Soft And Round - Honouring Our Bellies

How often have we gone to lunch with our girlfriends and one, if not all of them confess “I should not be eating. I feel so fat, my belly is so big.”

Everyone is dieting, trying to trim the tummy. Far too many of us think of our bellies as shameful. Our culture bid us to battle “the belly bulge” with weight loss pills, regiments, exercise gadgets, liposuction and tummy tucks. We’ve bankrolled multi-million dollar industries with the notion there’s something wrong with our bellies as they are. We’ve injured ourselves with eating and body image disorders. We’ve made ourselves miserable attempting to make our bellies invisible.

Tell me exactly what is so shameful about a woman’s nicely rounded belly? Advertising for girdles — a.k.a. “shapewear” — reads like an FBI directive for suppressing foreign insurgents. Using phrases like “achieve firm control” and “obtain total control,” the hangtags on these stomach-shrinking devices announce that they are in fact instruments of social restraint.

An ample belly was actually the fashion standard once but it seems as though since the dawn of the feminist movement, the most fashionable belly for a woman has become the one that you cannot see. Apparently, if women are allowed to wield some measure of political and economic power, they must deny the power inherent in their body’s center.

In fact the belly is a woman’s power center, both as a symbol and in physical fact. I suspect our culture labels a woman’s belly as shameful because it can’t stomach the fact that the belly is the pro-creative vessel. With the feminist agenda, the pro-choice movement, is it any wonder?

Looking beyond contemporary Western culture, we can see that cultures native to every continent have recognized the belly as the site of our “soul-power” or better put ‘procreative power’. They honor and respect the belly, they don’t look at it with disgust and shame, the belly is sacred not shameful. If we keep this in mind we would neither starve ourselves nor would we over eat.

Learning to revalue our bellies can essentially save our lives. Choosing to honor our bellies takes courage — yes, guts! Our culture bombards us with instructions to belittle our bellies and cut ourselves off from our belly. Many of us have internalized the culture’s devaluation of women, unwittingly working its violence upon ourselves. We’ve made our bellies the focus of our culturally imposed self-hate. But unless we grew up without the influence of family, school, friends, advertising, television, movies, books, newspapers, magazines, and toys how could we have learnt otherwise?

The good news is we don’t have to torture ourselves any longer. We can choose to support ourselves and each other in honoring our bellies. Instead of complaining to each other about the size of our stomachs, we can encourage each other to use our bellies in ways that create a life-affirming world. We can enter into a new conversation.

When we do so, we restore sanity and self-respect to our lives. So at that next lunch date with the girls, how about this: Jane listens respectfully as Gayle confesses, “I shouldn’t be eating. I feel so fat-my belly’s so big.” And she replies: “Yes, your belly is soft and round. If you found a precious jewel — something so precious it had the power to create life — wouldn’t you place it in a container that’s soft and round, to protect and nurture it?”

Think about it.

Real Women Have Curves

This is one of the few movies that has a positive message about women and their weight. Every woman who thinks about her weight should see this movie-it will make you a convert to the humane notion that all bodies are beautiful. And it will reveal a deeply humane culture at the same time.,

Patricia Cardoso's `Real Women Have Curves', is a Mexican melodrama. Naturally beautiful and full-bodied actress America Ferreira plays Ana, a Mexican American whose graduation and scholarship to Columbia University threaten the family's unity and the control by her mother, who tells stories of runaway girls with disastrous ends and the admonition, `That's what happens to girls who don't listen to their mothers.'.

Her very traditional, old-world parents feel that now is the time for Ana to help provide for the family, not the time for college. Torn between her mainstream ambitions and her cultural heritage she agrees to work with her mother at her sister's downtown LA sewing factory. Over the summer she learns to admire the hardworking team of women who teach her solidarity and teamwork. Still at odds with what her mother expects of her, Ana realizes that leaving home to continue her education is essential to finding her place proudly in the world as an American and Chicana.

