Time to get real. It takes courage for me to post this...but it shouldn't.
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They say you get clarity in your 30's. You step into your true self. Well, I'm nearing my 39th year on this planet, and feeling like a bit of a late bloomer. I don't have it figured out, not even close. But what's becoming glaringly clear is that I've spent most of those years in constant self critique. From the time I was little, I gazed upon my body through the filter of society's standards. From the pages of teen magazines to the glossy images on billboards and in movies. What's presented to you isn't real. It's thigh gaps and tight tummies. It's white teeth and a smooth complexion. It's airbrushed, retouched, fake. It's an impossible standard.
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Do you know what's real? CELLULITE. And you shouldn't have to feel "brave" posting an image of yourself with it. Or with rolls, or acne, or rosacea, or dimples, or anything else you deem imperfect about your body. And you most certainly shouldn't have to worry about receiving retaliation for being yourself.
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Because, you see, what we're looking at when we scroll through our phones isn't always the truth. It's filtered, smoothed out, curated. But we've been tricked into buying into it because it so easily plays to our feelings of insecurity and not enough-ness. It makes us suck in our bellies and show only our good angles for the camera. It makes us hide behind filters and glamor glow. It makes us join gyms and buy into fad diets. It's a money making industry that thrives because we've perfected the art of self loathing.
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It's time we cut that out. It's time to stand proud.
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What's so beautiful about us is our individuality. Our bumps, bruises, and the history of our skin. The way our bodies move gracefully underneath our clothing. The confidence of someone who loves themselves unconditionally is freaking gorgeous AND it's contagious.
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Beyond that, what else can we do? Lift people up and support those who proudly exist outside the "norm" of society's beauty standards (which is basically everyone).
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Let's make real, imperfectly perfect bodies more visible. #bodypositivity
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Thanks to abi.lafleur for capturing this moment.