The Weight-Loss Debate: Addressing the Foolery

As most of you know, when I started my blog, I made a commitment for it to be fashion and ONLY fashion based. I saw many fa[t]shion blogs that addressed other issues such as; discrimination in the media, current events, etc.

Since all of those aspects were already being covered so well, I sort of wanted to step out of those realms and make my blog a place where you primarily read about fashion, tips and tricks of the trade, styling suggestions, the latest trends, "How To" guides and so on. However, sometimes an issue pops up and you feel obligated to step out of your zone and address the issue head on.

Now, I know that some of you probably don't know this, but recently I've been battling with a dreaded case of "writers' block", but recent events have sparked my literary juices and have forced me to crawl out from under my rock of unproductivity.

If you're unaware of the situation, here's a little background to help you catch up...

Yesterday, Marcy Guevara, Editor-at-Large and host of The Marcy Minute for xoxoskorch posted a video titled "Coming Clean" about her efforts to get healthier. Standing in front of a Weight Watchers storefront, Marcy dished about

• Being "on the fence" in regards to body image and how some of us really feel about our size.
• Her desire to shop at certain stores that don't carry her current size and getting back into her favorite pair of jeans.
• Jennifer Hudson being her inspiration and motivation for shedding a few pounds.
• The reasons why she chose Weight Watchers for her weight loss endeavor.
• And the battle to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a curvy girl.

All great points, right?

Well apparently quite a few viewers became a bit "up in arms" over the video, which has lead to a weight-loss "backlash" of sorts. And it has sparked a frenzy of comments, tweets, reposts, and discussions on the matter. Now while I can understand the confusion in a "plus-sized" magazine promoting weight-loss, what I don't understand is the negative feedback in regards to the issue of health. And while xoxoskorch has ALWAYS promoted healthy body image and the importance of embracing oneself, I don't think that they have ever claimed to endorse an unhealthy lifestyle.

I mean let's face reality here for a moment. While we strive to embrace our curves, being overweight and obese leaves many of us susceptible to diseses such as Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart Failure, Arthritis, certain types of Cancer, and the list goes on! So what is the harm in trying to get healthy to sustain longevity? Or to just feel a little better in your own skin by shedding a few pounds?




I make no apologies in saying that while I love and embrace my curves, I always strive to live a healthier lifestyle and if I can drop one or two dress sizes in the process, then so be it! Now, just like Marcy said, I will NEVER be a size 6 or even an 8, but that isn't even my goal. My goal is to be a heathier me! Through my Facebook page, I have made my own personal fitness journey public knowledge. I talk about my love affair with the yoga ball and my tumultuous relationship with carbs. I even discuss my unhealthy eating relapses and when I've gained back a pound or two (or three...eek!).

Does that make me wrong or less credible in the fa[t]shion community? Am I to be deemed traitorous?
Bottom line, weight-loss is a matter of personal decision. If you are comfortable with where you are and you are healthy and feeling fantastic, then more power to you! Now while you may not agree with Marcy's personal decision to get healthy by losing weight or utilizing the powers that are Weight Watchers, the fact of the matter is that it is just that. A personal decision. One of which she decided to share with those of us who can relate to her pursuit, and was not intended as any sort of personal "dig" at anyone else or even to promote weight-loss. Let's also not forget that being healthy has absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH THE NUMBERS ON THE SCALE OR THE SIZE ON YOUR TAG, and everything to do with your ACTIVITY and OUTLOOK.

So to Marcy I say...GO GET 'EM GIRL, YOU'VE GOT OUR SUPPORT! :)

Until Next Time F5's and Skorch dolls....
Stay D'lish

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P.S. Check out the "contraversial" video below...

OOTD: Happy In Peep Toe

Hi gang, today I am feeling happy in my new studded peeptoe flats!

I am working the flats today in my fave selfmade white dress...

... and a black reworked vest with a statement neckless and gold bangle

How `bout them peeptoe flats!

I picked them up at Din Sko today, whizzing into the store, trying them on and getting them within three minutes!

Now that`s shopping with intention :) LOL

Here are the details of the rest of my outfit today:

This black vest that I made yesterday was originally a brown dress that I picked up at H&M in London a couple of years ago, mainly because I loved the top of the dress.

A black dyejob and some chopping later it was re-born as a vest with powersleeves.

Lovely buttons and stitching

Sleeves with attitude!

I sewed this dress with fabric from two dresses from Vero Moda and added a black sash.

Love my curves in it!

I adore the ruffles on the dress

I got this statement neckless in Toronto, Canada last summer. Perfect for making basics zing!

Sending you all happy thoughts!

xoxo Anika

Sweetfaced Style

Memorial Day Sale: 20% Off? YES PLEASE!

