Also, the So Peachy blush I tried today for the first time and fell in love. I think this will be a blush I reach for this summer a lot. In keeping with the peach theme I applied the Peach Puff lipstick which to me has a bit of gold in it. It looks amazing with a tan I have to say.

This is only part one of my review on this line but so far everything I have tried has impressed me to no end. You can find all these products and the entire Motives Collection thru my website www.curvymotives.com

How Weight Obsession Is Screwing Up Our Girls
and What We Can Do to Help Them Thrive Despite It

Dr. Robyn Silverman contacted me at least nine years ago while I was at Mode Magazine and we’ve been talking ever since about the book  that just launched October 1st. I am proud to have been quoted in it and to have done many interviews with her and to have gotten to know her personally. In fact, the book has been such a success in the past few weeks that we have been asked to create programs  to help address the very issues that are affecting our young girls who are bombarded by body messaging that tells them they are not okay.

A 2009 poll revealed that an alarming 95 percent of girls ages sixteen to twenty-one want to change their bodies in some way. Another recent study, conducted by the Children’s National Medical Center and the University of Miami, found that what influences a girl’s weight-control behavior is her own definition of “normal” body weight and her perception of what others consider “normal.” The contemporary obsession with weight, coupled with the recent media onslaught about obesity, has resulted in an unhealthy attitude that is sending our girls the wrong message, says leading child and adolescent development specialist Robyn J.A. Silverman, Ph.D. The result: low self-esteem, eating disorders, extreme dieting, over-exercising, unnecessary plastic surgery, and lifelong fixation on weight and body image.

In 2003, Dr. Silverman created the Sassy Sisterhood Girls Circle for girls ages nine to fourteen, an ongoing workshop/coaching series that explores issues affecting body esteem and self-image. At the same time, she began her groundbreaking research at Tufts University, giving voice to an uncharted group: working and aspiring plus-size models. She sought to discover why these women, who had beat the odds in a “skinny
world,” not only embraced their larger body-types, but perceived themselves as successes, willing to put themselves on the front lines in a society that values thinness. What could these women teach young girls—indeed, all women—about being proud of their bodies?

A direct outgrowth of Dr. Silverman’s pioneering work, GOOD GIRLS DON’T GET FAT: How Weight Obsession Is Screwing Up Our Girls and What We Can Do to Help Them Thrive Despite It (Harlequin; October 2010; $16.95 U.S./$19.95 CAN.) is both a wake-up call and invaluable prescriptive guide for parents, families, teachers, counselors and anyone who works with or cares about our young women. “As girls—and, later, women—we’re informally schooled to be critical of ourselves in order to fit in; we’re taught to bring ourselves down in order to cheer someone else up,” writes Dr. Silverman. “That’s part of the way girls help each other reestablish their ‘goodness of fit’—their ability to interlock like puzzle pieces, to the best of their efforts, and claim their place within their immediate group or community. This often means scripting out a predictable exchange that denigrates the self while affirming the other—a pattern that is then picked up by the other girls as if it were a baton.” Girls can become their own worst enemies, and their crumbling self-esteem is reinforced by the messages they routinely receive from their parents, siblings, friends, teachers and others.

Silverman has structured GOOD GIRLS DON’T GET FAT from the “inside out,” unveiling the ugly things going on in young women’s heads and then following the ripple effect those ugly things have on the people around them. Layer by layer, she examines how mothers, fathers, family members, teachers and peers must grasp the opportunity to address the overarching issues through their own reactions and approach. The book explores how so often we unwittingly contribute to girls’ low body esteem because of our own preconceptions and hang-ups. Many chapters end with a Body Image Quotient (BIQ), a brief questionnaire that elicits frank responses and helps readers determine how their daughter is doing, as well as how they are doing helping her on the journey to becoming her best and being happy with who she is.
The final chapter, “Goodbye, Good Girl. Hello Asset Girl!” is a resounding battle cry for finding health and happiness at any size. Throughout the book, Dr. Silverman includes the stories of actual girls who have struggled with issues of body esteem. She also includes a trove of asset-building resources, clubs, curricula and websites that provide ways to help girls find their way amid the obstacles and mixed signals of our weight-obsessed culture.
“I wish I could say there’s a secret formula to raising a girl with a healthy attitude,” Dr. Silverman concluded. “I can’t. But what I can say is that those girls who see themselves in terms of strengths, who feel supported by those they love and have come to a place of acceptance about their bodies, are the ones who flourish. Their SPARK takes on a life of its own.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Robyn Silverman is a leading Child and Adolescent Specialist with a focus on character education and body/self esteem development during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. She earned her Ph.D. from Tuft University’s Eliot Pearson Department of Child Development. Dr. Silverman has been a featured expert on The Tyra Show, NBC’s LXTV, Fox News, NPR, The Santita Jackson Show, Nightline, MSNBC, CBS Morning Show Annex, and Dr. Drew Pinsky’s radio show, and has been featured in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, New York Daily News, Parenting, Prevention, Marie Claire, InTouch Weekly, Women First, Self, and on hundreds of popular websites, including Aol.com and U.S. News and World Report. Creator of the Sassy Sisterhood Girls Circle, she has also been the body image and teen development expert for 18 books, including 113 Things to Do By 13. Dr. Silverman serves as an Advisory Board Member for Shaping Youth, a consortium of media and marketing professionals concerned about harmful messages to children. For more information, please visit www.GoodGirlsDontGetFat.com.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5 Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Pass this along to everybody you know who is looking for better and safer ways to solve life’s everyday problems..

