Belly Woes

Over the past few weeks, I've been undertaking the painful task of purging my closet of an alarming amount of clothing whose day in the sun has passed. While I have high hopes that I will lose all the baby weight eventually, there are still any number of outfits that I will probably never wear again and so I am getting rid of them.

The biggest problem area is short tops. When I was in college, I fearlessly flaunted my flat belly -- sunbathing unselfconsciously on the lawn, sporting low rise pants and sleek tops that afforded glimpses of the tummy. Ah, to be young.

As timed passed, a few extra pounds crept on (from where? Where, I ask you!?), and in recent years I was less comfortable showing off my stomach. But I wasn't particularly concerned if it occasionally peaked out from below my shirts.

Those days, I suspect, are over forever. Beyond the obvious aesthetic problems created by squishy belly flab and unsightly stretch marks, I have some ideological problems with midriff-baring moms. It seems a bit tacky somehow.

And so, with heavy heart, I have bid farewell to some of my favorite shirts. And the vast majority of my belly button jewelry. If you're not going to flash your belly button to the world, why adorn it with jewelry? I did save a couple for sentimental reasons -- after all, my belly ring was my "something blue" at my wedding!