Fact: More than half of U.S. Women will wear sleeveless attire this fall/winter. Are you one of them? I am. Or rather, was. In olden times (this summer) I wore sleeveless year round because a) my arms are one of the smaller parts of my body, relatively speaking; and b) the shift dress is my version of the power suit. Just add tights and pumps when the weather turns cool and voila—I’m channeling Rita Wilson on The Good Wife. Lately, however, I’ve been feeling bad about my arms. Somewhere between a new job, kitchen remodel and this beloved blog, exercise fell by the wayside—and with it my sinewy arms. For the first time in my life I don’t really have the confidence to go sleeveless. Turns out this is perfectly normal: 57% of women believe that you need to be confident in your body to pull of the sleeveless look. Turns out I don’t like feeling bad about my arms one bit.
Which makes it rather apropos that Dove’s latest feel-good campaign is all about encouraging women to go sleeveless. The girl power surrounding this brand is so contagious, I can’t help but get with the program. Life is series of priorities, and if we don’t put ourselves at the top of the list, who will? To get my arms in gear by the holidays, I’m determined to ramp up the 6 a.m. spin classes and throw in daily push-ups for good measure. I may even get into yoga if it means getting Gwyneth Paltrow arms. Of course all of this exertion leads to sweat, for which I’ll fittingly be relying on Dove Go Sleeveless Soothing Chamomile Deodorant. There’s something about a fresh, shiny new stick of deo that feels like a clean slate, don’t you think? That, and this one provides a miraculous 48-hours of protection and softer, smoother underarms in 5 days. Never underestimate the power of a good deodorant!
Are you going sleeveless this season? More importantly: How do you feel about your arms? Discuss!
Filed Under: body image, dove go sleeveless, dove soothing chamomile deodorant
Hello lovelies! I'm Elizabeth Dehn, a beauty writer + lifestyle editor who's equally fanatical about lip gloss as juice cleansing. I live in Minneapolis with Mr. Bets and our white lab, Molly Thomas . . . 
I don’t go sleeveless because it’s cold out, and my arms would get cold. I seem to remember that Dove (maybe it wasn’t Dove? …but I think it was) had an ad campaign where women were feeling self-conscious about the appearance of their armpits. I could not help but wonder why anyone would be self-conscious of their underarms – do lots of people spend their days with their arms above their heads?? It will all be fine, even if you’re arms aren’t perfect, as long as you’re not cold.
What an amazingly candid post! Good luck on your exercise routine, your arms will surely rival Mrs. Obama’s soon!
I honestly don’t give my arms a second thought. I WISH they were more toned, but eh, it’s not much of a priority. I don’t feel self conscious going sleeveless at all. I’m weirdly self conscious about a newly acquired curling wand scar on my inner wrist, though :(
Anyway, I’ve been using Kiss My Face Liquid Rock deo as per the recommendation of the BB team and I loooove it!
My arms are also one of my better assets. I keep 3 pound weights near my desk (at home) and you’d be amazed at the power of small (but consistent!) weights. I really think 3 is the ideal since it’s not intimidating and doesn’t cause bulk. I try to do a 5-minute ‘power session’ with them whenever my eyes glance over them — 3 sessions/day is my max. Not too hard, not too easy.
I don’t even go sleeveless in the summer because I am always freezing : )
I am self conscious because right now (yes, right now in TEXAS) I have a crap ton of none to flattering bug bites. Ugh. I’m in good shape but unfortunately little red welts aren’t helping me feel confident and awesome :(
Good luck!!
@Melinda – You are so smart! And now I know one of your beauty secrets :)
[...] to love a deo, but I do. The same Dove Go Sleeveless Chamomile Deodorant that inspired me to get my arms in shape has become a highlight of my morning. Just wait until you get a whiff—you’ll see. It also [...]