Love thy cankles, woman!

It's no great surprise to anyone that most women have some sort of body image issue. (And in the interest of full disclosure, I've been just as hard on myself as anyone, but I'm working on it!) Every day in the store it's the same thing: "my thighs/butt/hips are too big" "i hate my tummy" "my arms are so droopy I'm afraid I might actually take flight should a big gust blow through" "if my boobs get any saggier I'll be tucking them into my pants" (okay, so that last one came from me.) Still, it's the same sad story on and on ad nauseum. All I ever hear is what women hate about themselves. We need some self-love people, and we need it pronto! Oh how I long for the day when a women tries on an outfit and says either "i love the way this brings out my _____ (waist, strong arms, eyes, muscular thighs, coloring, great boobs...etc)" OR has the self confidence to say about a not so great outfit "i'm too attractive to wear something that doesn't flatter me." See what I did there? Didn't blame the body - blamed the clothes! Cause ladies...it's not your flaws perceived or real that's the problem. It may just be what you are choosing to put on. Don't fall into the trap of not shopping until you lose those 5, 10, 20 lbs. Why don't you deserve to look good now? Make the clothing work for you cause you look good (cue Billy Joel...) just the way you are. So whether you're sporting strong soleus muscles, are blessed with curves, have massive thighs like Ivan, or like me, have some extra belly that just didn't bounce back after two 45lb pregnancies, take a minute to look at yourself with love and recognize how amazing your body is. Instead of criticizing your developed leg muscles, thank them for helping you dance, ride or run. Instead of cursing your bodacious ta-ta's, remember that there are millions of women out there undergoing surgical procedures and spending thousands of dollars to have what you've got. So my belly sags a little, so what? I built two amazing little people in it, and that's pretty damn impressive. Eat well, exercise to be healthy, fit and strong and give yourself a break. And if you just can't learn to love your cankles, slap on some wide or boot leg pants, a cute little heel and strut your stuff!