Day 8: Body Talk

TW: Body image

Writer’s disclaimer:

This is the first time I’ve written about body image, ever, including my own. Please know that what I’ve written is only how I feel about my own body. It’s taken me a long time to accept what I see in the mirror and to understand the complicated mess of what it means to have to live in this vessel of flesh and skin. I’m still learning.

I understand that I am writing from an extreme place of privilege in terms of things like my weight, health, and resources. I know how complicated the topic of body image is and I can only scratch the surface. I know how hard it is on my friends who are not single digit dress sizes to love their bodies when so many industries don’t acknowledge their existence. I know how hard it is on my trans friends to feel out of place and to constantly be questioned and threatened for simply trying to live. I know how hard it is for my friends with chronic health issues to not resent their bodies when, no matter how kind they are to their bodies, they still have to shell out ridiculous amounts of money just to tolerate pain. I know because, even with my slew of advantages, I still found a way to hate mine, but I cannot write to those experiences because all I know is my own, so please take what I write as only being from my perspective on my own body.

What I do know is that I truly think we all deserve to love our bodies, wear whatever the fuck we want, own our sexuality in whichever way we choose, and feel like we belong. Please give yourself that…