So acceptance is a big word! right? We talk about acceptance of ourselves, our physical body, our skin tone, our hair type, our life's choices and results or even consequences of our choices. What does that really mean in our everyday life? our daily actions... I don't believe that just because we accept that we are aging that we need to "give up" on our appearance! Not wearing cute outfits or taking the time to choose my favorite pair of magic pants for the day, would be giving up and neglect of the self. I feel that self acceptance means that we respect and nurture who we are as a person on the inside but never forgetting that the physical body is just as important.
When we get up in the morning and choose an outfit for the day, wearing old worn out sweat pants will impact how you feel and perform that day but if you get up and choose a nice pair of La Dolce Vita Italian pants or a flowy pair of linen pants a cute top (never forget that lipstick) will impact your day in a more positive way. Each time you get a glimpse of your reflection in the mirror you will see a well cared for, well groomed, self respected person. That is bound to impact your performance in your day but most importantly how you feel about yourself.
We dont need to dress up for "people" or others. How often have you said Nobody is coming by today so I dont need to put on that pair of embellished magic pants with a collared linen top that I just bought, Well in saying or thinking that you call yourself "nobody" and you tell yourself that you are not important enough to wear a nice pair of Italian made pants just for your own comfort and pleasure!
Is that acceptance?
I believe that if we truly have self acceptance or want to work towards fully accepting ourselves then we need to take care of our appearance. No it is not vanity. It is purely self respect which leads to self acceptance. Fashion and cute clothes is a beautiful tool that is at our disposal, this is how we tell the world who we are. This is how we tell the world how to treat us, how to respond to us.
Accept the beautiful person that you are, that means your age your shape, your hair, your skin tone, your flaws, your charater, your gifts....the list goes on....and show yourself and others the confident self respected person that you are.
So I encourage you to use your wardrobe as a tool towards self acceptance. Wear a cute pair of joggers today, pair it with a cool v-neck T that has a little sparkle maybe add a linen scarf if its a little chilly and definitely use your genuine leather crossbody if you are out running errands. Ditch the old sweats and the stretched out of shape t-shirt, you deserve better.
Sometimes taking these baby steps and caring for our appearance in a constant repetitive way, wearing linen outfits or simply a nicely fitting t-shirt paired with a plain magic pants, gives us enough positivity that accumulates to se much more!
What will you wear today? How about a colorful maxi dress that is so comfortable but also lively in color and design....its bound to put some "color" to your day.
Lets dress up and walk that path of self respect and acceptance of who we are!
Having said all this, there is always the exception to the rule! So dont get rid of every single pair of run down sweats you own, keep one, just one for those days where you want to stay on the couch , for the days that are the exception...we all have them so you know that type of day I refer to, when the magic pants are not part of your mood and neither are linen outfits nor lipstick ;)
Be gentle be bold be magical!
Natacha.