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Showing posts with label Happiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Happiness. Show all posts
"When you feel like you don't fit in anywhere, find the people who fit you because there is no one else like you." ~ Issa Rae
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| The G6 minus Nanthale who was taking this pic (Left to right: Me, Jonquel, Fabiola, Brooke and Marlena) |
How An All-Girls Staycation Weekend Reminded Me To Be Present in the Moment
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Every day is a reminder to accept myself as I am. ~ Molly Tarlov
This year, my 47th birthday fell on a Saturday. That had to be a sign, right? The last few birthdays I spent feeling sad that my dad and brother were not here in the physical sense to celebrate with me. And I also made plans that I never followed through with.
I always want to be THAT person who hangs out with friends on my birthday or walks in on a surprise birthday party that friends organized for me. But it never happened. I learned over the years that I had to be accountable for that because I wasn't always present or put myself out there to build those relationships with others.
This year, when I mentioned that to my blogger sister Nanthale of N.E.C. Style, she came up with this wonderful idea to have a girls only staycation and do it during my birthday weekend.
I was down but nervous. It would be a group of six of us and while I had hung out with four of the other five girls in the group, I have never been one to hang out with a large group of women before and this was for two days!
But we did it and I have to say, I am very surprised at myself. This weekend was life-changing for me.
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| Nanthale, Brooke, Me, Marlena, Jonquel & Fabiola |
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| Marlena from Big City, Curvy Girl, Thin Wallet gifted me with the most amazing crown to wear during my birthday weekend. |
Day #1 kicked off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we did the #MuseumHack Badass Bitches Tour. Museum Hack offers what they call "renegade museum adventures in NYC, DC, SF, LA, and Chicago".
The tour was super dope and our guide Sara was the best. We learned that only 6% of the art in the museum was created by women (I know, damn!) and we also learned more about fun things like vaginas and how bootys were considered magical.
Seriously, I loved this tour because it was a feminist's dream. It was inspiring, empowering and very eye-opening. There are so many women like Audrey Munson (America's first Supermodel), who changed history and are still not given major recognition.
It was a great way to see the Met from a different point of view. We also had a blast from mirrored ceilings in the elevators to taking fun pictures and laughing a lot.
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| Us posting with Sara, our awesome tour guide (lower left) |
We also met Lilith, Adam's first wife before Eve, who became a demon who steals babies in the darkness. Yeah, it was creepy. Sara said that the statue is moved periodically along the wall so it never stays in one place.
I highly recommend doing this tour if you're interested in learning more about the history of women in art and female artists.
Best part of the tour was when Sara asked Brooke what her name was for the name tag and she said "Cardi" as in Cardi B. LOL!
Plus, Sara also works at The Meatball Shop location on 76th St and 2nd Avenue and she told us to stop by with our name tags and we'd get a free ice sandwich, which we did. Fresh baked cookies and in-house made ice cream... yes, please!
We ended the day with dinner and a movie at iPic Theaters in downtown Manhattan at Fulton Market. We thought it was fitting to see Girls Trip. I had never been to a theater that had pod seating and was a bit scared I wouldn't fit but I did and it was super comfortable!
I decided to go full-on cute and comfy for my birthday, wearing this amazing Chelsea Studio Smocked Knit Dress from Woman Within via fullbeauty.com. I ended up wearing my Adidas sneakers after the museum tour because my feet were killing me but it was so worth it.
Special thanks to fullbeauty for the pretty birthday dress and to the Met for the tour as well as the ice cream sandwich at The Meatball Shop. I had such an amazing time and it showed me that I can be present in a group of women and be myself. That's the most magical gift I received on my birthday.
Stay tuned for Day #2 of this All-Girls Staycation Weekend to come on the blog on Saturday!
Want to hear more about this magical day? Click on the links below to read about it on Nanthale's, Marlena's and Brooke's blogs:
Fabiola: #BloggerBooStaycation Part 1
Jonquel: Girl Staycation Weekend! Day 1
You can shop my dress here at fullbeauty.com.
Year 47 is looking to be amazing so far!
