As a fat person, yes I said it. I am fat. But does this define me as a person? NO! I can be a good person or the biggest jackass around. Size has nothing to do with my character.

I came across a recent picture of Janet Jackson who just months ago was very slim. She now looks like she has gained all the weight she worked so hard to lose. But in this picture, she looks like she has even added more pounds. Am I going to bash her for her weight gain? NO! Does being fat lessen her talent! NO! It would, I suspect, limit her dancing and wearng tight jeans. I just want to point out what our culture puts people through if they are fat, ESPECIALLY if you are a woman!

Many people in and out of the lime light have fought the battle of the bugle and lost. Oprah Winfrey to be sure. This woman, who has money to buy everything needed to win the fight, has failed. So there must be more to this formidable foe than just wanting to win. Yet she and others are the butt of fat jokes on a regular basis. How hard it is to be a young girl in this society and mirrored to people like the Olsen twins and Nicole Richie and told this is what beauty is supposed to be.

Well this nonsense needs to stop! Everyone can’t binge and purge to stay a waif. We need to be judged by our character and not our waist size. Yo-yo dieting is unhealthy and can be just as dangerous as being to fat. So when Janet goes on her next diet, and I know she will, I hope she will do it the smart, healthy way and become a spokesperson for young girls everywhere.

Janet Jackson leaving a London eatery

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Being a woman who loves clothes and shops as a hobby, retirement and these bad economic times, has put a damper on what was once a fun pastime activity.

What is a girl to do to dress well in hard times? This is a great time to go through your closets and take and inventory of what years of shopping has filled your closet with.
Hopefully you have made some smart purchases and not invested in too many trendy things.

As you make note of what’s in your closet, whether mental, or actually writing it down on a piece of paper, take this is a time to organize it.This way, you can make the best use of your fashions and when making any further purchases, they will widen your availability and not be a one wear wonders.

Hanging all like items together, even if they are part of a set, is a good idea because it gives you a chance to see then as options to wear with other things. Rotating colors that are hot for the season makes good sense and you won’t feel the need to run out and buy something new.

I have found some really neat hangers that take up very little space adding much needed area to hang things on. I bought them at HSN and NO I am not paid to plug them.

Check to make sure you have the basics like a good black, brown, and navy blue pants or skirts. If something does not fit or you have not worn it in a long time pass it on. Consignment shops are a good way to make some money, for more shopping, and allow someone else to wear some quality clothes!

Just starting with this short, quick exercise, things will probably surprise you and you will find there is no need to shop right now. You just need to revive your wardrobe by mixing and matching what you have to make a completely fresh, new fashionable look!

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My daughter will tell you, left to my own devices, I will turn to shopping. So in the early hours this morning, I was drawn to my favorite place to feed my addiction, QVC. Oh my! What did I see? Pearls! Beautiful faux pearls, but they were oh so beautiful!

Pearls have long been admired by women of fashion. In fact, pearls are the only gems worn only by women. Real pearls are one of the costliest gems in the world. Cleopatra was said to have promised Marc Anthony the most expensive meal available. She placed before him a glass of wine and then proceeded to grind up a perfectly round, beautiful pearl and drank it!

I don’t claim to have the money or desire to own a wardrobe of real pearls. But I do love faux pearls in all their many colors and shapes. And have a fine collection of them.

The pearls that called out to me this morning were spectacular. These round multi-colored orbs jumped off the screen and touched my heart. I sat there thinking of all the many outfits that I could match them to. I had broken my self imposed budget to not shop for a month. But these pearls that had been designed to go into the gift bags at the inauguration could not be left to others.

These pearls were designed by Kenneth J. Lane, master of costume jewelry, whose creations have been worn by names like the Duchess of Windsor, Elizabeth Taylor, and Barbara Bush. Her three strand pearls worn at her husband’s inauguration were the talk of the town.

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Aretha singing at the inauguration

Aretha Franklin's Inauguration Hat

I have a history with the lady of soul, Ms. Aretha Franklin. Me as one of her greatest fans, and she as an artist that has a voice that can make the angels cry. I have long wondered who dresses this artist and what are they smoking while they are doing it. As a large sized women myself, dressing can be tricky especially having to be out front and on stage. But what she covers herself with often makes a blind man glad of not being able to see!

The gray coat she wore was classy but that hat. I think I have the idea that it was fashioned after. It was similar to African head wraps, but it missed its point with fashion advisers all over the world, who were laughing and making fun of it. One fashion critic did say that she is larger than life and they were not eluding to her physical size. They did say that she could carry it off.

I would like to say, Aretha you are a class act. And you put a real hurtin’ on the song “My Country Tis of Thee.” Please find someone that can bring out the best in your fashion style and not make you a joke!

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If you are a fashion watcher like myself, you have been waiting to see what the first lady would wear on this great day. I can’t imagine what thoughts were going through her mind as she picked out the outfit that would define here style for the next four years.The whole world was watching and she did not fail to impress.

Michelle stepped out in an outfit in yellow wool lace designed by Isobel Teledo. This young, hip designer came through with a coat and dress set reminiscent of a young Jacqueline Kennedy with an edge. The yellow outfit popped with green gloves and Jimmy Choo pumps.

I sat and watched the ceremony and wondered how she could stand the cold weather. Silly me! The designer had built warmth into the outfit!!

I visited other websites and blogs to see what the remarks would be about her clothes. Many of the remarks left little doubt that these same people were not Obama supporters.There were cutting remarks about the price. I wondered how many woman would dress for an important occasion in a bargain basement knock off. Yellow? Why yellow?  I say why not yellow? The color was picked for its feeling of hope and promise. Besides, the color was just right for her complexion.

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