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I had the pleasure of seeing Leonard Nimoy on The Colbert Report last night. He was promoting his book:

The Full Body Project:
Photographs by Leonard Nimoy.

Take a look at the interview, compliments of Comedy Central:

In essence, it’s a coffee-table book filled with pictures of beautiful curvy women.The shock! The awe! Real Women naked in various poses, NOT covering up their rolls and bumps! All I gotta say about that is:

WOO-HOO! You go girls!

Nimoy went on to talk about the need for us to recognize that models are creating an ideal for young girls which they cannot reach. He shocked me when he spoke about how young women, in intimate situations, are opting to perform oral sex on their partners so that they can stay fully clothed. The impact of this is tremendous. Young women are not allowing themselves the freedom of receiving pleasure because they are too self-conscious to let their lover see their bodies. They are, in effect, training themselves to think less of themselves than their partners.

I’m still sitting here shaking my head and wondering when is enough enough? When are we going to start standing up for our young sisters and ourselves and doing something about an industry that quite literally destroys our self-esteem from before we even hit puberty? I’m as confused as where to start as you probably are, so perhaps we could work on this one together.

Finally I’d like to say: thank you, Mr. Nimoy. You have always held a special place in my heart since we first met when I was 5 years old. You were singing at the New York State Fair and my mom and I were in the first row. You came over and sang to me and patted my head. I was star-struck when my mom whispered “That’s Spock!” in my ear, and it’s a moment I’ve never forgotten. And today, knowing that you’ve taken a stand about this issue, you’ve just made me happy once again. I will be purchasing your book within the hour. xoxo!

An odd thing happened to me last night.  A woman I met recently complimented me on my confidence and strength as a plus-sized woman.  She specifically referred to this because at one time she was quite overweight and it greatly effected her self-esteem.

I so appreciated hearing this.  In my heart I knew she was right, and it made me feel proud that I was able to exude the strength I feel inside, outward.

So many people assume that plus-size automatically equates to low self-esteem.  Now, I do have to admit, my self-esteem does suffer in certain areas, however very little of my esteem is wrapped up in how I look.

I don’t like the extra weight I carry.  It is an albatross, constantly reminding me that my quality of life suffers.  I look back to years ago when I obsessed about my weight, but was fit, and do wish I could return to that state once again.  I have always been overweight. Obesity didn’t enter my life until late teen years during an extremely abuse relationship.  However, I stayed active and fit until I was hit by a wall of fatigue and chronic pain in my college years, which then led to depression.  And there started the downward spiral where inactivity, pain and depression led to morbid obesity.

Over the years I’ve come to realize that there is so little we can do about our appearance — and that our appearance really doesn’t matter a whole hell of a lot in the grand scheme of things.  The dictionary definition of appearance is “the outward or visible aspect of a person or thing.”  I don’t relate to something visible; but to the intangible character, essence or being of a person.  And therein lies my reasoning for not being self-conscious about my weight when it comes to who I am and the relationships I enjoy. 

If that’s strength, then I’ll claim it! 

Bare Necessities has been serving customer’s lingerie & underwear needs for 10 years — and better yet they serve us! Here are some great features:

• choose Plus Size in the menu and all items displayed will be available in plus sizes
• shop for a bra by bra size

Bare Necessities is a U.S. company, prices are in USD$, but they also ship to Canada. In fact, for Canadians they actually figure out all the shipping & handling, duty and taxes and then show you the total of your order in CDN$ when you check out! This makes hassle-free shipping over the border.

Sizes vary, depending on brandname. However, bra sizes go all the way up to 58C! Many items are available up to 3X, and some up to 5X.

Apparel includes:

• bras – sizes 36C to 54H
• Plus size panties – over 40 styles in full, high-cut, thong, boyshorts and hipsters
• hosiery including leggings
• Plus size camisoles & t-shirts
• Plus size sleepwear and pajamas, & loungewear

Oh - and for you guys out there, check out the The Bare Necessities Men’s Department, too! Including big & tall choices: some underwear up to 5X and t-shirts up to 2X or 3X.

Some current specials include: 

• free U.S. shipping on orders over $70
• 50% off clearance
• 25% off men’s and women’s Jockey styles (ends Mar 3, 2008)

Please let me know if you shop there, or even what you think after you’ve browsed around.

For those Canucks among you, I have great news.  Reitmans Canada has launched their three plus-size fashion stores online!  You can now shop at Penningtons, Addition-Elle and MXM from the comfort of your computer desk.

At Addition-Elle you can find clothes “from Classic to Contemporary, for Work or Weekend, “Be Body Proud” in plus size fashions from sizes 12 to 26, including an elegant selection of lingerie.”

MXM allows you to “find all the latest plus size trends for Chill, Work or Club at MXM. The hippest fashions in sizes 12-26.”

At Penningtons you can “find your look and express your style with a mix of classic and contemporary fashions sizes 14 to 32, including a great selection of plus size lingerie”.

Right now they are offering FREE SHIPPING for a limited time.  And, at the AE and Penningtons sites there’s a “last call to take an extra 50% off already reduced merchandise”. I’ve already done my shopping and saved a WHACK of money. 

Have a look at a recent Bill in the state of Mississippi which will allow food establishments to “prohibit from serving food to any person who is obese”. 

I must say I was a little shocked to see that something this discriminatory actually even got to a point where it will be given a vote!    What do you think?

I’ll start the blog off with a toast:

Here’s to us! To everyone who has ever been plus-sized, you are part of a group who has had a unique experience in living in this world. While sometimes the journey isn’t easy, it is defintely something that sets us apart. Let’s enjoy it and be who we want to be, without having to change who we are deep down inside!

I look forward to a great journey with all of you!