old-fashioned so, my favorite things to wear are definitely vintage sundresses, high-waisted pants and skirts, and anything cinched in at the natural waist. I’m sure the reason I love this silhouette has everything to do with my hour-glass shape.

When shopping for clothing in the right fit, I’ve found that my biggest issue is finding clothing that fits my curves. Quite often I run across pieces that are either properly tailored in the shoulders but too small in the bust or really tight in the hips but gaping at the waist. I love the prices of places like Forever 21 but their clothes are usually fitted for a younger shape. Shopping at more mature shops such as Banana Republic or Ann Taylor has worked out well for me when it comes to locating basics but, as many of my readers know, shopping vintage or second-hand is my preference. There’s always such a wide and unique variety of sizes and styles!

The media does and always has played a large role in body acceptance. It’s what we turn to for cultural norms. The danger is when those “norms” are narrowly represented. The emergence of personal style blogs has been a wonderful thing for healthy body acceptance, in my opinion. We now have the opportunity to access a wide and more balanced representation of different body types in the digital media. A person can pick and choose who they watch for fashion inspiration and guidance without feeling beholden to the aesthetic preferences of high-fashion editors and designers.

We all want to be accepted, especially when it comes to our bodies and appearances… that’s only natural! Females are especially conscious of their appearance, which tends to make us particularly critical of ourselves. Coming to the realization that a healthy lifestyle comes in many shapes and sizes and then learning how to dress those shapes and sizes in the most flattering and comfortable way is the key to gain self-appreciation.

I love that Hilary is all about embracing her hour-glass shape and her point that healthy lifestyles come in many shapes and styles!!  She’s so lovely!