Princess Mette Marit-A Life Turned Around

There has been much discussion lately on girls gone wild. I think it's time to take a look at a young woman who managed to turn her life around for the better.

Mette Marit Tjessem Hoiby though well educated by her parents and a great lover of sports lived a relatively normal life, despite the divorce of her parents.

It was in her youth that Mette like many young girls her age experimented with drugs and openly lived with her boyfriends one of whom would be convicted on drug charges.

Mette also became pregnant outside of marriage and unlike many others this young woman kept her child. During her tumultuous youth Mette did behave as a wild child attending rave parties where drugs were easily available.

What makes Mette Marit different is that she turned her life around, when she found a man she could truly love and who loved her.

Mette Marit truly did meet her Prince, quite literally in Prince Haakon of Norway. These two people fell deeply inlove with one another, and it is to Prince Haakon's credit that he didnt abandon Mette once the press discovered her wild past.

In an interview Mette Marit apologised to the people of Norway about her rebelious youth and asked for their understanding and forgiveness. The people of Norway did open their hearts to this young woman and her young son.

Prince Haakon and Mette Marit were married in 2001 at the Oslo Cathedral. Proving that love can conquer all.

Noone should condemn another because of the mistakes of youth and I am so glad that here is a woman who turned her life around and is now a respected member of the Norwegian Royal family.

This proves that no matter what you do, you can choose to do better and live a life of dignity and grace.

Crown Princess Mette Marit turned her life around, I hope others will follow her lead. The mistakes of youth does not mean you have to make it a lifestyle.

Written by Marie

Classy Chic or Trashy Chic?

Why is it a few decades ago women aspired for a longing to be seen as feminine and classy?

Women tried to emulate the very chic Jackie Kennedy, the beautiful and elegant Grace Kelly or the lighthearted Doris Day. While younger girls wanted to look like Sandra Dee or Gidget(Sally Field).

Fast foward several decades and both women and young girls long to look like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Anna Nicole Smith or Angelina Jolie.

When did looking trashy become fashionable?

Magazines will tell you they are catering to a certain taste. What taste? How to look indecent and exposed? Do young girls really want everything on show?

The bad girl look is a front. One of the tell tale signs of low self esteem is when a young woman will do anything for attention including going around half naked. This look screams 'look at me, look at me,' but what happens when these displays become so blase that the media no longer follows them? Many turn to drink and drugs.

What is wrong with being feminine and classy and to conceal rather than reveal?

I think as women and especially those who are mothers need to be more discriminating towards the magazines we are buying and to purchase those magazines which give's a woman her dignity.

What do YOU think?

How Tyra Got It Wrong

The other day I accidently stumbled across The Tyra Banks Show the topic was 'So What!'

Now I am all for plus size women, actually all sized women to like who they are but I disagree with how Tyra went about getting that message across.

A group of women decided to flaunt their curves by wearing hipsters and boob tube tops which allowed their stomachs to be on view. They carried around a sign which said, 'So What.'

Showing off your stomach is simply not classy. I dont care if a woman is a size zero the bare midriff is a look that is simply in bad taste.

I believe it is more classy to conceal the parts of our anatomy that makes one self conscious there is nothing wrong in that. As women, whether plus size or petite sized we need to feel comfortable as well as looking good in our clothes.

The women who were wearing the awful hipsters and boob tubes did not look good. Flaunting our bodies is not self empowerment, dressing modestly means a woman respects her body and likes who she is.

The bared belly look is simply trashy and demeans women.

Tyra got it wrong. What do YOU think?

Think About It

Your body lets you do so many things, from breathing to getting your 'groove on' on the dance floor. Think about your body in terms of what it enables you to do, rather than what you wish it were like. Today take some time to embrace yourself, take some time to nurture it and accept it, to love it. Lavish some attention on it!!

Modest Swim Wear-Fashion Show

Just to show that you dont have to look like a Quaker to wear a swim suit. Its now summer in Australia so I hope this helps when you choose your next bathing suit?

We all like to look fashionable and with these swim suits you do. There doesnt have to be cleavage in order to look great in bathers. What do YOU think?

Kids also can look modest as well as fitting in with their friends.

I think these swim suits look great, whatever size you are. What do YOU think?

Dress Sexy At Any Size-Tyra Banks

This is not a long video, but one can see the emotional pain felt by women who are plus size. It has a postive message. You Go Girls!

Miss World Contestant Told To Fatten Up!

