A Christmas Carol: True Femme Style

Tiffany really captures the True Femme Christmas spirit with her inspiring "Do You See What I see?" (to the tune of "Do You Hear What I Hear?") Feel free to belt it out when in the shower!

Said the pretty girl to her bathroom mirror,
Do you see what I see?
Staring back at me stupid mirror.
Do you see what I see?
Some rolls, some flab
Stretch marks here to there
And a butt so big it's not fair
And a butt so big it's not fair.

Said the pretty girl to her bathroom mirror,
Do you see what I see?
Staring back at me stupid mirror.
Do you see what I see?
gray hairs, fine lines
dark circles under my eyes
with cottage cheese dimpling my thighs
with cottage cheese dimpling my thighs

Said the pretty girl to her bathroom mirror,
Do you see what I see?
Staring back at me stupid mirror,
Do you see what I see?
I'm fat, I'm ugly
Someone help me please
My boobs are halfway to my knees
My boobs are halfway to my knees

Said TrueFemme to the lovely girl,
Listen to what we say.
We're gonna help you change, lovey girl.
Listen to what we say.
You're beautiful, you're gorgeous
You don't see what the world sees
We will bring you confidence and might
We will bring you confidence and might!

We Proudly Present...

When heading out on this journey of fabulousness, Kadi and I decided to seek out some help. We needed someone strong, amazing, and oh so fabulous. This person needed to have the knowledge to assist us in our fitness and health goals. It doesn't hurt that she is a mom, an entrepreneur, and all around NICE person. Here she is folks,(drum roll please) Marcia, True Femme's resident fitness diva!

Yeah, that's really her! Ya almost want to hate her, huh?

Here is a little about the lovely Marcia (in her own words)-

"I graduated in 1999 with a degree in Physical Education. I have been in the fitness and health profession for the past 10 years. I have worked in gym of all sizes performing all sorts of duties- from wiping down equipment, instructing classes to being in management. I am a certified group exercise instructor, yoga instructor, Spinning and kickboxing instructor. I get to do something I am passionate about almost everyday. I love to help people reach their goals in fitness and wellness areas.
I am also a wife, a mom of 2 and a small business owner. I have come to realize that being healthy is not about being a certain size, but it is about being comfortable in your own skin- mind, body and soul. I hope I can help others reach this realization as well!"

Make sure you check out Marcia's two blogs, http://missionpossible1.blogspot.com and http://fitnesscrazedmomma.blogspot.com She has two awesome give aways going on right now. So please give her a warm welcome and go win some free stuff!

Truly Femme Resources

Do you ever find yourself needing some inspirational information on self esteem and feeling good about the woman you are? Here at True Femme, we will not only provide you with the information we have from our own experience, we will also aide you in finding other resources that are beneficial. We will be posting a resource article with links, once a week, to things that we find helpful, inspirational and relevant to the journey we are taking. Here are the ones that I have for this week:

For all new moms who feel like the birth of their baby has caused their life and self esteem to spiral downward toward a state of depression or melancholy, maybe it is time for some ideas to help you regain your confidence and state of happiness: I found this article and was pleased with all of the great ideas it offered.

Are you a working woman who has very little time to relax? Then it is high time to take a weekend to do so. The Working Woman's Survival Show, in Missouri, would be a perfect place to unwind, get some inspiration from other successful women and can count as business on your taxes. If you are just sick of business and need a break from it all, check into Spa Finder and book a day of rejuvenation, close to home. Oh...and the best part is that you can book your spa day online!

Has the New Year got you hungry for a better skin care regimen? Sephora has numerous lines of skin care to fit every budget and skin type. Right now, you can pick your free samples when you join their rewards program. Some of my favorite brands are MD Skincare, Benefit and CLEAN. My favorite little beauty secret that Sephora carries? THIS little baby, aptly named "I Love Myself." It makes me feel put together and all kinds of sexy!

We are giving away my favorite little beauty secret to one lucky True Femme. All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter! The link is on the sidebar and it takes only a minute. For extra entries, you may blog about True Femme, beauty, self esteem, or why you need to start loving yourself and link back to us.

Do you have a website link that helps you find your True Femme? Email me and I will review it for consideration in our future "Truly Femme Resources" posts.

The Price Of Perfection

When I was a teenager, my very favorite Hollywood figure was not Madonna or Drew Barrymore. It was Norma Jean Baker. I had numerous biographies, posters, movies and even a life sized cardboard stand up in my room. I was fascinated by this woman who, despite having rough personal life, captured the hearts of millions of people. The more I read about this woman, the more I loved her, pitied her and wished I could have known her. She led a tragic life, riddled with substance abuse and rejection. She never was able to have children, despite it being the very thing that her heart desired. My fascination with her was not about her dramatic personal life. It was her real beauty and the lesson I learned from her inability to love herself.

