Happy Monday to my loyal blog fam, I hope you had a fantastic weekend and here’s to an amazing week ahead. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and to celebrate here is my 2nd post featuring my favourite pajamas from Lane Bryant. I am just going to start things off with the honest truth – I hate Valentine’s Day. Having said that if you are someone who loves this holiday I am certainly not going to rain on your parade so please go ahead and enjoy, you deserve it!
And having said that I must admit I do love all the pretty things that come out for the occasion, from the lingerie, to the panties with cute sayings, to the chocolates, the flowers, the romance and the passion. I love hearing what my friends are doing with their significant others and I love spending time with my girlfriends who are single.
But I also find that it is a time for self reflection. Having spent most of my life hating myself and particularly my body, it has always been a hard holiday to get through. Telling yourself that if you are thin that all your problems would be solved is very hard on your self esteem. Having guy friends tell you that if you were thin you would be the hottest girl in our circle is sad. Being seen as only a fetish to a man and not a person is demoralizing. Having been single every Valentine’s Day except for 2 that I can recall at the age of 41 is lonely.
The one thing that I have learned through my self love journey is that I was my own worst enemy. If I couldn’t love myself, then how was I going to let anyone else love me? If I accepted this bad behaviour from men in my life then why would they act any differently? If I let the stereotypes that society places on us dictate my thoughts and my actions then I was going to be miserable for the rest of my life.
What I can tell you now is that I am not perfect, I still have my moments of doubt and insecurity but I have come so far in my journey that above all I value what I think of myself first. I know that I am deserving of love regardless of my size because I don’t let it define me. I deserve someone in my life that sees all of me, not just this vessel that carries me but the person I am underneath and deep down in my soul. And when I allowed myself that, I learned what true love was and felt loved like I had never felt in my entire life. Unfortunately circumstances have ended that relationship and while I continue to heal I know that what I was searching for was not unrealistic, it just wasn’t my time. And I am confident that because I let myself be vulnerable and be loved that in time it will happen again.
So with that I also truly believe that as woman we should wear things that make us feel beautiful no matter what. And this pj set is my all time favourite style from Lane Bryant, I must have it in half a dozen prints/colours.
I really like the shorts because they are like a female version of the boxer and made to compliment our curves. The material is also always super soft and they usually have cute details like contrast piping and a bow at the waist. They show off your legs but still let you lounge in comfort.
The matching tank is the perfect feminine touch with the lace on the cups and its deep v neckline. It has adjustable straps so I find it perfect for giving the girls some support or you can wear a cute bra underneath if you like which I did here. I am wearing the size 26/28 in this set which is my go to LB size.
I am a girl who likes to have a robe for my pj’s, I can cover up if I am cold or in this case I can add a little bit of sexy to an otherwise comfy cotton set of pj’s. This robe is from the Valentine’s Day collection and I love the dramatic kimono sleeves with the lace accents. It was the perfect touch to a look that I felt fabulous in. I am wearing the size 26/28 and I can do the robe up but as always I wish that Lane Bryant was just a little more generous in the sizing of pieces like this, I mean this girl has some serious hips to cover!
I look at these pictures and I see a woman who has come full circle, a woman that is confident, happy and knows her worth. I wish my twenty year old self could see these pictures because I think the reaction would be amazing. To all the women and girls out there who are struggling, who are still on their journey or have yet to start it, I am here for you and I want you to know you are SO WORTH IT. With love, Lisa xoxo
This look was provided care of Lane Bryant but all opinions expressed are my own.
Special thanks to Katie of Katiuska Idrovo Photography for not pushing me outside of my comfort zone so that we captured these stunning images but also for the beautiful hair and make up styling.
Robe by LANE BRYANT | PJ Set by LANE BRYANT | Heart Hipster Panties by LANE BRYANT |