I used to think that what you wear on the outside can't really, truly affect how you feel on the inside. I mean, of course the occasional sweats and ratty tees are still totally ok but I really had no idea that wearing clothes that fit can change the way you feel about yourself - to a point where you might be motivated for real change. Sorry if this is very convoluted - maybe if I give a personal example...
After I had Aidan, I went back to my pre-preg weight in a few months without doing much. But I didn't gain much excess weight because I was so busy at work I could barely get time off to eat and I took the stairs all the time. Anyhow, fast-forward 2 years and I'm preggers with Jana. Because of my experience carrying Aidan, I thought I could eat whatever I wanted but, unfortunately, I was proved wrong. Doh! I ended up gaining more weight than I wanted to and really had to work to shed the pounds. Not easy since I barely had any time to myself from taking care of the expanded family. But I put off buying new clothes because I didn't want to waste any money buying clothes that I would only wear for a few months since I just did that buying some new pregnancy clothes. So I wore sweats all the time and if I did buy anything, I bought more stretchy clothes that were super comfy. [Now, this was hardly the way I dressed before I got pregnant. I would like to think that I had somewhat of a style or just that I wore things that fit me. ;)] I started to care less and less about what I wore...or so I thought. But looking back at my journals, I really didn't like the way I looked and was almost in denial that I had to work at getting back to my normal weight. I was waffling between giving up and sweeping it under the rug. Anyhow, then I saw an episode of 'What Not to Wear' on moms and the things that Stacy and Clinton (the hosts of that show) that said to these women I found were true of me. I realized you can't keep waiting til you lose the weight before you find clothes that fit because it might just sabatoge whatever motivation for change you had. And that finding clothes that fit make you look slimmer and can increase your motivation ...and that's exactly what happened to me. It was almost like dressing myself the size that I was reminded me that I can make myself look good and even though I might look ok now, I can look even better....it reminded me of my potential! :) Especially when Kevin gave me the ok to buy some key piece in my current size and then gave me compliments when I actually wore the style that I used to pre-preg, it really boosted my self-esteem! :)
Anyhow, it had always amazed me how much better these women felt about themselves just after a few days of getting the right clothing, getting style tips, and getting a complete makeover. It's like super intense therapy but you get a whole new wardrobe out of it! :) And so many of them have breakthroughs during the show about why they dress the way they do, whether it'd be a weight issue or self-esteem issue. It's so interesting to see how self-esteem issues can manifest in so many different ways - dressing really loudly or in muted colors only to blend in. But when they saw how good they can look, even with the problems areas that they felt they had, their thoughts about themselves changed dramatically. And I'm sure hearing experts talk about "your small waist, beautiful skin" and such doesn't hurt, either. :) And after discussing this with my hubby, I think he summarized my thoughts well: Some people dress confidently because they are confident. But some people need to see their potential with some outside help to become that more confident person.
Before I end this entry, I wanted to share about some books that I thought was great for getting to know what fits without having to go on the show:
The Science of Sexy by Bradley Bayou - hilarious title but has a formula to help you figure out your shape and how to best dress it
Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide To Finding the Style That's Right For Your Body by Clinton Kelly and Stacy London - by the host of TLC's 'What Not to Wear' and has their cheeky humor; also has a list of essentials of men and women
The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia - it wasn't as practical per se but gave me an idea of what inspired people in the fashion industry re: what they wore
The 5 Minute Face: The Quick & Easy Makeup Guide for Every Women by Carmindy - I really have no clue about makeup and rarely wear it - but for special occasions, I needed some guidance; an easy read
Welp, thanks for reading what's on my mind tonight! :)
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