I watched a movie last night and cried my way through it. Have you seen Dumplin’ on Netflix? It’s about a girl in a bigger body trying to fit into a beauty pageant world. It explores the inadequacies we feel when our bodies are unacceptable to other people. And worse: when we perpetuate our ownContinue reading “To Love Ourselves”
Category Archives: Body Image
Mama Fought Back
My daughter came out of the bath saying, “I hate that I’m fat.” I grew up in a house where that was the worst possible trait a person could possess. So all the triggers started firing. I have spent years working on my relationship with food and with my body. We rarely mention weight orContinue reading “Mama Fought Back”
An Integration of Body and Soul
I had an interesting session with my hypnotherapist. What began as a discussion about manifesting a wildly successful writing career quickly turned into a discussion about my longstanding body image struggles. Who knew the two could be connected? She threw me a curve ball when she asked me if I loved myself. I thought, “OfContinue reading “An Integration of Body and Soul”
The Validation that Matters Most
I recently put on a pair of leggings because of how they made me feel, not because of how they made me look. The vibrant colors made me happy, but the patterns definitely did not make me thinner. This was a turning point for me where the goal of the day was not to lookContinue reading “The Validation that Matters Most”
“I Love Your Squishy Parts”
Although sweet, this is a multi-layered statement, eliciting a complicated emotional response. One that usually ends in laughter, because that’s how I deal with discomfort. This statement acknowledges my squishy parts but simultaneously loves them. It means I can’t hide them, which creates fear, but also asks the question, “Why hide them?”, which is empowering.Continue reading ““I Love Your Squishy Parts””
Feeling Sexy Impacts Sex
I’ve been feeling pretty uncomfortable in my body lately, and this impacts so many facets of my life. I’m struggling to sleep because much of my body hurts. My body moves differently after having children and losing weight. I exist differently within my body, and I don’t recognize myself. And this all affects sex. HowContinue reading “Feeling Sexy Impacts Sex”
Why I Avoid my Mirror
Enough about self-care. Let’s talk about some self-love 💕. Anyone else feeling really yucky about her body right now? I realized I ignore my mirror completely when changing because I can’t handle seeing my body. The lumps and dimples, rolls and stretch marks seem to scream horrible words at me, and so I choose notContinue reading “Why I Avoid my Mirror”
FAT TUMMY
Rose grabbed my stomach yesterday and asked if I was “embarrassed about [my] fat tummy.” I can surprisingly say that the question didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I actually laughed because I found her childlike honesty refreshing, not because I was uncomfortable. I’ve struggled with my body image for yearsContinue reading “FAT TUMMY”
The Baby Carrier
What are the parts of motherhood that make you feel insecure about your body? I feel like there are a zillion, if we let it happen: bathing suits, special occasions, pretty much anything. But the one that got me today was the baby carrier. I don’t think I have ever worn anything that made meContinue reading “The Baby Carrier”
The Post Baby Body
I’ve been having a rough couple of days with my post baby body. Sometimes I could care less that I have stretch marks and extra skin, and sometimes it actually begins to affect my self-worth. I’ve yet to experience another attribute that allows me to devalue myself, quite like weight and size. Why does theContinue reading “The Post Baby Body”
Jacqueline Pinchuk 