Am I the only one who has a love-hate relationship with shopping? I love getting new clothes but I hate having to go through the racks, trying things on and then having to…PAY. I am really cheap, as my mom would say. I call it being frugal. I’m a thrift store shopper! When I do shop I head straight to the sale rack. Am I the only one? I doubt it. I love a good deal and making old styles my own. * Sidebar If your mom still shops for you or if you wear a uniform then enjoy it! I never appreciated having clothes BOUGHT for me until I got older. Uniforms are your friends! You don’t have to struggle with finding something to wear every day. I understand it gets boring but you can always use accessories to add a little POP to any outfit…SHAZAM new outfit! Another perk of wearing a uniform is you don’t get teased for being dirty for wearing the same thing day after day lol. We all should be thankful that we have pants to wear, shoes on our feet and clothes on our back no matter where or how we got them. There are people all across the United States and the world that are forced to wear the same outfit every day, not by choice. So, let us be thankful. The End.
     Believe it or not that’s not what I want to talk about today. I want to take a second to vent. I have become really frustrated with this summer’s fashion. “What are you frustrated with Cherise?” I am so glad you asked. The crop tops and the teeny weeny shorts where the lower buttocks are hanging out. I don’t know the proper name of the shorts. When I was growing up we called them coochie cutters and daisy dukes. Lol SMH. Call me conservative, old-fashioned, corny, wack, a “goodie two-shoes” etc. etc. whatever! I thought the purpose of a shirt was to cover you not to reveal every nook and cranny of your body. Please correct me if I am wrong. I understand fashion and wanting to be sexy but not everything that gets thrown out needs to be caught. I can’t tell you how many bellies’ I’ve seen this summer. Some were flat, others not so much. That is not the point! The point or the question is, “Why?” Why are these being worn? Are girl unaware that their body is precious and the clothes they wear are a representation of who they are and the type of person they are? Sadly, people judge get judged by the clothes they wear. 

DISCLAIMER! I am not judging you if you wear crop tops! I have no right or reason to judge you. I just want to shed some light on the situation and give you my experiences. If that’s ok…This is my blog. It is ok.
     
     A few weeks ago I was in the city and noticed about 50 girls wearing crop tops. They were everywhere. My eyes were drawn to them. I wasn’t searching for them (I promise I was wasn’t). In actuality my eyes were drawn to their mid section, the part that was exposed. Not their face, not their eye makeup or their shoes. I’m a heterosexual woman and I was looking. Can you imagine the attention these girls received from men? I’m not going to lie; I felt some type of way as I walked. When I made an attempt to look at the faces of these girls I passed by in the streets some looked as young as 12! That hurt my heart. You may not see an issue with this but this is a major issue. It seems like this generation of young ladies want to grow up too fast, but then they don’t know how to handle the attention it brings, which causes them to get into compromising situations (for example, getting hit on by older men who only want them for their bodies).
     If you are a crop top wearer, can I ask why? Do you want to show off your flat stomach? A belly ring? Do you think it’s sexy? Do you want male attention? Are you just going with the latest fashion? Do you think it could be from a lack of self-esteem? Or maybe you never thought about it? Ask yourself these questions and get back to me.
     I think it’s time for me to come out with a clothing line, clothes for girls and women who want to be “sexy” without having to show it all off. Being sexy is a state of mind. I am not a sex symbol. I am more than that. I am beautiful on the inside and out. I know that I don’t have to show off my body in order to get attention. I command attention when I walk into a room without even saying a word. My confidence speaks for me. I am not cocky or proud. I am able to say this because I was created by a God who tells me I am great! I am only great because HE is GREAT! I come from greatness, AND SO DO YOU! You are an amazing girl crafted by the King of kings, the Ruler of the world, The Master of the Universe. You and I are truly masterpieces! Start seeing yourself this way. You are a beautiful princess! If you didn’t know, now you know!

*Don’t forget your confidence.

