VERY sexy and very curve positive. Enjoy!

Over and out,

cg

As much as I am interested in women’s fashion, makeup and hair, I wonder if they’ll be making over any men?  They used to do it (in fact, they even showed a man or two in their intro). I hope they do – it’s nice when they can mix it up a bit.

I also really enjoy when they look back at the people they’ve already made over to see where they are now and whether or not they’ve kept up with their new looks.

If you love the show like I do, tune in on Friday, January 8th!

Over and out,

cg

You see, I have enough trouble applying mascara in the quiet and calm of my own bathroom or bedroom mirror. Many a time have I have experienced an ill-timed blink resulting in a Tammy Faye-esque smudge. Or worse, misjudged distance and nervously poked myself in the eye. So, could I manage to apply it on a moving train? Highly unlikely.

I will admit to applying a little gloss while on a train or bus but that’s it! And notice I said lip gloss, not lipstick. I think that if I tried any other form of makeup while in a moving vehicle, I would look like this poor woman in the movie Airplane!

No, I think I will stick to applying makeup in the safety of my own home where cotton swabs are readily available. I also think that I shall never aspire to be a surgeon. Count yourselves lucky!

Over and out, 

cg

They say old habits die hard but there’s no real saying for new habits, so I am going to create one myself: New habits are slow to grow!

Although I did a lot more walking this week than I did last week (as was my goal), I kept forgetting to take my pedometer with me OR I would forget to wear it until midday. So in the end I only really got one semi-accurate reading: 9027 steps - Not bad for a first try!

On one of my NON-pedometer walks, I also (true to my last post) decided to take my camera, here are a few shots taken in Warden Woods park near my house:

Walking is also a good way to relieve stress. And for me personally, my stress levels are often directly linked to eating habits and therefore, weight gain. In fact, with just a quick Internet search, I found that this is a pretty common phenomenon. I recently read an article from Canadian Living called Is stress blocking your weight loss? – Secretly, I think they wrote it about me! (….what – too self-absorbed?). 

Seriously though, have a look and see if this speaks to you like it did to me. There’s even another embedded link that leads you to another article called 9 tips to reduce stress. As you may have guessed, one of them is exercise.

Over and out,

cg

I recently had the idea to purchase a pedometer to see how many steps I take in any given day. While, I suspect I fall under the “sedentary” category, I hope to improve that status. It may be challenging at this time of year, since not only is there less daylight but soon, we will be burdened with sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice (Brrr!) – Not the most ideal setting for a nice stroll, but you have to start somewhere.

Why walking? Well, I’m not the most talented of athletes in the world but I do now how to walk. Plus, it’s an inexpensive activity that can be done alone or with a friend. A pair of comfortable shoes, weather appropriate clothing and you’re good to go.  Toss in a digital camera to capture picturesque scenery and now it’s a hobby too!

OK, so my first question was: How many steps should I be taking to be in a healthy category?  Quick, to the Internet! With a little bit of investigation, I found a site (conveniently) called: www.thewalkingsite.com  that indicates 10,000 steps as the magic number when it comes to a daily step count.

Next was to figure out which kind of pedometer to carry. There are so many different types in all shapes & sizes and all different price ranges too. I wanted something that would be simple to use and not too bulky. After some more investigation, I found this model at WalMart for about $20-$25

It’s slim and you can just put it in your pants pocket – Easy-peasy!

In future posts, I will update you on my progress… it sounds easy but since I have been laid off, I don’t have the same regular routine that would naturally account for most of my steps. Wish me luck!

Over and out,
cg

While it is important to acknowledge that there are indeed naturally slim women who are healthy and eat normal portions of food, the objective of this article is an examination of semantics.

Wikipedia defines size zero as approximately 30-22-32 inches and explains that it was “…invented due to the changing of clothes sizes over time (referred to as vanity sizing or size inflation), which has caused the adoption of lower numbers.”  It still doesn’t explain the need to label this particular size as a number that is equal to nothing. Let alone, less than nothing when we get into “size 00” or what one designer called “sub-zero“.  

The potential physical and psychological damage these terms can cause is quite alarming. There are numerous articles discussing how the ideology of size zero can lead to women and girls dieting to the point of serious health failures, including anorexia. Particularly, impressionable young girls who idolize beautiful models, singers and actresses. Images of startlingly slender women, glorified for their appearance are virtually everywhere and when coupled with the enduring popularity of a size zero physique, starvation dieting is likely among the most obvious of choices.

