Articles

THE BOTTOM LINE

What answer should we expect when we ask...

"Does my bum look big in this?

Perhaps.....

• That swimsuit doesn`t make you look fat. The fat makes you look fat.


• Who cares? You`re blocking the TV!


• Your bum is the standard by which all others are measured.


• It`s all relative, my dear. Does an elephant look big inside a circus tent?


• Define "big".


• Big in relation to what?


• Let me put it this way: have you ever seen the Hindenberg being maneuvered into its hangar?


• Actually, your bum looks much larger out of that.


• Don`t worry dear. No one will notice your bum. They all be gagging at that hideous floral pattern.

As you can see, it`s a no win question, so don`t ask it. The best response would be no response! It`s a question that yells "insecurity" and probably attracts an undesirable response for that very reason....to perpetuate the insecurity.

For any woman who is over a size 12, you have probably hated the size of your bottom at one point in your life, and it might seem that the whole world is against you because of it.

The irony is, bum implants seem to be the latest elective surgery fad. The trick is to have the "right" shaped bottom. Of course a voluptuous bottom is a very sexy asset - however it is amusing that only a short time ago, having fat ciphened out of that region was very much in vogue.

It is hardly surprising that so many women are so confused and become self conscious about the way they look. There are so many pressures coming at us from all elements of society. Thankfully, there are some healthy role models to help us take heart. Look at Jennifer Lopez. She is a beautiful, curvaceous woman who happens to have a prominent bottom. But isn`t it great. She doesn`t seem to care, she`s happy and successful in her career. Women need to adopt an attitude more like her, and be happy with the figure they have.

There is no point comparing ourselves to models and TV stars anyway because we are actually comparing ourselves to an airbrushed image. Unless you`re prepared to go around putting vaseline on everyone`s eyeballs before they look at you, you`re fighting a losing battle.

Besides, they pay a huge price for their so-called beauty (and then the artists airbrush them as well - how can anyone compete with that).

How would you like to have personal trainers screaming at you for 3 hours a day, seven days a week; live on a low-carb, rabbit food diet and have to pay for people to ensure you look good at all times. If you`re prepared to do all that, good luck to you! Where does living come into the equation? In the real world women need to find happiness in themselves, eat chocolate when they want, be successful in their careers without worrying whether their bums look big in anything. Who cares? Society`s idea of beauty is ever changing, but knowing and owning your beauty is timelessly beautiful.

THAT`S THE BOTTOM LINE!

Sue Rice in collaboration with Zoe Norton Lodge.