Beauty is in Perception

Can I just say that I am loving my personal blog?  I just love to write and this makes me feel like I have my own column.  (Well, sort of.)  For some reason it makes me feel like Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, to be writing my own opinions.  But then I would need to ask a question.  Okay, so is beauty a perception?  (There. That's more like it.)  So, I started thinking about this topic the other day when I was at the mall with my friend picking up another pair of Express jeans.  (Ahh, where have you been all my life?!)  I, like everyone else hopefully, have put on a few holiday pounds and had been feeling bad about myself.  (Okay; not that bad.  I mean, it's not like I've made the gym a priority this month or bothered to resist tempting holiday goodies.  So it's totally my fault.)  Anyways, battling the bulge was making me grumpy.  Solution:  a Spanx and a great pair of jeans (thank you Express!) goes a long way to making you feel good about yourself.  Voila!  I went from feeling frumpy, to looking good!  With just a few adjustments to my wardrobe, I went from feeling blah to va-va-voom!  It's amazing how much beauty is tied to perception.  Ever feel skinnier or good after just one work-out even though you haven't lost any weight?  That's perception.  Also, it's common knowledge that society's view of beauty in women has changed.  Want proof?  Let's compare Marilyn Monroe (who was a size 12 or 16 depending on who's telling the story) to today's rail-thin models and you'll see how the perception of beauty has changed throughout the years. 

Btw, here's a link to a great article on the subject.  http://the-lovely-marilyn-monroe.popsugar.com/What-Marilyns-REAL-size-Models-today-VS-Marilyn-Monroe-144140

Also, the subject came up at Christmas when I was talking to my sister-in-law about Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and how the Chinese women in the book used to bind their feet.  You see, back in the day, it was considered beautiful for these women to have tiny feet.  If you ever want to feel sick, google pictures of the foot binding.  It's horrific!  So we were discussing how awful and disgusting it was that these women did this, when I mentioned, "Says the society that believes in plastic surgery."   If you stop to think about what's beautiful today and what body dismorphia we go through, you might not feel so bad about what the Chinese women did to their feet.  It's crazy!

So with that, I'm embracing my curves (but I will try to get healthier).  I do believe in good nutrition and good old-fashioned muscle tone.  I'm so not into jiggle....  Learning to love our bodies is a journey all women must go through.  I've learned to love mine.  What about you?

Plane Rides

Okay, so I recently did quite a bit of flying and I've got something to say.  People, check your bags!!  I can't even tell you how annoying it is that people bring these fatty bags that (excuse me) should not be considered a carry-on.  Then, I watch as they hold up the line as they try to stuff these suitcases in the overhead bins.  And, big surprise, it doesn't fit.  Then, they will spend the next 5-10 minutes trying to rearrange their bag or move bins because there isn't a spot for it, because everyone else brought all their crap too. This is the reason that it takes so long for people to get on and off planes!! It's not that hard to check baggage.  Do us all a favor.  Or move out of the aisle so the people (ahem) that brought a REAL carry-on (a purse) can get by.