This originally appeared on Eat The Damn Cake. Republished here with permission. I tell myself and other people that I started writing about beauty and body image because I moved to New York and stopped eating dessert and realized that I was trying to be thinner all the time, and because of my nose jobs, […]
Laurel Hermanson asks: Is it possible to stop using our personally defining issues as excuses for unhappiness and self-destructive behavior? My earliest memory is of my brother returning from his first day of kindergarten, or maybe first grade, missing a shoe. He lost it while walking through a field with friends on his way home. […]
Gemma Hartley tells her daughter that even though she will grow up in a world that will tell her a healthy, beautiful, able body is not enough, she is already perfect. Dear Avery, This is my body—and it is beautiful. I want you to know I am proud of this body, imperfections and loose skin […]
The recent push toward body acceptance is a move in the right direction, says Laurel Hermanson, but demanding that she love her body does nothing but make her feel guilty that she doesn’t love her body. “Each of you is perfect the way you are…and you could use a little improvement.” — Shunryu Suzuki, Sōtō […]
It wasn’t until Jacqui Morton feared the worst that she began to appreciate what her breasts are capable of and what they represent to her. I’ve never been too concerned about my breasts. Not good with the self exams. Truth is, before any of this baby stuff, my breasts were baggage. Big. Annoying. Never pretty. […]
Emily Rapp has a disability, but that doesn’t give people the right to scrutinize her body. “Hey, how come you’re parking there?” A woman asked me recently as I got out of my car in the handicapped/disabled/definitely abled/differently abled parking spot in front of my gym in Santa Fe. There was an edge in her […]
Getting wrinkles is natural. Sagging skin is natural. Thinning hair is natural. Why do we fight so hard against the things that are just a natural part of life? I was 22 when I stumbled across the blueprint for transforming myself from a young, semi-confident, recent college graduate into a gawky fifth grader. The article […]
Originally appeared on The Frisky. Republished here with permission. I was so sure I was having a boy. I’d even given my baby a boy name, and I talked to my belly and told him he was a great son. A strong, noble, excellent son. People said, “A mother knows…” and nodded along with me. […]
