Love The Skin You Are In

“Watching you lie there in hospital, comatosed in your own little world, unaware of your family peering over you anxiously, has left me heartbroken and destroyed. Hundreds of tangled tubes and drips surrounded your frail body, caught up in a war against yourself. Your body battered and swollen, hundreds of bruises clinging to your skin like a constant reminder of your battle to survive. Victoria Beckham and Nicole Richie saluting your slimming success from the front cover of the “Heat” magazine on your bedside table, ignorant to the fact that you are a casualty of the ongoing size zero war. I brought Annabelle to see you, thought you could do with the company...not that you were aware of her being there. Seeing you two reunited again after what seems like forever highlighted your similarities; it was like staring at two dolls lined up in a toy shop, both sharing that same dazed expression, disappearing waistline and flawless fresh faced skin. It was as if you had morphed in to a life size version of Annabelle. Somehow it didn’t feel like old times, like I imagined it to be, I felt lonely, outnumbered... it was me, Annabelle and you – my own china doll.” (Extract from a written piece “When We Were Younger” by Amy Kirk)

Body Image is a touchy subject for most, both women AND men and I myself am extremely insecure when it comes to my appearance. I would love to have a smaller nose, bigger boobs and ditch the child bearing hips but, I am slowly learning that you can’t always get what you wish for; that everyone else has their own insecurities and body parts they hate or wish were different and that we have to learn to embrace what God gave us. After all, the parts we hate are often the parts others love about us!

Issues surrounding image and weight have been front of the news as of late, with all of us suckers pining over the latest celebs dainty figures, scrounging articles for the best and most successful diet rituals. Go back a year or so and the size zero debate was rife, with the leading desire for most women to be a waif of their previous self. This prospect still sickens me and luckily the world is starting to pick themselves up off the floor and embrace a more NATURAL, curvy figure – which not only looks better, but provides an image of health.

Nicole Richie sporting the size zero trend

Beyonce looking healthy AND fabulous

Despite the viscous circle of the fashion industry, FINALLY coming round to a healthier mentality, it doesn’t stop us all from wanting the perfect bikini body this summer and with the help of omega, exercise and a healthy diet that ACTUALLY contains food, it is more than definitely within our reach. Exercise doesn’t always have to be boring…personal favourites of mine include swimming, dancing, jogging and now thanks to my “pro – cyclist” boyfriend (well... pro compared to me, who struggles with a lap around the park) I’m getting back on the old push bike.

Magazines and the media are ALL OVER body image this month and in particular ELLE have included numerous articles within their July 2011 edition, teaching us the tricks of the trade when it comes to aiding the appearance of our figure… WITHOUT dieting or surgery (sounds perfect to me - HELLO CHOCOLATE).

Advice I am certainly following is putting a highlighter cream or powder around the chest area, to give the illusion of bigger boobs…and for once I can actually see that it works! A personal favourite of mine is Benefit's "High Beam" coming in at a reasonable £18.50.

High Beam - £18.50, Benefit

So ladies, that beach bod is more than achievable and we don’t even have to work too hard for it! This year I am going to try and embrace what I was given and flaunt it with confidence, you should do the same…and love the skin you are in <3