"Women who support other women are confident, generous visionaries." ~ Mariela Dabbah
When Alysse from Ready to Stare and I planned our LA trip, we had such #tripgoals that involved many blogger meet-ups and fun nights out on the town.
Unfortunately, it did not go as planned with our jam-packed schedule but we quickly realized that we had each other and that's what counts. We also connected unexpectedly with so many amazing women that had us feeling so empowered. Our tribe is one that is magical and so amazing.
And sometimes when things don't go as planned, that's when the most awesome things happen.
One of those amazing women we connected with is Anaheim-based blogger Veronica of Cid Style File who gave us a mini tour of Anaheim and had dinner with us at the Anaheim Packing District on that Saturday night.
Veronica was my +1 to the Torrid Pool Party earlier that day and I haven't seen her in years so it was a great opportunity to see her hood and also connect her with Alysse. That's how tribes grow and strengthen. And when it comes to plus size women, tribes are truly important because they are safe places where we are accepted unconditionally and don't always feel like we're the only big girl in the room. Veronica blogged about this herself here.
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| Veronica and I |
Veronica is such a sweetheart and she and Alysse hit it off quickly. For dinner, we knew we wanted to be comfortable and wear effortless looks that are chic but fun. The weather was a bit chilly while we were there so I opted for a maxi dress and strappy wedge sandals, both from Lane Bryant.
Alysse opted for an LBD with a twist. The crochet ruffle hem was so cute and girly!
You can definitely see our style aesthetics in our dress choices but also where we dared to venture out of our comfort zones. The tie-dye print of the maxi dress made me pause for a minute because I thought maybe the print wouldn't look good on me and I usually wear flats. Alysse's dress was a little longer than her usual and a bit more conservative than what she usually wears. But I love how she made it her own with the choice of her sandal and statement necklace, all from Lane Bryant.
I'm so in love with this maxi dress from Lane Bryant that I actually wore it twice in LA! The second time I wore it, I paired it with some pull-on sneakers and some fun sunglasses.
The length was perfect on my 5'7" frame and it was lined, which made it even more comfortable. It was lightweight and didn't get snug when I sat down. This is a dress I will be wearing all summer. I'm wearing a size 26/28.
I can never find strappy sandals that fit my wide feet and these sandals from Lane Bryant fit with no problem and I was able to walk well in them. They were really comfortable. I'm wearing a size 9W.
Overall, this LA trip has changed my life. It has empowered me to live more fully and strive to live my best life daily. It has renewed my hope in community with the amazing tribe I became a part of there. And it has shown me that when women empower each other, we are unstoppable. My dad used to say, "No (wo)man is an island." And he is so right.
I just hope that the next city Alysse and I visit on our #bestfatlife travel series will be just as amazing. Stay tuned!
Special thanks to Veronica for taking our pics!
You can shop my look below:
Black clutch - my own
You can shop Alysse's look below:
Thank you for coming along for the ride on our blogs during this amazing experience. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see even more photos. @readytostare @fearlesslyjustme
Click here to read about Alysse's night out experience and see more of what she wore from Lane Bryant.
*This post is in collaboration with Lane Bryant but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also contains some affiliate links and I'll earn a small commission if you shop through them. This is one of the ways I can continue to bring you inspiring content. Thank you!
"There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish." —Michelle Obama
I recently visited the West Coast and it was a trip that was life-changing.
My first stop was Los Angeles, where I met up with my friend Alysse of the blog Ready to Stare. We had been planning this for a bit because we both love to travel and think it is an empowering thing to see two plus size women traveling together and having an amazing time. And that we did!
For me personally, this trip held a lot of firsts for me; one of those being wearing a two piece swimsuit on the beach IN PUBLIC and also having a photographer shoot me in that moment.
I was terrified because not only have I NOT worn a two-piece in public since I was 12 but I also have a fear of being too close to the ocean. I don't swim and after my Superstorm Sandy experience a few years ago, I love the ocean from afar.
But Alysse was with me and seeing her so comfortable in her two-piece, walking in the sand towards the ocean made me think, hey, I can do it! So I pushed forward as the anxiety within me grew. Once we were at the ocean line, I wanted to cry but I kept telling myself that I can do this. Seeing Alysse having fun in the ocean helped me so much in pushing forward.