Like teenagers in any culture, Ana is trying to break away from a domineering culture and mother while she also achieves a balanced acceptance of her zaftig body. The scene where she and the other seamstresses in her sister's sweat shop remove their outer clothes to escape the heat and eventually admire their bulging, stretch-marked bodies is about as loving and lyrical as any other I have seen where Hollywood's obsession with world-class beauty is obliterated by the sheer attractiveness of women celebrating the imperfections of their bodies.

Equally so, when Ana loses her virginity, she tells her lover, "Turn the lights on. I want you to see me. See, this is what I look like." He responds, "You're not fat. You're beautiful.' It's easy to see why this film won awards at Cannes for audience appreciation and ensemble acting. It is a hymn to a culture that values family and a girl who values herself.

This movie is so worth the viewing, saw it when it came out and watch it every time it's on, I love it and hope you enjoy it too!

Lose Weight the Right Way-Lifestyle Change

My dear friend Sharon over at her blog 'Violet Cottage' has finally 'got it'. Where most women are still struggling and even more dangerously they are still buying into the 'diet wars' Sharon has realised that diets do not work. Let me say that again, DIETS DO NOT WORK.

Stop dieting NOW!

Instead change your lifestyle. It is not about what you eat but how much you are eating. Remember you are feeding your stomach NOT your entire body content. It is also a good point to make that your body needs fuel in order to give you energy too many 'fats' will make you sluggish and tired, not enough good fats will do the same thing. What is required is balance.

Another good point that Sharon raised is excercise. Now like my dear friend I hate and LOATHE excercise. The only gym we have here in my home town is a Uni-sex one and I'm sorry but there are some excercise positions that men do NOT want to see.

In order to get moving it is absolutely essential that you choose an excercise regime that suits your lifestyle and that you know you can persevere with. The excercise regime I chose was to dance. Not as in ballroom dancing but to simply put in a CD and dance in the privacy of my room. I love it because I can let myself go, noone is watching or laughing at me. I play two fast songs and then put a slow song such as Enya in order to simply sway and stretch and also catch my breath. It works for me. I find it fun therefore it is not a chore.

Do what works for you. Yes the key to successful weight loss is just that. Stop loathing yourself because you will sabotage your efforts to follow the latest 'diet trends'. How many times have you started diets only to fall away and go on an eating bender within a week or so? Many of us. Remember diets dont work.

Be realistic and plan on losing your weight over a year. Dont think you can go from a size 22 to a size 10 in 2 months. You will defeat yourself before you even begin. Throw out your weight scales. Yes ladies, throw them out. Sometimes we dont lose pounds we lose inches but the scales wont tell you that and from that comes disappointment and then an eating binge.

Instead lose weight by clothing sizes, so if your a size 20 plan to go down two dress sizes to a size 16. Dont think in pounds or once again you will lose heart. When you embark on your lifestyle change choose an outfit that is a little too tight and every month try that outfit on and see if it gets looser. That works much better than jumping on the scales only to find out after ALL your efforts you have lost ZERO pounds in 2 weeks. How many of us have fallen off the bandwagon when the crashing dissappointment hits us. You have starved yourself for a month and you have lost nothing? Once again out comes the cookies and icecream.

In finishing I'd like to thank my good friend Sharon who inspired me to write this. You go girl!

Let me know your thoughts on fad diets and have they worked for you?

This Girl Is Plus Size? What The Heck?

If this girl is plus size then the modeling world is truly crazy. Lucy is normal. Did you HEAR that Anna Wintour?

This is a short video so please DO watch it and let me know is Lucy plus size or normal. What do YOU think?

Couple Of Funnies

Women 's Dictionary

Argument (ar*gyou*ment) n. A discussion that occurs when you're right, but he just hasn't realized it yet.

Airhead (er*hed) n. What a woman intentionally becomes when pulled over by a policeman.

Bar-be-que (bar*bi*q) n. You bought the groceries, washed the lettuce, chopped the tomatoes, diced the onions, marinated the meat and cleaned everything up, but, he, "made the dinner."

Cantaloupe (kant*e*lope) n. Gotta get married in a church.

