Collaboration #2

This collaboration was especially personal to me because pictures we used to demonstrate, how people may change over the years. My collaboration partner was Jeniffer Nanlal and he blog is 'Jeniffer Nanlal's Book and Stationery Loft' and the collaboration was about how she has changed over the years after having children and that she couldn't deal with it. So she was asking me for advice on certain things like how to dress  in the for the corporate world or going to meet potential clientele, especially since she's an Entrepreneur.

I leant a lot from this collaboration because even though she is a business woman and in my opinion, looks ravishing after having threes children, she still had that size that preferred. All because she was uncomfortable with the way she looked. That's where the opportunity came to inspire her, by reminding her that she is a beautiful woman and she should be and feel confident because as an Entrepreneur out in the world people would ' feed off the energy ' that is portrayed. So, if she presents herself with no confidence or poise, how can anyone take her seriously, and without a clientele how can her business flourish?

To learn more about Jeniffer's blog- Jeniffer Nanlal's Book and Stationery loft, visit

http://jnanlal.blogspot.com/

Jeniffer Now

Jeniffer Then

Rona Now

Rona Then

Thank You Post

Who knew that I would have throughoroly enjoyed the journey? I surely did not because even though I'm a journalism student I'm still learning how to use technology and all the advantages it possesses. The journey was a lot of fun, a bit stressful at times, but fun.

I was able to share and experience that has been near and dear to my heart for a very long time. I was also able to have a platform where I could hear the concerns of women and young girls that have struggled with learning the art of acceptance and also those that have the confidence that they could share with others.

With that being said, I'm indeed thankful to those that took the time to help along the way. Firstly, my lecturer Mr. Kayode James, he made himself available to respond to any questions or queries that I had, he also made a lot of suggestions and for that I am grateful.

Also, to all those that posted on my Facebook Page and to those that allowed me to the opportunity to share their stories, no matter how personal it may have been. This thank you is also extended to Rahab Hector and Jeniffer Nanlal for taking the time to do collaborations with me your participation was greatly appreciated.


THANK YOU!

Collaboration #1

This collaboration was done with the help of Rahab Hector and her blog, which is Project E.M.I, which is an abbreviation that mean Educate, Motivate and Inspire and my blog which is Embracing the Beauty and Body of Women

Both blogs shared a common ground in that, we both set out to inspire, motivate and educate people, with the only difference being that my blog is getting women and young girls to embrace the body that they are in, love themselves and stop bringing down themselves because people may say negative things. My blog is also a confidence booster because we as women have to realize that we are stronger than we allow ourselves to take credit for.

This collaboration effort was great because with Project E.M.I both boys and girls are getting educated, motivated and inspired a and there are many ways a person can be inspired. The very blog served as a way of showing that when a person sets out to accomplish something, the goal can be achieved because there is definitely, no merit in the word 'CAN'T', it's just something people say when they are afraid to try.

 

 

To find out more about Project E.M.I check out

http://projectemi.blogspot.com

The Brassiere Nightmare

 

 

Now don't get me mistaken, I love my breasts and I won't trade them for the world but the struggle is real when it comes time to go bra shopping for them because in most stores they would only have bra's up to a certain size and that makes the situation even more stressful. Now, this video had a lot of valid points, not taking away from its comedic nature but I think more needs to be done to cater for people with bigger breast, not only that but woman that are a bit bigger in body size as well.

 

Even in terms of clothes most stores only carry up to a particular size, so in most cases we plus size women have to order clothes online or have our clothes made as there aren't a lot of clothes that's best suited for us and if they do sometimes it isn't even nice. With that being said this video has shed light on a relevant topic and it also expands beyond under garments.

 

Body Shapers and Corsets

 

So I stumbled upon the video that has been circulating Facebook for quite some time so I decided to share my thoughts on it. For those of you that didn't know, although I mentioned it before I have always been a bit heavy set, which means that I have tried almost everything on the market to change the way that I looked because of the way I was treated until I got to the point in my life where I realized that this is who I am and I have to love for me. I have worn corsets before, in my teenage years but eventually I stopped after I realized what it was doing to me, but that doesn't mean that I will degrade or disrespect a woman because she chooses to wear it.

 

Corsets have been around for a very long time, it has even become a fashion trend that women wear, it  has even taken the place of a blouse or a t-shirt. Kelly Lee Dekay is one of the many women that choose to wear corsets and she has been getting a lot  of backlash for doing so. Which was a bit cruel, even though I may not like something it will not be appropriate for me to ridicule somebody for doing or wearing it. At the end of the day, people have their own life to live and I would only want what's best. As my blog is 'EMBRACING THE BEAUTY AND BODY OF WOMEN'. She's doing it in her own way and as long as she is healthy, happy and truly loves herself that's what's supposed to be most important.