Cucumbers on your next shopping list???

A Pediatrician’s View on Michelle Obama’s Exclusive

‘Let’s Move’ Chat With AOL

By Dr. Jim Sears Jul 12th 2010 1:32PM

Categories: Children’s Health, Experts

First Lady Michelle Obama Talks ‘Let’s Move!’ Initiative Exclusively With AOL Health.

Mrs. Obama will be discussing the newly enhanced “Let’s Move!” website and answering readers questions live. The first lady’s plan brings together schools, parents and businesses to fight the childhood obesity epidemic. To listen in, visit here Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. to watch Mrs. Obama’s hour-long discussion of her ambitious initiative, which calls for better food choices and more exercise for all children regardless of economic status.

Before her live chat, read what “The Doctors” host Dr. James Sears has to say about first lady’s program.

Sears, a child health specialist, tells AOL Health that Mrs. Obama’s plan is the most comprehensive he has seen and that it just “has to” work.

Find out why below:

AOL Health: What is your general opinion on the “Let’s Move” childhood obesity campaign?

Dr. Sears: This is the largest effort I have seen yet at addressing the overwhelming problem of obesity in this country. I have been speaking about this issue for a decade and I have often been discouraged at the lack of change this country is making. I have often lamented that this problem is just too big and that we will never be able to clean up this mess. But, when I read about Mrs. Obama’s plan, I was amazed at the scope of the project and I was encouraged that finally, somebody with enough clout was going to try to get something done!

AOL Health: Based on the program guidelines, do you think this initiative could be successful in addressing the increasingly alarming childhood obesity issue in the U.S.?

Dr. Sears: I do think this program will work; it HAS to! The future of our children and our country depends on this. I like that this program is addressing all the key areas that need to be changed: Helping parents make healthier food choices, increasing access to healthy food for all families, improving the quality of food in the schools and getting kids to be more active! One of my favorite specific objectives of the plan is making nutritional labeling that is easier to understand for the average American, especially on unhealthy items like soda cans and bottles. Almost like the warning on a pack of cigarettes, this one step will drastically reduce the incidence of type-2 diabetes by getting people to limit their soda intake. My other favorite objective is that in addition to increasing after-school sports and activities, the plan aims to provide safe routes to school, so children can walk or ride their bikes. Getting kids back to walking to and from school will help ensure they are getting the needed 60 minutes of exercise per day. As a bonus, getting some of that exercise before school will drastically improve their academic performance.

AOL Health: Having been overweight yourself in your lifetime, do you think you would have benefitted from a program like this when you were younger?

Dr. Sears: My extra weight started to be a problem in my late twenties, not childhood. But I gained weight for all the same reasons that cause kids to be overweight — I wasn’t active enough and I was making poor food choices. When all the parts of this program are in place, everybody will benefit…not just the kids.

AOL Health: What are your specific tips for parents on how to avoid or reduce the incidence of childhood obesity?

Dr. Sears: I’ve actually written an entire book about this — The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood: Ten Ways to Get Your Family on the Right Nutritional Track — but I can summarize some important key points:

• Eat less sugar

• Eat more fruits and vegetables

• Eat healthier fats

• MOVE!

It’s important to start this early, while a child is still young and before they develop all the wrong habits. It’s funny, I was about to say, “…inheriting all their parents’ wrong habits,” and then it occurred to me. I want kids to inherit all their parents’ good eating habits, meaning it’s really the parents who need to eat less sugar, eat more fruits and veggies, eat healthier fats and MOVE!

Judi Dench inspiration - LOVELY for the AFTER!!

