Each September (the 8th Sept in 2017) Fresh Faced Friday invite you to ‘tear up’ talk about negative body image and help everyone realise it’s okay to love their bodies! In celebration of this, this blog is about a time I looked in the mirror and recognised myself as a beautiful person. I hope that by talking about it, more people come to recognise that it’s okay to feel good about who they are and the way they look, ’cause baby let me tell you: you look smokin’ today.
So a little while ago I had just finished a morning exercise class where I had gotten up at ungodly time of 5:15am to run and pull and jump and swing. I had worked really hard that morning, pushing myself until I was glistening with sweat, yet smiling in my heart for how healthy I felt. I got back to my girlfriend’s place and jumped in the (cold shower, and when I got out to dry myself, I was caught aback by my reflection. In all humility, I had never seen myself look so beautiful in all my life. I stood there for a long moment, amazed at how young and fit and healthy I was.
Let me first say that I know very well that the body is just a bag of meat that carries our consciousness around. I know that some day, probably soon, my fitness will start to decline and I will not be so healthy and beautiful. I could get hit by a car today, become horribly mangled, and then watch as all my muscles atrophy during a slow convalescence. So I can say with some degree of honesty that I am not attached to my body.
But this does not stop me from loving it.
Too many people look in the mirror and see faults, their mind full of criticism and rejection. I want more people to realise that it’s okay to love yourself, exactly as you are, regardless of what shape your body happens to be in. Although I consider myself very fit, and yes even beautiful, I think I would love my body just as much if I were overweight or had more pimples on my face or scars on my skin. There are so many physical characteristics that are perfectly natural but which society deems as unattractive, and I’d like to think I can embrace these as part of my body that aren’t necessarily how I define myself, but are nevertheless a part of who I am. I might be sad that my body was unhealthy due to my lifestyle choices, but if I was born a certain way beyond my capacity of influence, then I would love and accept myself for being the lovable, deserving person that I am.
I asked Beth to take a photo of me after the shower. Not because I’m especially vain, and not because I’m particularly attached to my body, but because I looked beautiful and I want to remember that. I am also highly conscious that I’m posting a picture of myself mostly naked, but I don’t want to let “fear of rejection or humiliation” stop me from loving myself, and sharing the important message of self-love with others. It’s a scary thing to be so vulnerable, and it takes great strength of character to not fear the judgements of others. So this is the picture Beth took that morning.
I invite everyone who reads this to tear it up with me on Fresh Faced Friday, and to remember that you’re so ridiculously beautiful. If not enough people have told you that today, make sure to find the nearest reflective surface and say it to yourself. And while you’re at it, start telling the people around you, so that they can recognise their own beauty too! Keep it Fresh everybody.
Xin
Also check the related topics:
Self esteemSpeaking to someone about your problems can be the first steps to a solution.
