Wardrobe Wednesday - Oh Beloved Body

Every Wednesday, Every Wardrobe Welcome.

This week I have read 2 excellent posts that I would love to recommend to you
Deb's post about dieting and Catherine's post about airbrushing.

In light of these I want to be really clear about a couple of things here:
1. I play around with the contrast and mid-tone adjustment on the photos here because I want to emphasise the clothes and make the light work. So in that sense the photos are touched up but I have never played around with the shape of my body or my wrinkles.... because for me I'd feel like I was lying to you and at the end of the day if we were ever in the same place I'd love to catch up for a coffee and I'd hate you to think I didn't look like I do in real life.

2. I do pick flattering photos - I realise in real life I pull strange faces, I forget to use perfect posture and I can create a several chin effect quite easily. I also often have unshaven legs and forget to can't be bothered to put on make-up. So some photos get edited out. But I figure we all choose our best pics???? This week I have purposely chosen a stretchy, fitting dress because I'm not hiding here. This is who I am and I have no idea what you are thinking about my body on the other end of your computer and actually it doesn't matter. What matters most of all is how I feel about my body. (1000 people can tell you how gorgeous you are but at the end of the day you pick what you believe and that influences everything).

3. I am still on a journey with body love. I have tall, short, slim, wide, perfect-skin, wrinkled skin..... friends. I love them because they are my friends. I find them beautiful. When I look in the mirror and feel dissatisfied I tell myself 'You may never be slimmer, you will never be younger or less wrinkly, your 'bye-bye' arms are only likely to get looser. So you love yourself right now. Stop waiting for the perfect body to dress and start having fun dressing the one you have now.' (mostly it works and I go eat some more chocolate. Sometimes I need to remind myself that if I would like to be a different shape that's down to my effort alone. Mostly I'm too lazy to care.)

You may choose to airbrush yourself, you may think your body is perfect, you may hate it but today please stop and read the articles above. Stop and ask yourself this: would you like the 'perfect' body that didn't work or would you like to embrace this body you have that works, that gets you from place to place, that allows you to make things, that laughs and hugs and cries and keeps you breathing and thinking so you can enjoy all the good around you?

Today love yourself, this place/shell in which you (the real you) dwells. Marvel at all it's intricacies and if you are me you can give your stretchmarks a little rub and tell them you think they are okay too.

If we refuse to love ourselves we make it very hard for others to love us too.

Today I'd love you to tell me what you love about your body - I love my hands because they help me to make things, the allow me to hug, they let me type, they make my life easy. I love them and I think I have a great smile and a pretty good rack too! :o)

No disclaimers either - just own something about your body and love it. 'kay? Take a risk. Do something that scares you.

So what is Wardrobe Wednesday?

• It's a chance to take some time once a week to peel off the polar fleece trackies (I have a pair too!!) and put on something that gives you a chance to have a 'play' in your wardrobe, to make yourself feel pretty/ stylish/ like a woman or at least not slummy!
•  It's a time to celebrate and hopefully to embrace your body however you find it - post baby, young or old your body is lovely and functional and precious and I want this place to be a place for you to see other women (ordinary, beautiful women) who don't live in designer homes on designer budgets with designer bodies.

How to play?

1. Link in your specific blog post not just your general blog

2. Link to a post about clothes - that's what we're here for

3. Please add a link back here so other people can come over and see people's clothing posts too - the old fashioned way or grab a button

4. Be encouraging and visit people - leave a comment now and again too everyone loves to get encouragement

Here's the button copy and paste away

<center> <a href=" http://createhopeinspire.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Wardrobe%20Wednesday"><img border="0" src="http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o516/CreateHopeInspire/WWbutton.jpg" width="160" height="160"/></a></center> Thanks so much for your company, your comments and your compliments :o)