redefiningbodyimage:

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redefiningbodyimage:

Tonight I spent quality time with my tummy, thick thighs, stretch marks, blemishes, scars and side rolls - all the bits of my body I’ve had a hard time embracing. I lounged in bed with my t-shirt hitched up above my belly. I stared at myself naked and studied myself from various angles. I moved my body in ways that made me happy. I stretched and flexed until my muscles ached. It helps to pay attention and listen to how my body feels.

Reblogging because I think it’s incredibly brave for a woman, in the face of Western culture, to show her normal human body. Because I keep seeing pictures on tumblr of only the thin. There is nothing wrong with being thin either, but we should see other, less typical images of the body too. Of the body being loved for what it is.

Thank you. Really, bodies like mine are quite typical, or the norm - it’s just not typically represented in the media and I’d like to change that. I mean, when the most typical bodies aren’t represented in visual culture, it speaks volumes as to why people with perfectly healthy, normal bodies turn to dangerous eating habits, diets, and other unhealthy outlets looking to morph themselves into this idealized image of beauty that doesn’t exist in real life.

This is real, these photos are untouched. My body grows and shrinks and my skin develops stretch marks as my weight fluctuates naturally. I have an abundance of fat on my body that is soft, but resilient. No amount of exercise or diet will make me a size 2. My thighs touch and my belly rolls over my pants. These things will always exist for me so I just accept and own it the best I can, just as I hope others will.

We each have our own set of insecurities to overcome. Mine revolve around my fat body. Some might feel self conscious about skinny legs, height, prominent hip bones, acne scarring…The list is endless, but the idea behind it all is universal.

All bodies deserve love and representation.