Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man

Right now I'm reading a book by Steve Harvey called "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man". The book's main focus is on relationships but he actually makes some really good points along the lines of respecting yourself and on self concept.

His number one rule is "Protect the cookie". In order to get and keep a respectable man a woman should always protect her cookie. It is ultimately our decision as to what will and will not happen in a relationship and we should demand that it be so. Too many women are willing to take the backseat while their man makes all of the decisions (such as where to go, what to do, and when he gets the cookie). Don't get me wrong, I am horrible at decision making so sometimes I prefer that Timothy make all of them. But if he decides on something that I really don't want to do, I let him know and we choose another thing to do. By protecting your cookie, you are letting your man know that you demand respect from him. A man will not respect a woman who immediately gives up the cookie. Get his respect, get his love, get a ring, get a dress, get married, and then give up the cookie.

The cookie bit had me rolling in the floor, but one of his quotes really stuck with me. He says, "...all of you possess a great beauty all your own, and only Halle can look like Halle, and only Beyonce can look like Beyonce". This was a light bulb moment for me. When I read it I thought, duh! Why didn't I ever think of that? Women as a whole generally have a low self concept. We look in the mirror and our minds automatically add 20 pounds of nonexistent fat whereas a man can look in the mirror and add 20 pounds of nonexistent muscle and sculptedness. What's up with that?

The average woman in America wears a size 14. All of the magazine adds, the commercials, the movies, even the book covers--where are the big girls? Where are those size 14 women? And I would LOVE to know why the largest size pants I found today in Sears, Dillard's, J.C. Penney's, Belk, and Old Navy were a size 18. The "plus sizes" can only be ordered online. What the heck? And don't even get me started on Victoria's Secret panties. I love panties. Ever since I met Whitney, I've loved to go panty shopping. And I say that in the straightest way possible. While I was in Bath and Body Works, deciding what kind of cookies I would like to drown my sorrows in, the sales girl told me about Lane Bryant. I went in, and I almost cried. They had my size (which shall remain numberless at this point in time) in every single thing there! For the first time in YEARS I was excited to try on clothes and to look at myself in the mirror. I got a pair of pants, three shirts, two bras, and eight pairs of panties. So there, Victoria's Secret!

The whole point of this completely random blog was that I learned something today. I learned that I shouldn't compare myself to the models in my magazines and to the actresses on my favorite shows. I'm loud, I'm fun, I'm smart, and I'm a tad bit crazy. I'm also wonderfully made. My body will never fit my idea of perfection because I'm not made to be what is considered perfect. However, I need to fix myself so that I can be healthy. And I'd like to wear a bikini. It is most definitely a lot easier to tell you about my epiphany over Steve's quote than to actually 100% believe it, but I'm working on it.

Today's weight: 264.7