Hey Guy's
Hope your all okay!
Today I want to do a post on something I think is pretty important.
Body Confidence.
Up to 8 out of 10 people have a lack of body confidence and don't like the way look and 25% of people may even have a distorted view of themselves.
This is so sad,and lets not forget this isn't just an issue with women - it affects men too.
The way we look can have such a big impact on our day to day lives so I wanted to write a post to try and promote Body Confidence.
After all WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL.
Now this is something I really do believe really needs to be highlighted.
In my early teens I really felt the pressure of media and to be a certain size / weight. I was a curvy size 8/10 when I was around 16 yet I never felt 100% about my figure and always wished I was thinner,yet when I fell ill,I ballooned in size due to fluid retention and steroids to prevent the liver failure and even maternity size 20 trousers wouldn't fit me.
So when I dropped down to a UK Size 4 after my second transplant,which meant I dropped from a size 20 to a size 4 literally over night when my fluid was drained away I was left with huge stretchmarks on my stomach,legs,thighs and feet.
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I then had to regain my weight which was a long and hard process and after transplant #3 I had a similar experience I dropped to a size 6 and had to gain weight and this time due to illness I was given a feeding tube to try and bulk me up (as due to my illness i lost all my muscle mass and weight due to bed rest for months).
My body has been through so much strain,from being bigger to tiny again,and with that came judgement. The sad part? I was suffering with a chronic illness yet people would tut at me because of my size - if only they knew.
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Now this is something I really do believe really needs to be highlighted.
In my early teens I really felt the pressure of media and to be a certain size / weight. I was a curvy size 8/10 when I was around 16 yet I never felt 100% about my figure and always wished I was thinner,yet when I fell ill,I ballooned in size due to fluid retention and steroids to prevent the liver failure and even maternity size 20 trousers wouldn't fit me.
So when I dropped down to a UK Size 4 after my second transplant,which meant I dropped from a size 20 to a size 4 literally over night when my fluid was drained away I was left with huge stretchmarks on my stomach,legs,thighs and feet.
I then had to regain my weight which was a long and hard process and after transplant #3 I had a similar experience I dropped to a size 6 and had to gain weight and this time due to illness I was given a feeding tube to try and bulk me up (as due to my illness i lost all my muscle mass and weight due to bed rest for months).
My body has been through so much strain,from being bigger to tiny again,and with that came judgement. The sad part? I was suffering with a chronic illness yet people would tut at me because of my size - if only they knew.
Having gone through all that I have become really confident with my size 10/12 body,my scars and stretchmarks make me who I am and there all part of my story!
I've realized that health and happiness is so much more important,and how we look doesn't define who we are. It's Important we all remember that!
But I knew just me telling you this may not be effective so I have got a range of beautiful girls (inside & out as you will see..) involved and asked them a set of four questions to try and see why people feel the way they do and ways to help...
Tanya - Mom of One and CF Patient.
1.Are You Secure with your body Image ?
I think to be perfectly honest I act a lot more secure then I am. I like being perceived as confident and strong even more so when so because I get ill all these people feel the need to help me (I hate this) im the sort of person who will show anyone my baggy baby tummy and my poor excuse of boobs that breast feeding left behind, just to make someone feel better about themselves or even myself on hope they tell me it isn't that bad lol. When I look at myself in the I sometimes feel bad about myself(but thats when i'm naked lol) but other times I remember i look and think all my scares, stretchmark's, extra skin, lumps and bumps are all worth because its me fighting my illness and having a child which i was told i could do ..so yer worth every little mark.
2.Does Media / Celebs etc ever affect how you think you should look? When it comes to the media and there ridiculous idea a perfect women body i couldn't care less..i don't think there is a perfect body. I like to think the only way the media influences me is in the fashion sense and body image. I wouldn't want to be stick thin with no boobs and a thigh gap.
3.When do you feel most confident in yourself? Well i feel most comfortable/confident at home with my fella and son because you can be yourself and not worry how rough your looking. But there is also nothing better then getting a new outfit on and putting my make up which never happens for me now days and just popping out for a bit. To be honest most the time i don't even go out, its just to make myself feel hot for an hour or so while I'm cleaning lol.
4.What one piece of advice would you give to people who want to gain body confidence?
