Last Friday, I was in Toronto shopping for bridesmaid dresses.
And no, I was not just hanging out for moral support. I will indeed be one of the people actually wearing the dress.
I learned a few things about dress shopping.
I learned that just because it looks good on the hanger does not mean it will look good on.
I learned that just because it looks good on one of the other bridesmaids does not mean it will look good on me.
And I learned that just because it did not look good on the other bridesmaids does not mean it will not look good on me.
We started off by trying on dresses that looked pretty.
That ended pretty quickly. At least one of us always ended up looking ridiculous. Who it was depended on the cut of the dress. Or the colour. Or both.
I learned that I have a rather athletic build. Broad shoulders made broader by a few years of swimming. Strong legs made stronger by years of running and cycling.
Put me in a strapless dress and I look a little more manly that I would like.
Put me in pastels and I look a little more corpse-like than I would want.
Put me in a dress that works with my body shape and suddenly I look like a bridesmaid. Put me in bright, rich colours and suddenly I look alive.
We ended up each picking our own style of dress. We also ended up each picking our own colour. The dresses look good together and look good on the person wearing them.
I am not a fashionista by any means and this blog is certainly not morphing into a fashion one. But I learned something that I think is an important lesson.
Don't covet what looks good on other people. It might look ridiculous on you. Wear what looks good on you.
Love your body. Don't lust after someone else's.
Be proud of who you are.
Period.
For those of you who are not bridesmaids this summer, my latest life lesson translates well into whatever works for you. Don't compare your running pace to someone else's. Don't compare your swimming stroke to the person in the next lane. Don't compare personal bests, shoe sizes, number of injuries, how much you sweat or how good those shorts look on.
Love your body and everything it can do.
Be proud of who YOU are and of what YOU can do.
Period.
Here endeth le life lesson.
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