Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
~ Maya Angelou (taken from her book Still I Rise)
Note from Callie ~ we are ALL phenomenal women, we are all goddesses! We just need to practice the art of being ourselves and loving what we are!!
read comments (0)Destination: Natural
Posted by Callie in Beauty
If you are worried about parading on the beach this summer, please have a read of an article we wrote for Just As Beautiful magazine in April 2008 (pages 12 – 13) about natural ways to get yourself ready for sunshine exposure!
Just As Beautiful : Destination Natural, pages 12 – 13
Tell me a story about cosmetics
Posted by Callie in Beauty
We love this animated cartoon video which has just been released on NaturalNewsTV.
From Free Range Studio and “The Story of Stuff” is The Story of Cosmetics. It exposes the toxic chemicals used in everyday cosmetics and the failure of the FDA to regulate these chemicals.
Watch The Story of Cosmetics now
I would be particularly interested to hear of your thoughts after watching this 8 minute animated video ~ after all, natural beauty is what we do!
If there is any way we can ever help you to cut back on pollutants within your home (especially within you and your family’s skincare) please just get in touch …
Mirror mirror on the wall
Posted by Callie in Beauty
Our very first glimpse of ourselves is likely found in the mirror of our mother’s eyes during infancy. In her glances and later through her words and behaviors we begin to develop a psychological and physical image of ourselves.
At best, a strong and appealing self-image starts when love is reflected back at us in the gleam of our mother’s eyes. If those eyes are filled with unconditional approval and affection, mother and child both bask in the immense pleasure, experiencing themselves as blissfully beautiful. It is in this mutual glow that the earliest seeds of positive self-esteem are planted.
We ask women to return to their experience growing up, most particularly in relation to Mom, to understand the psychological underpinnings of the role appearance played in the development of their sense of self. We impress upon them that as unrelated as these old memories may seem, and as hard as it is to go backward, it is a key step to help them move forward.
If we approach our appearance from a developmental perspective, it is easier to understand and alter how we see our selves. Sometimes we find the symbol of a reservoir useful in understanding the concept of self-image. We can visualize the fluid way physical and psychological factors blend to create our experience of beauty.
A typical reservoir is filled with provisions reserved for later use. A psychological reservoir is filled by life events and the interactions that nourish our emotional lives. The quality of those experiences determines how we perceive ourselves (self-image) and how we feel about ourselves (self-esteem).
What Fills Your Reservoir?
The self-doubter: Do you doubt yourself constantly? (“Please don’t ask me to give that speech … I’ll look awful, I’ll make a mess of it.”) It’s possible that your reservoir has previously been filled by criticism. You may have heard others doubt you and then, as often happens, you begin to believe those voices. Try talking back to the critic, and fill your reservoir with the confidence you are gaining.
The neglected: Do you fail to care for yourself? Avoid trying to improve your appearance? (“What’s the difference at this point?”) Your reservoir feels empty. You may have been neglected, emotionally and physically, and have internalized the neglect that previously surrounded you. You may treat yourself now the way you were once treated. Just because you lived with others who didn’t put much stock in the importance in you or your “beauty,” doesn’t mean you need to repeat the neglect. Fill yourself up with attention and care.
The competitor: Do you compare yourself to others? Compete with much younger women? (“I’ll show them who looks better in jeans!”) You may have been compared to others growing up, to your siblings or friends, but isn’t it time to fill that reservoir with a little well-earned maturity? In sports they call it going for your “personal best.” Do the same with your own unique self.
The perfectionist: Do you constantly fall short of a standard you set for yourself, or if you reach your goals, always feel you can do more? (“The chemical peel worked, why not go for something bigger?”) Your reservoir was likely filled by expectations that you be perfect, or at least better than you are. The media feeds that perception as well. Fill your reservoir with reasonable expectations.
The guilty: Do you blame yourself for almost everything, including aging? (“Honey, I’ve tried everything, but nothing I do makes me look like I used to.”) Your reservoir may have been filled with self-admonishments and apologies. You may feel undeserving, which makes it hard to feel good about looking good. Try filling your reservoir with more forgiveness and acceptance.
Recognizing self-image as an evolving and interactive developmental process is key to understanding and dealing with our looks as they change. It provides a perspective on beauty that is not static and gives support to the ability we all have to impact perception of ourselves as we age.
As adults, our psychological reservoirs are ours to fill. Unlike the lack of choices we have growing up—such as our inability to select our own family and environment—we can gain control over many of those choices as we mature into adulthood. Instead of feeling a loss of control as we get older, we in fact have increased opportunities to fill our reservoir with responses that can now come from our own selves and from people we choose to have in our lives.
By taking control over the voices that once controlled us, we can shift our current sense of attractiveness and potentially reconfigure the definition of beauty as we age.
(c) Vivian Diller, Ph.D.
- a clinical psychologist in private practice in New York City. Prior to becoming a therapist, Diller was a professional dancer with the Cincinnati Ballet Company and a model represented by Wilhelmina Models. Visit: www.VivianDiller.com
Article discovered at HealYourLife
If we all took heed of Sophie’s wise words, imagine how happy we would all be – no self-esteem issues, all knowing we are perfectly unique and perfectly beautiful.
