Sunday, 29 April 2012

On being 'pretty'

Sunday, 29 April 2012
Image sourced from http://warmingglow.uproxx.com
For some people, being pretty comes naturally. They know, whether through years of practice or innate knowledge, how to look great all the time. There is always time in their schedules for regular beauty appointments, spray tans, getting their hair done etc. Accessories always match their outfits - which have an appearance of effortless ease. It's not about being good looking, it's about looking put together.


I am not one of these people. Wondering however if I could learn to be. In this vein (in this vain??), I'm wondering about whether or not I should relaunch my 'Babe Restoration Project'. It's broader than losing weight and getting fit. It's about looking after my body properly and learning how to identify my body as a part of me. It may seem strange, but I am so disconnected from my body. I ignore it most of the time, when I'm not actively exercising.

My wardrobe is evidence of this. I have a massive pile of clothes that do not fit me. I either wore them when I was smaller, or bought them with the intention of shrinking into them 'soon'. There are clothes in my wardrobe ranging from size 12 through to 20. As clothes start to feel uncomfortable rather than taking the effort to exercise and make them feel more comfortable, I just buy the next size (or two) up.

My insane collection of too small clothes.

This picture is all of the clothes currently in my possession that do not fit me at this point in time. Pardon my language, but it's *$@!ing  ridiculous. I have some beautiful favourites in there - a black with red pin-striped wiggle skirt, the dark red leather jacket and a brown suede jacket.  Amusingly, there are also a number of sports tops in there. Too tight to wear in public. I feel like a sausage.

These clothes have now been ruthlessly sorted. Anything that's a bit tired looking, stained or I really couldn't bring myself to wear even when I do fit back into - has been bagged up and is ready to go be donated to charity. The remaining clothes have been sorted by how much weight I think I need to lose to fit (back) into them. Anything that's in the less than 10 k has gone back into the wardrobe; anything that's about 17 + into a suitcase on top of my wardrobe. the clothes in between are in an easily accessible and transparent storage box - to keep me motivated. I do not want to buy any more new clothes for some time.

My diet is back to 90% healthy - thanks to the constant supply of lite n easy meals. The other 10% is still a concern. Eating out, I don't make the best choices. I still bring unhealthy food home and I'm 'cheating' (by underestimating calories) in my food diary.

Exercise is currently limited to balance and ab work. That *&%!ing ankle of mine has been aching constantly since Thursday morning. I'm going to assume the sudden cold snap and rain have been affecting it - but if it's not feeling better in the next couple of days I will head to the physio.

Not that you would know if you looked at me right now, but I'm starting to make more of an effort be be 'pretty'. Plan outfits. Do my hair and nails properly. Skin care routines morning AND night. It's an effort at the moment. Hopefully it will become easier in time.

Any other tips for 'being pretty'?

1 comment:

ysabet said...

This.is going to seem weird but - you strike me as being good at prettifying. it is possible I'm at an extreme, though. The closest I get is clothes that are hard to mismatch. I'll be cheering you on, though!