by Patricia | Jul 26, 2016 | Beauty, Creativity, Dating, Empowerment, Joy
I’ve been reading a lot of writing by the “body-positive” (or the tryna-be-body-positive) community about what it is to be body positive. I have experience and a perspective on this topic, shaped by the times: When, as a child, I got comments about what I was eating, in comparison to everyone else. When, as a child, I had to justify why I was eating a piece of cake at a birthday party. When I was told that I could not wear red because of my size. When the word “fat” was used in reference to me, with disdain. When I’ve been asked if I thought I needed to lose weight. When I dated him, and him, and him, and they all told me how beautiful I’d be if I lost weight. When people questioned how hard it must have been to be me, in comparison to my skinny mother. When I bought a wedding dress and was told that the empire waisted gown was best, despite the obvious uni-boob. When I eventually bought the slim fitting fit-and-flare gown. When he told me that he wouldn’t marry me until I lost weight. When he told me that his mother told him to never bring home a fat girl. When he cheated. When I read the email he sent to the girl he cheated with, telling her that she needed to lose weight for their relationship to develop. When I determined that if I was not good enough for him to marry as a fat person, then he was not good enough for me, period. When I began using affirmations daily, like, “My...
by Patricia | May 6, 2013 | Beauty, Blog, Empowerment, Featured, Self Love of The Day, Wellness
As important as my hands are, I don’t show them enough love. So my self-love of the day was pampering them with a nail buff and trim, a coconut oil massage (that’s the oily results at the top), and then painting my nails in a pretty purple shade with a little gold glitter accent. A tip: coconut oil is great for moisturizing every part of your body (as long as you don’t have an allergy), and helps maintain the strength of your nails and hair. My motto: if you love it, you have to show it. And I love me some...
by Patricia | May 2, 2013 | Beauty, Blog, Empowerment, Featured
The first time I thought of myself as beautiful, I was 21. I saw the picture above (taken at an event, so I was dolled up that day) and thought, “Wow! That’s me?” It was a little startling to think I was the pretty woman in the picture. This was my first (conscious) experience with perspective changing; I unwittingly happened on a tool that relieved me of a self-limiting thought (“I am ugly”) and increased my ability to shine. I just needed to look at myself through the lens of someone’s camera to see my outer beauty. Not that outer beauty is everything – one’s beauty goes so much deeper than their appearance – but I walk in this world with much more light now that I am confident in my appearance. Since then I’ve been on a long long road of learning to see the beauty in the very things I don’t like about myself. I’ve managed to do this successfully in a few areas of life – and if you’re interested, here’s how you too can see the beauty in your ugly: 1. Define Your Ugly. In this step, you start with identifying and getting clear with that which you find to be the darkest, the worst. Dig deeply on this one! Get very specific about why you feel the way you feel. Is it that you are comparing your life (or some aspect of it) to someone else’s? Did someone tell you as a child this thing was ugly, and you believed it? If you are going to change the way you see your ugly,...
by Patricia | Apr 16, 2013 | Beauty, Blog, Empowerment, Featured, Wellness
It can’t be a coincidence that I came across Dove’s new campaign right as I was preparing to write a post on changing your mind about your beauty. This brief documentary (below) compellingly demonstrates just how readily we discount or deny our beauty – and just why we should take the time to appreciate ourselves. I watched this clip and ever since I can’t help to wonder how the way I view myself compares to the way others view me. Watch, and I’m sure you’ll find yourself wondering the...
by Patricia | Apr 12, 2013 | Beauty, Blog, Empowerment, Featured
Well, you are! Whether you believe me or not, just say it out loud- I’m beautiful. I hope you believe it. There was a long time when I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe I was beautiful and I thought those who told me so were lying. I thought that, because of my fat, because of my acne, because of my flat feet, because of lips, I was ugly. I have since changed my mind about my ugly, and I did so because deep down I knew that I wasn’t supposed to live my life lamenting my body, my face, my hair, etc. I acknowledged that truth and slowly changed my perspective on my imperfect me. As a result, I’ve become empowered and can’t help but to do what I can to empower the lives of others. I’m so committed to helping others recognize and embrace their beauty. I’m so committed to sharing my shine and helping you raise yours. I’ll admit that there are days when I doubt whether I should commit myself to this, but then I’ll come across something or someone that affirms what I’m here to do. Two things I want to share with you: Debenhams’ new ad campaign, highlighting the wide array of beautiful bodies out there. Yes, you can be missing an arm and be glamorous. Yes, plus-sized bodies are as fierce as anyone’s. Documentary: The Light that Shines This features a cancer patient who provides a beautiful testimony to the power of our spirit and the power of love, from your loved ones and to yourself. It’s a gorgeous display of loving...
by Patricia | Apr 9, 2013 | Beauty, Blog, Featured, Wellness
My happy place is where beauty and wellness meet! One of my favorite things about this “place” is how readily I can beautify and groom using day-to-day ingredients, creating beauty solutions that are as high-quality as anything you’d buy in a department store. Here’s one of favorite ways to pamper and beautify while nourishing my skin: 2 part extra virgin olive oil 2 parts sugar (white or brown is fine) 1 part lemon juice Mix the ingredients together, and use as needed! Recommended use: Great as a face or body scrub. After scrubbing, wash off with warm water. Do not use more than once a week. Store in a sealed container. Keeps best in a refrigerator. Aside from the effects of exfoliating, this scrub treats your skin to nutrient rich extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Olive oil is full of antioxidants and phytonutrients, and lemon juice, itself a great exfoliant, also provides a dose of Vitamin C. Give it a try, enjoy your softened, exfoliated skin and let me know what you think!...
