Body

In my last post about panties, I mentioned the importance of lingerie because it is the first thing you put on and last thing you take off each night.    It lays the foundation for your outterwear.  But if lingerie sets the stage, your body *is* the stage.  You can change out your clothing to look better or worse but your body is a constant that you always have to work within.  So, I have no need to tell you how important it is to have a good solid base upon which to build.

There are three aspects of your body:

• Your Physical Health - Do you have high blood pressure or diabetes?  Is all your blood work and intakes good?  Can you take a hike without problems?  Does you body cause you problems in your day to day life?  Are you prevented from riding on a roller coaster or uncomfortable in an airplane seat because of your body?
• Your Mental Health - How do you view your body?  Does your view of your body distress you and/or cause you to think less of yourself?  How is your relationship with food?  Does your view of your body affect your relationship with other people?
• Your Physical Appearance - This is  related to the second aspect.  Whereas your mental health deals with how you think of your body, this aspect deals with how other people think of your body.  Even though it is ugly, the truth is, the more attractive you are the better people will treat you and the easier certain things will be for you.  Do people look at your body with repulsion and judgment?  Do people look at your body with neutrality?  Or, do people look at your body with lust and envy?

If any aspect is out of wrack, and things are unbalanced, it will cause you stress, heartache, and distress.  Life is hard, and I firmly believe that we should do everything in our power to stop  making life harder than it already is.  This includes working to obtain a body that we are happy with (or at the very least, not unhappy with).

Maintaining ones body takes time and effort.  We live in a society of instant gratification which is why so many people give up taking care of their body before they achieve the results they desire.    If your body is already good - please, do the little bit of maintenance it takes to keep it.  If your body isn't where you want it to be - please, be patience and stick with a regiment to get it to where you want it.  I know you hate exercise and skipping that doughnut your coworker brought in for the office this morning but in the end you will be much happier with a rockin' body than the doughnut and 30 minutes of television.

Health
It goes without saying that you want to maintain your body for health reasons.  I'm not going to go into all the reasons why.  I'm going to focus on a less acknowledged health reason to maintain a healthy weight.

Being able to hike, canoe,  explore a cobblestone village in Europe, running and playing with your children, riding a roller coaster, not have to be embarrassed by having to ask for a seat belt extender on an airplane, being able to walk into any store and know you will find clothing that will fit.

By being overweight and unhealthy, you are making yourself miss out on some of the greatest pleasures life has to offer!

Shape/Size
Unfair as it is, acceptable shape and body sizes are based on many factors - not how much you actually weigh.  I currently weigh 148 pounds which is a perfectly acceptable weight for someone who is 5' 6".   But at 5' even, it looks terrible.  However, I have a pear shape body which looks a lot like an hourglass.  So, I do look better than someone who is an apple shape at the same height and weight.

You can never change your basic shape.  As you shrink or grow, it will morph a little, but your core shape is always there.  You need to learn what your body shape is, and start dressing to flatter it.

Your size, however, it within your control (granted it takes a lot of control) but you can still change your size if you really want to.  If you don't like it, change it.

Skin/Face
Skin is much easier to control than your shape and size.  The best thing you can do for your skin is moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.  At the very least, twice a day.  Proper maintenance of your face will help reduce or even eliminate blemishes.  Starting young with care will slow signs of aging.

Strength and weigh training are the keys to toning.

If you have problems with your skin, see a doctor for help.  If you have unsightly veins or hair, you can get those problems fixed.  In fact, the cost isn't too bad.  It's high, but will only usually cost you $1000 for a permanent solution for your problem.  

Make-Up
Ah, make-up.  The eternal debate - with or without.  Everyone looks better with skillfully applied make-up.  Make-up should look like you don't have any on.  But just because you look better with make-up doesn't mean you have to wear a full face of it.  Pick and choose which features need make-up.  If you have good skin, you probably don't need foundation.  If you wear glasses, you can probably skip most of the eye make-up.  Sometime just adding some lip-stick is all you need.  Other times, you need to paint your face.  Take the time to go to a department store make-up counter and ask for their advice.

