But That's Just My Opinion

6/10/2019

5 THINGS PLUS-SIZE WOMEN WON'T ADMIT BOTHERS THEM

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There is a lot that the plus size community keeps to itself. Today, I want to be honest with those who aren't in the plus size community about things that others do that we never admit truly bothers us. Check out the end of this video for a link to an old YouTube video I made called "Why It's Hard Being Big."

1. DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT OUR LIFESTYLES

A lot of people assume that plus sized people are lazy, don't eat good food, and overall that they choose to be the size that they are.

This is a photo of me when I was younger. Only a few short years later, I blew up and became pretty big for my age. Things stayed that way despite my being involved in some sports like softball and track and field (the field part) as well as marching band.

I loved fruits and veggies (still do) so much so that I actually remember getting carrot packs in my stocking!

My mom recently found her birth mother and we found out that she has struggled with her weight all her life as well. There are many people, women especially, with issues that cause them to be overweight. For example, PCOS is a fairly common problem many women deal with. It causes weight gain and makes it really hard to get pregnant. I don't struggle with that, but this is just an example!

2. DON'T DISCOUNT MY GREATNESS BECAUSE I'M PLUS SIZED

I recently went on a bit of a rant about this on my Instagram (go follow me!) because I faced a situation where I felt like someone with the same or fewer qualifications as I have was lifted above me and given recognition. The only difference was our size.

This seemingly happens to me all the time. Because I don't meet an expected standard of societal beauty, I'm completely discounted. I'm not smart enough or pretty enough to be recognized for my greatness.

This is one of the few -isms that still exist without a lot of people being angry about it.

Sizeism is a real thing! Don't misinterpret what I'm saying. Obviously I agree that physically demanding jobs might not be the best for someone who is plus size. My only problem is when my expertise is discounted because of my size.

3: CHARGING AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR A SMALL SELECTION OF SEMI-STYLISH CLOTHING

68 percent of women in America are considered plus size. However, 16 percent of retailers actually sell plus size clothing.

As someone who is plus size, I can tell you that I have very limited options for shopping for cute clothes, and most of those options are crazy expensive. I'm talking about stores like Lane Bryant and Torrid. Love their stuff, but it's really expensive.

You would think with the number of people who get upset at plus size women wearing clothes that are "too small for them," more would be done to provide better options. If you want us to wear clothes designed for our bodies, help up campaign for affordable clothing for our bodies. I personally feel that anyone should be able to wear whatever they want so long as their cash and prizes aren't hanging out (just for a bit of decency in public).

But this is a major issue.

4: STOP MOVING THE GOAL POST

In an effort to skinny-fy the world, retail brands are moving the mark constantly. They are actually changing the sizing on their clothing. You can find a number of videos of women going to different shops and buying the size they usually wear only to find that some don't fit, some are perfect, and some are too large.

Did you know that you are considered plus size if you wear a size 14? That's insane to me! It is also a major contributor to body image issues, of which more than half of all U.S. women say they struggle with. Do you get how hard it must be to lose weight and go into the store only to find that you're still wearing the same size at that store because of sizing changes?

Why isn't there a standard? We need to make this happen!

5: DON'T TROLL PLUS SIZE HASHTAGS TO SELL YOUR WEIGHT LOSS PRODUCTS OR SERVICES

This legit happened to me yesterday. I had shared a photo with plus size hashtags. Didn't share any hashtags about health, weight loss, or fitness.

I got a comment on my photo from a "health and weight loss" coach who wanted to know if I would be interested in her services. This is a big no-no.

If you're doing this, that's probably why you have to troll hashtags to find clients in the first place.

As we've already covered, plus size people can have issues beyond being an unhealthy eater who lays on the couch all day. I'm not saying that doesn't exist, but that isn't everyone. I get that this might be a marketing tactic, but we will honestly just shut you down. Why not comment on weight loss hashtags or health and fitness hashtags?

As a complete stranger, you don't know what I have done or am doing to lose weight. Some plus size people have actually been told by doctors that they need to get surgery because nothing else seems to be working for them. Many plus size people are confident with their bodies and don't want to come on to Instagram to that. I personally am for losing weight for health reasons, not for vanity. But your assumptions about my lifestyle will not result in a sale!

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5/24/2019

5 REASONS WE NEED A PLUS SIZE DISNEY PRINCESS ASAP

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If you have ever seen photos of me, you know that I'm a plus size woman. As such, I have a pretty big passion for other people who are plus size. And, let's be honest, there's still so much hate geared toward the plus size community in today's world.

