Never ever, in a million years, ever. EVER. would I have ever thought I’d be brave enough to post a photo in my underwear on the internet for the world to see. The last 5 years I haven’t even been brave enough to wear a swimsuit in public without a coverup! But on my birthday this year I promised myself I’m going to stop living in fear and start LOVING myself. Let me tell you what though… easier said than done. Am I right?
When I was looking through a lot of the photos from this little shoot, I’ll admit that I was horrified at the cottage cheese legs and the wrinkly stretch marks on my belly at first. I don’t look anything like many of the women I see on my insta-feed, but those things are part of me and I’m not alone. In fact, ALL women have areas they struggle with, things that make their bodies imperfect.
If we’re all imperfect, then WHY are we hiding?
I have a long way to go on my health journey, and I want to lose weight to meet my health goals, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t love my body for what it is NOW in the form it’s in. My body has done some amazing things, it has brought two beautiful babies into the world. It has hiked my to the top of mountains and scuba dived into the depths of the ocean. It has carried me through my whole life and allowed me to accomplish some incredible things. It is beautiful because it is mine.
FranciePants is an amazing company that celebrates women’s unique beauty. They GET me. They understand that women come in all shapes and sizes, and they focus on creating the perfect underwear designed for all different types of bodies. The most amazing thing about FranciePants is that they care about doing what is best for your body’s physical health, making everything 100% cotton and of course, not allowing that to compromise their style. Their products are truly beautiful.
And everyone feels cute when they wear cute undies, right? It’s kind of a little secret for life- if you are having a rough day put on a pretty pair of underwear and watch how your confidence is boosted instantly.
But more than the product they provide, I LOVE their message. They provide jobs for people in the community and allow them flexibility to work from home. Rather than paying a random manufacturer, they care about supporting the community and improving the local economy. And the main thing they care about is providing a product that is healthy and makes women feel confident. For someone like me, confidence is everything. Having products that help me feel confident in my own skin promotes body positivity and self acceptance. I only have one body in my life, I want to love it and feel confident in myself. Taking these photos, I FELT confident. Not just because Tony asked to touch my butt every five seconds (ha!), but the fit and pattern work so well for me. I mentioned before that I never thought I would ever be confident in myself enough to post photos like these, but with confidence coming from wearing such an amazing product and what I’ve learned on my self-love journey, here I am. In my underwear. On the internet.
Who am I? Definitely not the woman I’ve been for the last five years, and I’m proud of that. I may have goals for my health and my body, but I can honestly say that I’m in love with what my body has accomplished and I love that it’s not perfect. I don’t want to hide anymore. I want to embrace it. Which is such a foreign concept to me because I’ve literally never felt this way and again, it leads me to this…. here I am. In my underwear. On the internet.
I hope everyone gets the chance to feel this kind of confidence, to embrace their curves and love the body they are in. If you’re not there yet, TAKE THE FIRST STEP. Push yourself to do something you’re maybe not super comfortable with and see how you feel after!
Getting dressed in the morning, you have two options. You can look in the mirror, cringe at what you see and try to cover it up, OR you can look in the mirror and recognize the flaws exist but are completely natural and you are STILL beautiful. Tell yourself you love your body and think about the things that make your flaws beautiful to you. Then dress for it. Push your comfort zone limits, and you’ll find that you feel more beautiful than ever.
Side note…..this book is one of the illustrated Harry Potter books that the incredible Jim Kay collaborated on. I’m obsessed. 😉
XXOO Sunny