Clothes dryer (kloze dri*yer) n. An appliance designed to eat socks.

Diet Soda (dy*it so*da) n. A drink you buy at a convenience store to go with a half pound bag of peanut M&Ms.

Eternity (e*ter*ni*tee) n. The last two minutes of a football game.

Exercise (ex*er*siz) v. To walk up and down a mall, occasionally resting to make a purchase.

Grocery List (grow*ser*ee list) n. What you spend half an hour writing, then forget to take with you to the store.

Hair Dresser (hare dres*er) n. Someone who is able to create a style you will never be able to duplicate again. See "Magician."

Hardware Store (hard*war stor) n. Similar to a black hole in space-if he goes in, he isn't coming out anytime soon.

Childbirth (child*brth) n. You get to go through 36 hours of contractions; he gets to hold your hand and say "focus,...breath...push..."

Lipstick (lip*stik) n. On your lips, coloring to enhance the beauty of your mouth. On his collar, coloring only a tramp would wear...!

Park (park) v./n. Before children, a verb meaning, "to go somewhere and kiss." After children, a noun meaning a place with a swing set and slide.

Patience (pa*shens) n. The most important ingredient for dating, marriage and children. See also "tranquilizers."

Waterproof Mascara (wah*tr*pruf mas*kar*ah) n. Comes off if you cry, shower, or swim, but will not come off if you try to remove it.

Valentine's Day (val*en*tinez dae) n. A day when you have dreams of a candlelight dinner, diamonds, and romance, but consider yourself lucky to get a card.

_________________________

Prove Him Wrong

A young lady came home from a date, rather sad. She told her mother, "Anthony proposed to me an hour ago."

"Then why are you so sad?" her mother asked.

"Because he also told me he is an atheist. Mom, he doesn't even believe there's a Hell."

Her mother replied, "Marry him anyway. Between the two of us, we'll show him how wrong he is."

_____________________________

The Language of Women

perhaps = no

I'm sorry = you will regret that

we need = I want

you decide = the right decision should be obvious

do it like you think = you'll pay for that!

we have to talk = I want to complain about something

do it if you like to = I don't want you to do it

you're so manly = you should shave

you're really nice to me today = you're thinking of sex, don't you?

switch off the light = I have cellulite

the kitchen is impractical = I want a new house / apartment

I want new curtains = and carpets, furniture and wallpaper

do you love me? = I want to ask for something expensive

how much do you love me? = I did something you won't like

you have to learn how to communicate = you just have to have my opinion

I'll Do Anything To Get Them - Teenage Girls and Plastic Surgery

We live in an image-obsessed, celebrity-driven culture.The enormous popularity of reality TV shows such as "Extreme Makeover," "The Swan" and MTV's "I Want a Famous Face," as well as an explosion of Web sites that extol the virtues of cosmetic medicine, has fueled the desire of adolescent girls to alter their bodies permanently, and they are finding more surgeons willing to oblige.

The rising number of teenage girls who are given the gift of knowing that their bodies aren't good enough, I’m referring to plastic surgery is disturbing. It’s really as if we are validating to our kids that something is wrong with their bodies and it’s natural to be unhappy about it. It’s as if getting bigger breasts or whatever procedure they undergo is going to make them more confident and get rid of their “hang-ups.” Some girls actually believe that they need big breasts to be successful in life and will name celebs like Pamela Anderson as proof to their claims. !?!? Who is feeding this to our girls?

These children certainly have body image issues but I believe the parents have even more issues to deal with! What parent in their right thinking mind would allow their fifteen year old daughter to have breast implants?!?! She is still developing and so what if she does not have big breasts? Are the size of her breasts the be all and end all of who and what she is and will become?

What I find so very disturbing is that parents are now giving their teens plastic surgery as sweet sixteen gifts, graduation gifts and as incentives to get good grades! Gone are the days of wanting to do well at school to move on in life, now doing good in school is seen as a means to get their parents to pay for them to have breast implants, nose jobs and liposuction!

