Y'ALL.
I need to say this to you. To all of you.
You are not perfect. It is so okay.
If you know me, you know that I sell clothes to women. If you don't know me, well, I sell clothes to women. I am a professional salesperson. I love people, color, and fabric--not always in that order--so it is a job that suits me. I am also REALLY good at surprising people with what will look good on them and really honest when I think something doesn't suit them(I can be wrong. I'm looking at you, CZ, that polo dress).
Here's what I say when I think something looks good on a person:
"That looks great on you."
Here's what I say when I think we could find a better fit for a person:
"I think we can do better."
Both statements are true. I don't say either one unless I mean it. The funny thing is that woman always take me at face value when I tell them we can do better. They agree that something doesn't suit them. But--you know where I am going with this--they almost always ask "are you sure?" when something DOES LOOK AMAZING. It's kind of annoying.
How many times has a woman asked me "can you see how crepey, floppy, pale, loosey-goosey my arms are?" COUNTLESS.
"I was born with thick legs." I have heard this 1 BILLION times(feels like).
"If I was a pretty, young thing I could wear this." Seriously? If you don't have the confidence now, you wouldn't have had it then.
"I'm so disappointed in myself."
Ok, that's the one that makes me want to shake every. single. woman. who says it. Why are you so hard on yourself? Your figure is not up to the Mattel ideal, but that's because you are a real person, not a freak in a plastic box. You baked and it smelled so good that you ate an extra cookie(or five). You had some super fun evenings out and you ate great food with friends and family and you gained 7 pounds. You live in a house with a teenager and wine, cheese, and chocolate are truly the only things keeping you going. You had 5 kids and your stomach just can't ever go back to what it was when you were 15 and too self-conscious to appreciate it(there's another whole lesson in that). And it all happens to everyone at some time and some place because calories and gravity.
You have this body that is keeping you going, maybe not perfectly, maybe not swiftly.
If you are reading this you are alive, so that's something. Don't let a number on a tag or a scale define your worth. It doesn't matter. Do the things that make you healthy, but don't be obsessed with stretch marks, cellulite, or the elasticity of your arm skin. That's not healthy either. And because I used to sell clothes to tween girls, I can tell you that every word you say goes in their ears. They told me that their butts were too big, or they had thick ankles. And they were 8-14. That 6 years is tumultuous already, with hormones affecting everything from body hair to emotional stability. Those kids don't need to internalize your negative self image, because you and I both know how perfect they actually are. Just like their mommas.
To sum up, you are actually amazing. Everyone has something they don't like and cannot do anything about. Enjoy your life, make the choices that work for you. Finally, if I tell you something looks good on you, it looks good on you. Trust me, I'm a professional.
Love,
Corks