On the other end of the spectrum, other articles allude to or come right out and blame size zero for obesity as well, explaining that “…size zero could be forcing people into a cycle of dieting and bingeing….“, which oftentimes results in weight gain. This “obsession with thinness encourages the general public to follow extreme diets that could ultimately being making us fat.”  If that wasn’t enough, some women who once struggled to reach a size 6, must now feel that climbing Mount Everest would be easier than to even imagine themselves as a size zero – why bother? 

Since it seems quite clear that the effects of size zero are nothing but negative, my vote is to abolish it forever and instead propose the use of colours to represent sizes instead. Perhaps a little Utopian, but it would be way less embarrassing to admit you’re a size purple!

Over and out!

cg

I think that when people (particularly women) are unsatisfied with their weight/size or shape, they tend to pile on the layers in a weak effort to cover up their “imperfections”. But what’s really happening is that they are adding bulk to their frame. And at the end of the day, all they have achieved is a look that is sloppier and larger than they actually are.

I know for a fact that I was guilty of this. For proof, all I have to do is look back at pictures of myself and sure enough there I am with my baggy T-shirts and sweaters. Still loathing my picture being taken, but absolutely convinced that I needed to add the layers in order to appear thinner. The very idea of it now makes me shake my head a bit. I am sure it cost me a couple of 2nd dates that I never got. Not to mention a little bit of my sanity (“adding layers to look thinner” … yeah, right!)

In fact, this is one of the rules I hear Stacy & Clinton spout off about all the time on TLC’s What Not To Wear (http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/whatnottowear/whatnottowear.html). I’ve been watching that show for years and try whenever possible to keep in mind many of their fashion “rules”.

So why it is then, that on days when I am feeling bloated and uncomfortable, I still fight the urge to revert back to those misguided ways of wearing oversized and bulky clothing for the sake of that warm & safe cocoon feeling. Will I ever learn?  Oh well, I guess I can always be glamourous tomorrow!

Over and out,

cg

It is refreshing to see the media promote an attitude of good health and self-love instead of encouraging women to match the unrealistic (and usually airbrushed), waif-like figures we see on magazine covers and fashion runways. A message that more often than not, results in self-loathing instead of self-loving. Talk about unhealthy!

In future posts, I hope to examine this trend more closely. In the meantime, here are just a couple of notable examples what I have described above:

DOVE products (soaps/lotions/etc.): Their ad campaigns have focused on the true beauty of the feminine figure – regardless of weight, height, shape, proportion, skin colour and age. Their goal? “To make women feel more beautiful every day…” A groundbreaking campaign that attracted a great deal of media attention. Read the rest in their mission statement: http://www.dove.ca/en/#/cfrb/mission_statement.aspx

HOW TO LOOK GOOD NAKED (Television show based in the UK and seen in Canada on the W Network): http://www.wnetwork.com/Shows/How-to-Look-Good-Naked.aspx

http://www.howtolookgoodnaked.com/

Leading celebrity stylist Gok Wan “…shows women how to look fantastic with their clothes on or off no matter what their body shape – and all without a surgeon’s scalpel in sight…” [channel 4 website, uk]

I wonder what (if anything) in my life would be different if such shows and campaigns were around when I was growing up? 

Over and out,

cg

Yes, there are several specialty boutiques hidden here and there in the city, but if we’re looking strictly at major retailers, there ain’t much sister! Oh and of course you have to pay more for less (selection, that is). What’s the deal with that, indeed!?

How crazy is it that a pair of pants or a top in plus sizes would cost more than the same garment in a regular size? I have noticed this pricing phenomenon in stores with mixed size ranges (regular, petites, plus all in one store) – And I don’t buy the argument that it costs more for more material or it costs more because it’s specially designed for the larger figure. What about the same garment in petites? That garment isn’t any cheaper than the regular sized item (or any more expensive for that matter).

Typically, a garment in a store with mixed sizes will have one price for regular/petites and a separate, more expensive cost for plus (usually around $5-10 more). What the…?

Perhaps some would think me bitter because I just happen to fall into that “plus” category and have to pay “more for less”, but it feels like punishment to me. It’s not like I want to be a bigger girl (that’s a whole other Oprah show!), but it feels like the fashion industry is kicking me while I am down.

On top of the selection being smaller, it’s usually uglier too.  While, I will admit it has gotten much better over the past 10 years or so, I am still seeing an overabundance of horizontal stripes and tapered pants…. um, what?!

Who’s designing this crap? Don’t they hear what Clinton and Stacy have been preaching for years? Horizontal stripes and tapered pants create the illusion of width. Maybe the “designers” are sitting there in their offices snickering behind closed doors while they draw out the patterns for clothes to make the curvy girl look like a Mack truck.

I smell a conspiracy, do you?
Over and out,
cg