Its kind of hard to convince your daughter otherwise when her mom, grandmother and aunts all have breast implants. Girls so want implants that they are taking loans to have these implants. Body image trumps safety. These girls and their parents don’t seem phased by the possible side effects, what some think are going to give them a lifetime of pleasure can turn into a lifetime of pain. Certain autoimmune disorders and neurological diseases can occur if the implants rupture.

These teens pushing for plastic surgery are not motivated by their health. They want to look like the women they see onscreen and in the magazines- or at least “look like everyone else.” We cannot deny that the media has a part to play in this but it’s also a physical comparison to others. Our society places very high premiums on “physical attractiveness” and rewards those who are thin, youthful and handsome. We also live in a culture that emphasizes competition and legitimizes “self-improvement” as a way to gain a competitive edge.

Do we realize that fashion is geared toward fueling and funding the weight loss industry and the cosmetic surgeons? Clothing is cut to make you feel that you either need to lose something to look good in it or enhance something for it to fit properly. All we see are flaws because that’s what they want us to see, we see flaws and we are willing to do just about anything to get rid of them.

So what can we do to save our girls? Are we going to give in and in essence validate that their bodies were made with flaws to be fixed and when fixed you are the “perfect woman”? What are your thoughts???

WHAT KIND OF DAY SHALL I HAVE?

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to

do before the day ends. I have responsibilities

to fulfill today. I am important.

My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or ...

I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or ...

I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my

purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or ...

I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents

didn't give me when I was growing up or ...

I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or ...

I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or ...

I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover

new relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or ...

I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

Today I can complain because I have to go to

school or ...I can eagerly open my mind and fill it

with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to

do housework or ...I can feel honored because Life

has provided shelter for my mind, body, and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped.

And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.

What today will be like is up to me.

Have a GREAT DAY ... unless you have other plans.

Real Women

Real women have curves, wrinkles, and flaws.
Each one earned with experience, perseverance and determination.
There's no computer to airbrush our mistakes.
We are just who we are.
Love every mark, every scar, every extra curve you wished to go away,
Accept what you can't learn to love,
Then let go of what you can't accept.
Treasure them for their memories
Like a worn love letter or ratty old quilt from generations of old.
Each wrinkle comes with the wisdom only years of life can give.
And life is not to be hidden or covered up.
For life is how a girl grows into a woman
And real women have curves, wrinkles and flaws.

Yesterday & Today Beauty Contest-Some Fun

Who do you choose Catherine Zeta Jones or Liz Taylor?

Which one Jennifer Connelly or Vivien leigh?

Grace Kelly or Charlize Theron?

Kate Hepburn or Cate Blanchett?

Ava Gardener Or Liv Tyler?

Fat Tax?-Fat Chance!

No! You haven't read the title wrong. A Doctor has made a suggestion that plus size people should pay more tax to cover any medical expenses. It is his august opinion that if a 'fat' person becomes ill then it is their own fault, therefore they get sick at their own expense. Why should 'normal' people have to pay for 'fat' people?

There is something deeply disturbing about this doctors idea's when it comes to medicare and who deserves more help. His whole philosophy is a 'nazification' of the Medicare programe. What is next? That oneday only blonde haired-blue eyed people will receive help, because the rest of us may not fit his ideal of the 'perfect person'? This is obscene and it is dangerous!

Let's face facts. We are responsible for what we eat, but that does not mean we deserve such blatant discrimination.

An entire industry has been built to cure Anorexia Nervosa/Bulimia. There are facilities which cater to those who have starved themselves almost to death. This is a self induced illness. Why, then are they not being penalized for denying themselves the food they need to eat in order to live productive lives? Is this not a double standard?

If food and weight are the problem then why does the Doctor not order a 'starvation tax'? Why? Because that would be cruel and inhumane. Or is it possible the good Doctor would prefer to look at an emaciated figure rather than a fuller figured person?

If we were to start down this Moral slippery sloap, then who amongst us is safe? Should we deny a woman a life saving operation to remove leaking breast implants? Or do we leave her to die if she cannot afford the operation? After all the lady made the choice to have her implants.

