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?

Morphing Audrey-Some Fun

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey/Wynona Ryder

And above is Audrey/Keira Knightley.

Who do YOU think looks better?

Personally I think Keira.

Hating Britney Inc

Hating Britney Spears is becoming quite an industry and a descipable one at that!

It is obvious that this young woman is out of control. To be honest I think the poor girl is in danger of losing her mind completely. Is that laugh worthy? Is it a joke to laugh at a woman who has sunk so low?

This is a young woman who has lived her entire life in the glare of the media, where were her parents then and where are they now?

Britney and her entourage made the mistake that by titillating her audience this would then lead to a viable career. They were wrong. How can anyone respect a young girl if she has no respect for herself? Titillation is no substitute for substance.

To continually demean this lost young woman is a disgrace. What headline is going to tip her over the edge? Or doesnt the media care so long as it sells?

I hope that Britney's parents will step up to the plate, take control of their daughters life and remove her from the glare of the media as she tries to revaluate her life and where it all went wrong.

My fear is that this young woman wont live to see 2009 if something is not done.

I cannot speak for YOU, but I for one am not joining the 'lets hate Britney brigade.' Instead I pray that she will receive the help she so desperately needs.

Women & Fashion Through The Ages

Why is it that women through the generations have allowed society to dictate what we should wear and how we should look?

We often think that only now through the avenue of magazines and TV's are we being dictated too by various editors in a war to make women feel less than who they are.

Yet when we look back at history women have always allowed others to impose their view on how they should look.

Centuries ago women turned their hair almost into an ornament as they wore wigs or twisted their own hair into huge monuments. This craze probably began with Marie Antoinette, but I wonder what health problems accompanied such a look? Surely by carrying such a weight on their heads it would have impacted on their fragile necks? Yet women preferred to neglect their health for vanity.

In the days of the crinoline and no matter what the weather women would strap themselves into these large voluminous dresses with hoops. Can you imagine wearing such clothes in searing heat?

In the Victorian and Edwardian Era's women allowed their waists to be so cinched in that it was a wonder how they could breathe, let alone eat. Which leaves me to wonder if they had digestive problems later in life?

Why hundreds of years later are we still allowing ourselves to be dictated too? Who are these arbiters of fashion who give out the message that if you are not a size 2 then you are not deemed worthy to exist.

No wonder young girls are growing up confused about how they should look. It is time that Mothers help their daughters find a look that suits them and not follow these fashion nazi's who totally demoralize your children.

Let's not follow history. Instead lets learn from it and dress to suit ourselves and not an industry which relies on making women feel awful about themselves.

What do YOU think?

Women - YOU Are Beautiful And Precious

“I need a new wardrobe.” “I wish I had her body.” “I guess I’ll never look good enough.”

Ever had a thought like that? We may not be in the habit of saying these shallow things out loud, but all of us have thought them. We find ourselves filled with anxiety over our appearance—to the extent that we quickly slip into compare-and-criticize mode. It’s a common feeling among women, and it is obviously contrary to what the Bible says.

Our beauty should come from within us, not outside us. The Bible tells us that beauty is found in having a gentle and quiet spirit. Loveliness grows out of living a life centered on God and the contentment found in his love. Outward beauty will fade. But a gentle and quiet spirit is unfading beauty. True beauty really does come from within.

We women have such beautiful potential in Christ—He has created us to bless the world in ways that men cannot. But sometimes we reject this potential without even realizing it, by simply choosing to focus on the temporary, fleeting, and false sense of beauty.

How do we develop a gentle and quiet spirit? Sometimes it’s in the little things—looking in the mirror less often, for instance. When I am tempted to stare at myself and criticize, I choose to stop and thank God for blessing me with a working body—a body that can be used to further God’s kingdom. It may be posting verses about true beauty in your bathroom.

Most importantly, it’s finding time to just sit and rest with God. Set aside the world’s and your own expectations and allow him to work in your life.

Let him develop in you the “unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.”

How Many More?!?!

I don’t know if anyone remembers when this happened or even knew about it. These two sisters, both models, Luisel and Eliana Ramos died within six months of each other. Both deaths were as a result of malnutrition.

