Her Body is Not Your Business

It’s understandable why someone might actually be concerned for another human being’s health when they see someone extremely skinny or obese.

But regardless if a person falls into either of these categories, there’s never an excuse to chastise them or make rude comments.

We’re extremely familiar with fat-shaming, but there’s also skinny-shaming, as model Genevieve Barker would have us be aware of.

It’s never okay to say “Eat a burger” or call someone a derogatory name based on their body size.

Genevieve also argued against the notion that skinny-shaming is considered "empowering," since those that do so believe they are "speaking out for 'real women.'" 

"I am thin, I am a real woman!" she added.

Keep in mind that you don’t know if that person you are looking at does have an eating disorder or not. An eating disorder can affect any body, any age, any size, any gender.

If they do have an eating problem, then being ridiculed about their body may in fact trigger or worsen that issue.

The best thing to do when you see someone that you feel the urge to say something to about their size is ask yourself if it’s your place.

If it’s a friend or family member whom you are concerned about, you’re certainly not going to make snide remarks, you’re going to show concern and love.

If it’s a photo you saw on Instagram, it’s probably best to follow the age-old adage: If you don’t have anything nice to say…

Ditch the Corsets, Ladies!

My waist doesn’t want or need to be trained.

But all the celebs are doing it!

There have been lots of reports urging people not to practice this “fitness hack,” which involves “wearing a corset-like device for hours at a time to compress your core, which will supposedly decrease the size of your waist permanently over time.”

I’m no doctor, but do you really need to be one to say, ugh?

I mean, do we really want to encourage women to  head back to the Victorian era?

In a time when every other essay you read celebrates positive body image, how can celebrities seriously be endorsing such a barbaric practice meant to forcefully change one’s body shape?

But endorse them they do.

I don’t even care if not all the health risks are true; how can anyone want to encourage women to alter their normal body shape?

 We are an anti-corset generation!

We are all about empowerment and being who we are and being proud!

Or is all this positive body-image talk just a bunch of bull slung by marketing teams?

We get to decide.

Step one: ditch the corsets, ladies, and breathe.

Clothes that Send a Message

Blac Chyna and Amber Rose wore some attention-getting outfits to the 2015 MTV Music Video Awards.

Brittany DeShields and Iris Barbee Bonner of These Pink Lips are the designers of the clothes.

The body-hugging outfits are adorned with insults that women receive, like stripper, slut, whore, and hoe.

I like the idea of oppressed people taking back words used against them and finding new and improved meaning.

Do you think these loud and in-your-face expressions on clothes can have a positive effect on language and power?

Or do you think the messages might have an opposite effect and just make some people think it’s OK to continue to use these words against others?

Miley Cyrus, Yawn, Hosts the MTV Video Awards

Is it just me? Or is scandalous just so last year?

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me, but Miley Cyrus and her MTV Video Awards outfits were kind of boring.

It was almost like if someone had to imagine what Cyrus would wear before the event, these were the outfits they would laughingly suggest.

For someone who likes to push the envelope and surprise and shock, wouldn’t it have been more shocking to actually wear clothes with, you know, material?

Or maybe I’m just getting old.

But it feels like Cyrus is actually becoming a parody of herself.

Or maybe shocking is just so overdone that she would have actually had to come out naked to make me say, oh, that’s a little different…

What Does a Feminist Look Like?

Yesterday was all about kids rocking gender-neutral clothes, so today I thought I’d give a shout out to a fashion company that features shirts with messages that are anti-everything that sucks, FCKH8.

The company has a new anti-sexism video that promotes their “This is what a feminist looks like” tee shirt.

And while they do use the “Real Woman” message in the video, which some women complain about, they are not saying that a real woman can’t be a thin model either, they are saying a real woman is just whatever she is!

FCKH8 has gotten some bad press recently with an accusation that sometimes their business practices are not respectful to some of the very people they claim to support. Also, some people find it offensive the way the company is making profits over serious issues.

I can understand both sides of the issue. It’s true that the tee shirts are great little billboards that spread positive messages, but it’s also true that it’s a for-profit company.

Do you have a problem with a business making profits off of promoting important messages about controversial subjects?

Girls Like Dinosaurs, Too

Bravo to the mompreneurs highlighted in CNN’s #ClothesWithoutLimits: Fed-up moms create their own clothing for girls.

These moms, whose daughters were not into the typical Justice pink, purple and sparkle clothing, created their own clothing lines that include shirts for girls with what most would describe as “typical boy” imagery: dinosaurs, soccer balls, tools.

Because not all girls want to be princesses—or look like them.

How fabulous that in the future girls might be able to go to their local shop and find clothing that suits everybody.

Speaking of suits, one of the moms is even trying to create a line of suits for girls, Suit Her.

While it may be awhile before we start seeing clothing lines like Princess Free Zone or Girls Will Be in our local stores, thanks to the Internet, girls are being given more options in how they can see themselves and present themselves to the world.

Dressing Up is the New Stripping Down

There’s so much to love about this article on NBC News: From farmer to supermodel: China's latest fashion sensation is 72-year-old granddad.

