For Women Only

I'm serious. If you are a man and you are still reading this, consider yourself warned.

I had to go into Victoria's Secret the other day for some bridal shower gifts. I came out feeling totally deflated. I almost mean that literally. The Victoria's Secret models, whose boobies were everywhere I turned, seemed to be taunting me with their full curves. I looked around the store a bit for myself, but quickly realized (as I knew before I walked in) that I couldn't fill out anything hanging on their racks. (Pun intended).

So naturally I have been feeling a little...well, little. I feel like I don't have the basic equipment required for playing on the women's team, so to speak. I suddenly can't find clothes that make me feel good about my shape. I don't want to walk around in a padded bra, advertising something I don't actually carry in stock. (Yes, I think it counts as advertising even when it's just your husband looking.) But I do want to feel feminine.

Today I found hope! A beautiful blog called "Small Bust, Big Heart". I'm so thrilled to find this, because the biggest problem I have is feeling like I'm the only woman who is trapped in a 12-year-old's body. Now I see that I may actually be part of a larger subgroup than I thought. Go check it out--even if you don't have a small bust, it's nice to recognize and celebrate women of all different shapes and sizes. The blog had links to online stores for small-busted women, like Little Women. Now I can choose the places I shop, places that reflect my needs and my reality. Just browsing the styles online is so fun, because the models look like me!

This all goes to show that self-image is largely contextual. I mean, we all need to build a foundation of self-love in which we recognize our God-given beauty and accept that it is more than enough. But we also need to consciously avoid situations where we know we will represent a counter-image or counter-message if we are not standing solidly on that foundation yet. I know I'm not in a place where I can comfortably go into a Victoria's Secret store and feel beautiful. But I hope to get there someday once I have exposed myself to more realistic images of beauty and come to accept, love and flaunt my own shape. After all, if Audrey Hepburn could remain one of the icons of beauty with her distinctly un-Victoria's Secret-like chest, then maybe I can learn to appreciate my own little "chiquitas" too!