Coping with the C-word

Ladies, today we’re going to talk about the c-word. Brace yourselves girls. You might want to take a few deep breaths…

The c-word is something that all women have to deal with at some point in their lives. Women, we’re talking about cellulite. Yes, that c-word.

For nine little letters, nothing inspires fear faster within the female species. Someone only has to utter the word and we all start panicking and checking our thighs for the dreaded orange-peel manifestation. We also start cursing our mothers and blaming dodgy genetics for the fact that our backsides have gone a bit wobbly.

The media doesn’t do much to help us when it comes to our irrational fear of cellulite. Every single day we are bombarded with images of women that have perfectly taunt, toned skin. We see photos of models and celebrities who probably don’t even know what cellulite looks like.

The message that the media gives off is quite clear: if you have cellulite men will never want to touch you again and you should spend hundreds of euro trying to find a cure because clearly society will never accept you as a human being.

Thankfully, we’re not that kind of website and rather than badger you for the fact that your thighs are a bit dimply, we’d much prefer to offer you some practical advice and to help you get rid of this preconceived notion that cellulite is something we should all be ashamed of.

Cellulite is a natural part of being a woman. We all have it. The Her.ie team has it, our mothers have it, and even skinny celebs who spend 10 hours a day working out have it.

We’re going to make an outrageous proposal here: has anyone ever thought that maybe it’s time for us to simply accept our cellulite?

Has anyone else ever felt like getting rid of all the useless lotions and potions? Has anyone else ever felt like life is way too short to be self-conscious about something that we ALL have?

The way that the media portrays cellulite is a gross misrepresentation. We can assure you now that no one is looking at your cellulite when you get out in a bathing suit. We can assure you that your man isn’t staring at your thighs when you undress in front of him (well, he might be, but those are appreciative stares more than anything else).

We can also promise you that in general the people gaining any success from the cellulite-fighting industry are often the manufacturers behind the creams and gels. Why? Well they have dozens of paranoid women like ourselves throwing our money at them in the hopes that this next tube of smelly goo will be the cure we’ve been frantically searching for and sadly, many creams don’t make that much of a difference.

We are real women and real women have cellulite. Simply put. The sooner we stop treating it like a contagious virus, the sooner we can all get down to loving ourselves exactly as we are.

You are a gorgeous, amazing, wonderful woman – the fact that you have some dimples on your derrière is a minor detail.

Okay, so we know that campaigning for cellulite is a radical step to take, and we understand that it can be hard not to buy into this media misrepresentation.

Cellulite is perfectly fine with us, but if you’d still rather try and get rid of it yourself, why not try some natural ways to banish the dreaded orange peel?

Start body brushing: Every day. In the mornings before you get into the shower, brush your entire body and pay special attention to the areas where you have cellulite. Follow it up with a nice layer of moisturiser when you get out of the shower. You’ll be surprised at the difference that it makes and within a week you’ll have soft skin that positively glows.

Exercise: Yes, throw on your runners and get out and about. Exercise will help to tone your legs/arms/bottom/anywhere else you have cellulite. It’ll also make you fitter, healthier and boost your mood. Sounds like a fair pay off to us, huh?

Massage it away: Aromatherapy is very effective when it comes to dealing with cellulite. If you fancy having a go at getting rid of it this way, drop into your local health food shop and pick up a ready-blended natural cellulite oil. Massage the oil firmly into your cellulite every single day and see if aromatherapy can firm up your wobbly bits.

Hide it: Yes, if you’re still self-conscious about cellulite and if you just can’t seem to shift it, get yourself some tan and magic it away. The dimples will be less noticeable so you can get rid of any “they’re-staring-at-my-cellulite!” thoughts you may have as you go about your business.

What are your views on cellulite? Is it time to accept it or should we continue to fight the battle? And, most importantly, have you found anything that actually works to get rid of it for once and for all?