#34 HOT OVER 40! REALITY SHOW BEAUTY - AHEM! 9/28/12

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BEHIND THE K****N KURTAIN  Or (Any) Reality TV Comeliness
---- Real vs Reel beauty

I was getting an infusion and the new young nurse queried, "How does KK look so great when she wakes up?"  I am the only "actress" patient of the infusion unit;  therefore the de facto "expert."  I said to her, "What do you mean?" she replied, "Well she looks soooo beautiful as soon as she is out of bed, do you know any secrets? I never look like that waking up."  I stated matter of factly, "No one does. The secret is hair and makeup and lighting 2 hours before her head hits the pillow to be filmed, oooh soooo dreamily waking up.  Have you noticed the pillowcase is perfect too?"

Nearly toppling out of her rolling stool and into my lap she said, "Impossible!"

I explained what was obvious to me. "Don't you realize that a reality show has nothing to do with reality?"  She was agog. 
Completely  stunned.  She refused to believe me. 
"Really? ", she almost squealled, "Ooohhh nooo, I don't understand. REALLEE?"
 
Do I tear or tug at this point? I decided on a splash of cold water REAL-ity.
I said evenly,   "Look closely.  Those are fake eyelashes honey.  Nobody's skin is that perfect in Hdtv land unless they have special makeup that makes your skin poreless,  botox to make you seamless and subtle highlights and shadows to make you glow... in all the right places.  Never mind the unwrinkled sheets."  
"But" she gasped,  "she is just waking up!"
I saw I needed to be more gentle tearing away the pink tissue of tv land.  One must be careful where fantasies abound....
I explained as carefully as I could that these "reality" shows are scripted. 
"WHAT! How could that be?" she gawped.  
I was thinking, "How can THIS be? " I figured everyone knew none of this was really "real".
Much to my surprise and chagrin I was very, very wrong.   

peek-a-boo-boudoir photography studio
Illinois

Now I like the K's 'kause they are kurvy, and though pretty, I like the fact that they don't fit the hollywood sKary sKinny, beautiful beyond measure standard -  They are savvy, successful businesswomen and I am k-k-keen to that. And Heck! Some reality TV can be kick-ass fun! However, they are as manufactured and marketed as any young or older female with powerful, helpful fleets of "peeps" behind them as any.  I am including K-mom too. This was "A peak behind the camera's curtain" moment if ever there was one. 

This young nurse, (feeling substandard and inadequate, thankyou pop culture!), needed a gentle hand to steer her away from swallowing all the malarcky and understand that she was perfect just the way she was.  Refreshingly pretty, a healthy weight, and a lovely charming personality along with a generous spirit.  In other words, a real beauty and beautiful human being. 

To my horror, another nurse eavesdropped - she is 48.  She believed the same thing.  My heart hiccuped.  "Oh dear," I said to myself, "this is not good at all.  These women are feeling so terrible about themselves." 
My Joan of Arc warrior spirit was surfacing rapidly.
My internal neon billboard blinked, THESE WOMEN MUST BE SAVED!

So I  explained, tenderly, (I did afterall, have a needle stuck in my veins that would have to be removed) how it all worked.  Episode Pitches, writers throwing out ideas, fabricated scenarios, pre-determined drama, scripted key lines, molding an image of glamour and excitement, along with hair, makeup and don't forget wardrobe.  This applies to all of reality TV. There are courses now to teach aspiring celebrealities how to audition and behave. The K's are exemplified here solely because of this nurse's query.

Oh, by the way, I now had an audience of 5 nurses. They all looked a bit stunned.
Yet at the end of this "enlightenment intervention" they told me they now felt relieved.  You see, they thought they were doing something wrong.  They thought the people on TV were just superior and special - and they..... weren't.  These are NURSES for goodness sake who take care of others when they are ill, sick and weak and THESE SPLENDID females were feeling inadequate as women!  I left thinking, "well that is what the blog is all about.  Urging Women to feel satisfied with themselves, to enjoy their uniqueness, and to live life with gusto. "

So please ladies, if you get nothing else from my blogs, know that my intention is to highlight enjoying ones life, and loving yourself by eating healthily, keeping cardio fit, and enjoying everyday, no matter what anyone else says or does.
Forget the movies, the magazines, the models and manufactured icons.
Look at the lovely, kind, smart, funny and real women around you and follow their examples.

You only have one life. 
Live, laugh, love.  Fully, deeply, truly.

Go make plans with a group of gals you love right now and toast yourselves. Do it and create a wonderful memory!       
STRIVE TO FLOURISH!  HUGS JOANNA

Joanna (unretouched ladies- veins, wrinkles, freckles and all,however will admit to makeup and great lighting)

#22 HOT OVER 40! SURVIVING CANCER - I RUN FOR ME, MY MOTHER, FOR LIFE 5/12/12

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I AM WRITING THIS FOR MY 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY AS A CANCER SURVIVOR-- MAY 25th, 2002.

 I survived cancer. But hated the way I looked. 

I gained my life. But lost my self-esteem. 

For 7 years. 

Then - * I got the woman in the mirror I liked to see back again. 

I am determined to make up for those 7 lost years.

In between, I learned that we all really need and want to feel beautiful.  That society puts way too much pressure on woman to be skeletal skinny and prepubescent and that there is a huge prejudice for any woman out there who is a size 8,10, 12 or 14. 

 I had a conundrum. 

I feel magnificent as a size 4, fat as a size 10 --- so what can my philosophy be? 

"Are you a hypocrite?", I asked myself.

No.

My viewpoint is:

I am not advocating skinny, nor am I condoning too much fat.  Neither is good - both are reflections of poor eating habits and perhaps poor exercise regimes.

