Skip to main content

We Are All Beautiful


Genetics, gotta love 'em, gotta hate 'em. Who I am today is 75% a gift from my mom and dad and 25% my own actions and environment. Ok, so maybe that's not totally true but at least when it comes to my looks and health, I thank my parents.


Sometimes I'm afraid when I pass my reflection in the mirror because I think I saw my dad. It's true that I've been confused for a man many times in my life. One time, I was even at a fancy restaurant, dolled up in a sexy black dress, which did nothing to prevent the waiter from repeatedly calling me "Sir." I look like my dad with longer hair, from the highly freckled translucent skin and beady eyes to the uniquely shaped nose.


Let's be honest. I usually resent the comparison. It's not like my dad is George Clooney and I am Georgettte. Actually, my dad looks like Berle Ives. Does that make me Berlette? Shudder.

But, I've got to hand it to my dad. Until he quit smoking 10 or so years back he was a really thin and trim guy. Some may have even criticized him for being too skinny. I suppose a very nervous personality plus 3 cups of coffee and 10 cigs a day will make you an Energizer bunny, burning off every calorie you eat.


Lucky for me I didn't need the coffee or cigs to have the slender figure I took pride in for 28 years. I have always been the skinny girl and not once did I worry about what I ate and how it impacted my weight. I'd laugh when my mom told me she weighed what I did as a 15-year-old when she was 8. I wore bikinis, ran with just a sports bra and shorts. I could see my toes when I looked down in the shower.


Then I had a baby and everything seemed to change. Or so I thought. It's been a couple of years now and I still have a post-baby belly, a soft chin and a wide ass, but I chalk some of it up to getting older as much as being heavier. I'm back into my skinny genes. And my skinny jeans. So, I guess that makes me back to being the bitchy girl with no sympathy for anyone else.


What I'm trying to get at is this: I was surfing the web last night and came across OMG's massacre of Jessica Simpson, who has gained some weight since her Daisy Duke days. And I laughed. I laughed at her chubby arms and big butt. Then, I felt like a jerk. In reality, Jess, in her new curvy body, probably only weighs 140. Well, what if I put on that outfit and had someone take a picture looking up at me and my ass? Not to mention, Jess is gorgeous and does not resemble Berle Ives in any way.


A friend recently told me she did not want to go to a high school friend's wedding because she's gained weight and didn't want people to see her in her current body. My reaction was sadness for her and support. To me, she is beautiful and I think she has a great body. I also respect that she wants to lose weight and misses her teenage body. How can I one day be angry that people would judge us based on our looks and the next day join in at poking fun at a person I don't even know?


I missed going to the gym this morning, am packing down Pringles and sitting in my pajamas. And I am ME and I am OK. And so are YOU. And so is JESSICA SIMPSON.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Facebook Reality Check

I am a big facebook user. No, I don't play Farmville or Candy Crush Saga but I spend at least 15 minutes on the site daily. I have read many articles about how facebook kills one's self esteem because people use the site to boast and brag about their awesome lives, which in turn makes others feel badly about their own. We all know that facebook is a slice of one's life or maybe a projection of the life they want to live. Anybody who isn't a fool should realize that. As a frequent facebooker and hardcore extrovert, with a lack of a strong filter, I find this whole situation to be a dilemma. What is worse, reading about someone's awesome day and seeing a picture of how fabulous they looked during their awesome day, or reading about their terrible day, looking at angry political memes, or rants about the bad customer service they received? Do you want to read about how someone had the best night ever with their bestest buds (you not included) or that they have been ...
1 comment
Read more

TomKat or AndMel?

Over the weekend I had "my hour". Sixty whole minutes at the gym including 30 on the new treadmill and the latest In Style magazine to read while I sweat it out to my itunes. I happily flipped and thumped along, checking out the latest hand bags and arm cuffs until I got to an article about Katie Holmes. I had to flip back and forth several times to admire one of my favorite Hollywood pieces of eye candy. How can she and I have children almost the same age and she can look like that and have run a marathon this year? No matter what we all tell ourselves about celebs, we still envy them or just can't help but stare at their image in a magazine and read all about how they've found themselves via religion, rehab or marriage to Tom Cruise. My favorite part of the article was Katie recalling Suri's birth story. She says something about how supportive Tom was by placing candles and picture frames around the room. That's helpful? If Andy was lighting candles during ...
Post a Comment
Read more

LAX

Some people may think that Andy and I are "lax" parents. Our house isn't a free range farm by any means, although just throwing food on the ground, and letting the kids wander around and pick it up when they are hungry, sounds pretty enticing. It's true that we aren't the strictest parents and that, regularly, there is mutiny on the bounty and we are held hostage by little pirate people. The drill sergeant in our house is 3 feet tall and belts outs commands like, "Get me a drink!", "Turn on Netflix!", or "You will not wash my hair!" while wearing only a pullup, squinting her eyes, and pointing an accusatory finger in our direction. Our kids are often in charge. I'm not going to lie to you. The dog may also be in charge from time to time. That's just the way it goes. As more and more of our peers have a third child, we are, unfortunately, asked if we, too, plan to expand. Are these people insane in the membrane? Have they been...
2 comments
Read more