Confidence is Sexy

I recently read an article on women letting themselves go after having kids, and it's an interesting topic so I wanted to share my take on it. Being beautiful on the inside is so much more important than being beautiful on the outside, but let's face it, this world is a vain world. In my opinion, there needs to be a balance. I've seen so many women let themselves go after having kids. I'm not saying that every woman needs to wear pounds of makeup and heels everyday and look like a supermodel 24/7, but I think a lot of women would feel a lot better about themselves if they took a little time to improve their appearance once in a while.

I see examples of this every day. Going grocery shopping, I look around and see so many women in sweat pants with their hair in a ponytail, not a stitch of makeup on their face, with kids running around and they look miserable. For me personally, I feel a lot better when I take time to get ready, so I do it everyday. Some days I wear makeup with different eyeshadow looks and do my hair really nice, and others I just use a little foundation/mascara/lip gloss and flat iron my hair. Either way, I feel a lot better about going in public like that vs. going out looking like I just rolled out of bed. I would never make myself get ready for other people, this is a personal decision that I make everyday that makes ME feel better about myself. Everyone feels more confident when they look their best. It can completely change your attitude and outlook that day. I'm far from conceited and I have a lot of self-confidence issues, so I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea thinking that I expect every woman to be dressed to the nines every single day. I just want to help women feel better about themselves and that's why I love giving hair/beauty/fashion advice, tips, and tricks. Another thing I like doing is that I make sure if I see someone with something that catches my eye, (like a gorgeous bag, a shirt that I really like, or a cute hair style) I compliment them. Even a compliment from a complete stranger will raise your self-esteem. If more women complimented each other instead of hating on each other, I think our self-esteem would be a lot higher as a whole.

Obviously pregnancy will change your body. You might never get your pre-baby body back, but you can shape your new body into something that you are proud of. I know a girl that gained a ton of weight after pregnancy and completely let herself go. She never wears makeup, doesn't do her hair, complains about being fat, but does nothing about it. I hate when people complain about things like that but do nothing to change it. Everyone can't afford a gym membership, or maybe they don't have time to go to the gym everyday, but there are so many things you can do at home. I take a walk with my daughter every single day. I power walk with her in the stroller and she loves it. She's happy to be outside. If I'm going somewhere close to my house, for example if I need to go to 7-11 to get cigarettes or something, I walk. I try to take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. If you have Comcast or AT&T, there are tons of free workout videos on On Demand. Try a few different workouts until you find one you like. One of the biggest problems for me is that I eat when I'm bored. I really have to watch myself with that. Lately I've been getting better about it, I make sure I'm actually hungry before eating and not just bored. I've definitely been seeing results (as well as friends and family) from everything I've been trying to do, and it's a huge confidence booster.

There are so many simple things you can do to get your confidence back. If you don't like makeup, you don't have to wear a ton. Put on a little mascara and lip gloss before leaving the house. Put some product in your hair and flat iron it. That takes all of 20 minutes, and I bet it'll make you feel a lot better about yourself. Sweats around the house are great, but change your outfit before you leave the house. Wear jeans with a cute top and some flats, or even nice gym shoes. If you absolutely can't tear yourself away from your sweatpants, wear fitted sweatpants that show that you actually have a body under all of that fabric!! :) A lot of women don't realize that by wearing huge sweatpants and/or hoodies, they make themselves look a lot bigger than they actually are. Even something silly like wearing sexy underwear can be a confidence booster. Investing in a good push-up bra is a great idea. We all know that after kids the girls aren't as perky as they used to be. Wear something that shows off your favorite asset. No pun intended. If you think you have great boobs, wear a shirt that shows a little cleavage. If you like your butt, wear your favorite pair of jeans. If you have nice toned arms, wear a sleeveless top. It's crazy how a few simple things can make you feel so much better about yourself.

I can definitely hang with the boys and get dirty, but I'm a girly girl at heart. I love makeup, hair, fashion... so even after kids I've always tried to keep my appearance up. I go tanning, get my hair done, and get ready everyday NOT for other people, but so I can feel good about myself. I'm generally a lot happier and in a better mood when I feel good about how I look. For the women that have kids, have you let yourself go?? What are your tips/tricks for women that have?? What do YOU do to feel confident?? Don't forget to comment if you read this, and thanks for reading (even to my stalkers and haters!!). <3