I decided to propose & promote a positive outlook --- 

to seek health and happiness based upon your own values.  Not Vogues.

The thinking that "taking care of yourself" is important.

A tall building won't stay upright without a deep foundation and strong supports.  The same goes for your body- it needs proper food and exercise to excel.  Take care of the inside and the outside will take care of itself. Your spirit needs to wonder and feel light.  That's why we love mountain aeries.  Feeling close to the sky transports you.  You must have moments in life when you feel as if you can jubilantly soar through the Heavens.

 

The more  you take care of yourself, the better and lighter you feel. Your mind and emotions need to feel inspired.  Creating new ways of eating, moving and then yes adorning, create a sense of well-being.

LIVING IS ABOUT HAPPINESS.

 I want everyone to look and feel as pretty as they can, based upon there own comfort levels. Because I know, I know that no matter what any woman says, she wants to look and feel beautiful.

The reason why I am a lunatic in the gym?  

Because I can be.

Because I am still here. 

I could have been LONG gone. 

I am grabbing Life and not letting go. 

No one can stop me. No one can pull me down. 

I won't let myself and I won't let anyone else.  

AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU.


No matter where you are in your journey to look good and feel beautiful, remember that you are alive and able. 
Just start.  It will become a wondrous adventure full of surprises. You will surprise yourself the most. 
I guarantee it.

 Sure there are setbacks.  Life is about "dancing in the rain" afterall. Any rebirth symbolism involved water; a sprinkle or a plunge, drinking or sweating, it's all the same.

When I am in a class and basically moving at 100 mph an hour while others drop around me.  I am not showing off. 

I am exhilarating in the fact that I can move,
that I am alive.
 

I am not competing -
I am exhulting in movement and breath and life. 
I look in the mirror and I am grateful, incredulous and absolutely amazed.

Working out has become a celebration. 

So yes, I run  for my mom who has survived not one but TWO bouts of breast cancer, and I run for me. 

The scars on my body are my testiment, her testiment, every woman's testiment.  They say "I have survived." 

YES! I RUN FOR LIFE!

If  you are a cancer survivor I would love to hear from  you. 

   

If you would like to read some other blogs about cancer, my fitness and weight loss journey and getting your groove back with Brazil Buttlift 
see blogs #1,2,3,6,8,10 & 14

Fitness tip: Brazil Buttlift w/ Leandro Carvalho  www.leandrofitness.com

*thanks Leandro - I may not be a VS model, but who cares? I feel like a gorgeous one and at my age --- that is enough for me!

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#17 HOT OVER 40! MARILYN MONROE SIZZLE & SMARTS! 2/25/12

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Real vs Reel Beauty 
Yes! Marilyn knew the difference.

Sizzle + Smarts = 
Sensational  

 

My favorite Marilyn photo - with a BOOK!

Since this is a blog about beauty, image and the pressures society puts on women to look gorgeous no matter the circumstances, I harken back to Marilyn. Why? Well she did re-invent herself.  She was her own creation.  And creating one's own rennaissance whether it be through fitness or schooling, or relationships, or just a new pair of jeans is what this blog is about.  Creating a life and look that makes you happy,  gives one confidence, and authenticity - that is what I would hope for you. Because you are doing it for yourself, not to be selfish and narcissistic, but to be happy and healthy and fulfilled.
You deserve it.  
Marilyn was often misunderstood, however she was a brilliant actress and business woman.  A woman before her time who fought for her beliefs, and the rights of others.
I think if she could have continued to withstand the pressures of fame, stardom and her own personal demons, she would have been a true aging beauty.  
A role model on how to age with grace and style. 
With a face that moved and continued to move us too!

A true iconoclast. A forerunner. Trailblazer.

"For decades, irresponsible biographers like Norman Mailer have represented Marilyn Monroe as nothing more than weak, psychotic, junkie, nymphomaniac, idiot. I have tried to read her life in a different way. True, Marilyn was sometimes mired in the ideology of the past: she married men to gain an identity she wished for herself; she was over-reliant on her sexuality for success in her career. But, at the same time, she displayed real agency by divorcing three unsupportive husbands who interfered with her career and her self-esteem, by fighting for her modeling and film success, by continuing to perfect her art by taking acting classes long after she was a big star, by battling Darryl Zanuck to have more control over her own destiny, by starting her own production company, by buying her own home, even by jogging through service alleys, lifting weights, and wearing jeans. All of these things were accomplished six years before the first feminist protest at the Miss American Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and eight years before the First Congress to unite Women in New York."   (Excerpted from http://www.americanpopularculture.com/)

INSIGHT FOR THE DAY:

MARILYN JOGGED AND USED WEIGHTS BEFORE THE BOOM OF THE FITNESS CRAZE, GYMS, TRAINERS AND EXERCISE GURUS ---- SO FOLLOW HER EXAMPLE ---

YOU CAN TRANSFORM YOURSELF THROUGH DILIGENCE AND DEDICATION.  And no it ain't easy, however, eventually it will actually become fun.  Trust me. I know.
UPCOMING BLOGS ON VARIOUS EXERCISE STRATEGIES DURING SLUMPS, MALAISE & INJURIES.   

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST, COMMENTS, READERSHIP, CURIOSITY, CARING, SHARING.

CHOOSE HAPPINESS - EVEN DURING DURESS.
IT WON'T CHANGE THINGS ALOT, BUT PERHAPS, IT WILL CHANGE HOW YOU DEAL WITH IT.

if you are new to this blog and want some background on my philosophies and life after cancer IN A BIKINI   see blogs #1,2,3,6,8,10 &14