Well, I just returned from the Association of Image Consultants International Annual Conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada.  What a beautiful city that is, if you ever get a chance to visit do not hesitate to go.  I think everyone was in a great mood during the entire time because every view out of every window of the hotel at the Harborside was amazing spectacular.  The light, the clouds, the water, the variegated colors of nature, the peninsulas that make the coastline so interesting to the eye.  The buildings with their sea foam glass color were so serenely engaging.  Your eyes just dwelt on each vision, becoming fixated with aesthetic beauty is a deeply relaxing and mood-enhancing activity.   Beautiful images make the world an emotionally satisfying place for me.  The gathering of image consultants at the conference, too, with their coordinated ensembles all color suited to their pallettes and body shapes and age appropriateness, made for a fabulous array of pulchritude inside the hotel as well.   But there are a few who are so lovely, yet their appearance just doesn’t measure up.  Outside doesn’t reflect the inside and the disconnect is jarring.  We are image consultants and we must look like image consultants, the directive goes.  We have an obligation to be role models for what our clients want to achieve themselves and if we can’t do it for ourselves, then how can we hope to make it happen for them?   The younger image consultants are not as guilty, but the older ones must keep up and update themselves.  Knowing how to do that is key.  Who are our role models?  I just Googled gorgeous older women and found a bevy of 50+ beauties….Susan Sarandon, Helen Mirren, Glenn Close, Bianca Spender, Jane Fonda….but no one impresses me more than Judi Dench.  Maybe because my mom wore her hair like that when she was in her late 60s and it was so becoming to her.  What a fabulous style the dramatic short bob is for an older chic woman!  I took a seminar with Liz Weinstein, who coaches and teaches how to deliver effective presentations.  I kept thinking, as she was in front of the class with her brilliant British accent, how great she would look with a makeover that would give her a hairstyle similar to Judi Dench.  How amazing she would look for her coloration and age.  She is tall, slender, intelligent and generous with her knowledge.   Here is the photo of Liz and here is one of Judi….don’t you agree?  I would love to get my hands of her….she screams of Iowa (where she lives) and I think she would be seen as more relevant and current.  See what you think….She has such potential.  I am itchy to get my hands on her and update her….it would be such a part the curtains and step out and audience gasp moment….Geez, I hope she reads this blog but if she doesn’t, maybe someone could tell her to read it and she will just see what we’re talking about here and go do it…..She looks like Jane Hathaway in the Beverly Hillbillies and she could so look like M in 007! 

Liz Weinstein BEFORE!!!

Let me know what you think of our first efforts here with my production company and my creative ideas to go digital and add some animation to my archives.

We have lots more to come…stay tuned!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBjoJw_d0ZE

Divabetic presented it’s First Lady Tea on April 3, 2010 in Central Philadelphia’s Mother Bethel AME Church.  This was a kick off  event and part of American Diabetes’ Association faith based initiatives to use congregations and ministers wives who are pillars of their communities to begin talking the talk about managing and controlling the epidemic of diabetes through church events.  Project Power is the faith based initiative and it is the main initiative that ADA is getting behind this year.  It makes a lot of sense when you see how elegant and educational the event was that day.  Not only was the weather cooperative and spring glorious spring, the first ladies’ got the message loud and clear.  First Lady Leslie Tyler herself, minister’s wife of the Mother Bethel congregation, and PR savvy to the max.  It didn’t hurt that Ms. Angie (herself a recovering substance abuser) cooked up diabetes friendly food, that Tea Country was on hand to serve cups of Green, White, Black and Oolong favorites.   A hat fashion show was sponsored by N Style Boutique out of New Jersey and the models were strutting their stuff with sophistication and inspiration.  Yours truly was on hard to tell my stroke story and to inspire as best as I am able.  Becky and Kevin Gouveia were providing the key media component on the shows and are on hand to chronicle a lot of events and to give Divabetic the optical/visual edge it needs to help promote its message of living well at any age with diabetes.   Many CDE’s were on hand to share information and inspiration with those in attendance and it was easy to see why 16 churches signed up to have diva-style programming like this presented at their churches in the upcoming months.  Looks like we’ll be back on the road before we know it.  ADA is sponsoring these programs and we delivered our diva brand with diva style and ease.  Max is a true joy to work with as always.  He made the day a delight and we downloaded all the way home to NYC…[slidesClick to view slideshow.how]

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss

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Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty” just got a shot to the gut.

A controversial study published by Arizona State University, the University of Cologne in Germany and Erasmus University in the Netherlands found that ads featuring plus-size models cause women who are either normal weight or overweight to feel just as bad — if not worse — about themselves as ads featuring super-thin models.

Since the 2006 death of 21-year-old model, Ana Carolina Reston, who died due to complications of anorexia — Reston was 5-foot 8-inches tall and weighed 88 pounds at the time of her death — the fashion industry has been doubling back on its malnourished roots.

From banning too-thin models in Milan and Madrid (and sending curvier women down the runway in their stead)- to plus-sized models gracing the pages of Glamour and Vogue, the industry has, arguably, been doing its due diligence to give itself a healthier makeover.

“We want healthy-looking girls, the readers want healthy-looking girls,” said Anna Wintour, who was on-hand with Michael Kors and Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova to discuss the fashion industry’s effort to prevent eating disorders at the 13th Annual Public Forum, “Health Matters: Weight and Wellness in the World of Fashion,” on March 22.

