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| Why did I post these self-portraits? Just like most stories, the answer lies in the last paragraph. |
My butt jiggles when I walk. And I like it. It adds character to my strut. I'm healthy, I exercise, I do my squats, but I'm a jiggler. When I leave a room, Mr. Branflake tells me I have it going on. I thank the jiggle.
My thighs have always touched. I never knew people cared about thigh touching until Pinterest made it seem wrong with all their inner thigh exercise tutorials being pinned every minute. I'm okay with my thighs touching- it's how I'm made. They're muscular and they can withstand the rigors of dance life. Thigh touching is the least of my worries.
I don't understand why God gives His children stretch marks. Much like spiders, I personally think He could have done without. But I have them. I don't love them, nor will I ever look at them and think, "Those are beautiful," but they're a part of me forever and, much like spiders, I have to learn how to live with them.
But if there were the off chance I could kill every spider in the world, I would do it.
My ankles are gorgeous. They're thin and muscular. They also have cellulite. "How is that possible?" you ask. I don't know, but when I do my stretches in the morning, I look down and see puckers of fat along my Achilles tendon.
Not even my tiny ankles could escape the curse of tapioca skin.
My skin is so smooth sometimes it freaks me out, like when Tom on Parks and Rec over-exfoliates and says they feel like raw chicken. Okay, now I'm exaggerating. Because I actually love my skin's softness. Blame it on the massive amounts of olive oil in my diet or perhaps the fact that water is the only beverage I drink, my skin rivals the softest petals and smoothest velvet.
I literally gasped when I saw myself naked in the mirror after Mr. Branflake put in a higher watt light bulb in our bathroom light. I looked so much... better. Unflattering lighting needs to leave every woman's home this second. Spend an extra five dollars and give yourself a better reality.
Speaking of a better reality, I took the photos above and realized how much I look like my mom. So I posted them because I like my mom and I want to remember this moment- the moment I was grateful for looking like her.
What's your body's reality?
40 comments:
Constant weight battle, up down, up down I'm always just a few pounds away from squelching out if my clothes again.
I love your last paragraph and envy your soft skin.
I LOVE this post! I have fat over my shins. Its freaking weird. Of course jimmy has some really gross explanation of the whole thighs not touching thing. Yes, you do have cute ankles. I will always be envious of dancers legs until I have a pair. Haha! Like a raw chicken hahah! LOVE IT!
@Tabitha- and you are always beautiful. I have proof!
What a refreshing post. We all have body realities and we don't often talk about them . . . we talk about what we LOVE and what we HATE but we rarely talk about our whole selves.
My tummy is jigglier than I would like. But I don't plan on giving up wine (or cheese) any time soon, so I better learn to be okay with it.
I like the shape of my legs. They are muscular and strong and yes--my thighs touch--but don't you have to be grossly, unhealthily skinny for your thighs not to touch?
My boobs are a little uneven, and I've learned to be just fine with that. ;) I like my collarbone and my chest but would love my arms to be a bit more toned--working on that.
Thanks for sharing this!
You are such a brilliant writer and I love that you encourage so many women to seek a healthy body image. Is my body perfect? Absolutely not, but it is mine and I'm grateful it works. It's a great thing to be comfortable in one's own skin. xo
I don't know about the body reality, but I do know about the bad lighting. It exists and it must be gone. The light also changes throughout the day making it from flattering morning light to not-so-hot afternoon/day. I think it's so important to find it. And then avoid it. Best body image you'll ever have :)
Great post! <3
xoxo
Linda from www.moonon.com
best. post. ever.
I've always thought that dancers were really self-confident because they have such amazing bodies, so you surprise me heaps when you complain about yours.
I, unfortunately, am not a dancer, hence the muffin top, touching thighs, etc etc. But you're an inspiration, so yeah, love your body! :)
@Claire- exactly! I was more prompted to write about the facts of my body rather than why I love or hate it. Ps... you have an awesome collarbone.
@Hollie- Hugs.
oh my goodness. i would HELP you kill every last spider, ok? I'm sure we can explain it to God after the fact. :)
my reality:
cankles.
translucent skin with spider veins.
freckles and moles like crazy.
also reality:
flat-ish stomach.
eyebrows I don't have to wax or pluck.
fingernails and hair that grow really fast.
the good and bad kind of even out in the end. :)
Great post!
My body's reality right now is that it has a mind of it's own! It is weird to see it grow as my son grows in my belly, and I have no control over it whatsoever. It's strange, and exciting and maddening and joyful all at once!
lovely pictures! :)
This post is amazing. Isn't it so hard to love your body, and not find things wrong with it? For me, I've embraced being [really] tall, I like having long legs (even if they aren't the prettiest in shorts, they look pretty good in jeans), and I have nice arms. Still trying to be ok with my [completely] flat chest, but one day I'll embrace that too!
You know what? You're such a beautiful person, and when I say that, I mean both inside and outside. I know we've not yet met, but I know your lovely heart from your blog. And of course, the pics of you that you post show the world your outward beauty.
And yes, I like like my butt jiggle and touching thighs, too. (The part that touches, I call those my flub muscles - and the hubs loves my flubs!) I love them because they are strong. My muscles make me feel beautiful!
xoxo J
You always make me embrace my imperfections and boy do I have a lot of them. Thighs touch, cellulite, stretch marks, you name it. But it's who I am and now finally at 40 I've pretty much embraced the good, the bad and the ugly :) xoxo
i LOVE that u talk so candid about things like this - i'm in a total body image struggle right now - with the weight gain due to meds - i'm unbelievably uncomfortable in my skin - and regrettably all the gym workouts, personal trainers, special diets, ect haven't made inch of a difference - i'll get back to 'normal' eventually - and THEN i'll go back to 'dealing' with my stretch marks as my 'biggest' issue
SO inspiring! I can honestly say that my body is unlike anyone else's -- even with all my scars, I feel at home in my own skin. It's a wonderful feeling.
Tiffany I love you for writing this. If more women could think like you maybe we could teach little girls to love themselves more.
The reality is that my knees are SHOT. I can barely do fouettes anymore without wincing. Bad joints + a dancer= not fun. I am learning to live with it though.
Amy
Fashion and Beauty Finds
you are so beautiful outside and inside!!!! i need that higher watt bulb especially after baby finally makes an appearance (so no, no word from him yet - he's not very swiss/punctual already). but i'm with you, i have other things to care about and do than to worry about my flaws, that is fo sho!
ps, i love the 'you've got it goin on' quote, hahaha
I absolutely love you for the comment about your thighs. Honestly, I stopped using Pinterest because it was affecting my body image. I have really muscular legs and even at my skinniest, my thighs do still touch. Thank you so much for breaking the mold.
And people always tell me I look like my mom. I see it, but I still struggle with it for many reasons. My mom is beautiful but she and I are very different people, and I want people to see how I'm beautiful, not just how I look like her. Does that make any sense?
Such an honest and beautiful post. And I love the part about looking like your mom. Sweet. :)
Great post & such beautiful photos! For me, I have muscular calves - I used to hate them but I've learned to appreciate them and my bf loves them!
My inner thighs touch too - and I've completely come to terms with it. Actually there is nothing I can do about it... when I was a silly 19-year old girl I lost a ton of weight and looked sickly skinny... and even then my inner thighs still touched. As you said, it's just the way my body is made.
xo
Personally, I think it's incredible that you are so confident about your body, Tiffany. I have to agree that your body is beautiful...the true body of a dancer. :)
It's funny--even at my most in-shape times, even when I was twelve years old and swimming for an hour or two every day, my thighs touched. I have my share of body image issues, but that stopped being one of them a long time ago--even though I have to do inner thigh exercises to avoid re-injuring my knee.
And I love that you enjoy that moment of realizing you look like your mom. In my family, we love to joke that my sister looks like my mom and I look like my aunt, who happens to be my mom's identical twin sister. When you put the four of us together, the resemblance is ridiculous, and I love it.
Me? I'm out of shape and I need to get moving ASAP. Somehow this year my birthday hit me that way and have to do something about it... yikes!
Holy good lighting–it's so worth it! My body's reality includes hips that are much, MUCH wider than my waist–and my butt isn't as big as my hips might suggest. I never realized I "should" feel bad about my fabulous, former dancer thighs until someone told me I had saddlebags–just about big enough to carry a few quarters, and from someone who had some pretty serious body issues of her own. I realized then that the only person who should be making me critical of my body was ME–and hopefully I would learn to be nice to myself!
you are soo beautiful and i love this post about embracing our own bodies!!
xo,
Sandy
Sandy a la Mode
We can kill all the spiders of the world together... well I'll hire someone to help you, because I'm much to scared.
My body's reality is that I live in a deep fried oasis and I'm hanging on to veggies for dear life. I will always struggle with weight, because it runs in my family. BUT I've decided that a fully figured size 8 is me and I will work hard the rest of my life. The Lord didn't say he wouldn't give us physical challenges. :)
It's so refreshing to hear this kind of honesty about your body. I am coming to terms with my waist never being quite what it was and wondering what I ever worried about when I was 20! I used to get annoyed about my thick ankles...
I was sort of underweight after my surgeries, and now I'm getting my jiggle back, especially in my butt. I love it!
I think that body struggles are something no woman can dodge. Isn't it crazy? Sometimes I feel like a lunatic bc I know that I'm the only one who really sees the things I take issue with. Thinking about how our bodies help us to accomplish our goals is a great way to get a new perspective. Because in reality, I am a healthy, able foxy gal. Thinking so much about how my body looks holds me back from everything else.
Love this I dn't understand the thigh thing either, I think it's silly. My thighs have always touched and it doesn't bother me. You are a pretty lady!
we are all flawed! perfection does not exist, and if it does, it really isn't that interesting!
i have many flaws. sometimes they drive me crazy. but sometimes i don't care and i do what i gotta do. my butt shakes. my arms are not toned and sometimes i see cellulite on them! i don't know where my jawline went. ugh! my boobs aren't as high as they used to be. my inner thighs are ridiculously soft because they are so chubby. whaddya gonna do. work on these things, or accept them. or get surgery. NO THANKS TO SURGERY! :)
My spiders remind me of the greatest gift I was ever given...my children. Sure, I'll never comfortably love my post baby body in a two piece swimsuit...not that Im wearing one either, but my Family loves me if I'm in a giant tunic....so I will live with my spiders.
Gratefully.
Love getting to know you through your posts...you are a wonderful example for our kids...
just read this and this is absolutely beautifully put and so inspiring, you lovely beautiful inside and out lady!
xxx
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