July 15, 2009

Weigh-in Wednesday - Bikini Season

I'm in a weird mood today. Partly sad because I saw my sister, BIL, niece and nephew yesterday and I'm always sad when its time for them to come home. Partly because I'm not sure where I'm heading in this weight loss. Each week I try to decide if I'm going to give up, and start my maintenance process or try to push myself harder for my goal.

Each week I decide to push myself, only to get to the weekend and not have any motivation. I'm a pant size 6, isn't that good enough?

Then this weekend I went to a water park (blog with pictures to come tomorrow hopefully) and came to the realization that beside the 14 and under crowd I had one of the better bodies in the park. There are two reasons behind this:

1. There were no early twenty-somethings there.
2. I have been blessed with a good body that, with a little work, doesn't look half bad.

It reminded me of an article I read in Marie Claire last May - the Size 8 author talking about how she was past her bikini prime. It stirred me up so much, that I wrote a letter to the editor. Of course it didn't get published (instead a response to the article praising them was). I wanted to share it with you guys.

Good afternoon,

Last night I was catching up on my reading and picked up this month’s issue with Heidi Klum on the cover. I was a tad concerned to see her referred to as a “curvy” model. I suppose that term is relative but were she a “real woman” she would be considered skinny. My real concern, however, was the article about the “non-bikini bod”. I really upset me to see someone who is my size talking about being two donuts away from being in the double digits, however the article did get worse. A size 8 the path to obesity?? Please, someone needs to get a grip. This author needs some serious self-image counseling and the person that decided to run the article isn’t very far behind.

I realize that the fashion world is not the real world. Take for example the “plus size” winner of America’s Next Top Model who is a size 8-10. Can you imagine what would happen if I took my size 8 rear into Lane Bryant? I subscribed to your magazine because you sell yourself as better than those superficial magazines who just focus on hair, makeup, and fashion tips. But it appears that you, too, are so deep into the body conscious world of fashion and, however subtlety, are putting those same societal body issues on the women of America.

I have enough issues on my own, I don’t need yours too.

Brooke

PS – I think I look pretty d*mn good in a bikini, so thanks for the advice, but I’ll go ahead and pass on that skirted suit.
]

All of the confidence in the email was artificial of course, but I'm growing into it.

Here's a question for ya - does the fact that I'm now a size smaller, still trying to lose 5 or 6 pounds mean that I'm buying into that crap that they're selling?

Okay on to the weigh-in.

Challenge start: 133
Last week: 130.8
This week: 131.2

Hope on over to the Sisterhood and let everyone know how you did this week.

15 comments:

  1. OH GIRL!!! we are soooo together on this issue!! I am in the 'normal/healthy' range but just not comfortable w/my body. being a recovering (forever) anorexic these articles P*ss me off!! I would love to be comfortable in my skin someday!!

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  2. Great post. I am a skirted tankini wearing (more swim shorts than skirts). This body is not up to a bikini any more. Sad to say. You are doing great on your challenge - keep it up!

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  3. Awesome job with being a size 6!!! Everyone is built differently, so don't be hard on yourself...sizes really don't mean much as long as you feel confident in your body. You are doing awesome!

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  4. Good for you girl! Not for the weigh in-but for sticking up for us truely curvy women.

    Maybe you just need to tone up and lose inches...seems like the scale is where it maybe should be. Doesn't mean we like it, but maybe that's your happy place and you need to figure how to mold your body around that number.

    Keep up the spunk girl!

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  5. Good for you, sending them that letter. You're so right. It is terribly hard to accept that our bodies are not "model" bodies, even when we are already a HEALTHY size and weight because we ARE constantly bombarded by messages like the one in your magazine that a size 8 is borderline obese. Geez. I know American and Canadian size labels are different and I'm not sure by how much, but even if that translates to our size 11-12, that isn't anywhere close to obese.

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  6. HAHA!! LOVE that letter! Grrr...a size 8 is obese?!!! Dang, then let me start eating lettuce for each meal. I don't feel obese, that's for sure!!! AND I'm not going to keep from eating pizza once a week and stop eating 300-calorie meals just to be a size 2 or whatever. I'd rather eat than be that skinny!

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  7. I love that you spoke up on the article!! That is one reason I dont look at those magazines!

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  8. Don't you just love the media. Your letter was great. :)

    As far as your question about the last five pounds. I don't think you're necessarily buying into the media hype but it's a good thing to keep in the back of your mind when you're looking at your weight goals.

    There's nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy and sometimes that last five pounds can make all the difference. :)

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  9. LOVE! LOVE LOVE the strongly worded letter! I am a BIG fan of strongly worded letters, especially this one! Kudos to YOU! Oh the pressure to be as skinny as my pinky. It just kills me. I stopped looking at the fashion world long ago. The one thing I learned on this journey is that I am what I am. I want to lose weight to be healthy and maybe even one day, competitive. Not because of other people's standards. And besides only 1% of the population actually becomes a supermodel. The rest of us just are who we are, and without the airbrushing. I think it will always make me mad that they "represent" us. The real women.

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  10. Brooke,
    I am SOOOOO proud of you for writing that letter to the editor. Even though it didn't get published, I think it makes an excellent point. Seriously, plus size is 8-10 these days? Ugh. Embrace your bikini wearing bod, but if you're not satisfied with where you are, keep working, girl. No matter what anyone says.

    YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

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  11. I don't think I have ever had a bikini body. My serious problem area is my tummy. But I think skirted suits can be cute. I bought this one and love, love, love it! Some may call it a grandma suit but, if I'm more comfortable, I can have much more fun. Screw the models and the media!!

    http://www.newport-news.com/shop/product_single.aspx?style_id=36061228&index=15&gp_coll_id=2012&gp_cat_id=7505&nav_cat_id=7509&category_id=4893

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  12. Brooke, I love you so much right now! I don't think that confidence is fake at all. You were REAL and they need to get real!

    You're awesome!

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  13. Great letter and I think they should have published it!

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  14. I totally understand. I think it's absurd that the media is teaching our youth that it's not okay to be themselves - that they need to look better. At the same time, my size 8-ish frame pisses me off. I was so skinny in high school, people used to ask if I was anorexic (which I wasn't - I just had a killer metabolism that I couldn't keep up with). I saw myself as too skinny for many years. Then I got to a size I liked. Then, suddenly my metabloism hit a stand-still and I gained 15 pounds. How did this happen?

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  15. I LOVE your letter to Marie Claire!!! Go girl, preach it! :) Visiting you for the first time from the SITSterhood!

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what up yo?