A friend of mine, opened up a shop in the local town, a few months back. Where she sells clothes, jewelry and decorative items. If I am in town, I always pop into see her. Where I am welcomed with a wonderful warm hug, which keeps me returning. I don't really buy new clothes , I prefer to source them second hand, choosing preloved ones instead. Which is super easy to do, around these parts.
Of late though, I have been playing dress up in there, trying on the most flamboyant outfits, cos why not. My friend has a wonderful eye for fashion and sometimes she hands me outfits that I assume will look terrible on me, but turnout looking quite good actually. It is a lot of fun and I did end up, buying something from there, for my sisters wedding a few months back.
I am just not a fan of the whole fashion industry and how destructive it is on the environment, not to mention the whole slave labor issues behind it. My friend does her best, to source her clothes from more ethical suppliers. But it is still a huge industry, that does a lot of damage.
And here I am trying on all these 'new clothes', it seems to have become a little guilty pleasure of mine. I have to admit though, there is something nice about trying on something, that is brand new. But to be honest, I feel more comfortable in my secondhand thread wear.
We usually chat away, whilst I am playing dress up and today was no different. This time another friend was with me and we were all discussing body image. How it takes a lot for someone to actually look at themselves and fully accept who they are and what they look like.
We love to torment ourselves and compare ourselves with others. Completing ignoring the fact , that we are all so wonderfully diverse with our different body types. When that conversation comes up, I like to bring it around to a conversation about our health.
Our bodies, are one of the best indicators, of what our personal health really looks like. I mean, that is really what matters the most. To understand the signs that our bodies send us. To take note of what our energy levels are like, how active we are, what we eat.
Because, we have been conditioned, to only focus on how we look on the surface. As a woman, we are encouraged to paint our faces, no longer really seeing ourselves, in a natural way. I'm all for freedom of choice. Just wish some people would use better products on themselves, instead of poisoning themselves.
We are bombarded with images of people that we should look like. Images of what apparently, happiness and success look like. If we want to achieve the fairytale ending, that is. The one that is being sold to millions around the world. Thanks Hollywood for that one.
Instead of focusing on our health, which really is our wealth. And is what real success is about. If we took real pride, in looking after ourselves, our whole self.
I asked my 9 year old daughter for a word that I could use as a prompt and she came up with Pride!
