Mara Glatzel is a self-love coach and author of the body image + authentic living blog, Medicinal Marzipan. If you enjoyed this post, catch up with her (almost) daily body-loving antics and general rabble-rousing on facebook, twitter, or shoot her an email.
Having grown up in the time of JNCO jeans and over-sized shirts – I am quite familiar with the desire to cover your body up before you leave the house every day. It looked a lot like this: an extremely awkward fifteen-year-old with hips and a body that was fully developed in the third grade, and a stomach that is anything but flat gets dressed in the morning, pulling on those cargo pants with the draw-string waistband and the sweater to my knees.
All the while silently praying that no one would say a word about my chest/hips/____.
Praying that I could just melt into the wall.
Hunching over as I sat, making myself as small as possible.
As an adult, I channel that fifteen year old more often than I’d like to admit, and no amount of love your body no matter what mantras makes getting dressed in the morning that much easier when I slip back into that state. The thoughts, though somewhat tempered by age, are automatic:
Oh my god I think they’re staring.
I must look horrible in this. Oh man… Do I look horrible in this???
I KNEW that wearing bright red lipstick was a bad idea.
Everyone is looking at my chest – I should have worn a turtleneck.
However, though you may try to cover up your perceived flaws, make yourself small, minimize your gifts, or try to forget that your body exists – you will never be able to escape yourself.
You get one body in this life, and it is the vessel that carries you about your life from the moment you are born until the day you die.
Please, stop fighting it. You are lovely. Your curves are other-worldly. Your freckles? Perfection. Your pale skin is porcelain and breathtaking.
Your muffin top?
I was much too busy looking at your radiant smile.
I was transfixed by how gorgeous you looked when you finally gave up the struggle, and decided to dress for your body instead of worrying about how you look in the newest trend.
If you only get one body in this world, maybe today, instead of getting dressed in the same old jeans-shirt-Uggs combo, you put on something that makes you feel really foxy. You deserve to get comfortable in your body and show off the skin that you’re in – in whatever way feels thrilling to you.
Surprise yourself by how good it makes you feel, you’re worth the effort.