     I am super excited because Wear Your Confidence is on the move! I’ll be speaking at the (FLI) Future Leaders Institute for Girls in August! The FLI is a summer program designed to develop the leadership skills of girls ages 12-17. I’ll be speaking and teaching on… :drum roll please: CONFIDENCE, duh! I can’t tell you every single detail of what I will be doing but I will make sure I post pictures of the event and give you the 4-1-1 after the event!
     Isn’t it ironic that I speak and teach about confidence and self-esteem yet I am still working and building my own confidence? If I am 110% honest, I sometimes doubt myself and my abilities :insert huge gasp here:. I don’t think I have come across a person who is 100% confident in every aspect of their life. There is always some sort of doubt or fear that tries to rise up and make me stop. I have come to realize that the fear and doubt are normal and it is necessary. If I didn’t have them I would be totally dependent on ME and not God. I have learned that having 100% confidence in YOURSELF and YOUR ABILITIES can lead to you being conceited. I have to constantly remind myself that it’s NOT about ME but it’s about GOD and what He wants me to do with my life. If I never did what I was afraid to I never would have started a blog, launched Wear Your Confidence, started the WYCTV1 YouTube channel, written a book or spoke publicly. I definitely would NOT have answered the call and become a minister (talk about scary)! I could not have done all of that on my own. I was terrified to start the YouTube channel, scared that no one was going to watch, or subscribe to the page OR that they would watch and then not like it. I had to put all of that to the side and do what I felt God wanted me to do. I prayed that God would help me through it all #noLie. I am only confident because I have God. If He gives me an idea I’ve got to do it because with God I can’t fail! My Bible tells me with God all things are possible!
     So, as I go out to speak to this group of girls next month, I will be Wearing My Confidence and trusting God to do the rest. I will trust God to help me be effective as well as teach in a fun and exciting way that will leave these girls believing in themselves and knowing that they are beautiful, strong and can take over the world! It’s time for the world to Wear Their Confidence! Who is with me?

*Don’t Forget Your Confidence

For more information about the FLI Program you can email [email protected]!

     That’s right I said it! Wear that bikini like it’s nobody’s business! Show off your boob crack (my term for cleavage), let it ALL hang loose! Show off the abs you worked so hard for and don’t forget to show off that booty! You know *wink wink. That booty you have been working on up until this point! What have you been doing to get those cheeks so round? Squats? Running? Oh, you were born that way? Well, it is only right to show them off! The V-cut bikini bottoms are just appropriate! They show off the right amount cheek at the bottom. I mean, it’s not like you’re naked AND don’t forget you’re at the beach so who cares? It’s not like you are wearing your bra and panties!
     HA! Can someone please explain the difference between bra and panties and a bikini? Despite the fact that one is waterproof they are pretty much the same. Care to disagree? Let me break this down for my sake.

1. They are both designed to cover up your vitals. Vitals=the top cookies, the back cookie and the undercarriage cookie ;-) Both come in colorful bright colors and patterns and you can choose to have it with padding or naw!

2. You feel comfortable wearing one at the beach but when someone accidentally sees you in the other you are quick to get a towel to cover up.

But wait! 

3. One is appropriate for a selfie while the other is not? Why is it that you… I mean, why is it that people can get away with this? Why is there a double standard? #deathTothedoubleStandard

Bikinis are ok for the beach but if I wear my bra and panties to the beach I’m inappropriate and nasty?

     Let’s be real! We wear bikinis because we want to show off our bodies! We want the eyes checking out our bodies! You are confident in your skin and you want to show it off. But why? The two are very similar. You mean to tell me if you ran out of bras you wouldn’t consider putting on your bathing suit top as an option? I know I would. Can we keep it 100? 99.9% of the time when you wear your bikinis or those strappy bathing suits to the beach you are NOT getting into the water. Are you seriously swimming in a bra… I mean bikini?
     At this point you are either rolling your eyes at me, cheering me on or are in deep thought about what you are reading, OR you could care less. I would not be keeping it real if I said I have never worn a bikini or that I don’t own one. (There is probably a picture floating around the web someplace) All I am saying is cover the sexy. You don’t have to wear a sheet to the beach. You can still be sexy with a cover up. Let’s be honest those cover-ups aren’t always solid. You can show it off without showing IT ALL OFF and spilling from the cookies from top and the bottom! What do I mean? There are other options that can be wear at the beach. For example: Shorts, tankini bathing suit top, tank tops, t-shirts, dresses. You get the point. Be classy, not trashy.
     I don’t hate the bra and panty. I need the bra and panty. We ALL need the bra and panty. I hate the double standard! I don’t like to see boobs and booty all over the place. Remember that your body is something special. Not everyone should be allowed to see parts of your cookies. We all know that you’re hot! You are more than just hot, bad and sexy girl! You are a beautiful young lady. A God who calls you HIS PRINCESS created you! You are royalty! You should live a holy life not hoochie lifes. I’m not calling you a hoochie because you wear or have worn a bikini! I just want you all to be mindful of what you’re wearing, how you’re wearing it, as well as your reason for wearing it.

I love you all! :takes off  “The Mom Hat”:

XOXO

*Don’t forget your confidence.