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 perfection. The...
Summer Body Image Issues & Swimwear
20 Ways to Feel Lighter This Summer: Quick Body Image Boosters
Body image isn't really about your body. It's not about your size, your weight, or dimensions. No, it's about your brain and your heart. Although many popular psychologists would only acknowledge poor thinking as the problem, poor patterns of belief are just as much...
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...
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 them. Here's Erin's story. (Be sure...
How To Look Great in a Swimsuit: Believe the Gospel?
I watched an episode of the Doctor Oz show a few years ago that was dedicated to helping women look good in a swimsuit. Every woman in the audience looked beach-ready, wearing only her bathing suit (no cover ups allowed). The good doctor talked about all things...
Summertime, Covet-time? Ending Summer Body Envy
Summer's here! Check out Wendy's thoughts on summer body envy in today's post, especially if you need a little humor to lighten your day! The beach is the worst place for it. Out there enjoying the sun and surf are hundreds of people in swimsuits. The ones that bother...
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 about our desires and our body image struggles . . . Just a...
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 good on me as they do on the hanger? I doubt it. Alas, you can't go to...