I like that women's bodies come in so many different variations. I love celebrating that. I love loving yourself no matter what your body looks like. That's a tough pill to swallow for a lot of people. But we make this weird division/ polarization; skinny or fat. Like that's even real? People are people. We should let people be themselves. I forget where I heard this, but there's this great quote about how the most authentic thing you can do for the world is to be genuine to who you are. I believe that we put a lot of weird pressure on women and how their bodies look, and it has nothing to do with anything except for vanity.
Even words like "thick" and "curvy" become questionable. What do you mean by that? Because maybe these adjectives presume otherness. I think when you create an incredibly narrow definition of what is normal, it will inevitably exclude a large segment of the population. Necessitating a particular mode of attractiveness as better/worse is provincial. Bodies vary from person to person. I only write this because of the INSANE emphasis on women and their bodies in American society. There's a lot to say. But I feel like there is more left unsaid. It's beyond that 'women be proud of your bodies' shit. Do men have to be proud of their bodies? Much less than women do. The inherent importance of the physical body in women compared to men automatically shows a difference of importance. I don't mean to say that men can't/don't have issues with their bodies because that is absolutely real as well. I speak only as a woman, and with experiences I have with myself and my body and the public. And I think shit is pretty fucked.
Even words like "thick" and "curvy" become questionable. What do you mean by that? Because maybe these adjectives presume otherness. I think when you create an incredibly narrow definition of what is normal, it will inevitably exclude a large segment of the population. Necessitating a particular mode of attractiveness as better/worse is provincial. Bodies vary from person to person. I only write this because of the INSANE emphasis on women and their bodies in American society. There's a lot to say. But I feel like there is more left unsaid. It's beyond that 'women be proud of your bodies' shit. Do men have to be proud of their bodies? Much less than women do. The inherent importance of the physical body in women compared to men automatically shows a difference of importance. I don't mean to say that men can't/don't have issues with their bodies because that is absolutely real as well. I speak only as a woman, and with experiences I have with myself and my body and the public. And I think shit is pretty fucked.
I agree. Very well said and I love your blog! Keep it up and how do I follow you? In the sixties, there was a "natural" movement...women began wearing less or no makeup, no bras, some went as far as not shaving...sometimes it went too far but the point was that women were freeing themselves & their images from the restrictive trappings of the 50s ideal of a woman. Teased, sprayed hairdos, pointed aggressor bras, tight uncomfortable girdles all with the intent of smoothing, changing, padding, hiding, accentuating all fell away to reveal the true woman & her beauty inside & out. One of the better societal evolutions of the sixties, I think. Aretha's "Natural Woman"...thus the sexual revolution began in earnest.
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