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Hey guys, here’s a post that I’ve been meaning to pen for a while; my advice on how to have body confidence evvvvvvery.damn.day.

I’ve been fortunate enough to feel fairly confident about my body for as long as I can remember despite not being ‘skinny’. I honestly equate this confidence to how my mother raised us… she always told me I looked amazing (I’ve seen the photos… she lied!) and raised my sister & I to feel confident in ourselves in spite of inevitable waistline fluctuations. I’ve never felt significantly unhappy with my body despite being surrounded by mainstream media ideals of the ‘perfect body’ almost constantly throughout my life. My way of looking at it is simple; I don’t look perfect but, I sure as hell could look a lot worse and if I was 10 stone heavier I’d cry tears of joy to look the way I do now so why get down on myself?

Ahhhhhh, perspective; the ultimate joy-giver in life if you ask me!

So here we have it… my ultimate guide to bringing out your inner Beyoncé

1) Wear bigger pants!

Delighted to be squeezing into size 12 pants when ya’ll know you’re a size 14? You’re shooting yourself in the foot (or, more accurately, shooting yourself in the hips, ass & double boob)… I size up with it comes to all my underwear to avoid any bulging created by my ‘cute but just don’t fit’ undies cramping my style.

2) If you don’t like it, take it off. I repeat, if you don’t like it take.it.off.

I don’t care if your auntie, your friends, your mama, your parish priest & your local shopkeeper think it’s the best they’ve ever seen you look. I don’t care if the heavens open & 2 giant thumbs up reign down upon you… If YOU don’t like it, take.if.off.

3) Have fail safes.

You know those days where your hair is flat & your ass feels like it needs to travel with a ‘wide load’ banner? Forget any concerns of what’s trendy or what you may have worn yesterday & go straight for your failsafe combo… loose flowing black top & skinny jeans or that ‘so bright it distracts from my protruding stomach’ summer dress. Whatever the outfit that always works for you, go for it my friend & get your (rounder feeling than usual) ass out into that day.

4) Accentuate & camouflage.

Now, I’m true believer in flaunting whaaaaatever you have, even if social norm bullsh*t leads you to believe that you shouldn’t be proud but, if you are feeling a little more potato than pretty then accentuating & camouflaging is the way to go. I’m a classic pear shape for example meaning I have a narrow waist & generous backside… Certainly not bad attributes but, if I’m feeling chunkier than I’d like my A&C godsend is to tie a shirt around my waist which both defines my waist & covers my derrière… body hang-ups are gone aaaaand I don’t have to carry a coat!

5) Document downfalls.

The path to dressing confidently can be paved with cottage cheese, back rolls & chaffing in unmentionable areas but, these days can be categorized under the ‘never a regret, always a lesson’ area of your beautiful life journey… See that day you swanned out feeling footloose & fancy free only to be plagued by a case of ‘WhyTheFDidIWearThis’ syndrome all day? Analyse exactly what it is that made you turn against that outfit or perhaps, what made that outfit turn on YOU.

Maybe the body con skirt rode up all day? No more body con skirts.

Did the crew neck t-shirt sag & expose the girls in work all day? No more crew necks in work!

Did those oh-so-stylish faux leather trousers simply make you feel like a whale? Banish them.

Pick specific elements of the outfit that cramped your confidence & simply don’t wear them at all again… This may require some wardrobe readjustments & eBay clearouts but honestly, even with a small wardrobe of clothes that make you feel amazing you’ll be a changed woman because confidence is, without doubt, the best thing you can wear.

Bottom line; ‘if you don’t feel good, you don’t look good’, so, F the rules & forget any clothing that simply makes you feel like shit, go for what works for you, what makes you feel great & it won’t be long until you’ve honed a wardrobe of kick-ass clothes that never (disclaimer: almost never!) let you down xx