I will not be pinned in!

So a few days ago, Jimmy and I were at the mall and I decided to shop for a couple of things to wear to work for the summer. Usually Express is my go-to store. I love that they have simple designs in multiple colors and it's not gonna break the bank! So when I find one shirt that I like, I usually get the rainbow!

In we went - found a couple of shirts, pair of pants (I have a tough time fitting pants and Express is one store that I can usually just wear off the rack!) and disappeared into the fitting room, leaving Jimmy on the "husband couch"!

I have to say that it was a bit of an odd experience. Tried on the cute khaki capris and they fit like "mom" pants. I double checked the tag and the label and it was the correct size that I usually wear. Hmm... so then I tried on the shirt - again, size I normally wear and it just looked frumpy and baggy. What's going on?!!?

Now I've been busting my rear at the gym and have been seeing some really great results (see pics) and I've noticed that I'm not just getting stronger, but my body is changing, so that could be why stuff is fitting a little differently. I didn't think much of it right away. I'm not one to dive into a tub of ice cream or go do a massive amount of crunches if my clothes don't fit. My body's constantly changing and it's kind of a joke in our house. The second Jimmy or I buy clothes, we change, so I feel like we're always having to get more clothes for the new "us"!

But this stuck to my brain.

And then I realized that it's just Express adapting to society. I'm not the incredible shrinking violet all of a sudden (although I did lose 5 pounds and dropped 6% body fat thanks to ChaLEAN Extreme and Shakeology) - they've changed their sizing to make people feel better...most people...feel better about themselves.

Women hear supermodels all the time say "Oh yeah, I just eat whatever I want - cheeseburgers, fries, pizza, cookies..." and they go home and try to do the same thing. And slowly retail stores are keeping this "fantasy" alive in the mind of Joe Six Pack's wife. Now she says "Oh yeah, I just eat whatever I want - cheeseburgers, fries, pizza, cookies...and I'm still a size 10 - I don't know how I do it, but I'm not questioning it. Obviously the fad diets are working!!!"

Wake up people!

There are pins on EVERY mannequin to hold back the extra fabric - not to make the mannequins look good (although I bet they would have really great self esteem with as much as people say "but it looked so cute on the mannequin!") - but to hide the extra fabric so people will think that they will look like said mannequin when they put on the shirt or pants displayed.

It's time to make a change - and it doesn't have to be a radical change, but baby steps will change your life!