Embrace Your Inner Pin-Up

I think Amy and I have been operating on the same brain wavelength lately because girlfriend just keeps posting stuff that echoes the thoughts that are running around my brain. Last week she did a series all about loving your body and embracing yourself, which obviously= awesome. To some degree, I've felt that I don't have a place in a discussion about body acceptance. I've never had an eating disorder, I have a pretty regular body in that I'm neither under nor over weight, I've never felt a lot of pressure to look differently or have a different body (other than wanting bigger boobs when I was in junior high and high school), and I have never hated my body. I don't have a moving story about how I overcame an eating disorder or lost a ton of weight. But, at the same time, I feel so passionately about encouraging other women to love their bodies and selves. So I'm going to add my two cents to Amy's awesome series. And I'm going to be long-winded (sorry!).

There are a lot of things I've encountered lately that have been contributing to my thoughts on accepting yourself and embracing your own beauty (besides Amy's series). Most recently I saw a comment on a youtube trailer for the new movie "Brave" that said, "Finally, A Disney princess without perfect hair." Perfect. That word has been on my mind frequently these days. I hear a lot of talk about perfect. The perfect skin, the perfect body, the perfect hair. I hear a lot of girls say, "I'm not perfect, but, you know, I'm happy with my body." I'm kind of done with that kind of thinking. The Disney princess in Brave DOES have perfect hair. It's wild and free and vibrant and gorgeous! How is that not perfect?

swimsuit/courtesy of modcloth (shortest outfit details ever)

I have cellulite on my thighs, my skin isn't taut and tan, and I have ruddy cheeks. How is that not perfect? Who is to say what perfection is? Who is this mystery person, this mystery committee, who has determined that a certain body, skin, and hair is "perfect" and the best the rest of us can do is say, "well, I know I'm not perfect, but I'm happy with my body." I understand that this culturally influenced concept of perfect is constantly changing with the times. Culturally, "perfect" looked much different to people in the 16th century, and "perfect" looks much different in other cultures around the globe. I want to stop thinking about perfect being something that is dictated by culture, though. I want to take back the word perfect and own it.

Somewhere along the lines, in this culture, "perfect" has come to mean manicured and "flawless." Every. Single. Photograph in fashion magazines is photoshopped within an inch of it's life. Human bodies are stripped of their pores, their freckles, their bulges and wrinkles. And we've come to accept that this is perfection. That removing every sign of life, every wrinkle we've acquired from laughing with friends late into the night, every slightly yellowed tooth from too many cups of coffee while reading our favorite book, every freckle from days spent in the sun, every bulge from enjoying delicious food... is what perfection looks like.

I want to look everyone in the eye and tell them that they. are. perfect. Cellulite is perfect. Thunder thighs are perfect. Crazy curly hair is perfect. Small breasts are perfect. To me, those are things that society's version of perfect would tell me are flaws for my body, but replace those with things you see as flaws on your body! What are the things that you look in the mirror and sneer at? Reject the voices that tell you that those are imperfections. Replace those voices with ones that tell you how beautiful those "flaws" are.

I am healthy and active (most of the time). I am happy. I am loved. Is that not perfection? No, I'm supposed to hate my body, the one I get to spend my whole life experiencing the world through, instead. I refuse that. I'm not going to hate my body because I have big thighs and cellulite, or a belly pooch that won't go away no matter how many crunches I do, or because my arms are thicker and shorter than the arms models have, or because my hair is huge and unruly. And you shouldn't hate your body because it's skinny, or lumpy, or concave, or convex, or because you have big boobs, or because you barely have any boobs, or because your skin has a condition, or because you're hairy, or because you have thin hair, or because you have dark skin, or because you aren't tan, etc. etc. You are perfect and valuable because you are a human life. And what a shame it would be to spend your entire life hating the one body you have. The body through which all experiences are filtered in this world.

