Image Grenade

 As I returned from an hour hike on the Schuylkill River trails, sweaty, with my shirt’s outline, etched by the sun on my arms, I saw a girl whose appearance stopped me in my tracks. She was young and cute but overweight and in an attempt to camouflage her size, she was wearing a knee length skirt which grazed the tops of  long leather boots, a long sleeved while oxford shirt topped by a cardigan sweater. It was 80 degrees.  While I realize that many offices have climates that would rival the Birds Eye Frozen Food locker, there is no way she could have been comfortable unless she was crazy. She wasn’t crazy, she was covering. She would have willingly  superheated into a small pool of perspiration than endure the alternative, exposing more skin.

I know, I’ve been there. I’ve hidden my upper arms, my thighs and even eschewed capris, lest the world see my cankles.I don’t do that any more. Why? Well mostly because I do enough bench dips that my triceps are now afraid to even consider degenerating into Bingo Wings. I also walk enough that my legs, while still maintaining the girth of a tree trunk, are substantially harder. I still don’t like shorts, but that’s mostly because of the way they bunch up in my crotch, not because I won’t show a bit of leg.Here’s the deal, whether you’re fat or thin, you deserve to be comfortable in the heat and while I’m never going out in a pair of Daisy Dukes, a cropped top or mini (because I have some sense of decorum)  I’m also not going to don a burqa because I have a few body issues.I also believe you can’t fix what you don’t acknowledge and you may think your hiding something in all that clothing, but once the temperature climbs to 90, you’ll not only pass out from heat stroke, but will look like a dozy cow when you could have worn something in cool cotton that covered your extremities without being, well, extreme.The bottom line is if you’re not happy with where you are physically, work to change it. Walk during lunch instead of visiting the local canteens with your friends. Just say no to cupcakes (ummmm, cup-cakes). It’s your choice,  fat and embarrassed, or comfortably and for the love of God, suitably attired for the warm weather. Remember, just because they make bikinis in a size 24 doesn’t mean the rest of us want to view it. There are plenty of other options that are  cooling, figure flattering and make you feel positive. We don’t all have to be  Elle” the body” McPherson to look good. Sometimes the best accessory with light weight summer clothing, is natural health achieved after a good work out.