Thursday, May 3, 2012

In which I rant again and also post a naked pic of myself.





So I recently posted on FB this :


Ok my friends. It is time to just stop this business and freaking LOVE our beautiful bodies already. It is breaking my heart the way we (I include myself) beat up and insult ourselves. Repeat after me... my body is strong and beautiful and sexy. Now everytime you say in your head, "I'm fat" replace it with that.
Start-- NOW



So people respond like crazy... I know some of my friends think it was aimed directly at them, and certainly I was thinking of some recent conversations I had with woman... But this is an old refrain.  We hate our bodies.  Too skinny, too fat, too flat , too big.... now I like working out, I like feeling strong and healthy.  and I'm all about goals for strength and good health and good endorphins.
But this self hate.  It is terrible.  It is tragic.  I know woman of every shape and size... and they use terrible, cruel heartless words on themselves.  Words they would never use on anyone else.


Now I'm going to tell you a secret.  I love my body.  I love my rounded tummy.  My I'vehad5kids breasts.  My unruly hair.  My yogabutt. My pretty feet.  My small wrists. My ugly, capable hands.  My strong dimpled thighs.  I love how I smell, both clean and dirty.  I love the c section scar that means my fifth baby didn't die.
I photograph myself nude all the time.  I am unafraid to show those images because as an artist, I can see that they are beautiful and interesting.
I love this body... but I am also afraid to.  Afraid that if I become comfortable and happy in my skin I will become complacent.  That I will get fat and lazy and ugly and not know because I'm happy.
Ok.  How sad and sick is that?
I have DAUGHTERS.  I have a responsibility to treat my self image with joy.  Not disgust.
It's time to change.  It's time to walk confidently in my skin.  I'm ready, even if every day I have to remind myself to push out the cruel thoughts and replace with kind.
It is time.







4 comments:

Michelle Spitz said...

I love this post and it's so fucking true. I LOVE my body. I love how strong it used to be. I love how strong it is now. In some ways the strengths are the same, in some ways the strengths are different...and MUCH stronger. You are an amazing, strong and beautiful mama who deserves all the respect in the world. Rock it, mama!

DLeighism said...

Love this post! Speaks to me on so many levels. I recently tagged you on my website www.raisingexpats.com in a blogger/networking game. Hope you participate.

~Karen said...

Love love love this! And you are so right about how we must mind what we teach our children, especially daughters, about self-image and the beauty, strength, and dare I say, sacredness, of the human body. I had a series of b&w nudes done to celebrate my triple c-section mom body when I turned 30. Always meant do to another series when I turned 40 (and yet another c-section later), but life got in the way :) Still, we must respect and love our bodies, in whatever shape they are in, and always strive to keep them as fit as we can, so we can both feel good, and live longer (to enjoy the grand babies!).
More power to you, beautiful Mama!!!

~Karen said...

Love love love this! And you are so right about how we must mind what we teach our children, especially daughters, about self-image and the beauty, strength, and dare I say, sacredness, of the human body. I had a series of b&w nudes done to celebrate my triple c-section mom body when I turned 30. Always meant do to another series when I turned 40 (and yet another c-section later), but life got in the way :) Still, we must respect and love our bodies, in whatever shape they are in, and always strive to keep them as fit as we can, so we can both feel good, and live longer (to enjoy the grand babies!).
More power to you, beautiful Mama!!!