Sales Alert!



Memorial Day Sale 20% off Purchase (promo code Memorial20) 

Enjoy & Shop Happy! www.plushboutique.net exp 6/1

Thanks so much!

Marcy goes to VEGAS! and shares her thoughts after a cocktail or two... :)

RECYCLING IS SEXY!

Marcy COMES OUT!

OOTD: My Sequined Coat, Re-born!

Here`s my outfit today;

 a brown dress with a cropped dusty grey jacket that I made from a coat yesterday,

and a keyring used as neckless

I threw in some leopard in the mix on my way home from work

Yummy glitz

I got this coat from Noa Noa a while back as a birthday present mum

 and fell in love with the colour and detailed waist,

but never quite felt comfortable wearing it, even after shortening the sleeves a while back.

So, yesterday, I hesitated no further, and simply chopped it off at the waist!

I love the result,

and highly recommend chopping away at pieces you love but need to tailor to your taste :)

 I accentuated the embellished waist by cutting the back a bit shorter than the front, creating an added emphazis on the grey bling

Sequin delights

I picked up this fringed keychain at Lindex

and added some string to make a statement neckless. Love it!

This is my fave brown dress, that I made from fabric from a Noa Noa-dress.

It is a great staple in my wardrobe, basic, but not black!

Detail of the sequined shoulder,

I love this part of the dress so much that it`s why I got the dress in the first place.

Tell me, ever chopped away and brought new life to old pieces?

xoxo Anika

Sweetfaced Style

A Curvy Stylistas Biggest Fashion Accessory: Health

Style and beauty is always an option in a Curvy Stylistas life.  What Monif C. designer clothes will I wear today?  What Brahmin handbag will bring out the colors in my outfit and tie in my Jimmy Choo shoes?  But choosing health as a fashion accessory is unheard of.  It seems misguided minds forget that health above all is what would drive a curvy Stylistas lifestyle.  Without health she would fail to leap forward and sample a designer sale, or drive cross country to obtain a new perfume that is only available in Macy's New York.  Health is her biggest fashion accessory.

For those that feel that health + style do not equal a curvy Stylista you are mistaken.  Here are the facts that Curvy Stylistas know and conquer every day:

Facts

• Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in women.

• Metabolic Syndrome is a series of risk factors that can cause heart disease, heart attacks and in some cases lead to death.  These factors are not limited to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

• Unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical activities contribute to weight gain and an increase in risk factors for other diseases.

Choosing Health as a Fashion Accessory

• Have you ever head the part in the Fergilicious song "just working on my fitness" start there.  Incorporate cardio and strength building activities into your life.  Start working on your fitness.  30-60 minutes for a minimum of 3 days per week will eliminate weight gain, and varying factors that cause heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

• Carbs and Fats are good for you.  But it starts with understanding which ones are the best for your body and eliminating those that are not.  Good Carbs are high in fiber, have a low glycemic index, and are high in nutrients.  Basically choose whole wheat pasta, whole wheat breads and use portion control.  Good Fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated like avocado, olive oil, and salmon.  Bad fats are Saturated and Trans fat such as coconut oil, and some packaged foods.

• Sometimes the thought of a workout may seem daunting.  But with Plus Size Cardio and Strength Training fitness it has never been more fun or more individualized to a real curvy woman's needs.

The fact is Curvy Stylistas never choose unhealthy lifestyles.  We choose healthy ones because we would never be able to enjoy the luxuries of fashion and style without the energy to run to the store for a new pair of shoes and stand in them all day!  Health is our biggest fashion accessory it fuels our passion for fashion.

Bonnielee Cuevas is one of the Beauty Editors and Fitness Contributor for Skorch Magazine.  She is a renowned Author, Business & Lifestyle Coach, and Mompreneur.  She is the Founder of Fitness Fashionistas a company combining Fitness and Style that motivates positive body images in women.  She is also the Founder of Success in Heels a company restoring a Womanpreneurs passion for Success and combining Business and Style to help them achieve their Entrepreneurial Dreams.  Bonnielee Cuevas's main mission in life is to rejuvenate women's lives.

OOTD: Back To The Basics

Much as I adore colour, I simply love getting my groove on in basic black and white -all layered and flowy.

Here I am posing at a public restroom (LOL! The things I do in the name of blogging! ..Ok, fine, I may have done it before as well, but now I have the blog to justify it hahahha)

Let`s get to the outfit itself  :)

Todays choice basics are a black dress with embellished shoulders, layered with a cut off white blouse, leopard scarf, studded bolero, some of my fave jewllery, studded boots and fringed bag

- you know.. keeping it simple ;)

On to the basics:

I love this mix of textures, soft meets glitzy and prints.

