MY BODY, THIS BODY

We have joined Beyond the Clothing with their My Body, This Body campaign. We love their mission of spreading positivity about our bodies. In an age of social media it seems we are told what beauty is through a very narrow view. When someone doesn’t fit the mold, they are shamed. We are here to band together and to say it’s not okay. We want to build one another up and share the wonderful things about our bodies!

I have had a love-hate relationship with my body as long as I can remember. I was an extremely thin child and got made fun of by other children for being so tall and skinny. I remember adults telling me that one day I would be happy that I was tall and skinny which planted the message that skinny is “good.” Through the years I have tried hard to maintain that thinness simply because it’s “better”, right?

Everything changed four years ago when I gave birth to full-term twins. After giving birth there is no doubt that my body was changed. I have scars, stretch marks and added weight. I also have two amazing, healthy children that are gifts from God. How could I not think my body is a powerful machine?

Having a daughter of my own has rocked my world and my view of how I want to teach her about her body and what beauty truly is. When discussing her body we use words like “strong” and “healthy”. We do not discuss size at all. When we talk about food choices we use words like “fuel” and “nutritious.”

Honestly, I am a larger size than I want to be at this time. It’s something I am working on so that I can be healthier and stronger. But I refuse to miss out on my life and obsess over my body. Enough is enough. For years I critiqued every inch of my body and missed out on life itself. I’m done with that. So here’s to being present, healthy, and remembering our bodies are a gift. So, that’s MY body.

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Photo by Sara Jensen