One Skirt, Two Body-Types, & A Big SHUT-IT to Your Inner Bully

Style Inclusive – Part Two

Welcome to the second installment of Style Inclusive, a body-confidence series created to spread the message that each body is worthy to be seen as beautiful, no matter what that body looks like. We want you to stop chasing perfection and quiet your inner bully. You can find contentment with your body right now. It’s a tall order, but we hope that by seeing our two different bodies wearing the same outfit will help you get closer to getting dressed with JOY.

If you missed it, read the first Style Inclusive Post.

And this week we’re both styling a cozy, sweater pencil skirt from Anthropologie. It’s honestly like putting on a hug. Is it weird that’s it’s around your booty? You’ll have to try it on and tell me. 😉

Don’t want to miss the next Size-Inclusive Post? Subscribe here to be notified of new posts…

Meet Angie

Who’s we? I realized that in the first Style Inclusive I didn’t properly introduce you to Angie, of Act Your Style. I’m losing it. So Friends, meet Angie. We have so much in common.

She’s a married mom to three boys. Yeah, another boy-mom. We both love music, have led worship and our dads were both pastors. And this isn’t even what drew us to each other! Angie and I have the same mission, and that’s to help women see that their value isn’t in their outer package.

We both want you to get that and that’s why we’re doing this series! But we realize it’s a big ask. Especially in our current digital era and the amount of time we spend looking at the “beautiful people”.  But, Girl, you can dress your body with beauty, confidence, and joy because you ARE one of the “beautiful people“.

So Enough Already – Your Inner Bully is on Over-Drive

Stop punishing yourself. PLEASE. Please stop punishing yourself for being you, with your perceived imperfect body and so-called flaws. I KNOW It’s not easy, but let’s tell our inner bully to “Shut-up”. ⁣And guess what? No matter what our age, size, or shape, we have all thought negative things about ourselves at one time or another.⁣

No thigh gap? “I’m so ugly”⁣

Stretch marks? “I’m a freak”⁣

Extra weight? “I’ll never be beautiful”⁣

Cellulite? “So gross”

Saggy tummy? “I’ll never be sexy again.”

They’re lies, lies I tell ya! And you’ve bought into the LIES. You’ve believed them for far too long. And you’ve punished yourself for nearly your entire life. ⁣

Stop Believing a Fickle Society’s Standard ⁣

When does it stop? When you’re “perfect” by societal standards?

That’s not ever going to happen. Never. ⁣⁣

Society is too weak and too frail to keep the same standards forever. Just look back at old photos of yourself and the “cool” hair and makeup trends of the day. That’ll tell you something about how standards of beauty change. So if they are your roadmap, ball it up and throw it away. Hook up to a better GPS (God’s Perfection Standards). ⁣

You might also be interested in Learning Body Positivity from a Dog (This is a post where you can jump into my crazy brain and see how I think. But, I think it’s pretty brilliant.) 😉

Believe Your Creator Instead⁣

What if I told you that when you know Jesus, you already EXIST IN HIS PERFECTION. You exist from a place of beauty, simply because you are His and He made you. ⁣

Quiet Your Inner Bully for the Happiest Life⁣

It is HARD work to reverse this type of inner-bully thinking. H-A-R-D because we’ve been programmed by images that portray “perfect”, tight bodies with perky boobs, rock hard abs, and trim physiques as the ideal. What’s more disturbing than epitomizing those images as physical perfection, is that we begin to believe (and are possibly being told)  that that’s what happiness and joy look like. 

But Girlfriend, let me tell you emphatically – IT’S NOT! And we owe it to ourselves and woman-kind to stop trash-talking ourselves. Self-bullying is a two-edged sword because while we’re becoming overly critical of ourselves, we’re making other women feel bad about themselves too. 

Think about it. If I’m talking about how much I hate my bootyliciousness around someone who longs to have curves, she becomes even more self-conscious of her perceived lack or vice-versa.

Shut that Inner-Bully Up – Just Do It! 

So, let’s agree to quiet our inner bully for each other, ok? Let’s do it for our husbands. Let’s do it for our daughters and sons.  And yes, let’s even do it for ourselves. ⁣

I know it’s a struggle. Looking in the mirror doesn’t get any easier these days. But, what if we looked into the mirror and said, “You’re pretty stinkin’ awesome!” Because we are!

Can you tell me one thing you love about yourself? Mine would probably be my smile. 🙂

HUGS,

---

Shop this Outfit