I Did Something Carazzayy (for me)

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Today's my fake Friday haaayyy! We're going down to Southern Maryland for friends' wedding tomorrow and I. Cannot. Wait. It's going to be nice to get out of town for a few days and think about something besides the house.

So I'm veering off regularly scheduled postings because I need a little rant. My main guilty pleasure is my subscription to Us Weekly- I know I know. There are times I can't buy the clothes I want, drink the drinks I want, but I WILL know what the celebs are doing, and it WILL come to my doorstep every week and feel like Christmas. But this week when this puppy came in the mail:

I tossed it in the recycling. Without even opening it. Sorry not sorry, I know you work hard on that body, Heidi, but I'm finally at a point in my life where I like my body. I'm not the skinniest I've been, I'm not the fittest I've been, but I'm happy and proud and comfortable and no matter how good I feel about myself, these images sneak into my conscience as what I should look like, and make me see my body (that I work hard and cook hard for!) in a different way than I do right now.

It doesn't matter how good I feel, those pictures creep into my head when I'm throwing on my bathing suit (thanks, Society!), and it's not really fair because a) I don't get paid to be fit/skinny- in fact I don't even get a gym discount for my job  b) I cook for myself after full days at work- no personal chef for me  c) Speaking of work days, there is no time for 2-a-days and live-in personal trainers are not in my budget  d) Just no.

It frustrates me that it gets to me but it does, and not to mention this issue that came just a few weeks ago:

Yall hurry we all need to get thin fast! Don't get me wrong, I love Jenna Tatum and good for her for busting her ass to get down to that size 0 (ZERO I HAVE LITERALLY NOT BEEN THAT SMALL SINCE I WAS 6 YEARS OLD), but it's just not realistic for the rest of us. And I have curves that I like that will never, ever fit into a size 0.

And this one a few weeks before that:


"Determined to get their best bodies ever, Jessica and Lauren race to slim down before summer". Now I love J Simp and really appreciate her bluntness about her weight and body, but this cover even managed to have me feeling like I need to go down a size or 2 before my wedding, and I found myself picking apart the pictures of me trying on wedding dresses (if I could just flatten out my stomach a little bit more, tone my arms a little more, lose some of those thighs to make the fit look nicer...). Just no. I want to look good on my wedding day but I also don't want to be let down and stressed out by unrealistic expectations for myself, and I by no means want to "race" towards anything unless it's an actual finish line and not something that US Weekly and other media outlets tell me should be a finish line.

So today I said gurlbye to my US Weekly subscription (PS they make it really hard to cancel subscriptions- I was about to just cancel my credit card because that would be easier than talking to 29 representatives to explain why I can't keep it up) and bopped on over for some positive healthy body realness with Meg, Jasmine, Amanda, Diatta, Gwen, Kathy, Liz and a bunch of awesome women who are a little more on my level (and budget).

Thanks for all the good times, US Weekly but it's time for us to part. For good. Now what am I going to do with these extra $100/year?? Hmm!

Linking up today at Little Friday, Lovely Thursday , Thinking Out Loud , Treat Yo Self

29 comments :

  1. awww thanks!!! (for the shout oout.) I let my People subscription lapse in March, and they are STILL sending me (now free) weekly issues! Those companies just don't wanna die! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  2. yay for the new blogs i can stalk.
    seriously though, i used to buy every single magazine on the rack about 8 years ago. eventually i just had to cut cold turkey because of these kind of issues. i had enough insecurities and body image issues without these magazines telling me i need to be a size zero (literally have never been that size, not even when i was 6 lol) and i had to be thin for my wedding, or summer, or this or that. i still struggle with it, but ijust cant do the magazines anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. and go you for cancelling your subscription :)

      Delete
  3. Such a good post! There is no time limit on being healthy - and putting your body through hell to reach a magazine cover ideal is just silly! Thanks for the good words!
    Lindsay @ www.businesstocasual.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true about no time limit on being healthy! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. Good for you for tossing that magazine in the trash! It just absolutely irks me that they make women think that one size is beautiful, and that's it! Beauty comes in all sizes and shapes - flaunt what ya got sister!

    ReplyDelete
  5. GOOD FOR YOU! I love that you really are confident in you and your body. Forget those magazines and the unrealistic expectations they try to force on women!

    You are SO amazing. I am inspired by this post.