This is the conundrum which confronts us all when the decision to pick and choose who deserves medical assistance will be left to future 'Dr Mengele's'.

The emaciated figure on the left would receive help while the fuller figured lady would receive none. Go figure! What do YOU think?

Rick Stein-FoodieYouTube

Rick Stein is another of my favourite shows. I love most of his fish recipes but when it comes to raw oysters...BARF! Sorry Rick you're not going to win me over lol.

Hope you like the recipe below.

Laughter Time

A man staggers into an emergency room with 2 black eyes and a five iron wrapped tightly around his throat. Naturally the Doctor asks him what happened.

"Well it was like this" said the man. "I was playing a quiet round of golf with my wife when she sliced her golf ball into a pasture of cows. We went to look for it and while I was rooting around I noticed one of the cows has something white on its rear end. I went over and lifted its tail and sure enough, there was my wife's golf ball......stuck right in the middle of the cow's butt. That's when I made my mistake."

"What did you do?" asks the Doctor.

"Well, I turned to my wife and yelled, Hey, this looks like yours!"

*******************************************************

"I bet you don't know what day this is", said the wife to her husband as he made his way out the front door. The husband was perplexed, but was always a quick thinker: "Of course I do, my dear. How could I forget!?" With that, he turned and rushed to catch the bus for work.

At 10 AM, the doorbell rang and when the woman opened the door, she was handed a box containing a dozen long stemmed red roses.

At 1 PM, a foil wrapped, two pound box of her favorite chocolates arrived. Later, a boutique delivered a designer dress. The woman couldn't wait for her husband to come home.

The husband was smug when he returned from work, satisfied that he had recovered what could have been a very bad situation.

His wife was indeed surprised: "First the flowers, then the chocolates and then the dress!" she exclaimed, "I've never had a more wonderful Groundhog Day in my life!"

Hold On

Hold on to Faith,
it is the source of believing that all things are possible.
It is the fiber and strength of a confident soul.

Hold on to Hope,
it banishes doubt and enables attitudes
to be positive and cheerful.

Hold on to Trust,
it is at the core of fruitful relationships
that are secure and content.

Hold on to Love,
it is life’s greatest gift of all,
for it shares, cares, and gives meaning to life.

Hold on to Family and Friends,
they are the most important people in your life,
and they make the world a better place.
They are your roots and the beginnings
that you grew from,
they are the vine that has grown through time to nourish you,
help you on your way, and always remain close by.

Hold on to all that you are,
and all that you have learned,
for these things are what make you unique.

Don't ignore what you feel,
and what you believe is right and important
your heart has a way of speaking louder than your mind.

Hold on to your dreams,
achieve them diligently and honestly.
Never take the easy way or surrender to deceit.

Remember others on your way
and take time to care for their needs.

Enjoy the beauty around you.
Have the courage to see things differently and clearly.

Make the world a better place one day at a time,
and don't let go of the important things
that give meaning to your life.

Gal to Gal

I don’t know about anyone else but I rarely buy anything based on the advertisements for the product. I mean come on let’s look at perfume ads for both men and women, spray or pu a dab on and you either turn from the ‘ugly duckling’ to the swan or one you have it on you become this irresistible sexual object that everyone cant keep their hands off. Oh please! I much rather hear it from someone I know their thoughts and how the product worked or did not work, you know Gal to Gal.

So I’m sharing products that if you were to go into my bathroom you more than likely find, literally what is on my countertop or in my cupboard. I hope that everyone will participate and share their thoughts on the products if you know of them and have used them and share your favourite products.

