What is your glamour?

What does glamour mean to you? I used to believe it meant dressing up, wearing the perfect makeup and hair style, high heels and glitzy jewels, being cool, but not aloof and above all else always beautiful. However, as I've gotten older and had more kids and lead a life completely opposit of what I believed I would have, my idea of glamour has changed just as drastically. Can a mom dress in a plain black tee shirt with ripped jeans and still be a glamour queen? Yes. What about a gal in her jammies curled up on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea? Yes, again. I think that glamour is believing you are glamourous and displaying that in attitude and grace.

But what does glamour mean to you? In Glamour Magazine's April 2010 edition, the Editor's Note asks the same thing of famous personalities, and I bet you'd be surprised by their answers. My favorite is Maya Angelou's response, "Glamour is profound. Glamour is saying: 'I want to be as beautiful as I can be - to myself first and then to anyone else who has enough sense to see.'" (Glamour Magazine, April 2010, pg 26)

The trend of super-scary-skinny models is finally coming to an end, (we hope). As women are crying out that beauty and glamour are not in size 0 80lb. bodies, the fashion designers are beginning to pay attention. Louis Vitton actually had some models exhibitin cleavage in his Fall 2010 collection. Yes, that's right, actual boobage. Women have these, many of us a size larger than a 34A. And what if you don't sport that infamous cleavage that men seem to so adore? So what! Glamour is what we exhibit in spite of what we do or don't have. If you love yourself, others will fall in line and adore you too. You can't be a self-hater and expect others to love you. "For me glamour doesn't happen until certain points start aligning - including grace, strength, self-love and confidence. How can you be this glamorous, amazing woman if you don't believe in yourself?" Rachel Roy, fashion designer, Glamour Magazine April 2010.

Can you love yourself too much? Honey, if you can think of nothing other than your hair, makeup, clothes, nails, and whether or not everyone loves you, I'd say you need to reconsider your priorities. Some of the most glamorous women are those that exude love, care, concern, and unselfishness toward others. Besides, if these things consistently make you believe you are above everyone else and it is all you can think about, then you probably don't really love yourself. You are just pretending you do.

My list of most glamorous women include Queen Latifah, Ellen DeGeneres, Drew Barrymore, and Mo'nique. These are some ladies that aren't afraid to be strong, independent, and happy with who they are. Drew has come a long way since her rebellious days after ET, and Ellen has gone through so many struggles it is amazing she still finds life funny. Queen and Mo'nique are beautiful, sexy, strong women with a fashion sense unrivaled by most.

Fantasy Dream Knits began with a goal of alerting people - mostly women - to the fact that you don't have to be a single-digit size to be happy and glamorous. You don't have to be a double digit either. If you are naturally thin without starving yourself or obsessive exercise, love it. Don't kill yourself to fit an ideal. Dead is not glamour. Celebrate who you are. Celebrate if you feel good and don't care what others think. Celebrate being woman, and loving yourself and others as we were intended to do. You are a unique and beautiful creation, inside AND out. You are a strong, independent woman, rising to the occassion when most cannot. You can be happy married or single, with children or without, in a career or a homemaker, driving a truck, minivan, or convertible, in a pair of sweats or in a $500 dress. You can be you: WOMAN.

Let me know what you define as glamour by commenting below.