Summer is a double-edged sword. Sure, we love it above all other seasons—the relaxed pace, the dose of vitamin D, the restorative time off. But like it or not, with its return each year comes the dreaded swimsuit try-on-athon. No sea of self-tanner can satisfactorily start to address spring’s pallor; no Tylenol can tame that season-opener of a bikini wax; no liquid courage can help us sail through what we know we’re about to endure: somehow locating those elusive three feet of fabric powerful enough to make us feel like Gigi Hadid at the Jersey shore.
Category: Inner Beauty
It’s true that like attracts like: Our mission at Bare Necessities is to lift women up, and lately we’ve been noticing that we’re coming across a whole lot of inspiring ladies.
That’s why we’re so excited to launch Power Figures, a new column dedicated to meeting awesome women in different fields who share one thing in common: Every day, they’re out there tirelessly hustling to make things happen. Whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it on their terms. They’re reimagining the status quo, leaning in, starting meaningful conversations even when it’s hard or unpleasant or easier not to, and they’re uplifting us all as they go. We hope their wise words help carry you through your day. (Have a suggestion for us? Email blog@barenecessities.com to nominate someone.)
We’re kicking things off with the incredible….
Ashley Graham—designer, model, body activist, disruptor of the status quo—and Bare Necessities have something in common: We’re both preoccupied with lifting women up. To celebrate today’s debut of her lingerie line, we sat down with her for an exclusive Q&A at our headquarters with BN staffers and plus-size style bloggers.
Since Ashley was discovered at age 12 in a mall in her native Nebraska, she’s been working nonstop to shake up the notoriously intractable fashion world. The proof is in the press: This year alone, Ashley simultaneously joined and forever altered the ranks of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover models, and Forbes magazine named her a “30 Under 30.”
“My mom and dad told me, ‘If you try it, you have to stick with it,’” says Ashley, and those words drove her. At 17, Ashley moved to New York by herself. “I gained my freshman 15…more like 30. I was still working, I was still fabulous, but I had agents literally waving money in my face saying, ‘if you lost some more LBs, baby, you’d get a lot more of this.’ In that moment I realized, ‘Why am I modeling? What is this for?’” She knew she had to blaze her own trail, but something was holding her back:
We all enter into a new year together, with the same clean slate ahead: 365 thrillingly unwritten days with which to undertake something extraordinary, to live with intentionality and to find meaning (whether we’re on the upswing or down), to uplift others and better ourselves. How awe-inspiring is that? (No pressure, though!)
Here’s how the BN staff intends to make 2016 count. Let us know on Twitter @barenecessities what you’ve got in store for the year ahead. Happiest new year!
Merry Christmas, friends! Now that the holidays are finally upon us—or even behind us, for some—we’re focusing a little less on running around ringing up presents and a little more on how we plan to spend quality time with family and friends—the real point of the season.
That’s why, this week, Bare It All asked the Bare Necessities staff what Christmas and holiday traditions mean the most to them. Some will probably sound all too familiar, and maybe you’ll find a new one or two to incorporate into your own celebrations (three words: spiked hot chocolate). Whatever you do, whoever you’re with, we hope it’s the kind of uplifting, heartwarming stuff that puts the wind back in your sails as we head into 2016.
The bra and panty models we work with at Bare Necessities are real women, with good heads on their gorgeous shoulders—that’s why we adore them. We wanted to find out more about their refreshingly realistic fitness and health routines, so we sat down this week for a chat with Jessica Rafalowski (left) and Alissa Jo Caputo (right).
Money can’t buy you love (thank the Beatles for that life lesson), but little indulgences can pay big dividends when it comes to happiness, as long as you’re spending smartly. In other words: Treat yourself! Here’s how to buy happiness inexpensively, according to researchers: