Ever wonder why we feel dissatisfied with our bodies?

I spent some time yesterday evening with the lovely ladies who have been following a Mindful Eating course led by the incredible Lisa Beasley (please check out her website  for forthcoming taster sessions and workshops)

We talked about the relationship we have with our bodies and I think it’s fair to say that every single woman in the room (me included) had some sensitivities about her physical form.

One of the reasons we can have a bit of a downer on our bodies is because we are bombarded with highly unrealistic images every single day. We naturally draw comparisons, and guess what…..we don’t look anything like the images we’re presented with.

And it starts young too. Think back to a time where you may have had a Barbie doll.

Did you know that if Barbie was a real woman she'd be forced to walk on all fours and would be physically incapable of lifting her head?

I knew she was super slim, but I hadn’t ever realised just how out of whack her proportions were.

For example, if we scaled the doll up into real life proportions, Barbie's head would be two inches larger than the average woman's while resting on a neck twice as long and six inches thinner!

Image courtesy of Mail Online

From these measurements, it is thought it would be impossible for her to lift up her own head.
Her 16-inch waist would also be four inches thinner than her oversized head, leaving room for only half a liver and a few inches of intestine.

Her fragile 3.5 inch wrists would mean she actually couldn’t lift anything heavy and her 6-inch ankles simply could not hold up her body.

Now I know it’s only a doll, but it sends a message to the child playing with it that this is what a real woman looks like.  The reality is, it is NOWHERE near what a real woman looks like. Add in all the highly photoshopped images the glossy magazines present us with day in day out and our expectations of the female physical form are seriously skewed. 

So before you beat yourself up, please remember that most of what you see in the media is completely fictional. It is NOT real life. YOU are real life and your body is beautiful just the way it is x

In need of a confidence boost? I might have just the thing for you!

One of the reasons I set up my business was because I witnessed women losing their confidence over the years and I wanted to help give some back. I can say this from a position of authority as I was one of those women. The type that had a career, a great social life and didn't think twice about spending time and money on myself. 

Then babies happened. My world changed overnight. Post natal depression kicked in, I felt isolated, incompetent as a mother and over time, I slowly lost my identity. 

My self esteem took a nose dive, my body took a battering and as a result I morphed into the background. My son didn't sleep through the night until he started primary school and I gave birth to another baby in his first term. So just as I had one successful sleeper, another round of sleepless nights began.....

You will be hard pressed to find ANY photos of me at this stage of my life. I really didn't like what I saw and to some extent, I gave up. I was in survival mode and when you're there you just don't have the capacity for anything else.

But slowly things got better, the children became older, I got some sleep and I began my second career as a stylist to enable me to work around their needs.

And that is where the magic happened. My love of colour and clothes returned. The excitement of buying a beautiful piece came flooding back. I got my hair cut, had my nails done and started to put myself further up the priority list. I was turning into me again and it was bloody powerful stuff!

Over time I started to rebuild my sense of self worth and noticed that instead of it being an indulgence, the whole family benefitted from my new found happiness.

So why am I telling you all this? Because over the next 12 months I'm going to be teaming up with other incredible business women whose purpose is exactly the same as mine - to help you feel better about yourself, to give you a shot of confidence and to help you see just how beautiful you are just the way you are now.

The first collaboration is super exciting as I'll be working with Janette from Beautifully You Photography. Janette creates absolutely stunning photos of women and is as passionate as I am about helping women to see their true beauty. You can check out her work here: https://www.facebook.com/beautifullywomanportraits/

For a limited period we are coming together to offer you a unique makeover package which includes: 

A style and body shape consultation

A full colour consultation and booklet of colour swatches to keep

A wardrobe edit to include an outfit building session 

A shopping list of suggested pieces to invest in

A high quality, luxury makeover photoshoot including professional hair and make up

A gorgeous 10 x 8 inch image to treasure forever

And most importantly:  A HUGE boost of confidence and much needed pick me up! All for just £399. 

So if you feel like a you're ready for a little lift, we're here for you  x

How would you like to get body confident with your clothes?

All too often I work with women who have a downer on themselves. They feel they should be taller, slimmer, have a more defined waist, have perkier boobs.... I can say this with confidence as I was like that too. For years and years I felt I wasn't good enough, until I hit my 40s and figured I could go on being unkind to myself for the rest of my life, OR, I could accept who I am and work with what I have.

And that's where a science called anthropometry comes in. Anthropometry is the measure of human form and it's something I've studied closely. Both in terms of theory, but also in reality, having had the opportunity to work with over 200 incredible women of ALL shapes and sizes.

I truly believe that all women can look fabulous regardless of age, size or budget. You just need to get to grips with what works on your body. And I mean the body you have right now, not the one you had when you were in your 20's....!

So if you'd like to understand what is going to work for you once and for all, please do come along to an hour long workshop I'm running as part of Bristol Fashion Week. It's just £20 and during our time together I will show you the key to dressing with confidence.

You can get your hands on a ticket here but be quick as places are limited for each workshop (you can choose from 1 of 3 dates).

Would love to see you there and help you achieve the look you've always wanted x