‘Tis the Season: Body Positive Gift Giving

The season is upon us, and I always have mixed feelings about the holidays and gift buying. I think it’s the urgency to get the right thing, the best thing, the popular/trendy “most wanted” thing. It’s a lot of pressure.

For the last several years, I’ve chosen not to get on board with the seasonal siren of impulse and hype, and it has made a world of difference. I still buy gifts, but FOMO does not guide my purchases.

Hopefully, I’ve been thoughtful enough to choose something that the receiver will appreciate, but I have learned to be only temporarily disappointed if that isn’t the case.

The best tips I have for that urgency is to know in your heart and mind that:

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the season, so slow down and ask yourself if that is in fact what’s happening.

The cashmere gloves that are the “lowest price ever in the history of the universe” may indeed be a good deal, but at what cost?

Rushing and stressing over getting them?

Take your time and if they’re still there when you’re shopping, fantastic.

 

You are the most important gift you can give to anyone. Your love, friendship, time, listening ear, your kindness…your heart. Again, slow down and know this fact deep in your bones.

I’m writing about this here, because I hope to share the message of being more at peace and ease about gift giving… but also because, ironically, I have some gift giving suggestions.

There are some stand out companies that I think are worth mentioning that promote positive body image:

First, I’d like to start with Thirdlove, a bra company that recently wrote an open letter to Victoria’s Secret via the New York Times. Read about it here.  I applaud them for this, and also for providing products that work for all shapes and sizes of women, including women with asymmetrical breasts, something common, but rarely addressed.

I would also like to high five ModCloth, for their seamless (no pun intended) integration of larger sizes on their website. They have fun, stylish, colorful selections for sizes up to size 4X. It’s a treat to dive into their site and look at their various collections, and you can find some excellent deals as well!

For those in your life who may play with dolls (everyone should!), the continued brilliance of Lammily is not to be missed. Dolls in normal proportions, with accessories that humans can relate to such as cellulite, stretch marks, freckles, acne, glasses, blushing, adhesive bandages, moles, temporary tattoo, stitches, scrapes & scratches, bruises, cast, scars, mosquito bites, grass and dirt stains! There’s a new set called Period Party also!

Oh, how I wish Lammily was a reality when I was growing up!

Last, but not least is Boom Cosmetics, by Cindy Joseph. Sadly, the founder and former model, Cindy Joseph passed away in July, 2018. Her simple and natural line of cosmetics that is designed to enhance a woman’s natural beauty is a lovely legacy to leave behind. She was pro-age, as well, something that is hard to find in our culture that promotes the “ageless” look for women.

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. There are some great companies out there who are promoting positive body image for women as well as men.

So, in the hustle and bustle of the holiday shopping season, take a little break and find some things that can make you smile and help you to feel not only good about yourself, but good about how some of the cultural narrative around body image may be changing. Slowly, but surely.

As always, be gentle with yourself, and know that you are loved,