We All Have Assets and Deficits: Accentuate Your Assets

I love Cheryl Callahan’s energy and confidence. It shows up everywhere. In her courage to be adventurous. In her business as a counselor, and even in what she wears. Look at her in this amazing outfit. As you can see, Cheryl has a curvy figure and knows how to dress her shape. Cheryl’s Beauty Mantra: “We all have assets and deficits. Accentuate your assets.” I love that! Do you hear that? Everyone has assets. We struggle to believe that on hard days.

We hadn’t known each other very long when she agreed to an interview and photo shoot for my website. Without knowing anything about it, she agreed. Her adventurous spirit inspires me to take more risks myself.

After our first round of shots, we sat in her swing in her lovely backyard and talked about dressing your body shape, teen body image, and confidence. Look for more photos of Cheryl and other clients with style tip snippets on Instagram in 2019.

Cheryl basically summarized what I do in her own words, “We all have assets and deficits and we just need to accentuate the positive.” I couldn’t agree more. That’s at the core of dress your shape: identify, play up and accentuate your assets. Distract away from the features that make you the most self-conscious.

I meet with people every week to help them ‘see’ their assets and play them up with color and design details. The goal is to distract attention away from the areas they may feel self-conscious. Some friends have so embraced their curves that they don’t even try to camouflage them. If it doesn’t bother you, don’t worry about trying to conceal a feature.

However, if you are self-conscious about an imbalance in your shape (my thighs are too big, my boobs are too small, etc.) then learn to emphasize your assets. Every body shape has lovely features we call assets.

Cheryl told me that she has always had a big booty, which goes in and out of style. When she was on a mission trip (of all things), she and her best friend were called the Butt Sisters because they had a big booty.

Most women who have a big booty also carry their weight in their hips and thighs – that whole area. But (no pun intended) as Cheryl quickly points out after her claim to an in-and-out-of-style big booty, she has a small waist. This is called a D (Derriere) body shape and is also known as a Pear, an A, and other names.

Women with hips, thighs and derriere that are curvy usually have a small bustline and a tiny waist. However, Cheryl has a well balanced bustline as well. She accentuates her asset, her small waist and downplays her booty, hips and thighs by drawing attention to details in her outfits away from the hips.

I completely AMEN what she heartily said in my interview: “Everybody can look good if they learn how to accentuate their assets.” She honestly admits that she does notice her friends that have long thin legs. But rather than focus on what she doesn’t have, Cheryl said she appreciates what she has – a defined waist. She accentuates that.

The off-shoulder dress helps balance the hips by broadening her shoulders. Horizontal lines broaden. Don’t just think of stripes as horizontal lines. Pockets, seamlines, boat necks and off the shoulder necks provide horizontal lines. These design details and more, provide broadening to balance breadth in other places.

As you can see, Cheryl is a beautiful woman. When I first met her it was impossible not to notice her beauty, but even more captivating to me was her joy and energy. Her vivacious, confidence even when she’s around younger women is admirable.

Some mutual friends told me about this infamous bike trip Cheryl organized on the Atlanta Belt Line for a group of ladies. It was supposed to be just a couple of miles. You know … fun.  But by the time they got lost it ended up being about 18 miles and four hours. This leisure fun-filled, stop-for-lunch-and-a-shop-or-two bike ride on the Belt Line became an unintended, sweaty workout and a race against the clock to finish before dark – in downtown Atlanta.

Cheryl was tired, but not exhausted because she was in such good shape from her active lifestyle. That was one of the first stories I heard about Cheryl. Everyone pointed out that although she was the ‘most mature’ one on that ride, she was most in shape.

Now that’s how I want to be … right NOW! (Without all the blood, sweat and tears to get there.)

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Cheryl is a counselor in the Alpharetta area providing counseling services for anxiety, depression, conflict resolution, grief, parenting support, premarital and couples counseling.   Cheryl Callahan Counseling