I think the best thing i could say is try not to care what other people think about you, be who you are comfortable being with and you'll find yourself being so much happier. If you feel confident you'll find yourself feeling great and happy with the way you look... as they say confidence is sexy. so believe you are and you will be. You don't need anyone's permission to feel good about yourself.
Lisa - Marie - Miss Crown and Glory North West First Runner up 2014
1.Are You Secure with your body Image ?
For many years I was very very insure about my body...I think through out school I developed quicker than other girls in my class, and that upset me, as i wanted to look like everyone else. I have always been a curvy girls with big boobs and since I've got older I am more i secure about my body, and grown to be happy with the body I have.
2.Does Media / Celebs etc ever affect how you think you should look?
Media does effect how women and girls look at their bodies. In magazines for example they will show how to slim down to a size 8 or 10 stating that is the size you are suppose to be. I have heard recently they are bringing out size 16 mannequins which is fab!! This is the size normal girls are and should be encouraging this!! It's great to see inspiring role models such as Kim Kardasian, Adele, and Kelly brook!! Beauty isn't how someone looks- its the inner beauty which matters most!!
3.When do you feel most confident in yourself?
I feel most confident when I am all glamed up- especially when I have a new dress! If you have an amazing dress on it always makes me feel amazing too!!
4.What one piece of advice would you give to people who want to gain body confidence?
The best advice I would say is...choose a outfit which suits you and you feel comfortable in- and your personality will shine through and your confidence will grow!! The most famous pin up model was Marilyn Monroe who was a size 14 and a very sexy icon this is true beauty and what a real women these days looks like!!! Be confident, be sexy, be Marilyn x
Lauren - Music Student.
1.Are You Secure with your body Image?
Nope
Nope
2.Does Media / Celebs etc ever affect how you think you should look?
Nope, they're just full of Botox and operations; they don't really look like what they show everyone, so, why would you want to be fake?
Nope, they're just full of Botox and operations; they don't really look like what they show everyone, so, why would you want to be fake?
3.When do you feel most confident in yourself?
Probably feel most confident when I wear new clothes and take forever to get ready haha!
Probably feel most confident when I wear new clothes and take forever to get ready haha!
4.What one piece of advice would you give to people who want to gain body confidence?
my piece of advice for people that have low body confidence is; life is short. Don't ever care what people think about you, be happy in your skin, it's yours and you should work it! I'm not a size 0, I'm not perfect but I don't care! So Don't let negative people rain on your sunshine!!
Dani - Photographer.
1.Are You Secure with your body Image? NO!
2.Does Media / Celebs etc ever affect how you think you should look? YES!!! When I look at magazines and see airbrushed images of models & celebrities, even though I know they are airbrushed, it still makes me feel like I should look like that
3.When do you feel most confident in yourself? When someone compliments me (and its genuine!) or when I lose some weight
4.What one piece of advice would you give to people who want to gain body confidence? I wish I knew, would use it myself
Jade - Film,TV & English Lit Student.
1.Are You Secure with your body Image?
I think it's rare these days that girls are actually confident with their bodies, but I am. I'm confident on the basis of "What you see is what you get." You look at me, and you can clearly see that I'm not skinny, or slim, or toned, or anything like that. I'm not hiding any secrets under my clothes, what you see really is what you'll get, and I think that's why I'm confident and secure in the body that I have. There are loads of people who have the same body shapes, so I'm not the only one whose body looks like this.
2.Does Media / Celebs etc ever affect how you think you should look?
To be honest, they only affect the way I think I should look when I'm reading a magazine, and I see all these celebrities in their bikinis on the front page. The second I turn the page, I'm fine with myself. But for those five seconds that I am on that page, I'll think to myself, "What would I look like if I looked like that?" But I know I never will, because a lot of the celebrities who are featured in those magazines do not represent healthy bodies.
3.When do you feel most confident in yourself?
I feel most confident with myself most of the day. There are a few moments when I sort of relapse, and wish I had a better body, but not for anybody else. If I want a better body, it's for me. As long as I eat healthily and look after myself, I tend to feel good about myself.
4.What one piece of advice would you give to people who want to gain body confidence?