    I give you my Rock Star of the Day award! Where your badge proud! You just became my personal hero!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good on you girl! I was reading this post and cheering out loud. seriously, those magazines piss me off and you're right, no matter how far we get towards loving our bodies, when you see the pictures it has this horrible way of bringing all that down. Have fun on your trip!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh how I love this. I am so guilty of the trashy magazines--I don't know if I could give it up that easy! I don't have a subscription--so its easier for me to just look at them on a flight or in the checkout line. But what I want to know is why my #hashtagplan diet is not featured in US Weekly??? You know the one... #stopeatingcrapandmoveyourass
    Good for you for tossing them out--and thanks for the sweet words:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gurrrrl!! I would be so in shape if I had a billion dollars, 5 nannies, a personal trainer team and a kitchen stocked by a nutritionist. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have felt not good enough when flipping through a magazine, or just watching TV, which is a load of crap because I have, literally, worked my butt off. We don't need those kind of vibes. We are REAL people!
    You are amazing! You have every right to feel great about yourself and it is bologna that these magazines prey so hard on women and set impossible standards. Blogland High Five bloggy bestie!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am tired of the media trying to tell us what we should look like. ESPECIALLY since they photo shop everything. All those women on the front cover wished they looked like their pictures too! It is absolutely sickening the message that they are sending to ourselves, our peers, and young girls everywhere. I love that you stood up and said THIS IS NOT OK.

    ReplyDelete
  10. "Get thin fast". Media images has increasingly bombard millions of women every day with an unrealistic thinner and thinner image. The way "perfect body" is portrayed in the media affects women negatively through using stereotypes, encouraging thinness, and promoting unnecessary products. So disturbing!

    herweightlossdiary.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I totally agree with you!! I don't even read the columns I just flip through the photos. Celebrities are paid to be beautiful, fit and carefree - it's not normal and it's not real! Good for you for taking a stand - even if just for yourself!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. sounds like you have your head on straight. like you, i wanna look HOT on my wedding day but i'm not going crazy. i'm just trying to be the best me -- the same thing i was doing before i got this ring on my finger and the same thing i'll be doing after i get that wedding band!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Absolutely adore this post, girl! I'm at a similar place with my body right now -- not the skinniest or fittest I've ever been, but the happiest and healthiest... and that matters more to me than fitting into a smaller pair of jeans. Honestly? I don't want to be remembered or applauded for being a size 0. Hell, I was never a size 0, even in the depths of anorexia, simply because of my bone structure. Life's too short to constantly be at war with ourselves... and dessert is just too delicious :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES so true- definitely not something to be remembered by. And right, it's just not realistic to strive to be a size 0, and life is really really too short. Thanks Amanda!

      Delete
  14. Good for you, tossing that mag in the trash! I went on a mini rant about that stuff today too. I really resent those not-so-subtle messages that women should always be trying to be smaller, no matter how tiny they already are. As a dietitian, I'm able to use my clinical knowledge about the importance of being at a healthy weight for your body versus being "skinny" when the media goes into summer slim down mode, but it still makes me mad! When it comes to skinny, there's definitely a line between "can I buy you a drink" and "someone should buy you a cheeseburger," and these kinds of articles make it harder to see that line.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OHHHeemmmGEEE new life motto- More 'can I buy you a drink' and less 'someone should buy you a cheeseburger"! Thanks for stopping by, Jess!

      Delete
  15. YES.

    P.S. Having seen your bridal pics and also having been there in person, I can tell you objectively that you looked/look amazing. AND as you probably know when I do work out or eat well it is largely inspired by B&B.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good for you for stopping the magazine.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Bravo honey, Bravo!! I too, love my US Weekly, but it seems they've become more body obsessed. It's not healthy and it does NOT put a good example for teen girls. Hell, it's not a good example for anyone. If we all had personal dietitians, chefs and trainers, we'd look like that, too. But, we live in the real world! Once I stopped my subscription, I just started going to Perez Hilton religiously!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Just got my check for $500.

    Sometimes people don't believe me when I tell them about how much money you can earn by taking paid surveys from home...

    So I show them a video of myself getting paid $500 for participating in paid surveys to set the record straight once and for all.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Discover how 1,000's of people like YOU are working for a LIVING online and are fulfilling their dreams TODAY.
    GET FREE ACCESS INSTANLY

    ReplyDelete

Love to hear your thoughts and opinions, let's chat!