Smell
Often overlooked, the way you smell is important.  You should always smell good and clean.  But, adding a fragrance is a nice feminine touch.  Pick a fragrance that meshes with your nature odor, suits your age, and your personality. 

A word of caution, most of the beauty products we use have a fragrance,  Putting them all together can lead to disastrous results.  Try to match all your products scents, like your lotion, shampoo, perfume, and soaps. 

Hair
Although every guy is different, most prefer long hair.  Unless you absolutely hate long hair, I'd stick with long.  Go and get it styled.  Pay to learn what cuts work with your face.  Make sure you take care of your hair, that is always looks neat, and for heaven sakes, maintain your roots if you dye.

Nails
Believe it or not, but guys DO notice your nails.  They might not say anything, they might not even care that much, but they do notice when you have nicely manicured nails.  I would go with something natural and classy that looks good morning, noon, and night.  I like getting a Soak off gel French Manicure.  It doesn't do damage to your nails (if you take it off right) and lasts 2 to 3 weeks without chipping.  Don't forget to do you toes!  And the two should match.  They don't have to be the same, but they should match.

Posture
Go stand in front of a mirror and slouch.  Now stand up straight.  Notice the difference?  Notice how when you stood up straight you looked better and thinner?  Having good posture makes you look better.  It also makes you look more confident which adds to your overall attraction level.  What do you think when you see someone hunched over looking at the ground as they walk?   What do you think of the person who stands tall and makes eye contact?  Right, I thought so.

Posture is one of those things we use to ingrain into children but don't anymore.  It's easier to have good posture when we learn it young.  But, that doesn't mean you can't slowly work so it becomes second nature.

High Stress

For the past month, my stress level has been astronomical.  On a scale of 1 to 10, it's setting at a 9.  I am trying everything I can possible do to lower it.  Exercise, sleep, breathing, blogging, zen, just trying to eliminate the cause of the stress, being happy, not worrying about it.  Nothing is helping.

The main source of my stress is the project I am working on for work.  Truthfully, it is going pretty well but that isn't keeping me from being stressed.  I think it is just a little bit of everything that is causing me to be overwhelmed.

My end of year review was okay but wasn't anything to write home about.  Basically, I was told I was doing a fine job but nothing special.  My pay raise and bonus was only 3% which is pretty pathetic.  And, today, one of our team members was layed off due to not having enough work.  Which is bogus because we have way more than enough work.  If anything we should be hiring more people for our team.  So, justifiably, I am worried about how secure my job is and how much more of a work load is going to be placed before me.

I'm starting to thing I'll never not be stressed again and this will become the new norm.  Which is, quite frankly, unacceptable.  As much as I like my job and don't want to lose it, if this hostile work environment continues indefinately, I will have to look for employement someplace else.  When will employers learn to treat their employees with respect and that by doing so, they get better service from them?!!!  It really isn't that hard of a concept to grasp.

So much for 2013 being my year.

sigh.

Panties

Panty: Size
When I was a little girl, panties came in sizes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.  If you were bigger than a 10, you were SOL.  If you were smaller than a 5, you wore girl sizes.

When I entered college, I saw this fantastic movement towards sizing panties in dress sizes.  A size 8/10 panty was for someone who wore a size 8/10 pant. 

Later still, I saw the sizes move towards XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL which unusually corresponded to the first sizes of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Now, I see all sizing methods out there.  So, how is one to know which size is what?

Here is a chart to help you out.

Panty Size	Apparel Size	US Dress Size	UK Dress Size
4	XS	0/2	2/4
5	S	4/6	6/8
6	M	8/10	10/12
7	L	12	14
8	XL	14	16
9	XXL	16	18
10	XXXL	18	20
11	4x	20	22
12	5x	22	24
13	6x	24	26

Now you always want to look directly that the brand you are interested in sizing chart, but this chart is a good general guideline.  You will find that some brands have the Dress sizes one bigger than what I have listed here.  For example, in some brands, a L is a 14, not a 12.  However, I tend to deal with a lot of European lingerie, which runs smaller, so when it doubt, use this smaller sizing chart as a guideline.

Measurement are also usually provided but since they vary so much from brand to brand, I didn't try to generalize them.