Miss World pageant organizers have asked Miss England, Georgia Horsley, to fatten up. Pageant organizers want "their girls to be more voluptuous and womanly and curvy, you know, rather than the stick-thin, size-0 models that you see around."

Bravo to them!!! Maybe I will watch the pageant, hmm... Click here to read the full story.

The Truth About Size Zero-MUST SEE!

Last week I watched a documentary called 'The Truth About Size Zero', it is a confronting Expos'e of what a woman goes through in order to reach the perfect size 0.

What shocked me is this young woman was told that in order to 'make it' in the U.S.A she would have to go down two dress sizes. Louise Redknapp is a perfect size 8, but that is unacceptable to certain media elements.

What Louise goes through will shock you and if it doesnt it should. This young woman begins her 'diet nightmare' as an experiment and as she slowly loses weight one can see the affect it is having on all aspects of her life, including her own health.

Through it her family life suffers in that hunger makes Louise not only irritable, she becomes ill. Her own health comes under the microscope through her local Doctor who monitors her progress. He warns her to stop, but Louise is determined.

As her quest progresses her inability to concentrate becomes evident as does her speech which slows down. Her thoughts are totally consumed with food, to the point of obsession.

Finally, she is able to fit into a size 0, but she looks gaunt, she has aquired what I call the 'concentration camp look'. There is no beauty in looking like skeleton, None!

This is a lengthy YouTube programe but I encourage all mothers of young girls to have patience and watch it.

It is now becoming the responsibility of mothers to warn their daughters that the photo's they see of 'perfect models' are air brushed. There is NO such thing as a perfect body, even models have cellulite and little bumps, but the media wont show that.

In order to stop the media war against women it is incumbent upon mothers to teach their young girls that the media lies. Every photograph of the perfect model figure is a LIE.

Once again please have patience and click each link and see for yourselves Louise Redknapp's descent into diet hell. Just click the LINKS below.

The Truth About Size ZERO PART ONE

The Truth About Size ZERO PART FOUR

The Truth About Size ZERO PART FIVE

Remember in Part One she is already considered too large. It is confronting. It is challenging. It is Must See Viewing.

Do let me know what you all think of this effort to be a size ZERO?

Plus Size Fashion

Here is another plus size fashion show for the woman with curves. You don't have to be a size 4 or 6 to look both elegant and sexy. These pics prove it. Would YOU wear these clothes?

Can anyone say that these plus size ladies look awful? Do YOU think that?

Being a plus sized woman doesn't exclude you from looking your best. These plus size models look great, so can YOU. What do YOU think?

What This Blog IS About

This blog is about helping women to be true to themselves. To like themselves as they are, where they are. But that does not mean they have to stay as they are. It's about liking yourself.

We all have lumps and bumps, but guess what? That is normal. What is abnormal is to loathe your body because of the natural curvy shape which is womanly.

Our blog is about making healthy choices. If you want to lose weight then change your lifestyle do NOT diet, they do NOT work.

In order to change your lifestyle you have to decide what suits you best. It is essential that you eat more healthily, while not depriving yourself of the foods you love. Simply eat less of them.

It also means choosing an exercise regime that works for you. It is no good deciding to 'work out' if you hate excercise, you wont stick to it. Remember you have to do this for the rest of your life.

The biggest mistake made is when women go on diets, do the excercise and once they have achieved their 'ideal weight' they then then stop the diet and stop the excercise. This is a recipe for disaster. You will simply regain all the weight you have lost if not more.

That is why making a lifestyle change is crucial, dont go for the quick 'fix it' ideaology.

Begin by liking who you are. If you despise your body then you will continue to despise your body even after you have lost the weight. You will always perceive yourself as 'fat', even though your figure is perfectly normal.

Our message is simple. Like who you are. Embrace life, Live it, Love it. BE YOU, beautiful, vibrant and unique.

In the above picture. Do YOU think these women are too ugly and too fat to be happy?

Jennifer Hudson-Victory Over Prejudice

When Jennifer Hudson was voted out of 'American Idol' there were screams of racial prejudice, I take a different view.

I dont think colour has anything to do with it, my own personal opinion is that Miss Hudson was voted out because of her weight.

Jennifer Hudson has talent, but she broke an unwritten rule, women who have curves must be apologetic. Miss Hudson was not apologetic if anything this was a woman with attitude, the right attitude.

The one thing that a fuller figured woman is supposed to do is to 'cower' to others. Jennifer Hudson didn't cower before the likes of Simon Cowell who made his disdain obvious. This Diva with attitude instead took him on and proved that Simon Cowell and others were wrong about her.

