Every body can be beautiful

With Debbie Simon

A certain presidential candidate has made headlines in recent months for body shaming — even referring to a former beauty queen as “Miss Piggy” — pointing out cellulite and extra pounds on celebrities has long been a staple of tabloid headlines, even fashion guru Tim Gunn recently called out designers for not being more flexible in the kind of bodies they create clothes for.

It’s no secret that everywhere you look, there are people telling you the way you look isn’t good enough. Whether you’re “too fat”, “too skinny”, “too short”, “too tall”, “too dark”, “too pasty”, no matter what you look like it seems like someone has something negative to say about it.

It can be hard to ignore those voices sometimes, but we’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Everybody can be sexy. And a lot of it has to do with how you feel. Confidence can make even the plainest Jane more attractive. If you feel good you’ll look good is a cliché for a reason.

Here are a few tips to help you beat the haters and feel confident and sexy:

Get a new hair cut/style: First off, that scalp massage you get during the shampoo is a great, relaxing mood booster and worth the cost all by itself. Second, your hair never looks as good as it does fresh out of the stylist’s chair. For women especially, knowing your hair looks great is a good confidence — and who doesn’t enjoy the compliments as everyone takes in the new ’do?

Take a hint from Victoria’s Secret: When was the last time you bought a new bra? How long has it been since that bra has matched your underwear? Wearing a sexy new set of satin and lace under your clothes can make you feel just as good as it looks. It’s hard to feel bad about yourself when you know what’s hiding underneath that cardigan. (Hint: We carry some great lingerie here at the store, stop in and check out our selection.)

Pull your go-to “sexy jeans” out of the closet: We all have that one sweater, pair of heels, or little black dress that you know makes you look good. Break it out of the closet and head to the mall to get a matching pair.

Play pretend: Who didn’t borrow Mom’s makeup and jewelry and get dolled up in their fanciest dress to play princess as a kid? That same idea can work now. Think of your favorite celebrity or someone you admire and emulate their style for the day/night. Channel your inner Eva Mendes and you can’t help but feel sultry and desirable — and others may start to see you that way too.

Challenge yourself: Do something that you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t because it’s a little bit out of your comfort zone. Go skydiving, go on a cruise by yourself, get fluent in French, take those salsa dancing lessons. Overcoming your fear and that sense of accomplishment you’ll get will do wonders.

Get your sweat on: Working out isn’t always fun, but it does usually result in you feeling better about yourself, with the added bonus of doing something that is good for you. So lace up those running shoes or pull out that yoga mat and start sweating your way to body confidence.

Put a little pep in your step: Even if you don’t start off feeling that great about how you look that day, put a little swagger in your walk and eventually you won’t be able to help but feel at least as good as your strut says you do.

Revamp your playlist: Music is always a quick way to set the mood. Make a playlist of your favorite feel good tunes — the ones that always make you smile, sing along, and dance around the room. That kind of fun, happy energy is contagious, and others will definitely notice.

Show off your assets: Whether it’s your curves, your legs, or your eyes, we’ve all got at least one thing about ourselves we feel is our best feature. Play it up. Wear the skirt with the slit that lets those gorgeous gams take the spotlight, pull on that sweater that really makes your eyes pop. If you accentuate what you feel best about, others will focus on that too, and you can stress less about what you consider your less-than-perfect attributes.