I found this romantic white blouse at H&M a while back, and simply cut it off and freyed the egdes to make it suit me better.

Flowy details

This frozen clock-neckless is one of my fave pieces. I got it from Day Birger et Mikkelsen in Copenhagen two years ago.

I made this black dress my self, and adorned it with shoulderglitz from a top-come-bolero from H&M. The dress looks scruffy here, but is nice and flowy to wear. 

Detail of the studs that I added to this bolero that I made from a jacket from H&M

This fringed black bag has my name on it, and I was one happy customer when I brought it home from Top Shop in Split, Croatia.

Fringy, basically!

Basic bling: creme coloured ring from H&M and black wristwatch from Alessi

Ready for a good time, basically!

xoxo Anika

Sweetfaced Style

OOTD: What Are Ya Gonna Do? Shoot Da Swans? These lovelies?

Guess who broke the law last weekend? You guessed it me Miss Goodie Goodie!! Ok now breaking into the paddle boats at the park and parking in loading zones may not seem like Bag Girl behavior but for me it is, especially since i’m typically a bit by the book! But I couldnt resist when I put on this dress Saturday and was on my way to meet up with Candace Sweet I just couldn’t stop thinking about taking the shots in this location!

Photos By Candace Sweet <<<<< Follow Her On Facebook!

==
First off let me tell ya that while I love the water and enjoy a good swim every now and then I am soooo not a boat kinda girl, infact I get sea sick on ferries,  and the thought of taking a dip in the nasty lake sounded absolutely awful. It must have been pretty amusing wathing my fraidy cat booty trying to get into this boat in wedges none the less, but I accomplished it and it was one of the highlights of my shoot!

I picked this dress up from Torrid online last summer during one of there fabulous 50% off clearance sales and wasn’t sure about it until it arrived. This dress fits my body perfectly and is such a  fun tie dyesc print. I normally don’t really wear blue but this dress is one of my summer faves. I love that it has black in it so I can pair it with black leggings and a cardi for the office but can also wear it with bare legs and a great sandal. I chose to wear it with leggings Saturday since it was a bit chilly, but no cardi here! Hopefully you noticed that my outfit posts were all missing cardigans  and jackets this week as it is getting warmer and I am loving showing a bit of skin. I don’t have any shame in my arms so I’m glad to show them off!

Well this is the last post that you will be seeing from me until Monday. Nightrider and I are headed to Eugene Oregon to visit her cousin and let off a bit of steam. I am in serious need of a break as I have been working really hard and I will be only working a half day today even. Unfortunately since I will be out of town Candace and I probably wont do another shoot until  Tuesday Evening but hopefully I should have some great photos from my vacation and I will make sure to get a couple shots of my outfits from Nightrider. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and I am going to enjoy some much needed rest, relaxation, hippes and tequilla!

xoxo

Stiletto

OOTD: Our World Is Spinning At The Speed Of Light

Bet you all didn’t know that I have 4 tattoos. I’m sure you have all noticed the leaf on my arm, and maybe even those of you who look closely and pay attention have seen the butterfly I have had on my shoulder since I was 18 but I also have another two that are a bit more hidden. I will admit that I do have a tramp stamp (i was 19 years old give me a break) that is the Chinese symbols for eternal love and anyone who has seen me in a pair of low-rise jeans has seen that one too. My fourth tat however is bit more a secret and has only been seen by partners in the bedroom and of course when I have had too much tequilla at the bar HA!

Before I got married to my ex husband I was parting it up and celebrating the end of an era of me being single with my girlfriends. I was only 20 at the time and really the eldest out of all my friends so we couldn’t hit he bars and go through the real tiara wearing, free shots bachelorette party routines like most girls. Instead we hit up a resturaunt with a live band and on our way back to our cars passed a tattoo parlor. Well I got the crazy idea to get a new tat to always remember the evening with my girlfriends and they all chipped in a paid for it.  When I was little I loved the Care Bears and have always considered myself a female version of Bedtime Bear (I LOVE TO SLEEP) so I figured what do all Care Bears have? Well those of you that know your 90′s cartoons know its hearts on their hineys! I too became a Care Bear that night and have the cute pink heart on my booty to prove it!

Ok so what the hell does this little anecdote have to do with my Outfit Post today? Well that great pink and green building behind me is the very tattoo parlor where I dropped my pants and took it like the sassy lady I am!

Photos By Candace Sweet <<<<< Follow Her On Facebook!

