“My version of #PerfectlyMe is letting go of the never-ending fight to be someone else. #PerfectlyMe invites ME back into the equation, not as a form of settling for myself, but as an act of welcoming that self home, accepting her singularities, celebrating her deviance.” —Rebekah Taussig (@sitting_pretty), a writer, teacher and PhD candidate who lives in Kansas City, Missouri. “Growing up with a disability, I developed a lot of coping mechanisms early in life — detaching from my body, always smiling no matter what I was experiencing on the inside, never admitting sadness or shame. Even when I received the positive affirmation I was seeking, it was never enough to make me feel full. With time — so much time — I’ve been working to shift that burden of acceptance to myself. Accepting myself frees me up to actually experience life — to use this instrument I’m living in. Why do we treat our bodies as objects to beat into submission, to criticize into doing better, to overcome and rise above? I want to work with my body. I think we’ll get further and fuller that way, but it’s slow. I’m learning.”
Who or what inspires you to feel #PerfectlyMe? Use the hashtag to share your story.
Photo by @sitting_pretty