As a young woman, Norma Jean was stunning. She was sweet and radiated innocence. She was unashamed of her body. Her auburn curls, milky skin and curvy figure caught the eye of many. The photographers loved her and men fell hopelessly in love with her. Then...Hollywood got a hold of her and turned her into this woman:

Norma, known to her fans as Marilyn Monroe, plummeted after becoming famous. Her life was a whirlwind of drama and trying to find happiness, despite having everything a girl could seemingly want. Males worshipped her. Females longed to be her. Her beauty regimen became a mix of platinum hair, bedroom eyes and always trying to be a size smaller. Suddenly, the beauty she was born with, was no longer enough. Everything she did to improve herself was for Hollywood. She struggled to fit the mold that producers wanted her to. In the end, Norma Jean could no longer handle the pressure of trying to be the sex symbol that America wanted her to be. She never truly knew what it was like to look in the mirror and love the woman who stared back at her.

I wonder how different her life would have been if she had ever come across a place like this? A place where we strive to help women love themselves, regardless of size. A place where beauty is not limited to a size, a hair color or a nationality. I wonder how different she would have felt if somebody had just said, "You are beautiful and sexy without the bleach, the diet pills and the image of perfection." True, she never would have achieved the status that she did, but was it really worth it in the end? I was so sad when I came to the part of Norma Jean's biography when she died. I mourned the loss of Norma Jean. Despite what everyone says about her suspected murderer, in my mind, the one who really killed her was Marilyn Monroe.

Elton John states it succinctly in his song, "Candle In The Wind"

Goodbye Norma Jean

Though I never knew you at all

You had the grace to hold yourself

While those around you crawled

They crawled out of the woodwork

And they whispered into your brain

They set you on the treadmill

And they made you change your name

And it seems to me you lived your life

Like a candle in the wind

Never knowing who to cling to

When the rain set in

And I would have liked to have known you

But I was just a kid

Your candle burned out long before

Your legend ever did

Loneliness was tough

The toughest role you ever played

Hollywood created a superstar

And pain was the price you paid

Even when you died

Oh the press still hounded you

All the papers had to say

Was that Marilyn was found in the nude

Goodbye Norma Jean

From the young man in the 22nd row

Who sees you as something as more than sexual

More than just our Marilyn Monroe.

Why Are You Here?

You might be reading this blog because you believe that women deserve the right to feel beautiful, regardless of their size. Maybe you are reading it because you really feel like you need to lose weight or improve your life. You also might be reading it because you are wondering what True Femme is all about. Either way, we are glad that you found us and we have no doubt that you will be glad too!

Danielle and I got the inspiration to create the True Femme campaign, in order to find and spread the knowledge of how to feel wonderful about ourselves. We recognize the gross lack of self esteem in women and feel that it is high time we address it and work to banish it. We were born unique individuals and yet, are expected to fit a certain mold as we become women. It is a crying shame that so many of the talents and attributes we were gifted with are downplayed in our own minds because we feel inadequate. This country battles obesity, eating disorders, alcoholism, drug abuse and countless other travesties because those who suffer from them, often have underlying issues. Too many women eat to deal with emotional pain, while others starve to try to gain control of their feelings of inadequacy or helplessness. Some women just give up on looking and feeling good because they know that they will never measure up to the standards that society has set, or they have set for themselves. We have shifted priority from inner health to outer perfection. While it is great to strive to improve on ourselves, we are missing the point. Beauty does not come only in a size 5, a certain hair color or flawless skin. Beauty is so much more than that.

Being healthy and loving ourselves are the things that we really need to strive for. Trust me, skinny does not equal happy or healthy. I am smaller than the national average and it does not mean that I do not struggle with self love. When I look in the mirror, I see inadequacy. When I look around, I see women who have bigger, smaller, prettier, better bodies than I. Why? Why am I not good enough? Why do I feel sub par? Do you find yourself asking these questions? Do you know a friend or family member who battles image issues or communicates a need to be better than they are?

The majority of women in the world need to be here with us on this journey. Whether you are a person who needs to learn, or has something to teach...you need to be here. Danielle and I are not your tour guides, because we are not experts. We are your companions on this journey. We will learn together, explore together and support each other. We will struggle, strive and I'm sure that at times, we will fall. However, there is strength in numbers and together, we will be able to get back up and keep moving forward toward our goal, which is ultimately to help you discover your True Femme.