The body beautiful...

is built with confidence!

Growing up in the Philippines, I was told that I was too dark, too short, or just plain ol' homely looking. This wasn't just from girls I would have crushes on back in school, but from family and relatives as well. You'd think such verbal bashing to the self-esteem would've scarred me, well I'm here to tell you, it did! -lol

I was growing into my teens very insecure about my physical state. I also had ginormous teeth when I was eleven so I was never at liberty to smile in photos if I could help it. It wasn't until high school that someone pointed out that I did in fact carry a wonderful smile accented by straight choppers that I began to change my mind about my facade. From that small compliment, I began to work on being comfortable with just being me.

At some point from then and now, I learned a lot about what makes one beautiful. Beauty, indeed, is in the eye of the beholder. When enough people genuinely tell you that you're handsome, at some point you will have to let go of your insecurities and start accepting the compliments with the confidence that "Hey, maybe I am." You look at yourself in the mirror and declare that you're a God among men with much conviction and you will in fact believe this! (but remember to keep it to yourself, no one likes a delusional ego maniac) I didn't let my childhood "put downs" get the better of me. We need to learn to better filter the things that are detrimental to our state of mind and push them right out of our systems. More importantly, we need to remind ourselves that the outer shell is nothing more than just that! It's not everything that makes us who we are. You can look your best in great threads, you can have the face of a movie star, but without a good personality and a good heart, it's nothing more than pretty wrapping paper concealing crap!

This blog was prompted by a blogger/designer who knows about taking better care of one's self and self image. A song to inspire would be this 1990 hit from the uber sexy Mr. George Michael. The title of the song added the number "90" so as to not be confused with a Wham song of the same name. It was a confessional song by George recognizing his fame and fortune during his days with Wham, and the fact that his views of the business he's in has changed to a more cynical and grown-up one. It also alluded to his struggles as a closeted gay man. The song was also the first step he took in breaking himself free of his contract with Sony Music. The video was moody, sentimental, and didn't feature George Michael himself but supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, Todo Segalla and Scott Benoit. Blowing up his iconic guitar, jukebox, and burning his jacket from his Faith era are further examples of Michael's efforts to cut ties with his past.

So do as I do when I hear it and rejoice the joy that is being you. Crank up the volume and dance around the room wearing nothing more than just the essentials: a good pair of underpants and a whole lot of bare skin! Let's all declare "Freedom! '90"