I love this little clip of Eve Ensler. I think she communicates much more succinctly what I've been babbling on about for many paragraphs...

Once we get rid of this notion that perfection is a mold that each of us, with our infinite differences, must try to squeeze into, it's easy to see that perfection is totally and completely individual. I am perfect. You are perfect. If you're a magazine model, you are perfect. If you're a size 16, you are perfect. If you've had a limb amputated, you're perfect. If you have Down's Syndrome, you are perfect. If you're Cinderella, you're perfect. If you're Merida, you're perfect. We are all composed of "imperfections" and instead of counting our flaws in the mirror, we should take back ownership of the word "perfection". Own it. You own perfection. Perfection doesn't own you. You may think it's easier for women who do fit the current beauty ideal to love their bodies, but I guarantee that every woman has felt the sting of the word "perfect," and we can't go around saying, "well, it must be easy for you to love your body."

I realize that the issue of body size and body acceptance is a complex one. There are many discussions about health and weight going on which are related to body acceptance. I'm all for health and changing your body in the interest of becoming more healthy. I know Tieka has shared her experience with losing a lot of weight after starting to live a healthier lifestyle, which is great. If someone wants to change their body because they hate it, I suppose that's your prerogative, but I wish people would want to become healthier because they love their body instead. And if healthy ends up looking different than the image you had in your mind, that should be okay.

Today I'm taking Amy literally and embracing my inner pin-up. Well, with these photos, I guess I'm letting my inner pin-up out for the day. It's a bit awkward and extremely vulnerable to post bikini photos on the internet, but here I am. You might think I'm too skinny, too fat, or "perfect" but I don't care what you think, because frankly what you think doesn't matter (and if you feel like leaving a comment letting me know that you think I'm too fat or skinny, I'm much obliged to delete that shit). I'm loving the body I have and I'm owning perfect.

As a disclaimer, I realize that the discussion about body image, society, and beauty is a hot button issue. Everyone seems to feel pretty strongly about this topic (quite literally, we women have a lot of skin in the game, and things get personal pretty fast) and sometimes the discussion can devolve into bashing one another with hurtful words. If you'd like to contribute to this discussion in the comments, feel free to do so! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic, but please remember to be respectful.

*My intensedebate commenting seems to have gone down, so blogger comments have taken over. If you've written a comment before w/ the intensedebate commenting, don't worry! It's still there and I can read them, they just won't show up on my blog.*

Sponsor in July!

Hi folks! I'm accepting sponsors for July and beyond, so if you want to snag a sponsor spot, go for it! I love supporting other bloggers, independent shops, and businesses that are awesome, and sponsorship is a great way to put your blog or site in front of my readers! I blog about personal style, adventures, the occasional recipe or DIY, and more, so if you think your ideal customer/reader is an independent, adventurous, vintage-loving kind of gal, give sponsorship a try! I offer three different ad sizes at different prices, so if you want to just test the waters, you can start of with a mini ad, or if you're interested in doing a giveaway for a bit more exposure, the large, small, and featured ad spaces have the option to run a giveaway. The featured ad space is currently booked through August 14th, but if you can reserve that ad space for when it's available next. As always, if you have any questions or want to know more about options, etc. don't hesitate to email me! Learn more about sponsorship rates, stats, and options by clicking here!

Take the Plunge

Every Tuesday there's a farmer's market within walking distance of our house. It's a nice walk and I love perusing the local goodies. I thought about making the Brave into a mini mobile vintage shop for the farmer's market, but when I looked into it it seemed like you could only sell handmade things, and I was already past the deadline for securing a spot. Maybe before the cutoff next year I'll look into it again. I think the Brave would make the cutest little vintage shop! Emphasis on "little."