Luisel,22, suffered a fatal heart attack during a catwalk show in August 2006, having reportedly eaten nothing but lettuce leaves for three months. Eliana,18, was found dead in her bedroom in February 2007, also had a heart attack and her death was linked to her having an eating disorder, anorexia.

Another model from Brazil, Ana Carolina Reston, 21, died as a result of anorexia and lived on apples and tomatoes prior to her death. Ana weighed 84 lbs (6 stone). She died on the eve of a Giorgio Armani photo shoot.

The agency that represented the Ramos sisters said that ‘clearly the death of the sisters had to be genetic and not their diet.’ They found it absurd that people could possibly think that the girls had eating disorders.

The models' deaths sparked an international debate about the ethics of using models who have "size zero" measurements — a 31.5in bust, a 23in waist and 34in hips. The average waist size of a British eight-year-old is 22in.

Madrid's fashion week (2007) did ban some models from the catwalk for being "excessively skinny". The British Fashion Council, the organiser of London Fashion Week, refused to ban size zero models but wrote to designers asking them only to use “healthy-looking girls.”

There is clearly the need for further decisive action and these deaths showed the grave seriousness of the issue. It was yet another WAKE UP call to the fashion industry. But how many wake-up calls does it need to have before it recognizes the seriousness of the situation it faces? How many more models, girls and women have to die before something is done with regards to the social responsibility of the fashion industry where girls, women and men are pressured to literally waste away to be the ‘perfect size’?

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?

Deception, Manipulation and Women

It’s heartbreaking to see young women convinced there’s something repulsive about their own bodies

In our society, adult female bodies are treated like mistakes that continually need correcting. It’s too small, it’s too hairy, it’s the wrong shape, it’s the wrong colour. We’re seen to be badly designed somehow, needing extra stuff to make them okay. Being unhappy about your body is often presented as one of the essential personality traits of women, IF we believe what society tells us!!! We just instinctively hate our bodies, and, we are brought up to believe that’s normal.

Take Bridget Jones and her ilk. Women who are obsessed with how they look, the size of their butt, and convinced they are the wrong shape are an absolute staple of women’s fiction, and Bridget is hailed as representing ‘everywoman’. Of course Bridget is humorous, and exaggerates the obsessiveness to comic effect; but the fact is there is so much truth to it.

It’s almost seen as an essential part of the female experience. If I was to say, if asked, that I’m completely happy with my body and wouldn’t want to change it, I’d be viewed as arrogant. Who does she think she is? What’s the question female celebrities are usually asked in interviews? ‘If you could change any part of your body, what would it be?’ If you think there’s something wrong with your body, change it. If your lips aren’t the right shape, fake it. If your hair is the wrong colour, dye it. If your skin isn’t matte enough or glossy enough or good enough, change it. If your eyelashes are too thin, change it. If your body isn’t good enough, get something done.

Girls who’ve been brought up on the idea that our bodies can be altered at a whim by make-up and everything else, think of cosmetic surgery as the next logical step. I’m not saying that if you wear lipstick you will eventually have a boob job. Of course not!

I’m aware I may sound really radical here, on the one hand I refute the concept that there is an unchangeable standard of beauty and it’s only natural and right that women should try to attain it. But on the other, I’m not suggesting there is anything wrong with having a fashionable hair cut, being interested in trendy clothes, or being bright and colourful. And I can’t deny the fact that makeovers are just - well - fun! Nevertheless, I think that women are seen, far more than men, as changeable creatures.

Nothing demonstrates more clearly that women are seen as changeable creatures than the makeover. The traditional before and after shots; the gasps when the ‘new’ woman is brought out ‘you look amamzing!’, the fact of how completely different they look surely says something about how femininity is a construction. Ever noticed that men who have makeovers don’t look as different as the women tend to do? Does this mean that women are essentially, inherently, blank canvases to be filled in and altered by fashion stylists, make-up artists - or plastic surgeons? I’d like to think not!

There are many, many examples of the makeover factor, and of women being encouraged to change themselves to fit in with what other people think they should be. The coolest character gets made over and is instantly more acceptable and attractive.

