The Booty Body Dress

I just listened to a podcast about feeling great about your body. And I learned some interesting stuff. In conjunction with this booty dress, we’re chatting about some things you may not have realized about body image.

OUTFIT DETAILS:

H&M DRESS (under $20!)| STEVE MADDEN HEELS | EXPRESS TIGHTS (my fave!) | BAUBLEBAR NECKLACE | CLINIQUE LIPSTICK IN WATERMELON

OUTFIT DETAILS:

H&M DRESS (under $20!)| STEVE MADDEN HEELS | EXPRESS TIGHTS (my fave!) | BAUBLEBAR NECKLACE | CLINIQUE LIPSTICK IN WATERMELON

photos taken by Dani of Blonde In The District

The podcast is called the Chalene Show, and the episode caught my attention because it is called “How to Have A Butt You Love!!” You’ve probably seen Chalene around. She is the blonde lady who does the Cha-Lean videos for Beach Body (the same people who do P90X) and she’s a major entrepreneur and motivational speaker. I’ve been listening to her podcasts because they are funny and inspirational, but this one happened to strike a chord.

…do we ever stop to think about how our feelings towards our own bodies might affect the people around us?

I think that most women have gone through body image phases. But do we ever stop to think about how our feelings towards our own bodies might affect the people around us? Here’s what I mean. We all know that person who is totally happy with their body. It’s infectious right? They are confident and radiant, and it rubs off on us in the best way.

On the flip side, we also know that girl/guy who is super fit, but they are constantly in a crap mood about their bodies. They nitpick every single thing. No matter what you tell them, they are convinced that imperfection is their reality. Interestingly, that makes us feel self conscious. We start to think “well…if this perfect person feels badly about herself, what must they think about simple little me? Now I feel badly about myself, too.“

well…if this perfect person feels badly about herself, what must they think about simple little me? Now I feel badly about myself, too.

We rarely take the second situation and go “oh my gosh I’m so happy that I’m not as down about my body as s/he is.”

Chalene mentioned an interesting study. But don’t fall asleep because I said the word study. I swear it is interesting. Groups of women who had a conversation about their bodies ended up with those women leaving the conversation with low self esteem and more body issues. Whereas women who talked about their exercise routines ended up feeling better about their bodies! Imagine that!

Why is this interesting to me and why the heck does this topic relate to this outfit? I put on this dress and thought “is this too much booty? is my stomach flat? If I wear tights will stuff stick out like a sausage? Do I need spanx?” Welp, I wore it to an event anyway and tried my hardest to own it. After listening to the podcast, I knew that if someone paid me a compliment and I turned it down, it could make them feel horrible.

I’m a work in progress. It would be so nice to be that person who makes everyone around them feel like a goddess. I’ll admit, when I sat down to edit these photos, I thought about making the booty smaller and removing this and that roll that I am sure only I can see. But, for the record, I didn’t do it!  My body is amazing – it allows me to walk in heels for hours, lift things, carry heavy groceries. A lot of people don’t have that. I need to be thankful and appreciate what I DO have.

My body is amazing…

If you see a conversation with your friends going to a dark place, then steer the conversation to a time when you felt powerful in the gym. Bring up how you did 30 double-unders in a row or were able to nail every chatarunga in yoga. Or maybe you started a new routine you’re really excited about! Life is too damn short to be that person who makes everyone else feel icky and self conscious.

–Roxanne

p.s. – want more body motivation? Check out this post about crop tops.

Shop The Booty Dress Post:

Currently Sipping: Killer ESP fig&berry iced tea