Thin crisp or chunky monkey?

Okay ladies, lets get right down to it.

The fashion industry is re-donk-lious! I say that even though I love it and am glad I work with stylist and women who want to be apart of the fashion world.

That being said, it isn't a surprise to know that with the glitz and the glam, pretty shoes and fabulous handbags the fashion industry is one of the top reasons people deal with depression and even suicidal tendencies.

If we go back a hundred years and watch the progression of fashion it is amazing how far we've come but also amazing that certain trends never truly go away. Sure there might be less material and it might be worn on a women instead of a man but that is what is so beautiful about fashion and the ability in the human race on how they can adapt to change and start a new mainstream trend.

Fashion is an art form that is suppose to be there for us to express ourselves and show that we do not have to conform to one particular type of look.

One thing that is always the talk of the town is size.......ahhh I know it is the word we hate to hear and deal with because then without realizing we are doing it we judge ourselves on how we compare to the girl standing next to us or the models on the covers of the grocery store magazines.

The industry has made positive changes in the regard to showcasing more "normal or curvy" women in ads, on the runway and in designer shows but until we the "normal" women accept who we are and learn that we are beautiful no matter what then all the change and fighting for image equality will be for nothing.

I can only speak for myself and I will be the first to say that sometimes I wish I had the body of my plus size mannequins......that's right you read that correctly, I said PLUS size!

Why wouldn't I though? They have huge boobs, flat abs and look great in every outfit we put on them.

That's the dream right?! Well to some yes and for those who put in the work and effort to get that way I applaud you and I am so proud of you! I believe we should take care of our bodies and if you want to sculpt your body to look like a amazon warrior I will be the first to say "damn girl, you look amazing" and I will mean it 100%.

We've all heard the saying, "Women need to support each other and not compare one another". Again, I agree completely.

But, when we see the magazines at the grocery store with captions like "J-Low, her best body yet....how you can get one like hers" or "Celebrity fitness plan to get you the body like the stars", how is this suppose to make you feel?

Do you look down at the full cart of groceries you have for your family and think "Maybe I should put the prepackaged brownies back and get myself some baby carrots instead". Well I got news for you......I do the SAME thing!

Do I have moments of guilt where I know I could've spent those twenty minuets I had after the kids went to bed doing push ups and crunches or hell I could've ran around my house ten times, the answer is yes I do. And do you know why? It's because I am human just like you and God gave us the ability to choose.

God gave us free will and trusted us to do the right thing. But, just like I can't always be trusted to not eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in one sitting, Eve could've be trusted after she was tempted by the Devil and ate that stinking piece of forbidden fruit.

Lets get real for a second......If it wasn't for our ability to choose and be subject to temptation we would all still be here, for that I have no doubt but you best believe we would all be walking around buck naked and happy as a clam because we wouldn't know any better and that would be our normal.

We would love, respect and be amazed at one another and not turn to quick judgments or harsh criticism. Doesn't that sound nice??? I think it does.

We could eat anything we want and we could live the way we were suppose to.........we are suppose to love one another as our neighbor and invite them into our lives.

Because there is evil in this world and it comes in many forms, that way of life unfortunately is nowhere in sight.

I can only hope that one day we will get back to that (well maybe not the naked part because we all know that would just be weird on so many levels) but today is not that day.

Today can be the day we move forward with acceptance of others and how we treat them.

I was at work the other day and I was putting new displays in our windows when a young lady walked by with Emerald green hair, fishnet stockings and a dog collar around her neck.

A bold choice I thought since dog collars were so early 90s and Emerald isn't an in color right now but hey that is how she choose to express herself and you want to know what I did???

I smiled and asked if I could help her find anything. She returned the smile and said she was just looking. She didn't stay long and didn't purchase anything but that didn't matter. What mattered was that by treating her like a human being who gets dressed in the morning just like I do she felt welcomed and accepted.

If we all compliment each other on how good we look or even give honest feedback on something that we may feel they would want to know, i.e the garment tag sticking out, or missing a belt loop, the world will be a better place.

Where I work we range in sizes from 4 Petite to 24 Women's, and it is so amazing that we have a place where friends of all shapes and sizes can come in and find outfits together without any judgement or discrimination.

To be able to help Style these ladies in clothes that not only fit them but make them feel pretty, confidant and respectable is why I do what I do.

Knowing that we have such a variety of options for these women gives me such hope for the future in fashion and female empowerment.

The need to inspire or empower doesn't start or end with the top designers or the hot shot magazines that produce the images.....it starts with us. You and me. Only we as a whole can make the difference.

That quote that everyone is told atleast one time or another, "Be the change you want to see in the world".

Life is too short to worry about being a think crisp or a chunk monkey.......life should be measured by how we make others feel while we are being the best we can be.