When I was little I paid attention to everything. One of the things that always intrigued me was that my grandmother had loose skin underneath her upper arms. It would shake. I don’t know when we dubbed it as such but it became “Grandma Arms”. We used to laugh about it. My mom told us that Grandma had lost some weight through the years and that’s what happened.
I remember hearing that Oprah used to really work her arms when she was trying to lose weight because she did not want to have “Grandma Arms”. Dr. Oz told her that could be fixed and Oprah said no, she was just going to work them.
I have never in my life had any upper body strength. Never. It’s always been a point of pride for me. But, that has come back to haunt me, the older I get. It’s hell not having any upper body strength. The “Grandma Arms” don’t bother me. They never had. Do I wish they were gone? Of course, I do. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to work my arms like crazy. I’ll just live with them.
But then I had this great idea that I should get that excess skin tattooed with bat wings. I was telling a friend that and she suggested getting angel wings. I’m no angel. I’m a chicken and I won’t get a tattoo. But that would be so much fun. I would start a trend.
One trend I would like to end though is for girls who have larger upper arms to cover them up. I just saw some wedding pictures and one of the bridesmaids was plus size. The dresses were beautiful and really showed off the girls’ shoulders. The plus size girl had on a sweater over the dress. If she was by herself it wouldn’t have been bad. But she stood out like a sore thumb. And it made me mad.
I love wearing sleeveless t-shirts, tops and dresses. But more often than not I cover them up. I’m not just covering my arms, I’m covering my belly too. What’s that about? My whole life I have told people that I am a Renaissance woman – well rounded. That hasn’t changed. Yes, things are sagging a little (a lot), but I’m the same person I have always been.
So today, I vow to not cover up, unless I’m cold. I vow to take ownership of the way I look: the good, the bad, and the ugly; and the beautiful. I want to be an example to all of these beautiful young girls who have gorgeous skin and the beginnings of “Grandma Arms”. I want them to be proud of who they are.
Show off those shoulders girlfriends!