Here's the Skinny

Football season is back in full swing, and with it my son's nightly practices. I've been seeing faces I don't see all year until football starts. One face in particular that I haven't seen all year got much, much skinnier.

A mom of one of the boys on Aaron's football team lost a bunch of weight, a shocking amount actually. Not the, hey-good-for-you amount of weight but the.woah-is-she-sick? amount. And it's weird because I specifically remember admiring how lovely she looked last year...a very attractive build, very pretty hair, low-key fashion that she made look effortless (with her 4 kids!). I remember thinking, wow, she looks very nicely put together.

This year I was shocked to see that she has lost like 20 lbs which for someone of 5'6" or 5'7" stature really shows. I can't help but wonder, did she do it on purpose? This woman was gorgeous now many of the things that stood out as attractive last year have shrunk, and not in a good way. Perhaps she is ill (hopefully not). But otherwise I wonder, why women do this? I don't understand how to so many women ultra-skinny is still considered attractive!

Listen up ladies. We need to understand that we are amazing. We are beautiful, we are feminine and strong, we are creative and sporty, we are loving and powerful. We have so many wonderful traits as our true selves, especially our mom-selves. I don't understand why so many try to fix what isn't broken.

Here's the thing...if you are overweight, then definitely make some healthy changes. But if you are at a healthy weight, your blood lab draws are in range at the Dr's office, you see the dentist regularly, get your annual Pap smears and mammograms and you're good, don't try to fix what isn't broken! I'm not trying to criticize women who are naturally thin, thinness as a goal does not equal beautiful or attractive. In fact I have never once heard a man say that they loved putting their arms around a boney-thin woman. Most say they like having a woman with areas they can squeeze-LOL.

I don't mention things like this often because I always receive "well you couldn't possibly understand" messages. And let me tell you this...I live in the same appearance-obsessed, airbrushed society as you do. I have grown, birthed and breastfed 3 babies. I have plenty of flaws...PLENTY. I see the pressure to get Botox, a boob job, weekly mani-pedis, etc. And here's a bomb for you...I weigh 145 lbs with my 5'4" stature...I'm not skinny! And that's ok because who says it's not?!?

Anyway, I'm not an eloquent blogger or anything I just thought I would throw this out into cyberspace. We all need to hear this. It makes me sad that the woman at my son's football practice either hasn't heard this or doesn't believe it. But I'm going to say it...Whatever you are naturally, ladies be proud of who you are...you don't need to be skinny to be beautiful! Who you are, is enough.