I've been thinking a lot about goals lately. I'm an incredibly goal-oriented person. I have a very hard time just putting along without a carrot dangling in front of me to chase after. After graduating high school, college, and going on my Brave trip, I've struggled to find the next goal to set my sights on. Starting a family isn't really something I want to do just yet. I've thought a lot about starting a business, though I don't necessarily feel that it's the right time for that either. Sometimes it seems like some goals are just too big. Like I'd be biting off more than I could chew. But, at the same time, I feel like a goal should be scary. Everything I've done up to this point has felt well inside my abilities. If you don't stretch out of that comfort zone, though, you'll never discover the abilities you didn't know you had, right? So I think I might be ready to take a leap into the unknown, to bite off what may be more than I can chew. And thankfully I've got an incredible support system ready to catch me if I fall flat on my face.

top/forever 21 :: skirt + shoes/courtesy of modcloth :: jacket/lulu*s

tote/swapaholics :: shades/vintage :: photos by Dan

I've been searching for the perfect longer skirt to go with some of my summery crop tops. I don't necessarily want a full length maxi, but I do want something flowy and about knee-length. Resisting polka-dots has become incredibly difficult for me lately (16 year old me is like, "hold up, what??"), so this skirt seemed like the perfect piece for fulfilling that skirt desire. It's a bit longer than I really want, so I rolled the waist and belted it to make it a couple inches shorter. Ta-da! Better. Julie beautifully styled this same skirt a couple months ago. I love seeing how other bloggers style pieces that I own. So much more inspiration for different ways to style things!

Life Lately

Life has been pretty good lately. Washington is still being obnoxiously cold most of the time, even though we're all desperately needing some summer weather, but every once in the while the sun comes out and I quickly throw on a sundress to soak up as much vitamin D as possible. We're still trying to figure out what life will look like after the summer is over. So many options. So many possibilities. And yet, seemingly, so many limitations. But for now, we're enjoying living in the moment. No sense in ruining a summer by worrying about what will happen after the summer. That's just silly.

SPU graduation outfit (outfit details here) // potting my mint plant // a feather found on the ground outside of work // a fun all-day bbq cookout with friends // watermelon! // missing my long hair. solution: wig // purple lovelies at the farmers market // favorite shoes + an elderflower lemonade // pumpkin cake w/ cream cheese frosting from Corina. I had this in cupcake form at our wedding but never got a chance to taste them! Now I finally know what I missed. // best part of summer = firecracker popsicles! // looking at houses...

Penelope Lane Giveaway!

Hello everyone! Today I'm giving away a $25 shop credit to a brand new shop called Penelope Lane! One of the things I love about having a blog is being able to support independent shops and all you creative, entrepreneurial, amazing ladies out there. Holly's shop, Penelope Lane Clothing, just launched in April and she's giving away a $25 credit to her shop to kick things off!

The idea for Penelope Lane Clothing came about after I had my son and needed a new wardrobe. We as women go through transitions in life whether it be the transition from a pre-baby to post-baby body; or perhaps gained/lost some weight; or maybe its just time to change some things up. The thing is, buying a new wardrobe is expensive. Like many women when I needed a new wardrobe, I didn't have the money to spend on myself. I just had my first child. Naturally most of my funds were put towards his needs. I ended up browsing a certain website I loved wishing I could afford to spend just a few hundred dollars. It was so expensive that I never really bought anything. The more I thought about it, the more I felt empowered to open my own store. I decided that I wanted to create a place for women to buy clothes at a decent price without sacrificing quality or, most importantly, personality.

To Enter:

Head over to Penelope Lane Clothing and pick out your favorite thing in the shop, then come back here and leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favorite piece is!

For bonus entries, head to the Penelope Lane facebook page and give them a "like" and/or follow Penelope Lane on twitter. If you choose to do either/both of those bonus options, make sure you come back and leave a comment for each additional entry, otherwise your bonus entries won't be counted! The giveaway will be open for entries until Saturday, June 30th at 9pm PST. Open to international entries.

If you want to buy something from Penelope Lane, make sure to use the code "TACKY" to get $10 off a purchase of $40 or more!