The Self-Love Tag

Hey there lovely people!

Today I thought I would do another post sharing a little bit about myself. I will regularly do posts like this just because I think it's important that I share who I am with all of you wonderful people who take the time out of your day to read my posts. 

So without further rambling, here goes:

The Self-Love Tag

1. What does self-love mean to you?

I think it means loving and accepting yourself as you are. We all get caught up with the way we look and are often trying to change ourselves to mimic looks we see in celebrities or on catwalks and I think that we will never truly be happy in our hearts until we accept who we are and what we have.

2. What is your favourite way to pamper yourself?

This is generally something that I don't often do. I'm not a bath person so I can't do the whole bath bomb and candle thing. Generally if I'm feeling a little rubbish and wanting a little pick me up, I'll have a long relaxing shower... give myself a little facial... get some comfy lounge clothes on... and paint my nails. Obviously this will be accompanied by a generous sized glass of White Zinfandel and a bar of good chocolate.

3. What are your three favourite hobbies/pastimes that make your soul feel on fire?

Taking photographs. I am in love with photography. It's the most relaxing and rewarding hobby there is. Other than that I enjoy Swimming (which I don't often get the opportunity to do) and I really love cooking. There is nothing like watching somebody enjoy food that you have put your heart and soul into.

4. What movie always puts you in a good mood when you’re not in the greatest mood?

The Little Mermaid. Yes I'm aware I'm 28 years old and yes I'm aware that this is a Disney movie... But it is my most favourite and cherished movie of all time. What girl can say she doesn't like a little fairytale in her life???

5. Who do you trust the most in your life?

My husband. He is the one person in my whole entire world, who I can truly be myself with. I would trust him with my life.

6. What quote totally motivates you?

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again". It's one of life's most important lessons!

7. What make-up or beauty product makes you feel like a million bucks?

Red Lipstick... It always makes me feel a great no matter how light or heavy the rest of my makeup is. 

8. Do you feel comfortable with and without make-up on? Why?

Make-up is a relatively new concept to me (relatively being 3 years or so). I have always worn lip gloss and a bit of blusher over the years but I only seriously got into it when I was getting married and wanted some inspiration. For that reason I am completely comfortable with just my bare face... it's not only important to let your skin breathe but to feel comfortable with the way your face looks without all the frills.

9. What piece of advice would you give a child growing up with the pressures of today’s media and its crushing expectations?

I recently came across a little quote that says "Be who you are, not who the world wants you to be"! This is the advice I give my little sisters. I've said it before - there is nothing more important than learning to love yourself as you are, only then can you be truly happy in your heart.

10. What song puts you in a good mood every time?

Right now it is "Happy" by Pharrell Williams... it's impossible to not feel good when you hear this song... it's in the title!!!

11. Who makes you giggle like a giggle monster?

What a strangely worded question... Lol! :) In terms of real life, I have a niece and nephew who make me laugh every time I'm with them. But I have to say, Phil and Cameron on Modern Family really make me laugh out loud!!!

12. What is something about society that bugs you?

Besides from the ridiculous pressure put on young girls to be stick thin, I really hate the way the media builds people up and puts them on pedestals, and as quickly as they're up there, they drag them back down to earth with a giant thud! I know that as celebrities, their lives are susceptible to public scrutiny... but they are people, just the same as us, and I think it's unfair to treat their lives like a TV show.

13. What is one of your favourite things to do on the weekends?

Spend time with my family & take photographs.

14. What is something you’re really proud of that you've done?

Completed my Diploma in Photography. It's something that I wanted to do for the longest time and I am super proud that I actually got off my backside to do it. 

My most prized possession.

15. What advice would you give someone who needs a boost in confidence?

1. Smile as much as is humanly possible - It will automatically make you feel better. 
2. Try and make a difference in the world - If you make someone else feel good then you yourself will feel good.
3. Look at yourself in the mirror everyday and tell yourself you are beautiful - You will eventually believe your words.
4. Look after yourself - Whether its a weekly pamper session or a exercise, make sure you are healthy on the inside, so that you can always appreciate what is on the outside. 

I loved this little tag. I think it's important to get the message across that you should always have love and respect for yourself. I hope that if you read this post you realise how wonderful and important you are, and I invite you all to take part in this tag. 

Take care lovelies. x

Your idea of "Inspiration" is very different from mine!!!

Hey lovely people!

This post is the result of a recent post I had the displeasure of reading on my Facebook. The age old debate of fat vs. skinny. It angered me so much that it ended up being all I could think about.

So, the post that offended me, was basically a photograph of a fit young lady working out with the words "Work For It" written across the bottom of the photo. That's fair enough... And some would definitely find that inspirational. Some would even share the image themselves, myself included. However, the person who posted it then wrote above it "One for all you chunky ladies"... Yep... this is seriously what they wrote!!!

Livid doesn't even describe how I felt when I read that. Especially because I know for a fact that said person is in a position to heavily influence my younger sisters... beautiful young girls who already have major insecurities about their weight.

So after voicing my opinion to said person on the matter, it got me thinking... When are people going to realise that their words are hurtful? When are people going to realise that their opinions on the way a person should look are subjective? People come in all shapes and sizes and just because one small minded person thinks that women should look a certain way doesn't mean they're right!

Let me be clear, I am not a skinny or thin person. I am very aware of the fact that I am overweight. This has been a problem for years, and admittedly I am often unhappy with the way I look. However the difference between myself and the average 16 year old girl (aside from the age difference) is that I am generally quite a confident person, who over the years has let go of a lot of the insecurities I have about my weight. But not every girl has the confidence that I have. This is where the worry begins.

It worries me because I know how it affects my sisters. They often feel overwhelmed by how high the bar is set by celebrities... But the difference in that scenario is that there is a safe boundary that exists there due to the fact that technically we don't see that as "real life". You can separate yourself from the famous faces and bodies you see on TV. But when people actually connected to your life start adding the pressure by saying these things out loud and on social platforms like Facebook, I think we're in real danger of setting too high a standard on our vulnerable youngsters. Simply put, we are setting the kids of this generation up to fail... And to feel terrible about themselves as an added bonus. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not encouraging destructive lifestyles and unhealthy life choices. I do believe that we should all eat the proper foods and exercise as much as we can... But if a person falls down in either of these areas, do they deserve to be shamed because of it? 

So I will end this post with this, my opinion, which of course is a subjective one.

• I believe that everybody is a beautiful person regardless of their looks, their weight, their skin colour. If they are good people then they are beautiful people.

• I believe that people should look after themselves and should aspire to be the best version of themselves that they can.

• I believe that people like myself who are overweight should choose to the best of their ability to lead a healthy life.

• I believe that individuals who are subjected to negative narrow-minded comments from negative and narrow-minded people should simply feel sorry for those people... they have nothing better to do with their lives than bring people down and fill the world with negativity. These people are a waste of time and energy.

• Finally... and I think most importantly, I believe that people who, like myself, are sometimes unhappy with their weight (whatever weight that might be), should stand up, look in the mirror and tell themselves they are beautiful... Over and over again until they believe it. It is simply the truth!

Don't ever let anyone ever make you feel like you are anything less than amazing... 

Take care lovelies. x

P.S I just wanted to share a few photos of super sexy women, who are bigger than society would deem "average" sized... But are gorgeous and confident about who they are!