body image

   
     As some of you may already know, I've struggled with body image issues for years. I've always been a bigger person and though I'm currently at a "normal" weight now I still don't feel great all the time. Sadly, I think that this is something that pretty much all women can relate to. In the last couple of years I would say that I've become a lot more healthy in my mindset with regards to my body. However, the real turning point for me happened when I was at The Huntington with one of my friends about a year ago, she happens to travel the world for her job and was telling me that she felt the worst about her body when she was in the U.S. because she felt as though she was constantly bombarded with images of how she was "supposed" to look (by the way this friend happens to be a gorgeous size 0/2), and that in other countries women's bodies of all different shapes are celebrated. We happened to be walking through the cactus garden during this conversation and we stopped for a second to look at all of the different types of cacti, all different shapes, sizes, and colors. I remarked,  "All these cactuses are so beautiful, and you can see how each one is exactly the way it is for a reason." To which my friend said,
      "If only people could realize that they're the same way." And that is exactly it. Along the same lines, I recently read this article in Glamour magazine, written by Kelly Osbourne, which I think has some great advice on body confidence. How do you feel about your body? Have you struggled with body image in the past? I hope you're having a wonderful day! Xo. (Painting, Nude Woman Reclining, Vincent Van Gogh 1887)