I’m going to start with hair care products. I have long, thick, once very curly hair with highlights that has a mind of its own. I am always on the hunt for products that can tame my hair. I don’t like anything that weighs down my hair, and don’t like anything that has a fragrance that is very overpowering. So from my countertop to yours in no particular order:

TRESemme

I use a lot of TRESemme products, very affordable and I like that you they come in huge bottles, lasts me probably one month or less. Good quality, salon formula and the fragrance is not overpowering, which is important to me. I use everything they make, shampoos, conditioners, leave in conditioners, moose, anti frizz, hairspray etc etc. Their products I can recommend to anyone and there is a line for every hair type- coloured, dry, oily, etc etc

I absolutely LOVEEEEEE the new Vive Pro Nutri Gloss Shampoo and Conditioner by L'oreal. It is easily found at any drugstore and it is very inexpensive. It contains something they call cashmere....CASHMERE! I get to wash my hair in it !?!? That is just plain dreamy, and it does indeed work like a dream. I got this one for my long sometimes very dry hair and my hair is so loving me for it! My hair felt silky and soooo smooth. I’m really loving this product.

Breakthru by SoftSheen.Carson ( subsidiary of L’oreal)

This is a line for ‘ethnic’ hair but let me tell you if you have wild hair than needs taming try this line. Leaves hair manageable, detangled and not weighed down with any gunk as I put it.

I use the Megahertz line also by SoftSheen.Carson as my daily styling products. These products are amazing. They keep your hair in place without the gunky heavy build up that regular hair gels and pomades can leave. Barely realize that they are there but they really do what they say they do.

Revlon Crème of Nature Shampoo.

This is truly a miracle product, probably the best shampoo I have ever used. It alleviates the need for separate shampoo and conditioner - this shampoo really does it all as well as leaving a nice fragrance and tangle-free hair. Two thumbs up!!

I use Revlon Color Silk (light auburn) to highlight my hair. It’s the one that works best on my hair and does not dry it out.

And these are my must have hair accessories:

Ionic hair dryer

Soft bonnet dryer attachment, now this is a genius invention

Curling iron, flat iron (rarely use them cause my hair is so long and thick it would take me hours to do myself)

Hot rollers, regular rollers

Six long clips to pin up my hair

Revlon hair brush (only brush thus far that does not pull or tangle my hair) and one with the hundreds of fine bristles I use to brush my hair to make it shine

Fine teeth comb for smoothing down those miserable strays

Big teeth comb for detangling

Head bands and clips in every colour, shape and size

Silk scarf that I rarely remember to use, supposed to prevent your hair from drying over overnight or something like that??

So ladies what are your favourite hair products and tips and tricks?

You Are Special !

In all the world there is nobody like you.

Since the beginning of time, there has never been another person like you. Nobody has your smile. Nobody has your eyes, your nose, your hair, your hands, your voice.

Nobody can be found who has your handwriting.

Nobody anywhere has your tastes - for food or music or art.

No one sees things just as you do.

In all of time there has been no one who laughs like you, no one who cries like you. And what makes you laugh and cry will never provoke identical laughter and tears from anybody else, ever....

No one reacts to any situation just as you would react. You are special. You are the only one in all creation who has your set of abilities.

Oh, there will always be somebody who is better at one of the things you are good at, but no one in the universe can reach the quality of your combination of talents, ideas, abilities and feelings.

Like a room full of musical instruments, some may excel alone, but no one can match the symphony sound when all are played together.

You are special. You are rare.

And, in rarity, there is great value to us here on earth.

Because of your great rare value, you need not attempt to imitate others. You will accept - yes celebrate - your differences.

You are special. And you are beginning to realise it's no accident that you are special. You are beginning to see that God made you special for a very special purpose. He must have a job for you that no one else can do as well as you. Out of all the billions of applicants, only one is qualified, only one has the right combination of what it takes.

That one is you.

Because.....

You are special!

A Fat Rant-YouTube

I decided to reprise this video for those who have not seen it before. What Joy says is true. Being large does not lessen your rights to be treated with dignity. What does it matter what size you are? I encourage all to take time and watch this video. It is excellent! Do YOU think Joy is fat?

The Women Deemed Too 'FAT' To Act!

These are the women that the media has proclaimed too fat to act! One tabloid even suggested that Marilyn Monroe would be required to lose at least 28 pounds if not more! What lunacy! As for Jane Russell they said she wouldn't make it at all! What do YOU think?

