Stop Hiding Your Body Behind Your Clothes
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This episode of Embrace Your Real is for the woman who doesn’t like the cellulite on her legs, for the woman who thinks her arms are too flabby, for the woman who thinks she has 20 pounds to lose, and for the woman who just doesn’t love her body. If that is you, I have something super important I need to share with you!
If this sounds like you, you need to stop hiding your body behind your clothes!
You need to stop wearing sweatshirts that are way too baggy, blouses that cover your butt that you think is “way too big”, long-sleeve shirts to hide your “flabby” arms, and leggings for your workout because you don’t think you can “pull off” shorts. You need to stop avoiding jeans or any pants aside from yoga pants, and crop tops because you “don’t have a six-pack.” And you need to stop thinking you’re “too big” to pull off a certain style. Just stop trying to hide your body and wear the clothes you want to wear!
Your body is beautiful, no matter what size it is, and it doesn’t deserve to always be hidden behind clothing. Tune in to the full episode if this is a message you need to hear!
If you loved this episode, you'll also love Episode 12: Stop Caring What Others Think.
TRANSCRIPT:
Hey, hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you. But I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it, let's go.
Welcome back to another bonus episode. This is for the woman who doesn't feel confident in her body, the woman who doesn't like the way her legs look or thinks her arms are too big or thinks she has to lose X amount of weight before she can put on that sundress this summer. Overall, the woman who just doesn't love her body, I have something super important I need to share with you. But before I do, I want to thank Aliciac101 for her super sweet review. She says, "Julie feels like that uplifting best friend who gives you those motivating pep talks right when you need them. One of my favorite ways to start my morning." Thank you so much, Alicia, for the review. If you haven't already rated and reviewed the podcast over on Apple podcasts, it really does mean a lot. It takes less than 60 seconds.
All right, so let's dive in. So what is that important thing I need to share with you? Girl, you need to stop hiding behind your clothes. Stop wearing sweatshirts that are too baggy. Stop wearing blouses that cover your butt because you think it's way too big. Stop avoiding those jeans or any other pants besides yoga pants. Stop covering up your arms with those long sleeves because you think that your arms are too jiggly. Stop wearing leggings for your workout because you don't think you can pull off shorts. Stop thinking you're too big to pull off a certain style. Just stop trying to hide your body. Your body is beautiful no matter what size it is. It doesn't deserve to be always hidden behind clothing. There is no such thing as not being skinny enough to wear that, or I could never wear that. I'm telling you right now that you can literally pull off anything because pulling something off is a mindset.
When you see somebody rocking an outfit, it's their confident mindset that you're attracted to, not necessarily the body in the outfit. So whatever you wear, you need to own it. You need to stand up tall, pull your shoulders back, lift your head up and wear it with confidence. Your body is just as worthy as anyone else to wear that crop top or those shorts or those skinny jeans or the sundress. To be a hundred percent honest with you and get real with you, the clothes you are wearing to hide your body are probably not the most flattering. They're not doing your body any favors. I know you're wearing them because you want to hide parts of yourself that you think are too big, but those clothes are probably making you look bigger than you actually are. I know that may sound harsh, but I need to tell you the truth, that's my obligation.
Wearing clothes that actually fit you and show off your curves are going make your body look more like your beautiful self. So I want to challenge you, start wearing clothes that you normally wouldn't allow yourself to wear. I'm not saying go out and go dress all skimpy. But I am saying that you should challenge yourself to wear a shirt that doesn't cover your butt or wear the skinny jeans that accentuate your curves, or wear that tank dress that shows off your arms. Just wear it. I will tell you, it feels super weird at first. And I know many of you are going to feel too exposed. But I promise, the more you do, the more confident you become in your body and the happier you will feel in the clothing you are wearing. I seriously think one of the best ways to start embracing your body and loving it right where it's at is by showing it off, not trying to hide it anymore.
I have a story. For years and years of my life, I only wore leggings for my workouts. And I told myself, "Oh, I could never pull off shorts." I just kept telling myself. Of course, my mind is going to keep telling me that you can never do it because I'm telling myself I can never do it. And it wasn't until I literally said, "I am so hot during my workout, I need to wear shorts. I'm just going to freaking do it." And it felt weird for like a month. It felt super weird. But now I can't imagine not wearing shorts during my workout. I am so confident in shorts. Of course I have cellulite still. I still work out. I work out five days a week, I eat, I nourish my body and of course, I still have cellulite. I am human. I am a human being.
And so I look at that cellulite, I look down at my legs and I say, "Thank you. Thank you for carrying me through all of these seasons." Remember that confidence is a muscle. You got to practice it over and over and over and over again. You got to tear it down, build it back up, tear it down, build it back up. So just remember that as you're going into this summer, and you're looking at your closet, challenge yourself to wear things that show off your body over and over and over again. If you love this episode, I know you will love episode 12. It's stop caring about what other people think about you, because honestly you guys in today's society, it's way too easy to get wrapped up in what other people think. But if we continue to allow the opinions of other people alter the way that we act, dress, think, live, we will never truly feel free to be our authentic selves.
In this episode, I help you break free from the opinions of others and empower you to embrace your real without caring what others think about it. I kind of give you a new perspective on why people judge you and why you shouldn't let it bother you or change you. So be sure to tune in episode 12, if you haven't already. Also, if you're listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you'll see three little dots, click on that. You'll be able to copy the link and share it out to your friends, a sister, a coworker, a friend, someone that you think would benefit from this message. It honestly means the world, just seeing all of you guys share this out and your social. So be sure to screenshot this, post it up on your Instagram story, tag me, juliealedbetter. I love seeing what you're doing while you're listening to the podcast. And I will talk to you guys in the next episode.
All right sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the Gram, be sure to do so, juliealedbetter, Yes it's with an a in the middle, for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because, you're worth it.