The ocean kept rolling in and I kept thinking, oh gosh, please don't let me fall in. And it was then in that moment, Alysse showed up at my side. As we took pics together, I started to feel better, even laughing!
Photographer Rob Eves and his wife, stylist Kat Eves of Style Ethic were also amazing. Supportive and kind, they both directed me in a way that made me feel safe, confident and strong.
If you're in the LA area and looking to work with a photographer/stylist duo (or one or the other), you should definitely contact them. They both are body positive and believe in beauty in all sizes.
It also helped that I was wearing a swimsuit that fit me well. I needed a top that provided the girls with nice support and a bottom that had a skirt where I didn't show off too much. For me, modesty is a factor as I am careful with how much skin I show publicly because of my nieces and my mom.
This Longline Bikini Top from Lane Bryant has a built-in balconette bra and when I put it on, not only was I in love with the pretty marble print, but the support was amazing. It was so amazing in fact, that I ended up wearing it as a bra later that night on my flight to San Francisco, under my top. For reference, I am wearing a 46DD.
I think what I was most proud of myself during that shoot on the beach was that I didn't let anything stop me from finishing it up and doing so with a smile on my face. There were so many things going on around us that could have stopped me from standing there in my swimsuit on the beach. There was a thin model shooting on the beach near us in a two-piece. An audience grew on the pier as we continued shooting with people staring at us. People on the beach looked and stared.
Surprisingly, it didn't bother me because I didn't let it. And I was surprised at myself because this was new to me... that feeling of not caring what people were doing or thinking. Sure, I am confident but this was me in a two-piece swimsuit! It felt like I had come full circle in how I choose to let what others think of me, affect how I feel about myself.
When I asked Alysse to tell me how she felt that day in a quote for this post, she said:
"I knew going into this shoot with Marcy that swimwear was new to her and I was excited and honored to have the opportunity to share this moment with her. There's a lot of emotions that get tied to plus size swimwear. As fat women, society makes it quite clear that our bodies aren't 'bikini bodies'. Overcoming these past messages about my body and finally just putting on a bikini was a huge step in my own self love journey. It's a big middle finger to everyone who tries to police plus bodies. As Marcy and I stood on that beach, onlookers stared down on us from the pier. There was a straight size model shooting a bikini in the same exact spot. All of that could have scared Marcy away. It could have made her say, maybe next time but she didn't. On that beach, she embodied her blog name and she was truly fearless. I was in awe."
WOW! I'm telling you, when women empower and support each other, magical things can happen. And this day was indeed magical.
For some plus size women, it's easy for them to put on a bikini and go. And I applaud them for that. But for those who have a harder time, I see you and just know that it's okay to feel that way, as long as you don't let that stop you from living your best life. That day, I decided to live my best life and I hope that inspires you to do the same.
#ThisBody is made to live fully!
Special thanks to Rob and Kat Eves for documenting our magical moments on the beach on film and making us feel safe and supported throughout the process. Click here to see more of Rob's work and to contact him directly.
And special thanks to Alysse for being a great friend who supports me 100%. As plus size bloggers, it is so important for us to support one another and empower each other to be the best we can be in this industry and community.
You can shop my look below:
Drawstring Swim Skirt, Sizes 16 - 28
Knit Open-Front Cover Up, Sizes 14/16 - 26/28
You can shop Alysse's look below:
Eyelet Stripe Off-the-Shoulder Bikini Top, Sizes 36 - 46, cups C - G
Eyelet Strip Mid-Waist Swim Brief, Sizes 14 - 28
Cover Up with Fringe Hem, Sizes 14/20 and 22/28
Stay tuned to our blogs for more of our California adventures! And don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see even more photos. @readytostare @fearlesslyjustme
Click here to read about Alysse's beach experience and see what she wore from Lane Bryant.
*This post is in collaboration with Lane Bryant but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also contains some affiliate links and I'll earn a small commission if you shop through them. This is one of the ways I can continue to bring you inspiring content. Thank you!
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