Yet, instead of lauding the fact that women who more closely resemble reality are slowly being enmeshed into fashion and advertising, we recoil in cellulite-filled horror.

“When overweight women look at thin models, they see the dissimilarities between themselves and the models, which activates knowledge that they are heavy,” ASU researcher Naomi Mandel told Lemondrop. “And when they look at heavy models, they see the similarities between themselves and the models, which also activates knowledge that they are heavy.”

It’s disheartening to think that while entire industries work to change their standards of beauty to more accurately reflect reality, many women are still so dissatisfied with their own bodies that they can’t stand to see any representation of the female form — be it plus-size or thin — staring back at them from the pages of their magazine.

Even Mandel was disappointed by women’s distaste for plus-size models. “As a consumer and magazine reader, I was slightly surprised and saddened by the results,” she told Lemondrop. “I enjoy looking at beautiful plus-size models such as Crystal Renn in the magazines. [But] we found that overweight women experienced lower self-esteem after looking at any models (versus an ad with no models) and underweight women experienced higher self-esteem after looking at any models (versus an ad with no models.)

Advertisers and fashion designers seem to have the right idea. So here’s my question. If Anna Wintour can get behind a new, healthier breed of model, why can’t the rest of us?

Take Our PollTake Our Poll

I’ve been noticing a number of weight-themed shows on television lately. While The Biggest Loser certainly isn’t new, ABC recently premiered Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and Kirstie Alley’s Big Life on A&E.  Poor girl, she keeps tryin’.  I feel for her.  But not THAT much.  She has made a career out of her weight gain efforts, and in that respect she reflects a lot of Americans who struggle with the same issues.  Only not in as nice a house!

I am just sitting here wondering if these are exploiting or exploding the resolution or revolution of obesity and all of it’s by products in this country. Obesity’s been a problem in America for quite some time now, but looking beyond the health issues that arise, there’s also the issue of how obese people are treated socially.  I have been in the fashion world, so we won’t even go there.   Plus modeling saved my life, literally.   Divabetic saved me on another level.  It made me aware of my health, aware enough to go get checked and see if I had something “brewing” in my 75 pound overweight body.  And sure enough, I was a statistic just like the 57 million other people in the United States who are pre diabetic and only 5% know about it.

Thin’s in. That’s no secret. There’s a fair amount of judgment passed on the obese for their weight and appearance. I’m talking about anything from being called names or picked last in gym to being asked to publicly leave an airline because someone decides you’re taking up too much room. This seems to go beyond the concern for health problems. It’s more an attitude (by some) that overweight people deserve the ridicule they get.

So my question is, are shows like The Biggest Loser, Kirstie Alley’s Big Life and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution exploiting the social stigma that is obesity in this country or will they promote some level of general sensitivity toward overweight people?   The other eye opener for me was a little movie, that was up for an Oscar nomination, by the way, called Food, Inc.  If you haven’t seen it …. DO SO IMMEDIATELY!!!  It will have you eating organic as fast as you can say “edamame”

One of the main focuses of Kirstie Alley’s Big Life is on her struggle to lose weight. In the series premiere we saw her hounded by paparazzi looking to get photos of her, one of which was featured later on the cover of a tabloid magazine. It adds an interesting perspective to the weight-issue as it sheds a bit of light on the other side of celebrity-gossip and Hollywood’s obsession with weight. NBC’s The Biggest Loser features a number of overweight people competing against one another get into great shape. And Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution showcases his trip to Huntington, West Virginia, deemed the unhealthiest area of the country.   He just did a take off on a British show that went around and made people actually look at what they eat in a week in a room on a table and see it for what it really is.  Fat, salt, carbs and sugar all piled up on one processed heap.

While these shows are all well intentioned in their goals (especially Oliver’s show as it’s shining an even brighter light on the poor eating habits of people in this country), are they also unintentionally exploiting the issue of obesity for mere entertainment sake.   Are people watching because they genuinely care about the issue and/or the people involved or is there more of a side-show-element to them that appeals to people and if that’s the case, how will that affect how obese people are treated in this country?   And will these obese people see the connection between what they are eating and their health, once and for all.  When the advertisers are in it for the profit of mankind, then we are at loggerheads on the issues, I fear.  We have to all get on the same page.  It can be done.  Wipe out diabetes, or at least help people manage it!

I recently did a show on Fox on Alessandria Ambrosio’s recent weight loss extravaganza.  Judge for yourself…I have been banging this drum for twenty years….when will it end?  We have to just say no to commercial entities who have only their bottom line in mind…what about young women’s health?  Europe has gotten together to insist that models have a BMI of 20-25…why can’t we do that here? 

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4104801/unhealthy-runway-behavior