Kressley Guides You to Better Body Image
Who doesn’t want to feel more comfortable in their own skin?
Whether you’re overweight or underweight, most women feel insecure about something, and you shouldn’t. That’s the point Carson Kressley hopes to convey in his new book, “Does This Book Make My Butt Look Big?”
Kressley, who enjoyed trying out his mother’s makeup as a child, knows firsthand how it is to feel awkward and uncomfortable. I was excited to improve my self-esteem through this book.
“I’m always out and about at an airport or the grocery store, and I would often get asked by women, ‘How do I look?’ ” Kressley said in an interview. “I realized I was doing this almost every day, and I should write all my tips and advice down and share them with the world.”
By Carson Kressley
St. Martin’s Griffin, 192 pages, $25.99
Kressley, who will talk about his book in a conversation with Holly Firfer at the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center on Tuesday, Nov. 15, said life is too short to feel bad about yourself. He also said everybody has something about her body that she doesn’t like.
“The important thing is to minimize the flaws (real or imagined) and maximize the positives,” he said. “Loving your body just as it is is the first step to looking and feeling great in your clothes.”
One section in the book that I loved is “The Ancient Legend of the Car Selfie.” I take a ton of selfies in my car, and I agree with what Kressley says. Take pictures of yourself from different angles. Check. Take some with your eyes open and closed. Check.
He is right: That approach is a great way to see how your makeup is working for you.
Kressley is starring in a new competition reality show on GSN called “Window Warriors,” which premieres the night of his Book Festival appearance. In January, he’s scheduled to star in NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” and later in 2017 he’ll return to Logo to judge “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Purging and downsizing are pretty big these days, and Kressley uses part of his book to tell you how to do those things with your wardrobe.
With his 10-step plan, you can easily part with what you don’t need, keeping things that you will actually wear. You need only 25 basic pieces — he tells you exactly what those are — to have a classic wardrobe that you can mix and match and build on. Out of those 25 pieces, Kressley creates 40 chic combinations for daytime, nighttime and anytime wear.
My closet is overflowing, and most of my clothes don’t even get worn anymore. I’m excited to try this plan to downsize my wardrobe. Not only will it likely make it easier to pick outfits, but it will also force me to become more creative.
Kressley also tells you the most flattering ways to wear wardrobe staples like maxi dresses, little black dresses, jeans and skinny pants. Did you know to size down in jeans rather than up? Neither did I.
Learning how to rock your curves and feel comfortable with how you look is vitally important, and Kressley dedicates an entire chapter to the subject. Staying off the scale and, instead, going by how your clothes fit and how you feel are things all women should start doing, Kressley said.
In fact, that combination is the second of five “body commandments” created by Anansa Sims, the daughter of supermodel Beverly Johnson. You’ll find all five of Sims’ commandments in Chapter 6.
The scale is “just a number,” Kressley said. “If you look and feel great in an outfit, who cares what the scale says?”
I love his insider tips for shopping popular department stores such as Kohl’s, Target, Macy’s and T.J.Maxx/Marshalls. I shop these stores often, so I’m going to be referring back to these pages quite a bit.
This book is your guide to shopping. Want to know when the best times to shop during the year are? Kressley has you covered.
Throughout the book are “Carson’s Confessions,” which are little stories from his own life on a variety of subjects. In one, he talks about his “Cinderella Fantasy” when he scored a pair of Tom Ford goatskin loafers for $325 even though they regularly sell for $3,200.
In another, he reveals the identity of his longtime muse, Grace Kelly, and what he admires about her: her poise, her tailored style and “her ability to rock any accessory as if it had been made for her.” Those pieces are Kressley’s favorite parts of his book.
“They chronicle my own fashion foibles,” he said. “I’ve had some fashion disasters of my own, and they’re pretty funny.”
You’ll find Kressley’s favorite beauty, laundry and other projects sprinkled throughout the book. I love the fact that a fashion icon uses and recommends drugstore and other products easily accessible for the rest of us. I’m definitely more likely to buy something if I know that one (or more) of my favorite celebrities uses it as well.
The one thing Kressley hopes women take away from his book is how to find their own personal styles.
“I’m not telling women what to wear but instead helping women discover their own style,” he said. “When your clothes are an expression of your personality and your authentic self, that’s a real win.”
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