The one piece of advice I would give to people wanting to gain body confidence is: Be happy with yourself. Feel content, and if you want to lose weight, or tone up, or anything like that, just do it, but do it for yourself. Don't do it to please anybody else. You'll never please every single person on this planet, but it's so easy to make yourself happy. So if you want to lose weight, do it. If you want to go eat a whole pizza, do that, too. It's your body. Nobody has the right to tell you what you should do with it, or how you should look. And as cheesy as it sounds, a smile does go a long way. If people see that you're insecure about your body, they'll try their best to put you down. But if they see that you're happy with what you have, then they have no choice but to feel the same way too.
I think this post just shows everyone feels differently but at the most part some of us have some hang ups that we wish we could change but girls...
Your Gorgeous!
I think what we can all take away from this post is that the most important thing is that we are healthy & in the end happy.
Yes we all have down days,where we may wish something was different about us but it always comes down to this,we will only ever have one body.
Bodies are an amazing thing,and we should all appreciate and love them for that.
So Be You,Be Happy!
Please let me know if I should continue these 'Monday Mumblings',
where we can talk about subjects that are sometimes kept slightly hush hush but there things that affect us all!
Stay Safe & Speak Soon
Kate
xoxo
my piece of advice for people that have low body confidence is; life is short. Don't ever care what people think about you, be happy in your skin, it's yours and you should work it! I'm not a size 0, I'm not perfect but I don't care! So Don't let negative people rain on your sunshine!!
Dani - Photographer.
1.Are You Secure with your body Image? NO!
2.Does Media / Celebs etc ever affect how you think you should look? YES!!! When I look at magazines and see airbrushed images of models & celebrities, even though I know they are airbrushed, it still makes me feel like I should look like that
3.When do you feel most confident in yourself? When someone compliments me (and its genuine!) or when I lose some weight
4.What one piece of advice would you give to people who want to gain body confidence? I wish I knew, would use it myself
Jade - Film,TV & English Lit Student.
1.Are You Secure with your body Image?
I think it's rare these days that girls are actually confident with their bodies, but I am. I'm confident on the basis of "What you see is what you get." You look at me, and you can clearly see that I'm not skinny, or slim, or toned, or anything like that. I'm not hiding any secrets under my clothes, what you see really is what you'll get, and I think that's why I'm confident and secure in the body that I have. There are loads of people who have the same body shapes, so I'm not the only one whose body looks like this.
2.Does Media / Celebs etc ever affect how you think you should look?
To be honest, they only affect the way I think I should look when I'm reading a magazine, and I see all these celebrities in their bikinis on the front page. The second I turn the page, I'm fine with myself. But for those five seconds that I am on that page, I'll think to myself, "What would I look like if I looked like that?" But I know I never will, because a lot of the celebrities who are featured in those magazines do not represent healthy bodies.
3.When do you feel most confident in yourself?
I feel most confident with myself most of the day. There are a few moments when I sort of relapse, and wish I had a better body, but not for anybody else. If I want a better body, it's for me. As long as I eat healthily and look after myself, I tend to feel good about myself.
4.What one piece of advice would you give to people who want to gain body confidence?
The one piece of advice I would give to people wanting to gain body confidence is: Be happy with yourself. Feel content, and if you want to lose weight, or tone up, or anything like that, just do it, but do it for yourself. Don't do it to please anybody else. You'll never please every single person on this planet, but it's so easy to make yourself happy. So if you want to lose weight, do it. If you want to go eat a whole pizza, do that, too. It's your body. Nobody has the right to tell you what you should do with it, or how you should look. And as cheesy as it sounds, a smile does go a long way. If people see that you're insecure about your body, they'll try their best to put you down. But if they see that you're happy with what you have, then they have no choice but to feel the same way too.
I think this post just shows everyone feels differently but at the most part some of us have some hang ups that we wish we could change but girls...
Your Gorgeous!
I think what we can all take away from this post is that the most important thing is that we are healthy & in the end happy.
Yes we all have down days,where we may wish something was different about us but it always comes down to this,we will only ever have one body.
Bodies are an amazing thing,and we should all appreciate and love them for that.
So Be You,Be Happy!
Please let me know if I should continue these 'Monday Mumblings',
where we can talk about subjects that are sometimes kept slightly hush hush but there things that affect us all!
Stay Safe & Speak Soon
Kate
xoxo
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