Looking at my Reflection

The Dove Campaign was indeed an eye opener for many women, myself included because it was started as an avenue where women can voice certain topics about themselves and it would be based on a study entitled: The Real Truth about Beauty

 

 

 

 

Dove really did do an amazing job with this campaign because it help shed light on a lot of subjects for women and I think because of it we have become more accepting of ourselves and who we are.

 

THANK YOU DOVE!

 

A Teenage Inspiration.

I believe that most teenagers need to be inspired by people in the media that portray positivity and love for oneself instead of the norms that are usually seen. For example if I go an pick up a magazine or switch on the television there'll be all these images of what a woman should look like if they want to venture into a particular career and I think it's unfair that this is continually happening, because most teens in this era are very self conscience and they critic every aspect of themselves.

It is comforting to know that there are teenagers that look very similar to me, stepping up and owning their bodies and loving themselves and not conforming to the stereotypes and BARBIE FERREIRA is one such person, she is nineteen years old and she is proud and letting the world know this is me, whether you like it or not.

Confidence At It's Best.

 

Image via Kushions Photography

 

While scrolling through my Facebook I stumbled upon this photo and decided to view some of the comments an I realized that she was getting a lot of warm and positive remarks, mostly from men because let's face it she is obvious a very beautiful and attractive woman, as is clearly evident from the photo. What also startled me was the fact that this photo was getting most of it's negative backlash from women, when we are supposed to be encouraging our fellow sisters the love who they are and to be proud of the bodies they have because it's what makes them unique. Instead of criticizing because to me this photo screams confidence because most of us don't have the gumption to do this.

Finally Learning the true meaning of Acceptance.

While listening to her story I could really relate because before women and girls with full lips and different skin tones that didn't conform to the norms of society were considered ugly and now that I look at the media and all the celebrities popping up in the this platform everyone is now visiting a plastic surgeon to enhance the same body parts that was once criticized.

Be proud of who you are and where you come from

Meet Iris and here's her story!

Anorexia and Bulimia ( The Silent Killer)

Some people may ask what does these two disorders have to do with ‘Embracing the beauty and body of Women’ but it's relatively self explanatory.

Anorexia and Bulimia are two eating disorders that negatively affect the body, which causes a great deal of harm and in some cases even death.

Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by a low weight, fear of gaining weight, a strong desire to be thin, food restriction.

Bulimia is an eating disorder usually characterized by periods of binging or excessive overeating followed by purging. People with Bulimia have a fear of gaining weight but that does not mean all people with Bulimia are underweight.

‘God made us all in his own image and likeness’. So, you are supposed to be appreciative of the body you have, although it may be hard, disregard all negative comments because it's really unhealthy. Hence the reason, for young beautiful women becoming Anorexic and Bulimic.

 

 

 

 

 

N.B. The second video has a small amount of explicit language.

Just as apparent in the video, she realized that she just had to love herself and not care about what people have to say about her.

The Male Pespective

Males were once considered the breadwinners of the household, paying the bills and taking care of the family and making sure that there was  financial stability in the home.

Which has been very well appreciated over the years I must say, but along the way the men in our lives have been slowly dwindling down, leaving us to take care of our children and keeping the household together financially.

With that being said, do not get me mistaken not all men are leaving but that still doesn't gratify the fact that it's still happening. An we as women, we sometimes need our men to appreciate us, say why they fell in love with us in the first place and what keeps them interested. We crave that attention from our men. Even though, some of you may differ in your perspective, it's good to know.

Every man is different and they all have their own qualities that they admire women. We as women even though we may not want to admit it, we sometimes feed off the energy of our men and want them to embrace and tell us what they really think about us. GIVE US THEIR PERSPECTIVE!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Before and After Lupus

A Fun Loving individual, very friendly and intelligent and well loved by many was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus in 2003.

Systemic Lupus- System Lupus Erythematous or (SLE) AS IT IS COMMONLY CALLED IS AN AUTOIMMUNE disease in which they body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. It can affect the skin, joints kidney, brain and other organs.

Meet Tayler and here's her story.

In the Eye's of the Beholder

The birth of life is indeed a blessing from God, sometimes you may wish for a boy but get a girl instead. However, the most important thing is the child, regardless of the gender as long as the child is happy and healthy. But what if during the growth process you realize that there is a difference,  like a strange spot on their skin, what would you do?

Especially if you as the parent visit the doctor and find out that your baby, your precious creation has early on set VITILIGO. What would you do?

Vitiligo, a chronic skin disease, where portions of the skin loses pigment, this is when skin cells die or are unable to function. It can affect any area of the skin but most commonly occurs on skin exposed to the sun, such as the face, neck and hands.

This is something that Chantelle Brown, formerly known to us as Winnie Harlow, knows all to well. As she was diagnosed with vitiligo at the age of four years old. She was also a victim of verbal abuse by other children and this then led to her changing schools at such a rapid pace and then finally dropping out at the age of seventeen. With that being said, she has reported that she has accepted who she is and her appearance and she ignores all negative opinions.