At the end of the film The Breakfast Club, the coolest female character who dresses in black, sulks and peers out from under her duffle coat through thick black eyeliner, gets made over and is instantly more attractive and acceptable to the other characters. She’s forced into white, preppy clothes - and gets to wear make-up, which instantly makes her look far better, of course, and allows her to get the guy. In Grease, Sandy only gets to be popular when she rejects her uncool look and fakes it as a raunchy leather-clad wild-child. How many times have we seen that tired plot line?

Many times, in stories like Cinderella and My Fair Lady, updated for modern times by Miss Congeniality, in which Sandra Bullock plays an ‘unladylike’ FBI agent who gets to work undercover as a beauty queen. The trailers showed a male colleague shouting at her ‘Don’t worry - no-one thinks of ya that way.’ Presumably, when she emerges swaying in a tight pink dress, hair gleaming, they darn well do.

So, breast surgery is just a type of makeover for girls who want to ‘look normal’. Nevertheless, some women have claimed that getting a boob job is a feminist act. All the women who get breast enlargements will claim they are doing for themselves, not for anyone else, they’re doing it to empower themselves. Of course they are doing it for themselves. Who else would they be doing it for? But the fact is, they’re doing it so they’ll be happy with their own body, in a breast obsessed society. I find it hard to believe that if they lived in a remote society and had never heard of cosmetic surgery, they’d somehow have an inherent, deep-seated unhappiness with the size of their breasts and want to make them bigger!

What do I think is behind the plastic surgery, weight loss, and fashion industries? I think it is the underlying expectation that women hate their bodies, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. An expectation created to manipulate and use women for their greedy monetary gains and nothing else! Is it really any wonder!?!? The idea that women are changeable, able to make ourselves over in a few hours, or by a team of make-up artists and hair-stylists, or indeed, by a few days spent having plastic surgery, add that to a culture obsessed with a part of the female body - the breast at the moment, there you have it.

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.

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!

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.

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!

Nigella YouTube

For those who have not seen Nigella I thought I would share a snippet from one of her shows. I know you will all be drooling at what she is cooking.

I love the way Nigella makes NO apologies for enjoying her food. Why would she? Can anyone say that because she is not a perfect size 6 or 8 or 10 that this woman is ugly? Of course not! Then don't think it about yourself.

Food Glorious Food

The enjoyment of food is one of the joy's of life. Let us not fool ourselves we all enjoy delicious delights though there are many nutritionists who try and instill a fear of food in order that we will eat less. This has merit but it is not food that is making a whole generation overweight it is the portion sizes that we are eating.

We are eating more and exercising less in this age of technology as we become more and more sedentary in our everyday lives. It is this very inactivity that must change along with how much food we are consuming in a day.

Some magazines suggest we eat six or eight small meals a day, while other magazines say we should eat three well balanced meals a day. This can be confusing for who is right? Do we begin eating six meals or three meals?

What is needed is a sense of balance mixed with common sense. To deprive ourselves and our families of delicious foods is wrong. There is nothing wrong with eating desserts so long as it is done sensibly. We do this by remembering that we are filling our stomachs and not our entire body content, so make sure that the portion size reflects this.

One of the ways to achieve this is to place our food on plates or bowls that are smaller, rather than grab the biggest plate and load it up. As an example when it comes to dessert, one dollop of cream or one scoop of ice-cream over fruit or puddings will not lead you to become excessively obese. It is overeating that leads to obesity not simple eating.

Because nearly everybody loves their food especially the most deliciously wicked delights. Do not deprive yourself of them but to remember that what you eat will have to be worked off.

Exercise need not be a joyless endeavor, it can be fun. Who made the rules when it comes to exercise? If you are a mother of young girls then when you finish your evening meal go outside in your yard and play with them. Remember the hoola hoop, hop scotch or a skipping rope? Age should be no barrier to good old fashioned fun. For a half hour or so jump around with real exuberance and have a laugh. Then of course there's such things as baseball or basketball and if you have a trampoline even better.