So, for today's post, I want to make the case for a plus-size Disney princess. With more and more children becoming body conscious at earlier ages, I think it is important to provide them with a realistic role model. I'll get in to that more later. So, here's the list:

DISCLAIMER: Being skinny is not a bad thing, and my intent is not to "skinny shame." I think we can all agree that extremes on both ends can be very dangerous and shouldn't be promoted. Please remember this as you're reading!

1: WE FINALLY HAVE REPRESENTED A LOT OF OTHER DEMOGRAPHICS IN DISNEY MOVIES

While it took way too long to have a good representation, we finally have princesses who are people of color on the big screen. We also have the “I don’t need no man princesses” which of course are speculated to be the LGBTQ+ princesses. Not saying that is right, but it is at least something. So why don’t we have a plus size princess?

The only plus size characters in Disney movies are fat villains or secondary characters that walk around in the back ground.

2: MANY PEOPLE AREN'T PLUS SIZE BY CHOICE

There’s still a lot of stigma around the plus size community, with many people saying that being plus sized is a result of laziness and poor eating habits. However, science doesn’t entirely back it up.

There are a ton of medical issues that cause weight gain including thyroid problems and PCOS.

Both of these are fairly common and make weight gain a lot easier and weight loss a lot harder. Also, are we really going to blame poor families for buying the cheap stuff that was badly processed for being overweight? Let’s not, OK?

3: EVEN SO, YOU’RE NOT PROTECTING PEOPLE AGAINST DANGEROUS HABITS

Did you know if you go on to Instagram right now and search #skinny, you’ll be prompted with a message that asks you if you’re OK with looking at those sorts of things? But, if you look up #fat, you’re directed to the page with no problem.

I want to make sure everyone knows that I never search this hash tag, so Instagram isn't "tracking" that I'm looking at this hash tag. It's not like they are targeting repeated searchers of this hashtag. Everyone who searches this should receive this message.

Furthermore, this is what you're greeted with before you get to the featured page. If you try to look at the "most recent" posts, it blocks you completely!

It seems like expectations to meet a standard of skinny beauty is more harmful than promoting a girl with a lil meat (or fat) on her bones.

4: BIG WOMEN HAVE BECOME FETISHIZED

There are so many people in the world who don’t prefer skinny to plus size. I have another Instagram example. If you go and search #bbw or #bigbeautiful woman, you used to be met with half-naked photos of larger women.

Now I saw this message for the first time today, but usually the aforementioned posts are what are out there. I think Instagram decided to crack down on this out of fairness, which I agree with.

Now, while I believe that many of these women are super confident in their bodies, I also believe that many think that the only way they can get attention is to become someone’s fetish.

By not giving young girls the ideal plus sized woman to look up to in a Disney film, you’re perpetuating the notion that skinny is always prettier and better than fat.

5: SUPER-SKINNY PRINCESSES ARE NOT REALISTIC AND DO NOT MATCH THE BODY TYPES OF MOST PEOPLE

Of course I'm going to say that I never looked at Cinderella's waistline as a child and wondered why I couldn't be that thin, but I know that other children may have. Obviously, a lot of princesses were from a time when corsets were used to shape their bodies under dresses, so the figure makes some historical sense.

However, does a kid know that? I didn't wear a corset until prom. Event then, it was more like a long-lined bra.

Furthermore, the number of children growing up fat is increasing for different reasons. Almost always, this is attributed to laziness and poor eating habits. A lot of people are against a plus-sized princess because they believe she would "glamorize" obesity. I don't think so.

In fact, the character could be shown being active and eating healthy. This could promote that lifestyle in children who want to be just like their favorite princess. I have a quick story.

In college, I had joined some of my sorority sisters in trying to get in shape. One of my sisters had been going to the gym every day, eating healthy, etc. She was a plus-sized girl, but she ran laps around our skinniest sisters. That's because she was active. Bodies don't respond the same to weight loss efforts. You can be in terrible shape and be skinny, and in a pretty good shape while plus-sized. This isn't a weird portrayal.

THERE ARE OTHER REASONS

I'm considering a video where I cover these and a few other opinions on this. I just have to figure out how to go about it! Make sure you're watching my socials for a link to the video.

COMMENT: Do you think a plus-size Disney princess is a good or bad idea? Tell me why!

LEGAL: All photos were either taken from Pixabay, a Creative Commons website that requires no attribution for photos, or were found using Google's "free to use or share, even commercially, filter." The ones from Google are linked back to their original page.

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3/22/2019

HOW THE U.S. COLLEGE ADMISSION SCANDAL PLAYS IN TO MILLENNIAL FRUSTRATION

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As a millennial myself, I’ve heard a number of buzz words and phrases aimed at demeaning my generation. Some of those include lazy, entitled, emotional, uneducated, and stupid. But, for the most part, people of my age don’t all fall into that category.

