Body Positive

Most of my travel diaries involve being in Florida. I am always in the sunshine state. Not always by choice but I like to be with my family so it trumps everything, always. This past week I headed to Florida for a press trip and spent some much needed time with my parents in Southwest Florida. Although it is alot more quiet than South Florida aka Miami, there is still alot to do if you plan in advance. I honestly prefer the beaches of Fort Myers and Naples to Miami but Im sure many will fight me on that. Miami is great to party and Ft Myers is great to be a beach bum.

Since I have put on weight, I am pretty particular about the fit of my swimwear. Before I was ok purchasing any old suits from any old place but with some added junk in my trunk and some more muffins in my top, I look for quality now. Freya Lingerie sent over some bikinis for me to try and I can without a doubt say, Im hooked. I never would have probably purchased on my own because frankly I did not know about them. What sold me- bra sizes! No more S,M,L… I just purchase based on my actual bra size and I know it will fit well!

I choose my beaches based on my mood. Just like I choose my clothing based on my mood. When I want to be more lively, I head over to Fort Myers Beach and when I just want to have peace and tranquility, you can find me at the Cape Coral Yacht Club.

As you may notice in alot of these pictures, I am hiding or stretching out my stomach. I have always had bodacious thighs but I am suffering from insecurities about my belly. The fact that I even have one is a tough pill for me to swallow. The softness and the way it protrudes lol. I preach being body positive and I believe in it. I also know that I am human and will not always like the state of affairs that is my body. I embrace my flaws and not just the aesthetic ones. Some flaws are internal and reside in our heads.

I share my pictures with the least amount of retouching possible. I never want to be one of the bloggers that get paid to be a part of a no photoshop campaign or something about being body positive and yet are altering their pictures. We all alter in a way but I show my lumps, bumps, bulges and stretch marks. Because I am a woman and that is what most women have. I cannot sell you an ideal that I not even am. I would much rather alter my body in the gym rather than with Photoshop.

The other day I had a conversation with a big name blogger on the West Coast. We are talking 70k plus followers and a whopping 20k pageviews a day! And she said the bigger you get in this industry the more pressure to lose weight and look a certain way. I reached out to her because I had a been a fan for so long but as she grew in popularity, her images and clothing became dull. I sent her an email and she responded asking if we could chat. I was truly shocked!!! We had a great conversation but it certainly reinforced that I refuse to lose myself in order to become the next Blogging Sensation! Granted, I never will be- but even if there was a chance, I will NOT lose my soul in the process.

So I truly urge everyone to take a step back and think about your motivations. When you put clothes on for your outfit posts, is it because you absolutely ADORE the outfit or because you think it will “do well” on social media? Would you wear it out with your friends or at work or are you thinking this is what your readers are dying to see? Do you attend events solely to be “seen” or because you care about the cause and are just living life?

Let us all try and be a little more conscious about our choices. Stop sometimes and ask yourself- Am I losing myself to this social media world or am I adding value to it and myself?