It seems Liu Qianping, a retired farmer, was having fun trying on some of his granddaughter’s clothes for her shop when she decided to take some photos. What got passed around in fun turned into a viral sensation.

Now Grandpa is the model for his granddaughter’s online store.

“Most special is that I could do something for my little granddaughter. I feel fulfilled," Qianping said.

I love seeing people having fun with life and trying new things and not caring what others think. And when those people end up being celebrated and “seen,” it just makes me light up.

Mommy Makeover on The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda

I had a blast having a Mommy Makeover 

with Eve Michaels on 

The Today Show 

on Monday 

with Kathie Lee and Hoda.

Image of Sheila Hageman before appearing on The Today Show

After the initial consultation with Eve Michaels, author of Dress Code: Ending Beauty Anarchy, three other moms and I spent the day in Bloomingdales shopping for the perfect outfits.

Trying on another black dress

Flouncy

The old haircut and color

I have never spent so much time 

trying on clothes!

Theory Blue Leather Coat

The next day we spent at the salon with hairdresser guru Craig. 

Melissa hanging out at Maria Benito Salon

Mary Ellen warming up with hairdryer

Clarice

Monday morning at 6am we were at the Trump Soho getting into 

hair and make-up.

Sheila Hageman

Then off to Rockefeller Center to the studio.

Dressing room neighbor...the Jonas Brothers

I couldn't sit once in my dress, so we munched on grapes with Dr. Ruth and...stood around.

Clarice, Craig, Melissa, Eve, Sheila, Julie, Mary Ellen

After our segment we took more photos and then Nick and I headed out for lunch.

Rockefeller Center

Women Who Love Themselves Will Conquer the World

I love this blog post, Fatkini2012, on Gabifresh.

 

This is what I’m talking about when I say women need to love the bodies they have and just be bold and beautiful.

 

As always, I truly encourage you guys to get to the beach (or a pool) this summer--don't let body shame keep you from having a good time! I don't expect everyone to feel comfortable in a two piece, but hopefully I can inspire some of you to take the plunge. I can't tell you how freeing it is to just have fun without worrying about what other people think.

 

How amazing would this world be if all women felt free enough to wear whatever they wanted and love their bodies as is.

 

Do you think that effect would spill over into other areas of life? The freer and more physically okay we feel about ourselves might spill over into us feeling awesome about all our talents?

 

Fatkinis for all! Grey hairs take pride! Wrinkles be damned!

Watch out boardrooms and schools and financial empires…we are coming for you with all our awesomeness in all its various forms!

Let’s just love ourselves, ladies! And conquer the world!

Nude Pregnant Model Wears a Hat

Thank you Daily Mail for this story—Hat's on! But everything else is off... Pregnant glamour model walks the runway naked at London Fashion Week—by Maysa Rawi.

To sum it all up for you, there’s this hat designer who is an unknown and, well, she really wanted some publicity, so, you know, she had a fashion show and she had her models wear hats and nothing else, and oh yeah, one of the models was eight-months pregnant.

And she’s the first one to say the nudity has no artistic meaning or value other than, getting people’s attention.

“Coles, 31, from Pontypool, South Wales, said she wanted to include Cahill, who is a friend from home, because it is rare to see pregnant women on the catwalk.”

Well, I suppose this is good in the sense that an artist is taking a cue from advertisers and doing what it takes to get people to take notice of her wares.

Hmm, should I call her an artist if she herself admitted just doing it for publicity’s sake?

And I don’t see anything too spectacular about the hats, so I imagine the initial burst of publicity will not result in anything momentous, but she did get the free publicity she was looking for.

As for the pregnant model? Cool for her. I bet she felt beautiful walking nude in all her Mama glory. I know whenever I’m pregnant, I feel very secure in my body image because I know people aren’t judging me for my weight gain.

Gap Kids' Booty Shorts!

I learned about theses sequined shorts available now at Gap Kids from Jezebel.

It’s so fascinating to troll comments on subjects like this because I know what I’m going to see before I even begin scrolling through.

I know there are going to be the moms who are outraged at the inappropriateness and other moms who are going to be like—Oh! How cute!

There are going to be those who shout in all caps—HOW DARE GAP DRESS OUR LITTLE GIRLS LIKE STRIPPERS?!

And don’t forget the requisite practical—It’s all just marketing; the head honchos translating grown-up clothes into mini-versions for kids.

So where does the average, level-headed mom fall?
Well, if that mom is me, which I’m not sure she is, I would say what I notice is all my forty-year-old woman baggage coming up.

The first thing that jumped out to me was the owl shirt the shorts are teamed up with along with the tag line—sequins are a hoot!

My mind went immediately to the restaurant Hooters! But, trust me, that’s my mind, not where my daughter’s mind would go.

She would just be like—Oh! Pretty! Sequined shorts and an owl shirt!

And I guess I’d fall into the middle-zone on this. How short are they? With tights they’d probably be cute and fine. But, no, I’m not rushing out to buy these for my daughter, but do I feel there’s some evil plan out there by the Gap executives to over-sexualize my daughter? Nah—probably not.

They’re probably just marketing what they think will sell. And little girls like sequins—not dressing like strippers.

Would you let your daughter wear sequined short-shorts?