"If you’re unsure whether this is for you because you doubt yourself and how you look, you worry about being judged by others or you feel you’re too old, too fat, too unfit, or too *anything unkind* about yourself then read on.

I’ve spent the last 20 or so years cultivating a dislike of my body.  Too large, too soft, too droopy, too horrible.  This way of thinking limited so much of what I have wanted to do.  A while ago, I made the conscious choice to start learning to love my body again and trying some of the things I had put off doing for fear of how other people might judge me for my body shape and size.

This week, part of that amazing journey back to loving myself, involved joining a group of remarkable women in dressing gowns, in a softly lit hall with the curtains closed.  All facilitated by the ever smiling and welcoming MiMi.  I looked around and guessed I probably hadn’t been the only one furiously googling “nipple tassels on saggy boobs” the night before, or trying on every pair of knickers that *might* just hide their belly more. 

But the giggled conversations we shared getting ready were not about how we looked, they were about how to put on the nipple tassels, how this was something we hadn’t done before, but had always wanted to do and how nervous we were.  There were women in makeup and women without.  There were tall women, short women, slim women, fat women, women of all shapes and sizes.  There were women in their full suspender and garters and women in their bra and kickers.  There were stretch marks, flat stomachs, cellulite and toned muscles.  Some wore their heels, others their trainers and the rest with their bare feet.  Some women stood confidently and proud, others more shy and timid.

As the music started and we warmed up, the dressing gowns started coming off.  My focus was on getting my feet to go in the right place and remember what I was doing.  I was admiring the beautiful, strong bodies of the other women around me and the novelty of dancing in my underwear with a bunch of strangers.  I became less and less focused on how I might look and more and more focused on the fun I was having.  I had already decided that I wasn’t planning on whipping my bra off at any point, but by the end of the night, it was flying through the air with everyone else’s.  As I stood there proudly in my tassels with my feather boa around my neck, I felt happy and just a tiny bit more in love with my body and the incredible things it can do.

And when I got home, nipple tassels still in place, I stood in front of the mirror and got them to twirl and I smiled for once at my reflection.  So if you are still having doubts or unsure, I would so very much like to reassure you that it is okay, you won’t be alone and like me, you might just learn to love yourself that little bit more and oh, how wonderful that will be!!"

-Kitty Von Smitten