Body Image

I follow a blog entitled Ex-hot Girl and she is witty, honest and puts out all the things that we as women go through. She usually has lots of links to other blogs, and I will occasionally click on one to see what that person has to say.

Now I mean this next statement in the most non-offensive way possible, but I am a bit stunned by the body issues that reside in our half of the species. And so many of their blogs are about facing their bodies and learning to love themselves. Which I think is great. One good way to come to terms with issues is to write about it.

But there is a new movement that has become very powerful and seems to be sweeping women's blogs. It seems to have taken on a title called "Exposed."

In fact, check out this blog it's a good link to many others.

It's amazing because these women are brave enough to put up pictures of themselves exposed. And amazing that there are people who don't love themselves for who they are. I don't get it. How can one have a happy daily life, if they don't appreciate the body that carries them through it all?

Not loving your body, having a need to destroy it with eating disorders, not being able to look at your naked self in a mirror, it's all so foreign to me. I guess I should consider myself lucky. I'm sure I had body image problems when I was younger when everything about me was changing, but I think that is part of being a teenager. When all your stuff is growing and hair is in new places. And suddenly you are very aware of the opposite sex and they are very aware of you. But I do remember going to my first formal in high school and I needed a dress with long sleeves, a high neck and covering my back. I was very self-conscious, with teenage acne and all and for some reasons I didn't like my armpits. But who the hell looks at peoples armpits, anyway?

But now as a grown woman I feel like people should be at an accepting stage in their life. After a certain age, you learn there are some things you can't change. You can control how strong you are, you can control what you put into your body, what you allow yourself to be capable of. But I think I left my body image issues in college, or somewhere after. Sure I have fat days, everyone does, men too actually (I have just discovered), bad hair days but I don't dwell on this stuff. I couldn't tell you the turning point in accepting ME, but I can tell you that today, right now, the body that carries me through my fabulous life is a great one. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I would like to end this with the fact that I'm proud of the women who have put themselves up/out there like that. Continue to grow ladies, grow and accept. Once you love you, it's awesome.