The Mirror Is Not Our Friend.

Okay, let's face it. As women, we have a love/hate relationship with shopping. Sure we love to treat ourselves: a new outfit, a pair of kitten heels to show off those killer calves, that purse you've been coveting for months. That is, until we get to the dressing room.

For a rare few, those with little or no neurotic fears and insecurities, it isn't painful. But for a vast majority–myself included–the experience resembles an act of war and your enemy is the mirror. The dressing room becomes the emotional battleground to which the victor goes the spoils. And as in any battle, you don't know if you'll walk away bleeding or triumphant.

I refuse to take seriously that BMI number which indicates I am obese. I've got plenty enough on me to be critical about and I don't need a ridiculous little machine to add major insult to my injuries. I'm 5'5" with a little more mass than I would want but I'm working on it. I circuit train most days of the week, happily sweating away the pounds, the inches...and the anxieties.

You know what I'm talking about. We keep a mental list of structural deformities. Is it the short neck? The large breasts? The small breasts? The spare tire? The cankles? And that's just on the outside. We haven't even addressed the internal issues we're cursed with as women. If the mirror could see those too, then we're well and truly screwed in a battle that would surely end before it could even start.

Luxury Lift® Bra

The Wonder Tee

On the other hand, I'm proud of my DD's though I prefer the girls separated–not the "uni-boob" cleavage that often comes with larger cup sizes. My Olga wire bras have been my favorite since I tried on the first one a few years back. I also prefer to wear my Downeast's Wonder Tees. The 5% Spandex helps to lift and shape my body's contours. I discovered recently that the bra and tee were very useful weapons against the enemy.

So yeah, shopping is like waging a war–with ourselves. The mirror is not a friend. We enter the dressing room with these preconceived notions about our bodies that do little to make us feel comfortable about what we're trying on. But with these two pieces accentuating my favorite area, I take advantage of what I do like and use it as my shield against all the negative self-talk firing back at me through the mirror because whatever I put on over that bra or over that tee looks really good!