Remember last week when I talked about taking more fashion risks? Well, this floral suit outfit is waaay out of my comfort zone.

Until recently, I’ve shied away from showing my curves too much. Why, you might ask? Well, I’ve always hated my super wide hips and full thighs. But then something strange happened. Recently, a few people (both men and women) told me what a great figure I have. They told me how much they like my hourglass shape, and even that my thighs are nice.

Say what?!?! The very thing I’ve always hated, they said they liked. Why does it take other people telling me this for me to see it? My bestie is one of the people who consistently complements my figure. We’ve had long talks about body image and she’s helped me to realize just how hard I am on myself. I hope I’ve also helped her see just how beautiful she is, inside and out (don’t puke, she’s the best).

{Stacey’s Look: Zara top and skirt; Vintage Chanel Purse (similar); Banana Republic Heels; RetroSuperFuture Sunnies; Banana Republic Earrings (similar); J. Crew Bangles; NYX Lip Color}

What these conversations have done for me is made me realize that we all have things about our bodies that we hyper-analyze and criticize, but a lot of those perceptions are in our heads. I’m not suggesting that we should give so much weight to other people’s words or how others view us. What I’m saying is, these people who care about me, they helped me to realize just how hard I am on myself and my body. My internal critic is mean.

So I’m working on it. I’m working on loving my body for what it’s done for me (given me two beautiful kids and carried me through a lot of amazing and hard times over the last 30+ years). I’m also realizing that society’s perception of beauty needs to stop mattering so much to me. That I should love myself and my figure no matter what others think.

I’m sure you’ve seen the massive surge in the #bodypositive movement. I have to say, I’ve been a fan of Gabi Fresh for awhile now, and there are others. I love her confidence and how she puts herself out there for the world to see. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to model in that little of clothes or share my perceived flaws that widely, but she and others like her really do help me realize I need to accept myself where I’m at while I work to be the best version of myself that I can.

So, this floral suit for me is a first attempt at being more accepting of my body. This super form-fitting skirt isn’t the norm for me, but I think it works. The peplum hides my mommy tummy and the skirt hugging my hips does show my hourglass figure.  I’m still not 100% confident in looks like this, but the more I try, the more I will be.

I hope my little share will help you to realize you’re beautiful too. You and your body are perfect just the way you are. If there are things you want to improve, that’s cool, but be kind to yourself. You are beautiful.