However, the students who are a part of the college admission scandal seems to align well with the buzz words and phrases often applied to a whole group of people.

If you’re in the U.S., you’ve probably heard news lately of the University of Southern California’s high-profile college admissions scandal. If you haven’t, here’s some information:

Fifty people have been charged in federal court for conspiracy to illicitly gain admission for high school students to top colleges and universities, including the University of Southern California. Some notable names tied up in this conspiracy include Lori Loughlin (left), who played Becky on Full House, and Felicity Huffman from Desperate Housewives.

Each of the 50 conspirators paid as much as $6.5 million to get their children into prestigious schools. This money may have been used to purchase a building on campus, donate to university advancement causes, or to bribe professors or administrators.

The 50 were charged of this crime by a U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts, with some scheduled to appear in court on March 29 in Boston.

AN ONGOING PROBLEM

My immediate opinion is that, duh, this has been happening for years. I mean, just look at Hollywood. They’ve made a number of movies where the snobby rich kid’s parents donate to the college, and that makes them near untouchable. Did everyone think that was just a made-up movie antagonist? No, that happens in real life in colleges, universities, and prep schools around the globe.

THIS IS WHY IT ISN'T OK

While more and more people are coming out in support of better and fairer college admissions, money still seemingly rules the world. No one should be admitted into a top school because mommy and daddy have money. Instead, they should get in because they worked hard in class and scored well on college admissions tests.

One thing that really frustrated me was that some of these parents even bribed testing officials to look the other way while their child cheated on the SATs. That isn’t fair to someone from the projects who doesn’t have money but busted their butt in class and in the library to ace the test in hopes of attending Harvard.

But it runs much deeper than an undeserving student getting the spot of one who could have gotten there with their own brain and talent. According to TheAtlantic.com, students who graduate from a top school will earn 12 percent more than their peers who graduated from a standard college or university.

This means that they are likely considered for and offered better jobs. Imagine Loughlin’s daughter becoming some CEO of a large company. She did absolutely nothing to get there, but she is now making decisions on things that could change the course of not only a company, but of the U.S. Many companies are tied up in politics, which is also largely influenced by campaign dollars.

WAYS THE RICH HAVE CHEATED THE SYSTEM

Not only have famous and rich parents paid testing officials to allow their children to cheat on entrance exams, they have also hired writers to write papers for their children, bribed officials to note that their child has special needs that will give them extra time on their tests, and hired the best tutors in the world.

WHY IT FRUSTRATES MILLENNIALS

These kids are the stereotypical millennial. Almost every millennial out there isn’t like this, but these kids give our generation a terrible name. They don’t have to work hard at anything because they get everything handed to them. What is this teaching them? Nothing.

This is the true definition of privilege. The fact that you can take away an opportunity that could have been given to someone who comes from a low-income household is just sick, and I’m glad the political system is doing something about it.

I will say that what adds to millennial frustration is the fact that these people who are our peers become CEOs, sometimes even becoming our bosses. For those of us who went to college, studied in a field that will actually make us money, and joined a career, it is frustrating to have a complete idiot as a boss. They don’t know what they’re doing, and it shows. This frustrates our generation to no end because we can’t move forward in our careers. I’m glad I don’t have this issue personally, but I know that a number of people suffer because of it.

MY OPINION

Colleges are vastly underfunded, which makes their need for financial support desperate. Perhaps if the U.S. political system would favor education and provide a better solution for debt repayment, scholarships, and financial aid, schools wouldn’t be tempted by offers like these.

But, it is crucial that you readers understand that these were top schools. They aren’t really wanting for money, they’re just being greedy.

In my opinion, we should do a sweep of all of the top schools and investigate for fraud. Charges should also be put against others who are found guilty of doing this. Students accused of fraud should be put on academic leave. If it were up to me, schools who accepted these funds should have to pay a penalty, as they were in the wrong as well.

This money should go into underfunded high schools around the U.S. to give those students a better opportunity, especially when their opportunities were ripped away from previous students in earlier years.

CONCLUSION

In closing, I am not a mother. I’m sure that Loughlin was just trying to do all she could for her babies. But giving them everything they want and not teaching them to work for it is a mistake. It is leading our world to a scary place run by idiots who don’t know how to do their job. It is placing unneeded stress on workers who rank lower, which is causing an influx in depression and anxiety.

The U.S. is sad. No promotions. No raises. No praises for a job well done. I think attacking this issue head on will help improve mental health and job security around the country. What’s your opinion? I want to know!