Personally I loathe the usual 'work out mentally'. I hate gyms, especially uni-sex gyms. There are just some positions one has to take while excercising that men should not see! What I found that works for me is to dance. I simply made up my own CD with 2 fast songs and then one slow one. I dance in the privacy of my room, it is great fun. Let's face it we wont persevere doing something we loathe so choose an excercise regime that works for you.

In this way we end up having the best of both worlds. We are enjoying our food without feelings of guilt as well as gaining the exercise our bodies need to work off those delectable treats.

In all things moderation is the keyword, enjoy all food in moderation. This way you and your family will be living life to the full while enjoying the fruits of your labor which can be found in food and good old fashioned family fun.

Embrace life. Eat well and most importantly keep a spirit of fun and exuberance.

Copyright © 2007 MarieJoy Coburn. All rights reserved.

Loving Our Curves - No Problem Here

When we look back at classic art, paintings and sculptures, what kind of women do we see? Women who are not a size zero! The only skinny ones are the dead skeletons. Up to some years ago, we were plump and happy. What are we today? Miserable, starving, depressed and unhappy.

I believe it was when Twiggy, this British model that looked like a twig, hence her nickname, became a total success during the 60's, women and men went crazy, embracing this body type and making it our ‘new model’. Her body shape became the norm.

Because of Twiggy and the new model body shape, everyone started dieting. The craze had begun. The food and the pharmaceutical industries, physicians, nutritionists, researchers, Hollywood and everyone jumped on the bandwagon. The billion dollar dieting industry was born.

A cult of thinness envelops us and is evidenced by the growing number of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia. We have suffered this self and social imposition to be skinny and shapeless for over 35 years! For over 35 years we have starved, overate, bounced back and forth, become yo-yos, suffered low self- esteem, developed eating disorders, become bulimic and anorexic, lost the pleasure of eating, developed self-hatred, searched for an identity based on our poor self-image, become addicted to exercise, gone through more plastic surgery than we care to admit, and so on and so forth.

On our quest for the perfect skinny body, we have lost hope. According to the ‘norm’, we are all at least 20 lbs overweight! But in reality we are just showing a naturally shaped body. This game we have been played lately takes no winner, we are all losers and very much unhappy. It is now time to stop.

It’s time we women wake up and realize that a body made of sticks is the illusion of few and that false reality has got give way to the real reality: women have curves! Think about the freedom you will have when you realize that it is all right to carry your body in a rounder way. This is the shape we have.

Let's stop this nonsense and accept ourselves as we truly are: more like Marilyn and Sophia much less like Twiggy. Sure, let's exercise and eat balanced and nutritious meals then, let's look in the mirror and admire our curves. They are our blueprint. They are part of us. Only then, we will be in peace with ourselves and find true happiness.

Weight Wars

At times women are their own worst enemies in that we have placed our trust in another person's opinion of us. By doing this we are setting ourselves up as people pleasers. We will do anything to be loved except the obvious we have no love for ourselves. How did we get here?

The media began a propoganda campaign many years ago and we all bought into it. They served up a dish called self loathing and we asked for seconds. Large women are not allowed to enjoy life, no! We must hang our heads in shame, we live our lives in apology for our size. How dare we be big and an even worse sin how dare we be happy about our plus size.

Where did the idea that large women were to be despised and denigrated spring from? Once again the media via magazines, TV and cartoons, you know the 'fat woman jokes'? Guess what they are not funny! Would we make fun of the disabled? Or a person from another religion or race? Society doesn't tolerate that kind of 'humour' it's now called 'hate crimes'. Yet when it comes to plus size women all bets are off and society applauds this acceptable prejudice.

How do we stop this prejudice it stops with YOU! Women who happen to be a plus size need to re-learn to love who they are where they are. Do not deprive yourself of happiness, do not fall into the 'I'll only be happy when I'm a size 6' mind set. If you are not happy now you wont be happy at size 6 either. You will be skinny and miserable, you will become so self absorbed that happiness will be a memory.

Women need to re-learn that Big is beautiful. YOU are beautiful. Do not settle for less. YOU yes YOU are a worthwhile beautiful creation of God. You were born to love and be loved and that love begins with yourself.

The Five Stages Of A Woman