Capturing the curve

Some months ago I was asked by blogging babe and general powerhouse of wonderfulness Betty Pamper to give a talk at a pamper day she was organising.

Betty and I had spent a delightful evening with Gok Wan and Simply Be back in November where I got very drunk. When Betty had finally managed to drag me away and back to the hotel room we were sharing,  we spent some time chatting before bed and getting to know each other a bit better (that sounds dodgy, it genuinely wasn’t) We had a lovely, lengthy chat about our lives, what had lead us to the current point in time and the experiences that made us who we are today. There really is nothing like pouring your heart out to a fellow fat chick. I love my slim friends and could share anything with them, but nobody quite gets you and has that sense of shared experience quite like a fellow chubster. 

For some reason my story stayed with Betty and she asked me if I would like to share it at the event. I of course said yes, because it is quite evident I like the sound of my own voice, plus, I think it’s important we share our stories, so others don’t feel so alone.

I arrived at TV21 in Manchester’s Northern Quarter to a hive of activity. Betty, Lily and Pookie (Who make up the Pamperbox team) were setting up the make over stations. Nicky, Betty’s husband and professional photographer was setting up the shoot area. The ladies started arriving and Betty gave everyone a big welcome. It was then my turn to get up and talk. I hadn’t really prepared anything, I didn’t want it to seem rehearsed or staged. In hindsight, maybe a few notes to keep me on track would have been beneficial, but on the whole I think I did ok. I basically just wanted everyone to know, it’s ok to be you and stop being so damned hard on yourself. I hope by sharing my experiences of plus size and mental health issues I was able to make someone feel good about themselves. 

I was then planning on just going home and letting everyone get on with it, but I was having such a blast chatting away to all those wonderful women I just stayed, and then Betty grabbed me and insisted I had my make up done and a few shots taken with Nicky. Why the hell not hey? 

I had such a wonderful day and I even got to take home a goodie bag full of loveliness from Taking Shape, SLiNK, Black Heart Creatives and Yours Clothing. Bloody marvellous. Thanks Betty and all the girls who came along, I had such a wonderful, life affirming day!