As for Sophia Loren. This lovely actress would also have to lose weight. I chose this picture because it has not been 'touched up'. Ladies she has curves, it's not a crime! Back in Sophia's day curves were celebrated! Is Sophia too fat to act?

And now the lovely Kate Winslet is being pressured to lose her 'weight' . I have to ask what weight? Kate has the perfect hourglass figure. When did that become a crime? Do you think any of these ladies are FAT? If your answer is NO! Then why are we listening to the media when it comes to weight issues?

Self Esteem Begins with YOU!

"It's really essential that you love yourself because if you cant love yourself its really hard to accept love from other people."

This is a quote from one of the young women in the YouTube video. What she says is absolutely true, in fact what they all say is true. If you despise yourself and the way you look it will colour everything that you do and all whom you meet. Please watch it and realise that YOU are beautiful as you are.

Sarah & The Toxic Media-How it affects YOU!

Does Sarah look fat to YOU?

I remember watching on TV the emerging romance between Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew. I knew immediately that the poor girl simply wasn't suited to the Royal life. What I didnt expect to see was the viscious way the press treated her.

We think that we dont take any notice of the media and its assault on plus size women. The truth is many women DO take notice and slowly and insidiously the media infiltrates into our minds and the way we view our bodies.

Sarah, when giving her pre-wedding interview stated that she would not take any notice of the way the media were reporting on her dress size. With great bluster she continued on and said that the only opinion she would listen to was Andrew, and he loved her as she is. The sad part is that Andrew did love his voluptuous Sarah, but his Sarah despite her comments to the contrary began to read the headlines and then to believe them.

The media's assault on Sarah Ferguson amounted to mental cruelty, with such headlines as 'The Duchess of Pork' and on and on it went. Through their papers these reporters and editors were bent on destroying this young woman's dignity and self worth. They very nearly succeeded.

Just like Sarah we often think that we dont take notice of the media, but is it a case that in fact we do? Like poison gass we breathe in the fumes of these toxic magazines, papers and entertainment programs by reading and watching them and we, just like Sarah begin to doubt our self worth.

There was nothing wrong in Sarah's curvaceous figure and yet Sarah bit the bait that the toxic tabloids threw at her and believed that she was ugly, fat and unfit to live.

If a member of the Royal Family can be so affected by the media, we need to realise that we are also susceptible. By listening to the media's hatred of plus size women we begin to hate our perfectly normal body and its curves.

Do you hate YOUR curves? If so then the next question is where did you learn to hate your own body?

We are not born to hate our bodies, that is learnt behaviour. Who is YOUR teacher when it comes to your own self image?

Bills Food-YouTube

Bill Granger is an Australian chef who has his own show on television. I like how he makes quick and easy meals. On this YouTube there are two recipes. It is your choice if you wish to view both meals. I prefer the chicken and vegetable salad, very nice on a hot summer day.

*Warning turn down your volume*

Pure Fashion-Modelling Modesty

There is a wonderful new site called 'Pure Fashion' where young models promote dressing with modesty while at the same time appearing chic and classy.



As you can see the models look fantastic. While the clothes are hip, stylish and edgy without being vulgar.

Teenagers also need help in accepting that they are beautiful no matter their size. On this site the models represent all sizes whether they be slim or curvaceous, mainly because their objective is to promote self esteem and to show that no matter what size you are, you can look fantastic.

Can anyone say that these lovely girls look terrible because they may not be a size 6, 8 or God forbid a size 0?

Here are the Rules that the company made.

As Pure Fashion models, We believe:

That our private parts should remain private.

That undergarments should not become outer-garments.

That our bodies are holy and sacred and our clothing should not reveal what should be concealed.

That virtue is the most important must have for every season.

That we can be pretty without being provocative.

These are just some of their Golden Rules. Don't you just love it? Girls it is time to celebrate your curves in a classy and stylish manner. What do all you mothers and daughters out there think of this great site?