She's even managed to aspire one little girl by the name of April Star.



 You go Girl!!!!!!!

Image Via Dailymail

                                             

                                           

The beauty in DIFFERENCE!

Does having scars make you any different from me? Well, it doesn't. You are a woman and so am I and we all have distinguishing characteristics that make us who we are, that's why we should be encouraged to embrace our scars, whether we were born with it or not, it's apart of who we are and what would makes us unique from someone else.

With that being said, Shalom Nchom knows all to well what it means to be different she has been
living with the scars, which are reminders of the horrendous accident that happened to her at the gentle age of nine and having to go through the latter part of her childhood and all through her teenage years being ridiculed by her peers, why is this you may ask? She was only nine years old when she was involved in an accident that caused her to get burned from hot oil in her family's store. she was burned on her hands, head and face.

I admire her for the simply fact that she expresses in the video that she doesn't use make up to hide who she is and how she looks but instead she says that its just make up and that she loves herself and I think that this could help so many women and young girls especially since she's also in her 20's.

This video is the definition of beauty with a DIFFERENCE!

Image via eonline.

Be Empowered!

My blog is all about female empowerment and getting women to embrace the beauty and body that they have regardless of their size, it doesn't make them any different from anybody else.

This brings me to my feature for this blogpost and its my good friend Samantha Davis, or as we call her 'Sammie', she is a student at COSTAATT just like myself and she is majoring in Mass Communication. This twenty-five year old beauty bombshell is the epitome of 'embracing the beauty and body' of women because she is not the typical model figure body type but she embraces it with pride. She models for an agency named Cover Page Talent Agency and she is helping breakdown barriers for females everywhere. Because she is showing us how to be confident regardless of the body we are in.

When I look at her and speak to her, she's always filled with so much self confidence she functions without a care in the world and it amazes me to see how she's filled with so much pride for being a plus sized model. I really appreciate the way she carries about herself because that makes me say to myself if she can do it, so can I and so can 'YOU'.

Image via Cover Page Talent Agency. 

I thought it was time for a change. How about you?

What's your ideal size? Who invented such a thing? Why is everything above a size 2 not considered an ideal? All these questions are still left unanswered, society fears what they don't know and I think that for people with a great level of knowledge especially in the 20th century we are supposed to be exposed an open to the reality that people are not and will never be the same.

Even the professions that required a person to look a certain way, they are realizing that the trends are changing because most people are tired of living in the shadows and having to hide who they really are and I applaud this because it makes me feel proud that I can pick up a magazine and see someone that looks like me gracing the cover.

Yes, Ashley Graham, broke down barriers with the stand that she took, she even went  down in history because she is the first plus size female to ever grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated magazine, especially since they are not known for doing things like this. But I think it's safe to say that they came to the realization that times are changing and that 'people are people no matter their size'.

However, everybody knows that with every good thing their must be some kind of negative backlash and with this, it was kind of expected. So, in this case it was Cheryl Tiegs and this is what she had to say. Click Here to see what she had to say. 

Image via fashiongonewrong
 

What makes a woman beautiful?

Image via FanBread

                                                       
                                                      Embracing your body as it is.


Yes I said it, embrace your body! We as women are always told that we need to improve our bodies, whether it's to slim down, tone up, or just lose a tiny bit of the top, so that we can look 'PERFECT' to fit into that pair of jeans or so that we won't be embarrassed or embarrass other people, because of the way we look.

We should also know that love is not based on the way that we look but it should be from a much deeper connection. Love is an important emotion and when it comes to loving an appreciating the body, it should be about what's on the inside, rather than what's on the outside.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against exercising and eating foods to stay healthy but if you as a person don't love the way that you are now, then it's highly likely that it won't make a difference what weight or size you because you will still be unhappy.

So Embrace the body that you have!

Image via Source

My Introductory Post.

   Here's a little insight on me.

" I finally realized that being grateful to my body was the key to giving more love to myself". - Oprah Winfrey.

Hello Everyone,

My name is Rona Foster and I'm 22 years old and I'm from South Manzanilla, Trinidad. I have created this blog entitled '' Embracing the beauty and body of Women''. This particular topic is very important to me because it focuses on female empowerment it's also a perfect example of how I'm not conforming to society's description of what beauty is, especially since I've always been a heavy set person or as I love describing myself as "P.H.A.T" which is an acronym that means (P)retty, (H)ot, and (T)hick.

I did not always love the way that I look because I was always the bigger one, whether in the family environment or when I ventured out to school and people would always make fun of me but thankfully my mother always told me that, the body is not what makes a person, it's the mind and the level of confidence and intellectual intelligence they have. So, I began to become more fulfilled to the point where I began loving myself and not letting the negative remarks of people become a bother to me. This helped in molding me to the point where I'm filled with confidence, I'm always smiling and I want to pass this on to women of every shape, size and color, to love yourself and to always be confident regardless of what people may say about you.