Well hello there!
I hope that you are really well today. I'm feeling feisty this morning, so it's the perfect day to write about a real bug bear of mine - the phrase "Beach Body Ready" ! As far as I am concerned it needs BANNING!
I am increasingly frustrated by the constant attack on the bodies of women. Most of it is driven by corporate greed. (there is a pun there, think about it!). Let's be serious , women spend gazillions every year to try and be "perfect". Of course, the dream is never delivered and to top it off we then carry on spending bazillions more on the latest new product just to be disappointed again. I, guess here there is a theme.... its all about disappointment.
What is it that sends women into a frenzy when they book a holiday? I thought a holiday was meant to be a time to relax, a time to have a change from the norm, a time for new experiences. And that is what it should be, not a stress fest. I can honestly tell you that I love travelling but I don't like spending a lot of time in swimwear. I find myself unintentionally comparing myself to the other women by the pool or on the beach. I study my cellulite in great depth and feel like I am constantly checking to see if my guts hang over my bikini, not to mention worrying that I am pear shaped with a propensity to gaining weight on my hips.! Does this sound familiar? It's ridiculous isn't it? When I read this back it makes me feel absolutely self obsessed, and I guess its true. I only wish it was for all the right reasons. You know, like confidence and seeking to enjoy every moment regardless of my body, or my perception of it!
I know where it comes from, I've finally identified my issue! Its all this beach body ready crap. The message being, your actual body as it is today, is not suitable for exposure in public. You must change it so that you don't offend anyone! The more I have thought about this non stop onslaught at women to be "perfect", the more angry I feel that I have fallen for it.
Let's think about it. We are being told, largely by big cosmetic companies, that we need to look "better" to go on the beach. Forgive me for saying so but I don't see this message being aimed at men. It seems that men don't have to worry about looking "better". And they shouldn't have to. Lets be serious , I've seen plenty of men's guts, pubes growing over the top of their trunks etc. If a woman had her pubes hanging out or had, God forbid, missed a single hair following her bikini wax, there would be hell to pay!
Ask yourself this? What is so offensive about your body that you need to improve it for the beach even though a such issues don't cover women being "offended" by men's bodies?
Cellulite is normal, your body shape is normal, your age is normal, your skin tone is normal,...……… it is NOT OFFENSIVE.
I love "looking after myself". I love fake tan, body lotion and exercise. But..... and here's the (big butt), I do it for me, not for another single soul. As I am, I am enough for others to love. if they don't, its their loss, not mine! I like fake tan because I like a summery glow but not at the expense of my health. I love lotions and potions because they make my skin feel comfortable and I like the aromas. I exercise because it releases endorphins and enables me to move more and helps me stay healthy to enjoy older age.
I will not be getting beach body ready this year! I will be sticking to the pampering I have chosen for myself and I will not be lining the pockets of corporations who choose to pray on women's and not men's insecurities. I will be wearing shorts and vest tops, and if peeps don't like it they can look away. I am so much more than how I look. I have so much more to offer than how I look. There is so much more in life I need to experience in my shorts or bikini and I plan to do it without feeling that I can't because my body is not worthy!
What do you think about this "beach body ready" message? I'd love to know. Leave your comment below or come and join our private, safe, women only group at Savvy 'n' Sassy
If you want a laugh then you need to read this :-
Have a great day and remember "refuse to be invisible!"
Namaste
Janie S xxx
Founder Savvy 'n' Sassy
I hope that you are really well today. I'm feeling feisty this morning, so it's the perfect day to write about a real bug bear of mine - the phrase "Beach Body Ready" ! As far as I am concerned it needs BANNING!
 |
| courtesy of little things |
I am increasingly frustrated by the constant attack on the bodies of women. Most of it is driven by corporate greed. (there is a pun there, think about it!). Let's be serious , women spend gazillions every year to try and be "perfect". Of course, the dream is never delivered and to top it off we then carry on spending bazillions more on the latest new product just to be disappointed again. I, guess here there is a theme.... its all about disappointment.
What is it that sends women into a frenzy when they book a holiday? I thought a holiday was meant to be a time to relax, a time to have a change from the norm, a time for new experiences. And that is what it should be, not a stress fest. I can honestly tell you that I love travelling but I don't like spending a lot of time in swimwear. I find myself unintentionally comparing myself to the other women by the pool or on the beach. I study my cellulite in great depth and feel like I am constantly checking to see if my guts hang over my bikini, not to mention worrying that I am pear shaped with a propensity to gaining weight on my hips.! Does this sound familiar? It's ridiculous isn't it? When I read this back it makes me feel absolutely self obsessed, and I guess its true. I only wish it was for all the right reasons. You know, like confidence and seeking to enjoy every moment regardless of my body, or my perception of it!
I know where it comes from, I've finally identified my issue! Its all this beach body ready crap. The message being, your actual body as it is today, is not suitable for exposure in public. You must change it so that you don't offend anyone! The more I have thought about this non stop onslaught at women to be "perfect", the more angry I feel that I have fallen for it.
Let's think about it. We are being told, largely by big cosmetic companies, that we need to look "better" to go on the beach. Forgive me for saying so but I don't see this message being aimed at men. It seems that men don't have to worry about looking "better". And they shouldn't have to. Lets be serious , I've seen plenty of men's guts, pubes growing over the top of their trunks etc. If a woman had her pubes hanging out or had, God forbid, missed a single hair following her bikini wax, there would be hell to pay!
Ask yourself this? What is so offensive about your body that you need to improve it for the beach even though a such issues don't cover women being "offended" by men's bodies?
Cellulite is normal, your body shape is normal, your age is normal, your skin tone is normal,...……… it is NOT OFFENSIVE.
I love "looking after myself". I love fake tan, body lotion and exercise. But..... and here's the (big butt), I do it for me, not for another single soul. As I am, I am enough for others to love. if they don't, its their loss, not mine! I like fake tan because I like a summery glow but not at the expense of my health. I love lotions and potions because they make my skin feel comfortable and I like the aromas. I exercise because it releases endorphins and enables me to move more and helps me stay healthy to enjoy older age.
I will not be getting beach body ready this year! I will be sticking to the pampering I have chosen for myself and I will not be lining the pockets of corporations who choose to pray on women's and not men's insecurities. I will be wearing shorts and vest tops, and if peeps don't like it they can look away. I am so much more than how I look. I have so much more to offer than how I look. There is so much more in life I need to experience in my shorts or bikini and I plan to do it without feeling that I can't because my body is not worthy!
What do you think about this "beach body ready" message? I'd love to know. Leave your comment below or come and join our private, safe, women only group at Savvy 'n' Sassy
If you want a laugh then you need to read this :-
Have a great day and remember "refuse to be invisible!"
Namaste
Janie S xxx
Founder Savvy 'n' Sassy
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