Love your body!

Yesterday was national Love Your Body Day, but I didn't know until it was too late to post, as I was hella busy yesterday. I figured I should post my thoughts anyway, since this topic is near and dear to my heart.

I am currently in the middle of reading Lessons from the Fat-o-sphere: Quit Dieting and Declare a Truce with your Body by Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby. Upon explaining the subject matter, fat acceptance and loving your body, to a friend of mine, he responded "But you're not fat!" I know, I am not fat by any stretch of the imagination, unless you were to compare me to a ballet dancer or a runway model. However, body positivity is still important to me as it is important to everyone. Despite the fact that I am not fat, standing up and saying "I love my body just the way it is" is a radical choice. The media, society and even your friends and family put pressure on you to look a certain way and weigh a certain amount (especially if you're a woman.) I must recommend, no matter what size you are, check out Health at Every Size, if you're tired of people equating thinness with health, if you're tired of depriving yourself in the name of a diet, and if you're tired of exercising for fitness and exercising for vanity being considered the same thing. And how can that be surprising, since in our culture "fit" usually means "thin" by some measure?

Nobody benefits from a huge cultural lie that only a size 2 is healthy. That lets size 2 ladies off the hook for never exercising (cough, cough me in college) and ladies who will never be a size 2 aren't allowed to feel great in their bodies, even when their bodies (regardless of size) are in great shape.

I love my body. I like the way it looks, especially the parts that never get complimented by men. It's like those parts are truly mine. If a part of my body never gets complimented, my ribs for instance, then it is truly mine to love because I love it, not because somebody told me to love it.

I love focusing on what my body can do. I have found that the more I focus on my body's abilities rather than it's size (girth, height, weight) the happier I am with my body. Going for a run doesn't make me feel better because I'll lose weight or "tone up;" It feels great because no matter what size my thighs are, they have amazing abilities to carry me far and fast. I am so proud of myself for having completed the Carleton Triathlon in June. I managed to mentally and physically bring myself to the point of being able to work out for nearly four hours, despite my previous hate of running and sports.

Today, if you're feeling brave, pick a body part that you usually can't stand the look of. Check it out in the mirror and thank it for being there. This is your body. It is the one and only vehicle you have to go through life. Thank that body part that you previously wished you could get rid of. Thank it for what it does for you and why it exists within this whole wonderful machine that gives you so much. And give back to your body. Eat something that you know makes it feel great. Do a type of physical activity that puts your mind and body in perfect harmony. We can all get gloomy in this type of weather, and getting up and moving tends to help (Says the girl who is sitting in front of her computer at 12:20PM)

The more you love your body, the better you feel and even look. Good Luck!

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Name droppy side note: I went to see TJ & Dave last night, and Tracy Letts was there instead of TJ. I missed TJ, of course, but I gotta admit, it was pretty awesome. Most people won't get this, but it was awesome.

Halloween costume ideas! Mini Hats!

This year, tiny hats are big. No, not big, they're so huge, they're tiny! I didn't realize until I visited a Spirit Halloween Shop a couple days ago that tiny hats are far sexier than normal sized hats. It's not enough to wear a mini dress that vaguely resembles an iconic character, oh no. To take your sexy factor above and beyond, make sure to wear the littlest hat you can find!

Mini Cowgirl Hat!

Want to distract people from the fact that cowgirls never existed and your mini skirt is completely impractical for horseback riding? Grab this sexy tiny hat! All of the other historical inaccuracies won't be able to keep their hands off of you!

Mini Witch Hat!

With this tiny hat, you'll cast a spell over all of the douchebags who refused to put on any kind of decent costume! (ooh, you're a warewolf, but it's not a full moon, that's so fucking clever!) Willow would be proud.

Slightly Less Mini Top Hat!

If you're a little more alternative, check out this gothic slightly larger top hat! This hat exists in between the realm of a normal sized hat and a mini hat. It may actually be a baby hat or a dog hat and the web site either got confused or decided to market it to grown women anyway. Either way, this shit is hot! Snatch it up soon, because this mini-ish hat is flying off the shelves!

Happy Halloween, beeches!

Urban Adventuring! Tuesday Afternoon

On Tuesday, I went on an awesome Chicago adventure with my house guest Erica! Erica and Mira were close friends at Carleton before Erica transferred to RISD junior year. Although Erica and I were never close at Carleton, we found that we got along famously when she came for a visit this week. Don't you love when that happens?

Anyway, we decided to go exploring on Tuesday while Mira was working and before I went to work. Erica wanted to see the bean, and on the way down there, I suggested we stop in the Chicago Cultural Center. I've been meaning to go to the Chicago Cultural Center just to check it out for a while but hadn't made it there yet.

All I can say is woah! That place is incredible. Maybe I am the only one out of the loop (pun not intended, but awesome,) but I can't believe I've lived in the Chicago area for so long and I have never been here before. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The Chicago Cultural Center is located in the former Chicago Public Library, and it still feels pretty library-ish in the best way. The environment feels quiet and very calming. There are art galleries on two different floors, and everything is free free free! The first thing we saw was Project Onward, a studio and gallery for artists with developmental disabilities. Some of the art was stunning, some of the art was weird, and all of the art was inspiring.

Afterwards, we walked up the stairs to another gallery which featured different words as art. That's not the best way to explain it, but I'm not a visual art person. Just believe me, it was cool.

What followed was some fun touristy bean-looking (as well as photo-taking) and some Anthropologie window shopping, which was depressing as usual.

If you find yourself with nothing to do in downtown Chicago, you've got to hit the Chicago Cultural Center. It might not be a secret, but considering I've never been, I'm sure some of you haven't either. There's free wifi and a calming atmosphere, so if you're unemployed or underemployed like me, go on over and do your job search there, I mean, why not? After all, you can't do all of your homework at the same Starbucks every week!

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Additional grown-up note of the day: rather than spending $3 on one, I decided to attempt to make my own skim latte today. It went alright, although I don't think my steamer is working, so there was some microwave time involved...

Oh, and as an update, I got the job offer, but I am going to decline. I would not have enough time to focus on my writing, and at this point, I still have the privilege to prioritize.