Panty: Styles and for which Body Type
When you start looking at panties, you will see a million different cuts and styles.  Worry not because, at it's core, there are only a handful of styles and all those different names are only manufacture's way of making their product sound fancier than it really is.

Boy Shorts
Boy Shorts seem to be all the rage right now.  As the name implies, boy short panties are cut like a pair of very short shorts.  Boy shorts look and work best for women who are thin and don't have a lot of curves.  If you have a lot of curves, rolls, or fat, they will not sit right on you.  If you have a bubbly butt, they tend to ride up your crack.  Since the leg cut is lower than a regular panty but not long enough to be an actual short, fat or curves also tend to make the material gather at you V area.

If you just love the boy short style but are too curvy to pull it off, try the cheekie or hipsters style.

It is worth noting that there are some boy short that are even longer in the leg than the majority, which make these panties fit just like tight shorts.

 

Cheekies
Cheekies are what I call the thong version of boy shorts.  They are cut very similarly except they are cut higher in the butt area (usually only covering the top half of your cheeks) like a thong.  

Cheekies are good for women who are otherwise tone but have a nice butt they wish to show off.  If you are really curvy or lumpy, I'd stay away from cheekies as they are still going bunch in the front and not sit right.

Hipsters
For those of us who are less tone and a little bit more jiggly, I suggest a hipster style if you like the boy short.  Hipsters look like boy shorts but are cut higher in the leg so that they don't bunch in your V area.  And, because they don't bunch, they sit right on your body.  Hipsters also usually cover your butt area like a brief so you don't get ride up in you are big butted.

Thongs
Thongs have a bikini front but have no coverage of the butt cheeks.  Rather, they have a strip of material which sits between your cheeks.  Thongs are good for any body type and great for no panty lines.  However, some people hate they way the feel, thinking they have a constant wedgy.

Some say if you are unconfortable in a thong, it is because you are not wearing the correct size.  

 
G-Strings
If a thong is uncomfortable for you because you feel like you have a wedgy, you might want to try a g-string.  a g-string is just like a thong but the strip between the cheeks is, as the name implies, a string.  The smaller material might make a difference for you.

 

Briefs
Briefs are the traditional panty and are often called"granny panties".  But briefs can be extremely flattering.  They mesh well with all body types and a well fitted brief won't look granny at all.  Briefs are characterized by a full coverage of the butt.  They can be high waisted or low waisted (rise) and have a hi cut or low cut in the legs.

• Granny Panty - High Waisted briefs with a low leg cut tend to by the "granny panty". 

• Hi-Cut Briefs - A common variety of the brief is the hi-cut brief which has a higher cut in the leg which can be a sexy look.

Bikinis
Bikinis are brief cuts except they are very high in the leg, which only a small strip of material.  Bikinis also tend to have a very low rise in the waist.

 

String Bikinis
String bikinis are bikini cut panties which only have a thin string for the hips.  Bikini and string bikinies tend not to look too good on body types with large or rolly tummies since the panty doesn't tend to stay in place, but rather rolls down.

Panty: Picking out your Style
So, how do you  know what size and which style look best on you and are the most comfortable?  I suggest going to Walmart and picking up one of each style.  Try them on, wear them for a day.  You can get panties at Walmart in each of these styles for $2-$3 a pair.  It is the cheapest and best way to gauge what works best for you.  Once you know what styles you like (which is also one that looks good on your body type!) and you know your size (more or less), you can invest if more expensive panties with a much better chance of being happy with your pick.

Panty: Brands
Honestly, I'm a big fan of making sure my panties and bras match so I usually purchase panties to match the bras I get. Since the bras I get are from good brands, the quality of panty tends to also be good. However, one usually wears a bra two or three times but a panty only once. That means we have a day or two where we need panties to go with our bra. You could purchase 3 pairs of the same matching panty, but who wants to do that.

A good rule that I follow is I have one fancy panty to match a particular bra and then I have several plain, but nice quality and sexy panties which I can mix and match with all my bras. If I am dressing real fancy or sexy, I'll wear my matching panty with the bra but for work, I'll pair the bra with a plainer panty.

I'm still looking for good panty brands so I'll post more later. Right now I'm testing out Hanky Panky.