Let me start by saying that I'm 49 and a mom of teens, so it's pretty late to be making my debut as a pretty girl, and also, I'm one of those women who has really never thought of herself as pretty at all-- I am more the "smart" type (although lord knows none of us should have to choose between pretty and smart, right?)
But, this past weekend, I went to the wedding of a dear friend. Now this friend is one of the most glamorous people I know. She looks like a movie star and is a minor celebrity.
I needed a dress, so I bought a size 12 beaded sleeveless sheath-- quite possibly the prettiest dress I've ever owned.
My friend had invited a bunch of us to get a professional make-up application, so I went along. I have fairly short very curly hair, and the make-up lady told me I should get my hair done. She blow dried it straight, which made me look COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Then, I got the professional make-up job.
So there I was-- size 12 black beaded sheath, gorgeous blown out hair, and professional make-up. I looked in the mirror and DID NOT RECOGNIZE MYSELF.
A little more than a year ago, I weighed close to 300lbs, I had shoulder length frizzy hair and half the time I had a couple of inches of roots.
I did not fit a size 24 so a party dress was out of the question. My feet hurt way too much to wear heels! I probably would have ended up wearing a tent like black stretch dress with a blazer over it, and I would have wanted to cry when I noticed that every other woman in the room was wearing a little black dress.
But even more so, I FELT UGLY. I've seen lots of women who were heavier than I was who look beautiful, but me, I hated myself, I did not take care of myself, I was constantly ashamed of myself, and it showed.
So I learned a couple of things:
1. When you take care of yourself, day after day, month after month for more than a year, the little changes each and every day aren't that obvious. But overall, it makes an ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE and your inner beauty will show through.
2. It's fun being girly and doing girly things. In the past, if invited to get professional hair and make-up, I would have declined because I would have been embarrassed and worried about being too fat, and then I would have probably felt even worse at the event comparing myself to other people.