I’m a big fan of the TV show What Not to Wear, and one of the things that they constantly say on there is to dress the body that you have now. I think this is such an important point since wearing clothes that fit and look great can do wonders for your self esteem and can make all the difference in the way that you feel about yourself.

So many of us get caught up in trying to lose weight, or wishing we were our “old” size that we hang on to clothes that don’t fit or refuse to buy anything new until we’ve reached our “ideal” weight. This is damaging for so many reasons.

First, if you are wearing clothes that are too small, you are going to feel uncomfortable and fat. It’s hard to feel thin or attractive when your jeans are giving you a big old muffin top or your shirt is clinging in all the wrong places. This can make you feel terrible about your body and can be a real blow to your self confidence and self esteem.

A lot of us hang on to clothes that we “used to” fit into with the goal that we will fit into them again. This is one of the worst things you can do to yourself! Our bodies are forever changing and you are being unfair to yourself if you are judging yourself harshly because your old clothes don’t fit. Things like aging or having children are going to cause your body to change. The key is to learn to love our bodies now and to let go of those impossible standards that we hold ourselves to.

Think of all the amazing things that your body does for you and what an incredible piece of technology it is. Start trying to feel grateful for the fact that you can walk or dance or reach for things on a shelf or drive your car or even just sit in a chair. Without your amazing body none of these things would be possible.

When you begin to change your attitude about all the good your body does for you, you’ll start to realize that dressing it in clothes that don’t fit or holding it to impossible standards is so disrespectful to yourself. Your body deserves to be taken care of and appreciated no matter what size it is! It really is a beautiful thing.

Not only that, but when you start dressing the body you have you are going to feel better about the way you look. You will start to project more confidence and you will be more apt to start taking better care of your body. As a result you might even drop those pounds you have been struggling with and start seeing an even better body.

Keep in mind that clothing sizes are just a number - and they vary so much between different brands and designers. Don’t try on clothes based on size and then beat yourself up if something doesn’t fit in the size you want to be. Instead, shop for clothes based on how they fit - who cares what the number on the tag says! You’re the only one who sees the number on your label, but everyone around you sees the way that your clothes fit. If they fit poorly you are going to look like you don’t care about yourself, while if they fit well you will look pulled together and your self confidence will soar.

Worried about spending money on clothes that are a size you don’t plan to be for long? Stop worrying! That’s why places like eBay or consignment stores exist. When you shrink out of your clothes you can always sell them online or drop them at a local consignment store and recover a lot of the money that you spent on them.

The key is to feel good about the way you are now and to dress the body that you have right now in this moment. Don’t put off feeling good for one more day. Repect yourself and appreciate your body for all the good it does for you. Love yourself and live for today. You are amazing just the way you are.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 21st, 2008 at 1:18 pm and is filed under Body Image. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.