Unfortunately or fortunately this young woman was not judged on her talent alone but on her looks, her weight to be precise but Jennifer had the talent and the courage to step out and believe in herself.

If she had been a size 4, 6, 8 etc she may have missed out on the role in 'Dreamgirls' instead this woman walked away with the Oscar for best supporting actress.

Jennifer Hudson is a woman to be admired in that she didnt hang her head in shame but instead defied her critics by remaining true to herself.

What is YOUR opinion of Jennifer Hudson?

Against Size 0's-YouTube-Be YOU!

Just be YOU. Feminine, curvy, confident, fantastic and fabulous. That is YOU.

Skinny Issues

Why do we think that only plus size women have body issues? Naturually thin women also have body image problems but because they are not carrying extra pounds around different parts of their anatomy we take little note of their own body loathing.

Nicole Kidman while growing up hated her body. Because she was so thin, tall and gangly many boys made fun of her flat chest and her boyish figure. Nicole longed for a more voluptuous body she especially hated the fact that her bust size was almost non existant.

When we look at Nicole it is hard for plus size women to imagine that she would have a problem and yet Nicole did.

Another woman who had body image problems was the lovely Jackie Kennedy. Yet we look at her and see a beautiful woman of extraordinary grace. But the truth is Jackie disliked many parts of her body, she felt her shoulders were too wide and hated the fact that she was also flat chested. It also hurt her deeply that her husband the late President Kennedy seemed to find well endowed women attractive. The late Jackie Kennedy was a woman full of insecurities about her body image she also longed for a more voluptuous figure.

Once again in Princess Diana we see another woman who hated her figure. Diana didnt like the fact that she seemed to have no waist. For a woman of 5 ft 10" her body was actually in proportion but to Diana's eyes, she didnt have that cinched in waist that she longed for. Over the years the late Princess learned how to dress to hide what she felt was the worst part about her figure.

Why do we assume that because a woman is thin, she has no image problems?

Let us hope oneday that all women, plus size and petite sized women can get past the media madness and accept themselves as they are, beautiful, vibrant, giving and talented.

Weight And Discrimination

Seasons come and go, but unfortunately certain things are harder to change. Fashions evolve and trends race on, but an underlying aesthetic of body image, beauty and size continues to prevail. We have grown so accustomed to associating a woman's beauty with the slenderness of her waistline and the length of her thin legs that we hardly even realize... We have fallen victim to a terrible form of discrimination: SIZISM.

For at least the past four decades a culmination of factors and events have whetted our visual taste buds towards a decisively thin beauty aesthetic. Society has drilled into our heads for decades we need to be thin, thin, thin! Do you remember seeing many itty bitty pioneer women? And the nudes in the paintings and sculptures years ago? No way!

Through the 70's, silhouettes began loosing their curvy lusciousness and were literally stripped down to a bare minimum of skin and bones. The 'objects of desire' being portrayed in the images ceased to be the clothes or accessories but became the models themselves. Since then, it is needless to describe the media's role in infiltrating, shaping and molding our visual aesthetic. Our poor little eyes are now constantly being bombarded with image upon image of stick-thin, airbrushed glossy super-models. Our eyes are constantly being fed the same generic image of beauty and glamour over and over again and we have normalized it and accepted it as natural.

Technological developments have certainly aided this trend, images of supermodels are airbrushed to perfection, as well as aiding supermodels themselves to botox away any signs of ageing. Liposuction, plastic surgery, elaborate dieting, severe eating disorders and body dysmorphia have all been the nasty by-products of society's unquenched desire to conform to a certain SIZIST image of the beautiful.

It is quite obvious that the fashion industry and the media that surrounds it have participated hugely in cultivating our existing aesthetic stereotypes. But perhaps we must stop and question whether we as consumers are not at least partly to blame.

Have we been so blinded by the glitz and glamour surrounding the essence of super-model chic, that we have forgotten the importance of embracing beauty diversity? Have we ourselves become stubbornly addicted to accepting a limited and sizist aesthetic? Are we so insecure with our own looks and appearances that we seek guidance and approval from images on catwalks and pages of magazines? And above all, is it not perhaps time to challenge the aesthetic which prevails, in the sake of health and well-being?

Next time you look in the mirror, embrace what you see. Be glad for every aspect of your feminine physique. You are beautiful and worthy just the way you are.

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.

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?

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?

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?

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?