Here she is, the legend, the one that daisy dukes were named for. Daisy herself. How did she get those on I wonder?
I don’t often reminisce about my short shorts days, but today I allowed myself a stroll down memory lane when a beautiful blond with no more than 6 inches of denim covering her booty walked past our table at lunch.
My first thought was, “I wonder how it feels to, not only be able to fit in a pair of shorts found in the toddler section, but still have range of motion while doing so?”
Was I jealous? I think maybe I was…a little…for a second. Don’t get me wrong, I stand by my mantra, “Love the body you’re in.” I love my body. It serves me well. I just wish sometimes that there wasn’t so much of it.
This got me thinking, “Do other women feel this way when a cute little booty adorned in stretched denim passes by?” Are there women who don’t even notice? How is that possible?
Okay, if we are being painfully honest here I will say that the next thought through my mind was, “Why did that skinny little be-otch have to walk passed me on a day like today when I reluctantly stuffed myself into shorts that I haven’t worn in… oh… 3 years, just to show me what I don’t look like? The one time I put my pride aside and my less than tan legs on display I’m sharing a room with the inspiration for the song, “I’m sexy and I know it.” I wanted to cover myself with the vinyl tablecloth. Pathetic, I know.
I wish I could tell you that the next thing that came to mind was Psalm 139 and thoughts of how beautiful I am to my Creator and to my man who treats me like a goddess. It wasn’t. The next thing to surface was justification. “Well, Marilyn Monroe was a size 16 and she was smokin’.” “I rock my curves!” “I’ve had 3 children. T h r e e!” “Thin isn’t the biggest deal and neither is a tan! I want to be healthy and white! After all, vampires are the latest craze and they are paler than I am.” “Yeah. That’s right. I’m hot.”
Now enjoy the part where my rationalization comes crumbling down around me. 
~ By today’s sizes it is believed that Marilyn would have been a 6/8. (There goes that theory)
~ I have grown accustomed to and even fond of my curves. However, a muffin top or shelf butt are not technically the curves that one likes to “rock.”
~ True, I have had 3 kiddos and with each one worked out less afterwards. It’s difficult to maintain the excuse that it’s baby weight when my baby is 4!
~ Thin is just as big a deal as it has been for as long as I can remember. Everything looks better tan, especially fat and while being healthy is important, thin is more times than not, healthier than pudge.
~ Just for the record, most days I do feel hot. I mean, it’s been over 100 degrees here for the last month!
Seriously, I’m not lacking in self-esteem and for someone who struggled for so many years with self-loathing behavior, I’d say that’s a pretty huge statement. I just wish that I could tell you that having a healthy marriage, beautiful children, everything I have ever dreamed of in this life, would keep me from looking at “little miss tight buns” and being envious. But alas, I can not. I would be lying.
It’s interesting what topics have come up in the last week for me. Words like “enough.” When it comes to size, attitude and fiestiness, I’m more than enough. When it comes to viewing myself as the Beloved through the eyes of my Master, I could use some work.
So today, right now, here in this moment, Daisy can keep her dukes and Marilyn her 24″ waist. I’m good. Now, what’s for dinner?!
To download a PDF version of the Psalm click on one of the links below
Psalm 139
Psalm 139 text version
* Media was taken from google
Even A Girl Like Me 
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I am wondering if “little miss tight buns” looked at you when she happened by and thought “it looks like she has a healthy marriage, 3 beautiful children, and everything she could ever dreamed of in this life”, and said to herself why did I have to walk by that got it all together be-otch today?
I think we all might be surprised if we could actually change places with those we envy and find out what things in life they struggle with and wish for. I know sometimes it is not so much their life we want but just some part of it but that is like saying I want all the good without any of the cost.
I really enjoyed reading this post and laughed a few times as well as thought about the serious questions it raises.
Excellent observation, friend.
I had not thought of that. It made me laugh when I read it and then the truth of it sunk in. You’re right. We never know where others are coming from.
“~ True, I have had 3 kiddos and with each one worked out less afterwards. It’s difficult to maintain the excuse that it’s baby weight when my baby is 4!”
Watching a Roseanne stand up years ago, she said something I will never forget: “If you’re baby is 5, it’s not baby-fat unless you ate your baby!” That one always makes me laugh!
Sadly, most of my weight has been gained after the babies were born and usually after the diet stops. About 7 years ago, I decided to stop dieting and I haven’t gained since. Before I would diet, lost a bunch of weight, get slammed by something in life and stop dieting/exercising, then gain that weight plus 20. Now, I’m not exactly ‘happy’ with the ‘shape’ i’m in, but round IS a shape… So there you go. I would like to incorporate more activity into my regular life and that is happening gradually, but the taxi-cab lifestyle of a mom-with-kids-in-sports makes it a little more challenging. Ultimately, as I add, I don’t want to yo-yo anymore, so I’ll just slowly change what I do instead of doing the new life/old life yoyo again and hopefully gradually, I will become more the ‘shape’ that is healthy and less ’round’.
Have a great day, Joy! I hope you are doing well!
Oh my word, I just did the snort laugh when I read that quote from Roseanne!
Oh girl, I am SO with you! Round is indeed a shape 😉
We will get there. At least our kids, when asked, won’t say, “Mom was always too busy exercising to pay attention to me.” There’s always a bright side!
Joy – great post. The older I get the harder it gets. I try to keep everything under control, but learning to enjoy the new “normal”! xoxo
Thanks! Yes, I’m realizing that with age comes a new set of curves 🙂
As a red blooded American male I’m here to say there is absolutely nothing wrong with a little extra “junk in the trunk.” I’ll take the nice “curvy” woman I come home to every night over any of these bags of bones that pass for the “ideal” woman on TV and in magazines these days.
I also have to say, as a father of a 7 year old little girl, it is very nice to see what is considered the idea of what is the “ideal” woman is changing. Slowly though it may be, but changing none the less.
I have a 14 year old so I know. It’s so hard to combat what is out there these days, but we do the best we can with our precious girls. It is a slow process indeed. One thing that really helped my Bella was when I took a photo of myself, loaded it and showed how I could edit it to look amazing. She said that was so powerful to see. Maybe it’s something you can use one day? I explained that the images seen in the magazines are all an illusion. Though a daily struggle, she gets it.
“a muffin top or shelf butt are not technically the curves that one likes to “rock.” ”
LOL totally needed to read this today!
Glad I could help 😉