#GiveIt100

I’m a bit proud of how productive I’ve been today. Maybe not productive compared to an actual, successful human being, but for me it’s not bad. I didn’t binge out of boredom (thank you Sims, for the distraction), I worked out (almost made it 2/3 of the way through an awesome pop Pilates session), wore a retainer, wanted to rip the teeth from my head because said retainer HURT LIKE HECK, and fixed a job application I MAY have messed up yesterday. Okay, did mess up. But it’s fixed, and that’s what matters!

So why today? Because I vowed to try to be a better person for 100 days. Not spiritually or morally better, mind you. But more successful. 100 days of working out, 100 days of not pigging out, 100 days of trying to make myself pretty (see retainer), and 100 days of working towards some sort of career (blogging counts). I mean, that should be plenty of time to create a bona fide habit, right?

A wonderful habit like waking up early to prepare a delicious, nutritious breakfast and Irish coffee every morning.

I was pretty much inspired by this chick. She participated in something called giveit100, only I think she’s trying to take it a step further and continue her project for a full 365 days. What’s cool is the variety of things people will dedicate 100 days to achieve. (Seriously, browsing this website is a pretty cool waste use of my time.) So, I’m planning to do something similar. Only, never one to aim for a realistic goal, I’m trying to do a bunch of things for 100 days. And I don’t think I want 100+ videos of myself doing menial tasks floating around on the internet, so I’m not going to go through the website, which asks users to upload a video daily, as cool as I think it is.

My 2014 resolutions all had a similar theme. Apparently, I want to be a trophy wife. I want to be fit, I want to be organized, I want to learn to cook, etc. Hopefully, my 100 days will help me get closer to that illusive, probably fictitious version of trophy wife (complete with a dream job) I’m hoping to become.

100 days of:
-Working out
-Eating better (or just less)
-Cleaning/organizing (even just cleaning up after myself will be an improvement)
-Taking care of my body (wearing a retainer, flossing, little stuff like that)
-Writing/blogging
-Spending quality time with the fur kid
-Finding and documenting (finally a use for Instagram!) something small that makes me happy

Something like watching my fur kid have the time of her life trying to catch water from a fountain

Learning To Play Dress Up

This summer, one of my goals was to lose weight. I have no idea how, but I’ve GAINED weight. Okay, I MIGHT be able to guess how. Anyway, that lead to a desperate, last minute trip to the store to find myself a dress for Disney.

It’s not enough that they’re picky as crap. It has to be so long. The sleeves have to be so thick. Nothing that makes you look like a hooker. Well there go all my dresses! But I also have to account for my stupid body.

After stubbornly trying on all the wrong dresses -ones that accentuated my tummy and my pear shape- I realized I needed to stop.

I truly believe with all my heart I will lose weight at Disney. Because I won’t have my parents’ delicious food to tempt me. Because I won’t be at home with nothing to do all day. (Seriously, my car’s in the shop, I’m trapped!)

But until then, I had to give in and just buy a larger dress. Because if I wore something too tight, too short, or for a younger woman, I’d look like an idiot. (Not hating on curvy ladies, but I do believe there are certain clothes that highlight the best of every body shape, and I just need to be aware of which clothes work for me now.)

You dress for the job you want. But you dress for the body you have. Only then, are you rocking your outfit.

Picture borrowed from the internet. If you made it, 1. you are awesome, 2. tell me so I can give you credit!

The Rant of a Male Sympathizer

*The following is a rant, one I hope is inspiring rather than irritating. Fair warning, I’m a woman, so I’m only assuming I know how some men feel. Enjoy!*

Has everyone seen the new (well, at least it was new to me) Dove video? One of those artists from the FBI draws women based on their perception of themselves and then someone else’s description of them, all without actually seeing them! Then all the women look at the two images and compare them. And every single time, the other person’s image was more beautiful, and more accurate, than their own.

It’s pretty sad, I teared up. You see, it really hits home for me, and I doubt I’m the only one. I honestly believe women have a lot to learn from this. But without downplaying the importance of this -experiment I guess?- I’d like to suggest something similar for men.

That’s right, I’m a male sympathizer. I’m a terribly empathetic person.

There is no denying so many women need to love themselves a little lot more, but many men do, too! Men are completely ignored on this topic. Men CAN feel bad abut themselves. Men CAN hate their bodies. Men CAN be anorexic, and calling it “manorexic” is just as toxic to men as the ‘rape culture’ is to women.

In addition to having the all too human emotion of self-doubt, and even self-loathing, men have the illusion that these feelings are feminine. That they somehow take away from a fella’s manliness.

Guess what. They don’t!

Women, if we want to stand up against culture and the status quo for ourselves, let’s not shove others down to do so.

Feminism is about equality. It’s not about dragging men down. We all deserve equal pay. We all deserve an equal shot at child custody after a divorce. ALL of us are responsible for birth control. None of us should be the victims of a ‘rape culture’. And none of us should have to suffer in silence because we’re forced to act stronger than we really are.