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2/18/2019

SHOULD PARENTS BE BOUND TO A DRESS AND CONDUCT CODE WHEN VISITING THEIR KIDS AT SCHOOL?

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I recently read an article about a Tennessee law maker who is proposing a bill that will tell parents and other adult school visitors how they can dress and conduct themselves when visiting a school.

I am kind of perplexed by this issue, because I see the benefits and the downfalls of it. Let me talk about the pros and cons today. I’d love to hear your opinion on this in the comments below!

THE BENEFIT

According to Antonio Parkinson, the Tennessee representative proposing the bill, several area principals have witnessed parents wearing lingerie and revealing clothing to school to pick up their children.

He also mentioned that several of them also wear shirts with expletives on them, and that many parents will come in to the school and curse teachers, principals, and other school officials in front of the children.

I know that this statement might get me in some hot water with some readers, but I am a fan of modesty. Now, I have no issues with shoulders the collar bone being exposed, I just have never been a fan of seeing someone’s butt cheeks or a ton of their chest. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a large-chested woman. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I expose my cleavage, but I think there is a limit.

I believe that, if you’re going to enforce something on students, it should be expected that those same rules apply to faculty, staff, and visitors. If your school says that students can’t have on clothing that depicts violence, guns, or drug paraphernalia, you should not allow visitors, faculty, or staff to wear them either.

By enforcing these rules on adults, you are showing a pattern of consistency with discipline and the student. A student might see their parent dress or act a certain way at school and think that, since their mom or dad was not reprimanded, they can also get away with it.

THE DOWNFALL

On the other hand, I think that today’s dress code standards are a bit much in many states. Parkinson also mentioned that tattoos should be covered, but I don’t really think that’s fair. I mean, Tennessee gets hot. I would be pretty angry if someone said I couldn’t visit my student because I refused to wear a long-sleeve jacket in the dead of summer.

There is also the matter that adults are adults. While many adults still need correction, most of them have been through the school system and have decided to make their own choices. There is also the problem with shielding children from what they would see in the real world.

MY OVERALL VERDICT

I don’t think it is asking too much to have a parent dress decently and act in a polite manner in front of other children. I do think that this can go too far very quickly. Overall, I’d say that strict rules should be left for private schools, while a fair code of conduct should be observed in public schools.

What do you think? I’m interested in hearing your opinion!

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2/15/2019

MY OPINION ON MILLENNIAL MONEY MYTHS

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If you didn't already see my status update on Twitter, I was recently featured in an article titled "Exposing Millennial Money Myths," by Shelly C. on iThinkFinance.com.

She asked myself and other bloggers and influencers a series of questions based around the financial myths that millennials must work to expose. I wanted to share all of my answers to the myths and, of course, link back to her post.

MYTH 1: ARE MILLENNIALS NOT BUYING HOMES BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SCRIMP OFF THEIR PARENTS?

Because this was the question I answered, I'd be remiss not to link back to Shelly's article. Please click the image to the left to be redirected to the article.

To add more on this, the notion that living off of our parents is the reason many still live at home is crazy. Everyone wants independence, and alleging that we don't simply to have mommy and daddy pay for it is crazy to me!

<-- Click to read!

MYTH 2: MILLENNIALS ARE LAZY, TIRED, AND UNAMBITIOUS

The idea that millennials are lazy is in fact a product of technology.

I will admit that I do notice more and more young people don't play outside and I notice many parents who are my age tend to sit their children in front of the TV instead of give them dolls to play with.

Technology puts the answers to our questions at the tip of our fingertips, which can be good. Our access to technology has changed our behavior, of course. It has made life much easier.

Because of our technology use, we do redefine productivity. I'll give an example. I recently decided to purchase an Amazon Echo Dot and some smart plugs. I can get ready in the morning while telling Alexa to make my coffee. As soon as I'm ready, I just have to pour myself a cup and head to work. I still have to do some work by pre-loading the coffee grinds and water, but it makes my morning much faster!

MYTH 3: MILLENNIALS ARE KILLING THE ECONOMY

No, quite the opposite. The economy is killing millennials, for sure. Prices continue to rise and employers don't just fancy a college degree anymore. We have a record number of graduates in the world today because we were told that degrees get you jobs. However, we are made to put ourselves into massive amounts of debt only to come out and work for companies that are also struggling in the economy and aren't able to reward good work with raises or better benefits.

CONCLUSION

Please don't forget to go check out the full article at www.iThinkFinance.com/exposing-millennial-money-myths and go follow @iThinkFinance on Twitter!

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