Wise words indeed from a 3 year old beauty!
“You have forgotten that you are unique”
“Why are you trying to look like someone else?”
“You have the power to Stop it!”
“Be healthy! Get to your right size. Not someone else’s …”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=fULtU2NfPQA
Sunlight alone does not cause cancer
Posted by Callie in Health
… so said the news heading on Natural News’ excellent daily newsletter this morning! Which reminded me of something I found out at a nutritional seminar last week about the sunshine and Vitamin D!
I will share this newsflash with you now and will blog later in the week about Vitamin D and sunshine in the UK …
* * * * *
(NaturalNews) We’ve all been told that sunlight causes skin cancer. This message has been drilled into our heads for so long that most people actually believe it. But what if this “truth” was actually a medical myth? What if dermatologists and health experts didn’t know the whole story? What if their explanations about sun exposure and skin cancer were too simplistic and outdated?
Today, I’ve released a new tell-all video that exposes the lies of dermatology and the cancer industry while explaining the truth about sunlight, vitamin D and skin cancer. That video is available now on the new video site NaturalNews.TV: http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=234
Here’s what you’ll learn about sunlight exposure, skin cancer and vitamin D in this free video:
• Why tanning booths can be GOOD for your health and actually prevent cancer!
• The origins of the term “red neck” and what this teaches us about the true causes of sunburn.
• Why sunlight alone does not cause sunburn: There’s another variable that’s just as important!
• Why sunlight exposure could reduce cancer rates in America by nearly 80%.
• Why the cancer industry continues to propagate myths about sun exposure and skin cancer.
• How to build up your own “internal sunscreen” by changing what you eat!
• Why sunscreen products are terrible for your health and may actually cause skin cancer.
• Why dark-skinned people need far more sunlight exposure than fair-skinned people to prevent cancer.
• How to spend more time in the sun without getting burned, even without using sunscreen.
• Why cancer tumors grow during the winter months (and how to stop tumor growth in just minutes a day).
• Why Asian women are endangering their health by avoiding sunlight exposure in order to keep their skin more fair (pale).
• Why cancers are more serious in African Americans than Whites. (And why they’re not being told the truth by the cancer industry…)
• Why working (and living) indoors will turn you into “a ticking time bomb” of disease.
• Why the effort to censor the truth about sunlight as medicine is a dark, evil scheme dreamed up by for-profit cancer institutions and drug companies who profit from the suffering of human beings.
• Why the cancer industry wants you to live in darkness and be afraid of light, knowledge and illumination.
Vide the full video (free!) on NaturalNews.TV: http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=234
And then do your own research! Verify everything for yourself, and you’ll see that everything revealed in this video is true.
Discovered at (c) Natural News
Desperately seeking curvy and chic
Posted by Callie in Self-esteem
Why oh why is it soooo difficult to find beautifully-cut, quality clothes if you have a bountiful, curvy figure?
I am having a bit of a panic at the moment. Yesterday morning, I managed to corner my other half over his plans for my imminent 40th birthday … the idea of a party fills me with horror, but I know he has something up his sleeve. So I needed to know exactly WHAT kind of attire did I need to have in mind for wearing on my birthday eve?
“Smart evening wear” came back the response … and I could already feel the panic building, as when an Italian says that, you know you need to be turning up in Summer prom chic!
Disaster. I cannot fit into anything that I already own – my own fault, I know. But I have a week to find something which makes me feel – and look – beautiful *aaarggghh*
I adore Chesca’s ultra-feminine range which is always beautifully-cut and very flattering. But it only goes up to size 24. Hmmmm. Anyhow, you can find Chesca in John Lewis in Oxford Street (also at Ely’s in Wimbledon, I found out recently) and also at their online store www.chesca1424.co.uk
Beige Plus have some truly beautiful clothes at their shops in London so maybe they will be worth a visit, even ‘tho I know that the type of dress I have in mind rarely sells for less than £300 in their stores … a little bit over my budget (by £200+ really!).
I had seen a beautiful dress on Curvety but delivery is 2 weeks. Hmmmm.
I am not a fan of Evans or Ann Harveys – I’ve found most of their garments are of poor quality and/or poor cut in my humble (personal) opinion, although one of my favourite dresses (too dark for summer wear) is from Ann Harveys, from 11 years ago!
I’ve fallen out of love with Marks & Spencer since their decision to take anything over a size 24 off their shop-floor … so they are happy to get the fat-pound, they just don’t want us trailing around in their shops! Anyways, I’ve noticed their size 24-28 range getting smaller and smaller, so it doesn’t really bode well.
M&Co, who used to be Mackays, sometimes have the odd article of nice clothing but nothing which could be deemed as really dressy for the evening …
Even my beloved favourite – Spirito di Artigiano – are out of stock of the prettiest pink dress I’ve seen in a long time ….
(although some of their items can be quite pricey, I really cannot fault their cut or quality of material in any way – and it arrives beautifully packaged, it’s like opening up a precious Christmas gift! Even better, they have their Summer sale on at the moment with up to 80% off so do have a look!)
So … if anyone out there has any ideas, I’d be soooo grateful to hear them … the countdown is on!!!