Last year, after Cathy Cena turned 50, the Port Moody resident sported a bikini in public for the first time.
And she didn’t care what her friends thought about her looks.
Turns out, they didn’t care either, as they had the same hang-ups about their bodies, too.
“A lot of people struggle with having a positive body image,” Cena told the Tri-City News.
“For someone like me, it’s been a lifetime of seeing the scale go up and down.”
Now, Cena is out with her first book to share her experiences and to offer hope to readers who may also have questions about their own body shape and appearance.
Titled Fifty and Curvy with a sprinkle of Fabulous: A personal story about loving your body at any size, the book is mostly for women over the age of 40 who feel self-conscious about how they look in front of the mirror and what society is projecting about being the “right size.”
A managing partner of FDT Academy, a debate coaching company, as well as the president of the Coquitlam Optimists, Cena admits she has good and bad days; however, since her milestone birthday, she believes she’s more confident and has better control over her health.
And, to be frank, she’s had enough of the internal criticism.
“I don’t want to be unhappy inside,” she said, “but I’ve gotten to a point where I think, ‘It’s OK not to be a size two. Maybe being a size 12 is what I’m supposed to be.'
“You have to embrace it and love yourself. We are all different.”
Her self-published book is a quick read at four chapters and 24 pages, containing personal stories and photos of Cena over the years.
“I’m really putting myself out there," she said.
Already, Cena’s thinking about a follow-up, hoping to inspire more women to feel good in their own skin — no matter what size or judgments people place on themselves.
You can visit Cena's website to download a copy of Fifty and Curvy with a sprinkle of Fabulous.
