Those pesky resolutions...

It's the month of January, and with the new year come resolutions. And I have to say, they're everywhere. I don't like resolutions, because I hate the guilt and stress that come with them, but I do try to make each year a little different and better than the last. The biggest resolution I see around me, which I suppose should be obvious, is weight loss. I think it's really awesome that people are into weight loss, getting healthy, and the like. It is hard to stomach when your friends on Pinterest are posting a ton about work out routines with scantily-clad women that are incredibly built, but unbelievably toned/flawless/etc. (or they make you feel guilty about how lazy you may or may not be like this one).

There's another fad going on right now as well...a picture that I've seen on facebook and pinterest. It shows models in bikinis side by side with women (including Marilyn Monroe) from the 50s in swimwear, usually accompanied with the caption "When did beauty go from this (50's) to this (present)?" I totally agree with this viewpoint, and it's a lot of the reason I shudder at the exercise pictures mentioned above.

I did come across a picture that touched a nerve in a completely different way.

I understand the meaning of this picture. It goes along with the idea to be healthy, but in a way that fits your body...so if you're 5'8", you probably won't fit in size 0 jeans. But here's the flip side of this...I'm naturally a size zero. I adore my size, and the fact that I'm very naturally a size zero because I'm 5 feet tall and only weigh 100 pounds. It makes shopping with friends uncomfortable because I constantly get told how I'm a "non-human" size, how silly it is that I can't find clothes that fit, or how lucky I am that I can say my clothing size without being self-conscious. I don't think less of anyone for being a size 6 or 8, and I don't think it's fair to go against people who are tiny because the media tells you that that's how you should look.

Here's the funny thing, though. You know how people say Marilyn Monroe was a size 8? I'm a size 4 or 6 in clothes from the 50s. Also, clothes had a lot less give back then than they had now. I think what makes Marilyn a style icon isn't just because she was beautiful, but because she didn't have to show her rib cage to do so. She had curves, not just breasts, but also hips, thighs, and a rather normal shaped rear.

Instead of focusing on obsessive exercise, eating tiny portions that are close to starving ourselves, and hoping to look as flawless as starving, airbrushed models, let's just be comfortable, healthy, and happy. Even if we're not all the same shape or size...because I wouldn't look good as a size 8, and I know many people who wouldn't look good as a size 0.

~~~~

Okay, my crazy views aside (and I hope anyone who reads this doesn't hate me for them), I'm ready for the sun to return to the northern hemisphere. I haven't seen said orb in a loooong time. Now that I'm not worried about the sun coming out and prematurely ending the Seattle Snowpocalypse, it can reemerge and shine lovingly on this city :D

After a week off of school (making a total of 9 days since we were last at school for a full day...and 10 for me), I am ready to get back into the groove. Yes, the snow has been great for my knitting (I finished my scarf, my hoodlet, and got a huge start on a shawl that's been needed to be made for a while), but not so great for practicing, homework or just life in general. And you know, I'm ready to leave my living room :D

I know I'm terribly irregular at updating this blog. No promises, but I'll try to do better. There's so much to say, and I'm already starting to feel as though I've gone on way too long for a blog. Until next time,

~Allie