Did I Really Buy That?

By Cathryn Cade
Guest post Jamie Brazil Blog
(Oregon romance writer)

Now this is an ongoing battle. Right, girlfriends?

We are constantly bombarded with the latest fashions, guaranteed to make us look younger, slimmer, prettier and more with it. Whatever ‘it’ is.

Wear this glittery full-body lycra jumpsuit with padded shoulders, and you too can be as beautiful as this model! (Hey, she lives on celery and yogurt, she fainted right after this photo session, and then we air-brushed the be-jayzus out of her picture, but never mind all that!)

I managed to avoid that jumpsuit, but I did have the denim version. I also had a pink satin dress with power shoulders, a la Dallas. But fashions change, and one decade’s ‘with it’ is the next’s ‘what the hell is that?’ Needless to say neither of these items still grace the back of my closet.

But I still buy fashion faux pas, items that look great on other women, but not a tall, plump blonde with quiet coloring. The brightly flowered silk sweater? Ouch!  I could have posed as a piece of furniture. The snug T-shirt with all the Lycra? Yeah, enough said about my midsection. The swimsuit I’ve been going to fit into for ten years? Not gonna happen in this lifetime.

I’ve finally learned to have a shopping bag open in the basement for items just such as these. When it fills up, off it goes to a shelter or Goodwill, where I pray someone will wear those nearly-new items to look and feel fabulous.

I’ve made peace with my shape, as much as women bombarded by modern advertising ever can. They have a vested interest in keeping us dissatisfied. I know how to dress, and where to shop to find things that fit and flatter. Coldwater Creek, Lands End and Nordstrom’s (sale racks) are my shopping BFFs.

But I’m not perfect yet, and I’m impulsive as all get-out. So I’ll keep that shopping bag open for the fashion leftovers and faux pas to come!

How about you? What items do you need to be strong, and just get rid of?

Cathryn Cade… red hot romance!

Goodreads, My Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Samhain Author Page,

And sign up for My Newsletter for a chance to win goodies!

THE RESOLUTION TOUR – January 1 – 9, 2013

Maggie Jaimeson – Take a Vacation

Jessa Slade – Get Organized

Paty Jager – Volunteerism

Linda Mercury – Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life

Jenna Bayley-Burke – Eat Healthier

Cassiel Knight – No More Procrastination

Cathryn Cade – Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions

Susan Lute – Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss