Confession time. Just over a year ago, I had a photo album on my phone titled “thinspiration.” You’ve probably already deduced the photos were a collection of ladies that I completely and totally envied. Celebrities. Friends. Personal trainers. Even a frenemy. The...
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Finding Comfort in the Act of Comparison
I believe that comparison can give me comfort! As a woman I come by comparison naturally. I compare myself or my situation to someone’s and end up feeling hopeless--too discouraged to even try. So how can comparison give me comfort? When I stop comparing my human...
Why Is It So Hard to Get Rid of Clothes That Don’t Fit?
True story: Getting rid of clothes that don't fit can be painful. I've written about my experience getting "shame" out of my closet here. But, last week, one of our Compared to Who contributors, Kristin, put out a "HELP" message on the topic, "Why is it so hard to get...
What Will They Think of ME?
What Will They Think of Me? “Okay! Now get into crunch position on your ball and start to reach up!” the instructor in the video enthusiastically cried out. I looked over the room of teens as they did their best to follow these instructions, and some of them were...
The Day I Stopped Hiding (And Really Started Living)
My most shining moments NEVER happen in the grocery store. Calculate my spending. Make healthy choices. Keep track of coupons. Now throw in a 2-year-old who loves to launch everything I place in the cart right back out. Enter sweaty palms and tension headache. So on...
Do You Deserve to Wear Shorts?
Do You DESERVE to Wear Shorts? A Cautionary Tale I spent nearly ten summers refusing to wear shorts. I compromised nearly a decade of summers--boiling in jeans, pretending I preferred them. Okay, okay, there were also a few broom skirts in there. It was the 90’s in...
To My Beautiful Brown Baby Girl
To my beautiful brown baby girl . . . Dear daughter: Mommy will be with you until God takes her home to heaven but God, your perfect heavenly father, will always be with you. He will be with you during times of injustices. You may be denied career, educational,...
Big, Fat Lies About Identity: Trading for the Truth
Why did I choose today to let her pick her own clothes?! Of course, today we’d bump into her--the mom that makes me feel like the Peg Bundy to her June Cleaver. I looked down at my daughter. Princess dress. Leopard boots. Red Christmas coat. Christmas was weeks past...
This is My Healthy
At the beginning of May, I celebrated my 26th birthday. I had decided to spend the morning at my favorite coffee shop, enjoying my latest guilty pleasure:Gone Girl. I got dressed, put on a touch of makeup, and as I headed out the door I stopped in front of the mirror...
Today I Discovered Beauty…How a MOPs Meeting Helped My Body Image
It's my honor today to share this post written by Lauren Fitchett, a new friend who was a part of the audience during my talk to a MOPS group in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Lauren shared the following words with her Facebook friends and with me. I loved it so much...