I have been wanting to showcase this great Leopard Dress from Torrid for a long time and have just been waiting for the right day to do it! I call this my FUCKING PARTY DRESS and always feel like an animal in it, hence the Ke$ha “Animal” lyrics. I picked this dress up before a trip with Nightrider last September and have sported it a number of times since then. I have worn this dress to bars, parties and even in the office a time or two. In this look I paired it with my black ankle lace leggings also from Torrid and my black bow tie heels from Shoe Carnival.

This outfit always makes me feel fierce, hot, and like a million bucks! All women should have a dress that makes them feel a bit wild and remember the more wild memories in their lives. Tell me about yours!

Xoxo

Stiletto

OOTD: Little Red Corvette, Baby You’re Much Too Fast

Well its your lucky day, since yesterday there were technical difficulties keeping me from posting an outfit today you get two!

The first outfit for today is one of my favorite casual weekend combos. What better place to shoot this then a place we frequent on the weekends, especially at 2 in the morning after hitting the clubs? The ever elusive Pie Hole! 

Photos By Candace Sweet <<<< Follow Her On Facebook!

This outfit is comfort and sass in one with my red hankerchief tank and black lace ankle leggings from Torrid. I paired it with my black canvas wedges from Payless. This outfit is simple, comfy and a bit edgy with the great face print on the tank. I love what this top does for my curves too! I bought it on clearance at Torrid during a 50% Off Clearance sale too so even better that I got it at a great price!
And don’t you absolutely love how much of a dork I am in that last photo? I know how to work it and geek it up!

Xoxo

Stiletto

OOTD: I Am Not Your Rolling Wheels, I Am The Highway. I Am Not Your Carpet Ride, I Am The Sky

Don’t ask me what in the world this outfit has to do with Audioslave’s “I Am The Highway” but for some reason while looking at these photos it was the first song the popped into my head. Might as well go with it right?

Had an absolutely wonderful weekend! Had a chilled out Friday night, then Saturday woke up early and met with Candace Sweet for our photo shoot. As you all noticed we didn’t do one and there were no outfit posts last week and it made me super sad, so I was ecstatic to be getting back on track. We did another 5 awesome looks and I really think you are all going to enjoy what you see this week. After I got home Saturday I went back to bed for a couple of hours then our whole family did a bunch of yard work and then we all went out for ice cream for a job well done. The kids went to their dads early so Nightrider and I got some alone time Saturday afternoon and ran to Old Navy and I picked up a couple of pieces including a really great top I am going to have to show you all in next weeks shoot. Then we went to an end of the semester Margarita Dance Party and my bff’s house and had a great time, which included far too much tequilla for me and Nightrider got me out of there before I became “that drunk girl” haha! Spent yesterday hanging around the house and had a lovely time together! I am finally feeling 100% back to myself and that is WONDERFUL!

Now onto the outfit! Back in April I featured the Tiffany Top from Elocin Fashions as a Drool-WorthyD ress Of The Day and the lovely people at Elocin sent it to me to review as well!

Photos By Candace Sweet <<<<<< Follow Her On Facebook!

As you can see this is a really fun and great top from Elocin Fashions! It has a great color combination and tie dye look that is great for spring and summer. The top is true to size, this is a 2X which fit me great! The beading at the waistline is the only really structured part of this piece so make sure you are careful with your waist measurements, but this tunic does have a zip up side to make it easier to put on. I didn’t even realize the zipper was there until I already had it on though so its pretty easy to pull it over the head too. One of the things I loved about this tunic is the great beading and hemp detailing on the waistline. I also love the large flowy sleeves on this top that would fit any arm size comfortably and be flattering. There is a bit of rutching in the sleeve that keeps it looking a bit more structured as well which adds on to the great look! Elocin totally nailed it with this great top that I am sure I will be wearing all summer!

I paired the Tiffany Tie Dye Top with a white cami from NY&CO because it is definitely a very low-cut top, you will need to wear a cami with this or else you will definitely not be leaving much to the imagination, unless that’s your thing! I had a hard time deciding what to wear on the bottom because I am just really not normally a girl who wears very much blue or brown and am really out of practice when it comes to pairing those types of colors. I finally decided on my darkest washed Torrid jeggings which I think ended up looking really nice with the top. I choose my light brown Steve Madden heels that I picked up years  ago at Famous Footwear which actually matched the brown in the top PERFECTLY!

I loved this look and even though it is a bit different from my typical style I loved how flattering it was and SO INCREDIBLY COMFORTABLE TOO!

Check out everything Elocin Fashions has to offer, they have great prices and some really lovely pieces that are totally worth taking a peek at! Follow Elocin on Facebook as well to not miss a beat from this great boutique, i hear they have some great new pieces coming soon and tell them Stiletto sent ya!

Xoxo

Stiletto