Welcome to Day 3 of the Sweet Nothings 3rd Anniversary Giveaways! Be sure to checkout Monday’s Panache giveaway and Tuesday’s Parfait giveaway, too– all giveaways will run through Thursday, May 14.
I’ve mentioned a few times that Sweet Nothings has a no-body-snark policy. Inspired by the Lingerie Addict, this policy means that any dissection, criticism, or other judgmental comments about people’s bodies is not allowed on the blog or on the Sweet Nothings social media channels. There are tons of places where it’s considered acceptable or even encouraged for people to decide which body types are good, healthy, or ideal, and which body types are “allowed” to wear what items of clothing. I don’t truck with that nonsense, so we don’t do it here.
While obviously this is the best website in the entire world and no one need visit any others, the fact remains that while there’s no snark here, it’s more than likely that you’ll encounter it elsewhere as you go about your day, whether it’s in person, on TV, in magazines and newspapers, or, especially, online. We encounter it over and over, so often that it’s easy for the snark to start to seem like fact, and then, more insidiously, for it to become a part of our thought patterns, including the way we think about ourselves and our bodies.
So how do you create your own counter-programming? I don’t know about you, but when I’m struggling to be body-positive towards myself, nothing feels worse than hopping up and looking in the mirror and going “hey Sweets, your body is beautiful and you’re a radiant angel and you’re terrific and now you feel better!” It doesn’t work like that– I can’t help but feel phony. What I have found works well for me when I start feeling down on myself is to say “oh, hey. Something’s going on, and right now I’m struggling with body-positivity.” That way I’m NOT pretending my feelings aren’t happening, but I’m also not giving voice to negative feelings and mistaking them for fact. Words are powerful; when we write down or give voice to negative thoughts, they take on the weight of truth, even (and especially) when they’re not true. Acknowledging the struggle without speaking the negative words has been one of the best tricks I’ve learned for bringing myself a little peace when I’m feeling down.
The next step, of course, is to seek out positive reinforcement that feels genuine and unforced. And that’s where today’s giveaway comes into play: I’m delighted to introduce Inner Truth Panties by Chicken Eye Designs.
First of all, these cute cotton bikini briefs, available in sizes Small-2X, are incredibly comfortable to wear. Y’all know I’m picky about bikini briefs that feel like they’re going to fall off, and these are GREAT– a classic bikini cut that’s still comfortable and wearable. Secondly, as creator Joy says on her website, “InnerTruth Panties aim to help women take back their body image, self confidence and inner voices by incorporating positive messages into their lives – including into their underwear.” How? Each pair features a message embroidered on the front that can be read when seen in the mirror or when getting dressed and undressed. The messages are ones of empowerment, healing, and affirmation. Some of my favorites:
- A small step is still a step
- I define who I am
- What I say matters
- I deserve happiness
- I will be healed
- I am fucking awesome
Joy offered me a pair of my own to try, and I chose “I like who I am” for my message. Again, I was a little worried about feeling like a doofus looking in the mirror and seeing an affirmation on my underwear, but you know what? I really dig it. I also really like that the message redirects my thoughts away from what I look like and back towards who I AM. Underwear can’t cure all that ails us, of course, but we can at least have a voice for positivity looking back at us when we look in the mirror.
THE PRIZE:
One winner will be selected at random through Rafflecopter, and the winner will be eligible to pick one pair of Inner Truth Panties with a message of their choice.
TO ENTER:
- Please leave a comment on this post sharing one thing you like to tell yourself (or a friend!) if you (or they!) are feeling down. (This is the only required entry.) Please note that if you’re a new visitor to Sweet Nothings your comment will go to my moderation queue before it appears on the blog. Don’t worry! I’ll be monitoring these and will approve them as fast as I possibly can.
- For extra chances to win, you can follow Sweet Nothings and Chicken Eye Designs on Facebook and Twitter and share a tweet about the giveaway. Please note these entries are NOT required; you can use them to boost your chances of winning.
Entrants must use the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of the post so their entries can be accurately counted and checked. Not using the Rafflecopter widget means your entries are not validated. Remember to leave a valid email address that you have access to and check regularly, as you’ll be contacted via email if you win. Please note that giveaway accounts (i.e. social media accounts dedicated solely to sweepstakes entries and giveaways) are ineligible to win.
Terms and Conditions: Entering this giveaway indicates an acceptance of all terms and conditions. Neither Sweet Nothings nor Chicken Eye Designs/Inner Truth Panties can be held responsible for failure to follow the guidelines given in this blog post. Facebook, Twitter, and Rafflecopter are unaffiliated with this giveaway. Persons working for Sweet Nothings and Chicken Eye Designs/Inner Truth Panties, as well as their immediate family members, are ineligible to enter or win.
More fine print:
- This giveaway is open to USA-BASED READERS ONLY. Don’t worry, international friends, worldwide giveaways launch tomorrow!
- This giveaway is sponsored solely by Chicken Eye Designs/Inner Truth Panties.
- Winner may select their prize from one of the Inner Truth Panties’ three main collections, or they may request a custom message.
- This prize is non-transferrable and may not be exchanged for cash.
- The contest will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 14, 2015.
- I will announce the winner on Friday, May 15, 2015. If I have not heard from the winner within 72 hours of the drawing, another winner will be selected.
- Once the winner claims their prize, I will coordinate delivery of the prize with Inner Truth Panties.
Good luck!