A great line from the man with that now historic hair style, Rod Stewart. Fashion is my passion (I always wanted to say that, as it rhymes) but no I do love fashion, what it represents and how each person can showcase themselves through their own style. I also love how trends come and go and how the fashion houses that 95% of us will never buy from will determine what I will be wearing a year down the line, and then we perceive that we came up with that look ourselves.
I was in trying on a couple of different looks this past Friday and when I was trying on the items, a memory came to me. Rewind to 2003/2004 when I was of a much fuller body and I remember trying to make a tracksuit a stylish affair, failing that- it was just really wearing whatever fitted, it didn't have to look necessarily good but if it was a fit then generally it was a winner. Since changing my physical body, things have really upped in the style stakes. I mean style is something you cultivate with age and over time but it is easier if you are more confident in your own body. I really know now what suits me and instead of being confined to things simply fitting, I can make a choice based on what I like and what looks good. Certain things like tulip skirts, I will never wear as I just don't like them on me, they make me look bigger than I am, so why would I wear them. But I can if I so choose and that's the difference.
For alot of women, we will change size and shape throughout our lifetime and it's the eternal struggle and battle to find the shape and size that we are meant to be medically and also to a personal standard we want for ourselves. However this battle doesn't just belong to the physical battlefield, it is actually more a mental battle that can go on for your entire life. Body image especially for women is now starting as early as 8 years of age and this is something we need to change and work on. Why do we always feel we should be this or that and that we are not enough?
On Sunday my sporting hero was competing at the World Championships in Beijing, Jessica Ennis Hill represents the best of everything woman can be and in fact are. She is a grafter, she has trained for over 10 years to be the best in the world, she is an Olympian and on Sunday she again retained her World Title. This all only 13 months after having her son Reggie. Jessica needs to be looked at and admired not just for being a supreme athlete but showing that hard work and graft pays off. Often now we all want things, that job, that 6 pack, longer leaner legs, to be happy, but when it comes to the crunch, are we really working towards this?
A quote I always remind myself of is "Nothing in this life worth having, comes easily" and I live by this. You can have and be anything you want to be in this life, but it will take work, focus and determination. We think and tell ourselves, we worked really hard at something and we gave it everything, but really did we? If you dedicate yourself to your goals and your actionable tasks that will get you to where you need to be then that goal is there for the taking. Think about this, Jessica was training mentally and physically for TEN years for this World Championship and on Sunday she took her title, knowing that she fully deserved it. A humble athlete, she beamed from ear to ear and the elation from her could literally be felt in my sitting room in Galway as I watched my hero from my couch.
Take your personal victories and be proud of them, it might be the simplest of things, like for me not having to pretend that a tracksuit worn with a dressy cami is suitable attire to attend an event. Or the fact that now after 4 serious years of hard training and graft, I can throw on almost everything on and it will fit...... all but that tulip skirt...of course.
Well done Jess #Rio2016
