Hello! Katrina Marie here! (How's it going?) I don't normally like to get too serious, or post entries that can read like a novel, but I really wanted to take a moment to bring up a topic that happens to be very near and dear to my own heart: body positivity (YAY!) I know from my own experience that there seems to be a lot of confusion regarding what body positivity actually is. Some have even dared to argue that body positivity promotes unhealthy lifestyles and obesity (Nope! Keep reading, please.)
Body positivity focuses on self-love, and learning to be comfortable in your own skin, regardless of what number the scale happens to hit. It's also about educating people (including yourself) about body autonomy by helping others realize that no one really has the right to comment on or judge someone else's body. Unfortunately, the media has an idea of what beauty should look like, and they have no qualms constantly reminding us that we, the every day Janes of the world, do not fit their mold. We're constantly shown images of women in their photoshopped “perfection,” and then we're told what steps to take in order to achieve said “perfection.” This is not only damaging to women (for obvious reasons,) but men are affected as well. We live in a society where women everywhere are kind of tricked into working to achieve some spoon-fed notion of what beauty is, and men are holding women to the same, unrealistic standards. This doesn't just apply to overweight women of today. Back in the 1950s, women were often criticized for being underweight, and for bodies lacking in curves (wait, what?!)
Vintage weight gain ads.
Let's take a moment to break down what that tells us: The media has been dictating to women how we should look, and teaching men what they should find attractive in a woman's physical appearance for decades! Let that sink in just for a second. I don't know about you, but realizing that alone, was enough for a lightbulb to go off inside my ever-analytical brain. I thought, “No amount of energy I spend trying to make others happy with my body image will do, because there will always be someone who will object. You can't make everyone happy. So, why not focus on making sure you're happy with yourself?” Now, I'm not saying I've managed to get to that point of ultimate and complete self-love. In all honesty, it will likely be a lifelong fight. What I have learned so far, is that once you get to the point where you can accept your body for all its perfect imperfection (see what I did there?), then other people's opinions don't matter so much. If it doesn't bother you, other people can't use it against you. This is why I look up to the women (and men) that constantly defy and rebel against the media to remind us that beauty truly does come in all shapes and sizes.
Mindy Kaling,
Tess Munster, and
Christina Hendricks are just a few that come to mind.
Mindy Kaling, Tess Munster, Christina Hendricks
While it's awesome that celebrities, and others in the public eye, make a point to take a stand for body positivity, it's just as important for us to take a stand to make a difference in our everyday lives. (This is the part where I tie everything together, I promise!)
One of my favorite things about pinup culture, is that pinups are known to have voluptuous, hourglass curves. (Of course, this may have been indicative of what the media's idea of beauty was at the time, but that's another point for a different day.) This aesthetic has managed to withstand the test of time, and is seen in modern pinup culture today. That being said, the difference is that with modern pinup culture, even women with less than hourglass curves can dip their pointed toes into the “pinup world” by picking out their favorite vintage inspired looks (Heart of Haute dresses included, of course!) and booking a pinup photo shoot with a local photographer. We've had the pleasure of working with Miss Tara of
Tara O. Photos. While Tara is a talented photographer all around, she specializes in pinup photography, and always proclaims that ANY woman can try pinup modeling (and she's right!)
While plus size fashion seems to have really only adopted contemporary trends in more recent years, it's still an area of fashion that I believe is often overlooked. Luckily, it's really caught on that “the chubby girls” have as much fashion sense as anyone else. So, plus-size girls (myself included) are starting to have more options when it comes to self-expression through clothing. Heart of Haute is proud to offer several styles in our plus-sizes (1XL and 2XL.) We're also proud to feature plus-size models who are not only rocking our clothing and working it in front of a camera, but who are also doing really awesome things to makes waves in the industry and beyond it.
Miss
Shana Nicole hails from Houston, Texas. In addition to the numerous pinup magazine covers on which she's been featured, she is also the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of
Atomic Bombshells Magazine. She's also proud to be a founding member of
Benefit Betties, a Houston based, non-profit pin-up charity group. You can even catch this bombshell as a guest performer for the
Houston Burlesque Revue.
Shana Nicole in the Diner Dress in Black (Photo Credit: Paper Moon Photography by Charlie Girl)
Shana Nicole in the Sailor Dress in Navy (Photo Credit: Paper Moon Photography by Charlie Girl)
Shana Nicole in the Beverly Dress in Black Gingham (Photo Credit: Paper Moon Photography by Charlie Girl)
Miss
Teer Wayde is a freckled beauty from down under,
Melbourne, Australia. She is a fashion and editorial model signed with
Bella Model Management in Australia, and she also runs the popular fashion blog
Curves to Kill. You may remember her from an
interview with Mandie Bee that was featured here on our blog in the past.
Teer Wayde in the Hillary Dress in Black Dot (Photo Credit: Nic Doncon)
Teer Wayde in the Monte Carlo Dress in Lake (Photo Credit: Nic Doncon)
Teer Wayde in the Marilyn Top in Stripey & the Vogue Pencil Skirt in Black (Photo Credit: Nic Doncon)
Teer Wayde in the Marleen Dress in Black (Photo Credit: Tara O. Photos)
Two different ladies on opposite ends of the globe with at least one very important thing in common (aside from their killer fashion sense, of course): they know they're beautiful (inside and out) and they know that no one's opinion of them will change that. So the next time you look at yourself in the mirror (whether you've decided to strut your stuff in
Heart of Haute that day or not,) take a moment to remember that you are wonderfully unique, and your perfectly imperfect awesome self is top notch, Heart of Haute loveliness! You go, girl! ;)
With Love & No Regrets,
Katrina Marie
**Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Heart of Haute or any of its other employees.**
Mindy Kaling, Tess Munster, Christina Hendricks