'Cause I'm a W-O-M-A-N

Since Labor Day has officially come and gone, it was time to pack away the summer decorations and bring out my plethora of pumpkins, ghosts and fall decorations to put out around the house. We have TONS of fall decorations because it is my favorite season!

There is just something about the clean and crisp clear days, putting a fire in the fireplace and snuggling under a blanket that just makes me feel so cozy.

Another great thing about fall is that all of the summer clothes on go on clearance and you can get some great deals!!!

Last week I had scored some clothes for our cruise for around 85% off the original price. I even got the hubby some great shorts and shirts for just $6.60! You can't beat that!!

In my attempt to score some great end of summer items, I have tried to find some bathing suits that I could snag at a great price.

Being that I am curvy, finding a bathing suit that offers, coverage, "support" and doesn't look like it belongs in the retirement home, can sometimes be difficult. Finding a bathing suit at the end of the season is even more difficult.

I knew nothing would be left in the stores at this point, so I decided to go to the trusted Internet. I have had great success finding clothes around the web before, so I thought I might be lucky this time.

So far, no such luck. Since a lot of the swimsuits are sold as tops and bottoms separately, for a lot of the suits, only the bottom is left. (That is not going to do me any good, especially on a Disney Cruise.)

I decided to check out Macy's website because I have had pretty good luck at finding things in their stores and thought it would be the same online.

They did have a few cute suits, but one suit in particular made me refuse to buy any kind of swimsuit from their store every again.

Let me show you the photo.

In my opinion, this photo is picture proof of what is wrong with today's idea of beauty in main stream culture.

This woman in the photo, if not photoshopped, is only a small percent of what women throughout the world look like. The average woman is a size 14, where this model probably would have room in a size 0. Also, why even have a size 0? Why pick a number that represents nothing, and therefore should not be a size?

It is photos like this that cause 6th grade girls to go on crash diets, for women to look in the mirror and think they are not good enough, and even cause some women to starve themselves to death.

When is the fashion industry and retailers going to realize that it is alright to have a little bit or even a lot of curve? That women who are buying the clothing, want to see what someone, who looks like them, would look like in the clothing.

If you are disgusted with the way the industry is going, then I encourage you to email, write or even call retailers and tell them what you think. No change can be made if we are not willing to take the first step.

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.