September 21, 2020
Let's face it... life comes at us from every which way, and whether we like it or not, it seems that almost daily there's something new to deal with... so why add to the stress?
Back when I was in the modelling arena I had a kind of 'industry-imposed' body obsession. So in order to keep my weight 'in check' so to speak, I'd use several tools to make sure I never 'let myself go'. These included:
Diets and fad eating plans.
Scales and tape measures.
Excessive exercise aimed at burning as many calories as possible.
And tight, restrictive clothing that constantly reminded me to basically not consume a single $%$%-ing thing.
Obviously this was a horrendous and totally unhealthy way to live my life, yet it's one that so many women (and men) do, and they don't need to be models to do it. But after many many years of torture, I woke up one day and decided enough was enough. I quit the industry cold turkey and almost overnight changed those harmful ways. I realized the only way to stop OBSESSING over my body was to stop constantly reminding myself to. So this is what changed.
I ditched the diets. I told myself from now on I could eat whatever I wanted, guilt free. Chocolate was (and still is) heavily consumed! ;) But the guilt free part is KEY.
I threw out the scales and the tape measure. I didn’t have a Fitbit or smartwatch or any other device telling me how much to eat or how many calories I’d burnt. But I tell you if I had, I would've flushed that down the loo by now too!!
I stopped exercising ‘to lose weight’. In fact I cut down on working out a lot. Which was tough as a Personal Trainer and running coach (working in the fitness industry alongside the modelling one just added to my obsession!) I found that not only did working out just make me hungrier but because my motivation was all wrong, it sucked the enjoyment out of it too - and yes, I am one of those people that actually likes to exercise! But once I stopped the 'obsessive' workouts I was able to replace them with the 'I actually feel like moving my body' ones, and started to get much more benefit from them.
And lastly, I put away the ridiculous can’t breathe skinny jeans and any other super restrictive items of clothing and swapped them for clothes that moved with me. But by that I'm not talking baggy tents, I'm just talking about clothes that simply work with the body, whilst you still look fantastic.
Personally, I like to wear clothes that in my eyes 'flatter'. No doubt it's from years of conditioning, but if I wear something that reveals something I don’t like, or draws attention to it, or reminds me of it, my obsession returns. So therefore my preference is to wear stylish clothes that are also COMFORTABLE. Clothes that don't make me feel self conscious, but rather, confident. Clothes that allow me to eat, drink, move and breathe without cutting off my circulation or feeling restrictive or uncomfortable in any way. Basically clothes that I can LIVE in. Why do you think leggings have become so popular? But we don’t always want to wear leggings; sometimes we want to dress up too. So let's imagine being able to dress up whilst achieving the same comfort level as leggings? And after months and months in lockdown, we're used to a very high level of comfort, aren't we? ;) And that’s where Miss Matahari comes in.
Over every other design aspect, I take the longest time working on fit. That means that not only are the clothes tested to fit as many body types as possible, but they do so with optimum comfort and flattery too. It was my goal when I created the brand that I would design clothes for women that whilst super stylish (naturally!) would also help them feel great about themselves. Clothes that feel as fabulous as they look. Very careful consideration is made to the cut, and the fabric always has to feel amazing next to the skin. So many clothes on the market don't let us do anything - we move a certain way - whoops, what were we thinking? We eat - are you kidding me - there's no room for an extra millimetre, let alone our lunch. Heck, there probably isn't even room to breathe. But we can't live like that. Why would we do that to ourselves? Our clothes need to live and eat and breathe with us. Otherwise it's just one extra battle we didn't need. So whilst you can’t see in a photograph how Miss Matahari clothing feels, I can promise you, once you try them, you won't go back! ;) But don't just take my word for it - if you happen to be in Toronto, check out some of the collection at Gotstyle, The Distillery's top designer boutique. And you'll know what I'm talking about.
Miss Matahari xx
Between my modelling and fitness career I also ran a styling company, and along with my business partner at the time, we helped many women (and men!) dress to feel their very best. Creating the brand enabled me to create the perfect feel-amazing-in staples that will work with your existing wardrobe.
'Tape measure', and 'chocolate' photo source: Unsplash.
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