Shopping and a DVD

First, when I don't post for a while, I get a case of verbal diarrhea and can't stop blogging. My apologies to those who stumble on my blogs from today.

I had to go to an outlet store to purchase some "unmentionables." Hey - necessity of life, and they're not life-long wearing. Back to the subject. I was browsing in the plus-size section and happened to encounter a mom buying a sixth-grade graduation dress for her daughter. Both mom and daughter were plus-size, and the 12-year-old was feeling really depressed because of the selection of clothing. Having a BIG mouth to match my equally BIG rear and mid section, I started a conversation with them and aimed it toward this 12-year-old. "I already tried that dress on a few weeks ago, in all three sizes, and they all fit the same. So, if a dress doesn't fit, the problem is with the dress and not YOU." Her grateful mom said the same thing. So we made conversation and browsed clothing racks. Everytime this young lady would say, "But that looks old," her mother or I would find something younger and fresher. She was finally ushered to the fitting room with easily 20 pieces of clothing - dresses, two-piece sets, and some really cute tops and skirts. She kept saying, "I hope something fits me." I didn't have time to stay for the entire trying-on, nor did I feel it my place. But I did get to see this lovely young lady emerge from the fitting room in outfit #1, a top and skirt that were right in style (very important to a young person) and fit her as well as anything would. She loved the outfit, and she looked pretty. Her mom and I made a huge fuss over her. She went back to try on outfit #2, and I talked to the mom (also a plus-size woman) one-on-one for a minute. I congratulated her on her daughter's achievement and on what a pleasure it was to meet her and her daughter and two sons. I suggested that all the outfit needed was a necklace with some color, and she would be stunning. We also discussed body image and finding clothes. My last remark to the little girl was, "Walk proud, young lady. You are an intelligent, lovely girl. No one can take that away from you."

Now, onto the DVD. My best friend and I did a concert a couple weeks ago at a very sophisticated retirement community. They record their performances on DVD for closed-circuit broadcast to residents who choose not to go to the auditorium. They can watch the performance on TV! I got my DVD yesterday, and my first comment was, "Who the hell is that fat woman singing with my best friend?" Uh.....it was me. Oh shit! After losing 65 pounds and starving myself to fit into a Renaissance costume so that I could remain in that ensemble, I've put back on at least 30 pounds.

After a few minutes of camera-shock, a few things came to mind. First, the camera DOES add weight. The angle adds weight. When I turned and faced a different direction, the view was definitely better. I got through watching and listening to the rest and decided my problem wasn't me - it was the outfit! It was too clingy. Easy solution - get rid of that outfit, no matter how pretty a shade of blue it is and wear something in a different material, with a different cut.

Like I told the 12-year-old, if a dress doesn't fit, it's not YOU - it's the dress.

No, I'm not going on a crash diet or switching over to salads and Slim-Fast. I'm going to eat as sensibly as possible, make sure that I'm not getting too much refined sugar, and enjoy life and enjoy food. Size is a number. A person's appearance is a matter of perception. Hey - it is really smoke and mirrors!