Jun 18, 2010

letter to my body.

this is a hard post for me to write, i hate to admit.

you guys know how passionate i am about positive body image. after my struggles to accept my own body, i won't stand for one more girl to hate hers! i want you all to know how totally gorgeous you are!

because of that, i've been planning for a month or so to do an exposed post.

what is exposed, you say?

exposed is an amazing movement started by Mish of Eating Journey, where brave women (and men!) post a picture of their bodies and list positive, strong things that their bodies do for them.

in a world where women live to bash their bodies and are expected to botox, exposed is a bold counter-movement to embrace our bodies for what they are - real, and incredible!

and yet, no post. what gives? 

honestly, i just didn't feel good about posting any of the pictures i took. at all.

after a few days of debating if it was a good idea or not with my boyfriend, i decided i felt like i was taking bikini girl body-shots... and if you know me at all, that's not who i am.

do i think the other bloggers who participated were just showing off? NOT AT ALL! their pictures were beautifully candid, painfully honest, and tasteful.

but behind my camera lens, my body didn't... translate that way, if you know what i mean. i cried, i plotted, and eventually, i gave up.

so, change of plans.

i discovered something equally as powerful, Tasha's (the Voracious Vegan) love letter to her body, and after yesterday's post, i knew i had to follow today with something more positive.

i am very concerned about how we judge our bodies by the scale. i think it's those disordered, obsessive thoughts that lead us to a dark place. you aren't going to get fat in a day, i promise. There's nothing healthy about fearing food and using exercise as a whip just to make the scale not budge.

my prayer is that instead of using the numbers to "check ourselves," we just breathe, and look at our bodies for what they REALLY are - not defined by a number.

my goal is to encourage you all to see your bodies in a new light. to love yourselves just as you are, not 10 pounds from now. to look in the mirror and thank god for your incredibly strong, perfect body.


TO MY BODY:

i love my face and hair because it is totally unique to me. i have a punky boy haircut, but the most feminine, delicate nose, and i thrive off the irony. my eyes are completely normal in shape, but can cut you like a knife if provoked. my lips are red enough to never merit the use of lipstick, and after years of struggling with rosacea, i'm finally just graced by rosy cheeks. 4 years of braces sucked, but i will never take my straight teeth for granted again.

my mouth can be quite a curse, but it also can be the most effective tool i have in loving others. when i feel passionate about something, my mouth can show that. it is the vehicle for my thoughts, emotions, and equally important, it lets me eat!!!

i love my shoulders because they are the paradox of strength and delicacy; graceful and slender, yet powerful and toned. they have pulled me through thousands of swim practices! i love my collarbones for screaming feminity, yet modesty in a scoopneck shirt.

where would i be without my arms? they allow me the sheer pleasure of hugging those i love. they give me a place for my tattoo, and no matter how much weight i gained, my hands remained graceful.

now, on to my stomach. i cannot thank my stomach enough for putting up with me all these years. we've been through so much together - binges, crash diets, sunburns, muffin-top, greasy cafeteria crap, stomach flus, food allergies, and too much tequila. after hating my stomach my whole life, i now see how incredible it is for hanging in there with me! i see it now as my support for long runs, and a work in progress (elusive 6-pack be darned!!!).

i've learned to love my hips and butt because they frustrated me so much! they are not womanly or shapely at all, and never have been. i have struggled to thank God for them, but now i love them because they remind me there is no such thing as a "perfect" body. they fit in my jeans just fine, so what more could i ask for?

my thighs are one of the body parts i am most grateful for. they have powered me through thousands of laps in the pool and countless miles pounding the pavement. no matter how fibro made me feel, my legs never stopped working. pain hasn't stopped me for training for a half marathon, and i believe my legs are responsible for giving me that victory. they are strong, powerful, and announce "HEY WORLD, I'M ATHLETIC!" it could be worse!

i love my feet because they have taken me so many beautiful places. they've given me memories of mexico, san diego, st. thomas, canada, new york, florida... i cherish those places as some of the highlights of my life, and will never take for granted again the gift of simply being able to walk. they've also led me though experiences with incredible people, and i'm looking forward to seeing where they take me from here.
your turn!
what do you love about your body?
-rebekah
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don't forget to send me your peach recipes for the Blogger Secret Ingredient Contest!
the deadline is sunday night, june 20th.

11 comments:

  1. I did an exposed post a while ago: http://lovinlosing.com/2009/10/21/tri-delta-fat-talk-free-week/

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  2. im so glad u said ur thighs are one of the parts of you that you're grateful for. thighs are so hated and they get a lot of bashing and anger towards them. but they SHOULD be loved, the strength, the stanima, the stability.

    great post! <3

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  3. oops, forgot to post my answer.

    my favorite is my stomach, although 6 months ago i would never have thought i would say that!

    xoxo

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  4. I loved reading this Rebekah and your letter was beautiful and empowering. Although I don't feel up to doing the true Exposed post, I think that I can and will do a letter like this.

    Something I love about my body.. my boobs. They're small but I love them anyways. It sure is nice being able to go for a run or workout without having to wear a sports bra. :)

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  5. Really great post. I like how you can think of something about each body part. It got me thinking about myself and all that I do like about my body, both functionally and looks-wise. :)

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  6. It was so great to read all of the things you love about your body, girl. You're right that we spend way too much time focusing on all of the things that we hate, and ignoring all of the things that we should be loving. I've beaten myself up over basically every part of my body for so long, and in recovering from my ED, I'm really trying to love EVERY part for what it allows me to do. There's no one part that I can say that I love more than the others, because each piece of me allows me to live the kind of life I want.

    Great post, girl. Really loved that letter :)

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  7. Oh. You are beautiful. I love your words, I really do. And I feel so damn lucky to know you.
    To read your letter made me feel better about myself, I started to change the way I think of my body. Things I have not even reflected upon, such as my feet and hands. They are beautiful, what they allow me to do is beautiful.
    My eyes are beautiful as they allow me to see this world, see the people I love. They express my emotions, as does the rest of my face.
    I love my stomach because it is starting to grow a bump as I gain weight- in other words : my tummy is starting to get back to life.

    All in all I want to love every piece of my body because of this : they are all coming back to life. My body is about to be glowing and healthy, and will soon allow my mind to experience different places, and in that way expand my horizon of knowledge.

    Thank you for this post.

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  8. Beautiful post. You seem like such an amazing person and I think it is so great that you wrote a letter to yourself about what you love about your body. I love my legs because for years they took me through ballet training and now they carry me through long runs. You are truly beautiful on the inside and out!

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  9. What an awesome post! It's so great to read about girls praising their bodies instead of bashing them. :)

    I love my legs for powering me through so many runs, bike rides, and walks. And I've loved watching them transform from being large, to skinny, to now muscular.

    Also thanks your recommendations on my post. I'm going to take your advice and cut back on cardio + up my strength training.

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  10. you guys are amazing!!! thanks so much for your beautiful words. you make the sun shine on dark days :)

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  11. This is quite the beautiful letter lady! I really enjoyed it and agree that instead of focusing on things we dislike it is so much more positive to think about how our body has helped us...I too love my legs for letting me run and feet for exploring..there are more of course too!

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