My First Friend Friday

Oohhh...I'm excited!  The more I am exposed to the blogging world, the more I feel like I'm a "blogger"!  So, with that being said, I am taking another step into this new world of mine and participating in the ever-popular "Friend Friday"!  Will you be my friend?

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1. Since you started blogging has your image of yourself changed?
Not really.  I've had a pretty healthy body image for quite some time now.  I try to not consider the things that I would change about myself as "flaws", but rather as unique features that I need to learn to (temporarily or otherwise) work with.  Sometimes I still get caught up in obsessing about those things, but once I realize how seriously time consuming (and potentially unhealthy) it is to focus on and b**** and moan about a body part or something that I don't like, I decide to try to accept and accomodate it until I am ready to actually enforce a solution to fix the "problem" (i.e. work out, eat better, etc.).
Was that too wordy?  Sorry about that.

2. Are you self-conscious about any aspect of yourself? If so, do you go out of your way to avoid it or do you post it/talk about it anyway?
Again, this is where the "obsession" thing can become really unhealthy.  But to be honest, the one thing that I'm most self-concious about is...my mouth.  I've always had, er, full lips, big teeth, and a huge smile.  I am almost always (ridiculously) aware of the way my mouth may look from various angles as well as in relation to whom I am speaking, which, to use the word again, is ridiculous.  I've now gotten to the point where I have accepted my mouth as one of my unique features.  It's part of my package. (Although I still wouldn't mind getting braces!)

3. Based on how you are feeling now, what do you think the future holds in the evolution of your body image?
Well, my image of my body has already evolved in the past four years.  After having P, things definitely changed.  Now, I'm okay with the little pudginess around my waistline, having a fuller face, and not being as fit and toned as I was in my 20s. 

4. Do you photograph yourself for your blog? If so, how do you feel about the experience when you’re having your picture taken?
I seriously considered posting pics on my blog with my head cropped off (see #2 for an explanation), but I thought that would be too impersonal.  If I were to meet any of you in real life, there actually would  be a head on the end of my neck, so why try to hide it?

5. What would you want every person who struggles with body image to take to heart?
I really believe that a large part of people's negative perceptions of their body (regardless of the sizing number that is on a tag) has a lot to do with how they dress their current size and shape.  If changes were made to the cut, fit, and even shape of the pieces, one could easily see his or her body transform (for the better) right before their eyes.  Before someone considers losing "ten pounds" to look the way they did "ten years" ago, maybe they should take the money that would be spent on diet aids and invest in wardrobe pieces that accentuate the body that they have now.

Thanks for reading and thank you to Modly Chic for hosting Friend Fridays!
Have a fabulous weekend!