Photo Credit: Saucye West | Saucye West On Instagram
The media definitely conspires against those of us in a Curvy body. It is still the exception to see a person of size in a commercial, music video, movie or t.v. show. And, when we do see a Curvy person in the media, we still celebrate because it’s still so rare and such a big deal. I long for the day when we do not need to celebrate that! (Although, “This is Us” is definitely an exception. But Chrissy Metz is one of the few women of size you will see on network t.v.)
Over the years I have honed my ability to love my Curvy body. I have some tips that might help you to begin to also love all that your body can do for you. And, if you have any other tips that are body positive you can share with me, please comment on our blog.
- Clean up your social media feed and make sure you have UNFOLLOWED all of the brands that are not body positive. Be sure to follow brands and blogs like Ashley Tipton, Saucye West, Plus Model, Jasmine of Curvaceous Lush, Jes from The Militant Baker, or Corissa from Fat Girl Flow
- Have you ever seen an ugly redwood tree or or manatee? Of course not. Get out in nature and see how beautiful the enormous trees in your neighborhood are. Stand next to the tree and notice how small you actually are. We all take up space. Manatees and big huge redwood trees so not apologize for being so large and they are majestic a.f.
- Mindful movement like Curvy Yoga will give you so much confidence. And, nowadays you can even do it from home if you cannot find a Curvy Yoga class in your city. Be sure to follow some Curvy Yoginis on social media like More To Love, Big Gal Yoga, Amber Karnes’ Body Positive Yoga. (Check out our blog 7 Body Positive Curvy Yoga Instructors.) Mindful movement can remind you how beautiful and powerful all bodies are.
- Show yourself compassion. Learn to be gentle with yourself and show yourself the same compassion that you show your friends and family. When you see a family member that is Curvy do you think to yourself “wow, she is so fat” or do you think “wow, she is so beautiful.” I am going to guess you think about how beautiful. (As I like to say, “if we talked to our kids the way we talk to ourselves, Child Protective Services would take out kids away.) Quiet that inner mean critic every time it bubbles up.
- Celebrate what your body CAN do. Your body can hug your kids or your Mom. Your body can laugh until you shoot soda out your nose when you see or hear something funny. Your legs can take you where you want to go. Your hands can hold the hand of your lover. There are so many things your body can do. Make it a practice to replace one negative thought you have about your body with a positive thought. If you need to, make a list in your cell phone of all the fabulous things your body can do for you.
- Compliment other women that you admire. Make it a practice to notice other plus-size beauties when you are out and about and notice something about them. You can make it a compliment about their clothing or about how they handled a situation so brilliantly. You can compliment them on their smile or if you know them, let them know what a great friend they are or what a great listener they are. I love to notice other Curvy women when I am at the grocery store or at the mall. If I can compliment a stranger in some what that will not weird them out, I try really hard to do that. It feels great to give a compliment and you will feel great all day… the bonus is that so will they!
- BONUS. Take lots of selfies. The world needs more images of Curvy women out in the wild. Curvy women at work. Curvy women getting married. Curvy women in the media everywhere. Let’s normalize our bodies and show the world how beautiful we are.
21Squared is the community fashion app dedicated to curvy women who wear size 12+ or plus size clothing where the members inspire each other to look their best without worrying about how something might fit because you will be matched to other women who have similar body to you. You are encouraged to share your outfit to help other women in the community while earning commission on every sale your post generates.