REAL Woman Wednesday: Beautiful!

REAL Woman Wednesday is one of the few original daily topics that carried over into this blog (version 1.3 I think for you techies out there). That is because it is such an important topic for me…body image.

Beauty has always been in the eye of the beholder as the old saying goes. 

But the 20th century saw some drastic changes to how we as a Western society defined it. With some dire consequences…such as bulimia, anorexia, and morbid obesity. The media such as movies, television, music, magazines and even my beloved romance novels played a huge part in spreading those seeds of doubt in ALL women’s minds.

Am I pretty?

That was one of the questions that PanKwake asked me…in reception (pre-K for my American friends).

And the 21st century seems to be going in two directions at once. On one hand, the further perpetuation of those 20th century ‘ideals’ of feminine beauty…thin, heavy make-up, and when that fails plastic surgery. But there is a growing voice of descent. Women and men are standing up and saying…I AM beautiful just as I am.

This blog is my tiny part of that movement.

While I continue to struggle with my own body image issues, I feel that it is my responsibility as a writer to do my part to correct the mistakes of my genre. Many of my heroines are curvy, plus-sized, zaftig, Rubenesque or whatever the currently PC word for it is. I like BEAUTIFUL.

And yes…some times I feel like a hypocrite. I write strong female characters like Jill (The Arrangement) and Kirsty (Ægir’s Captive) who come to terms with their body, but I still struggle with my own. Honest…Cookie Monster is the only man in a decade that I have been even slightly comfortable being naked with…and even then I still prefer my sexy nighties. Ironically, my one unbearable flaw is the muffin top (whole f’ing cake) that is my  Motherhood badge of courage.

So yes, I do REALLY understand the struggles of being a REAL live woman…

And even now…”falling asleep in the arms of a man knowing there’s nothing on earth he loves more than this REAL live woman”…it ain’t easy.

In the weeks and months ahead, I want to use this platform to:

• Get back to its roots…highlighting other REAL live women and their struggles to accept their bodies as they age, widen or grey. So if you are one of my followers or Facebook friends…beware. I may be calling on you to take your turn as a REAL Woman Wednesday.
• Explore ‘beauty’ from a psychological, sociological and historical perspective…taking our 21st century rose colored glasses off. Especially in terms of those REAL 1950’s women I grew up with.
• Apply my background as a health educator and former personal trainer to look at ‘lifestyle changes’ that are about living longer, more productive, healthier lives…which is what true beauty is about.

I hope each of you will find something useful and inspiring from this all REAL woman.

So throwing out that gauntlet…who among you will volunteer to be my first REAL live woman? To bear your soul and as much of your body as you dare on the internet (within Facebook’s ridiculously strict limits of course). Calling all REAL live women out there?!?!