Hi. My name is Heather and I'm a real swimsuit model. Thick thighs, post-baby flab, deflated nursing boobs and all. Of course I'm not the kind featured in Sports Illustrated. You'll never see me in a suntan lotion ad or on ...
Summer Body Image Survival Guide!
I love summer. The sunshine. Getting tan. The chance to unwind and relax by the pool. But, then, I hate summer. The pressure to wear shorts or swimsuits to every social engagement. The reminder that my body doesn't match our culture's definition of ...
The Joy Workout: 3 Songs, 12 Minutes to a Lighter Soul
Some of my regular readers know that I quit the gym a few months ago. Since then, I've been struggling with what to do for exercise. I loathe running. Mostly because I look like this when I run. I actually threw ...
Should a Christian Woman Wear a Bikini?
Last week I received this reader question: Should a Christian woman wear a bikini? Thankfully, the reader gave me permission to share it (and my answer--expanded for this post) with you. No matter where you stand on the topic, I ...
I’m Too Fat & Ugly
Today we continue the "Real Women. Real Stories." series on Compared to Who! This series features women from the Compared to Who? book trailer who were asked to write on a sign what lie the mirror most frequently tells/or has told ...
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 ...
Improve Body Image This Summer: 8 Things to Do
What if I told you that the best things you could do for your body image this summer don't require you to lose weight or spend more time in the gym? You'd say I was crazy, right? Here's the truth. If you ...
Just a Little More Beauty, Lord: A Poem
"Just a Little More Beauty, Lord," is an original poem! My first, in fact. It may not be Emily Dickinson but I hope these words will still touch you and (maybe) make you smile as you reflect on the truth ...
How to Try on a Swimsuit (and Not Hate Your Body)
She unlocks the dressing room door and then steps out of the way for me to enter. I smile, mumble a thank you, and lock it behind me. Turning around, I assess my finds. Will any of these look as ...
