Body Image is Such a Fascinating Subject to Me
Body image is such a fascinating subject to me, I wrote my dissertation on it in 2005!
I have three children who are growing up in a world where this has always been and always will have issues around body image.
As a mother it’s been my desire to prevent them hating their body image, but no matter how much I emphasise they are beautiful as they are, they will have to experience their own journey with Body image.
Having experienced a form of body dysmorphia in the past, my brain thought it was unsafe for me to love me as I was because it assumed by doing so I would have no control over what Image I was desperate for the world to see.
This lead me to becoming increasingly disconnected to myself , whilst I was following the illusion I could be more accepted.
if I followed this painful habit of convincing myself I would be unloveable until I reached the next weight loss goal- I would reach it and the goal posts kept moving and the dysmorphia kept growing.
I cant avoid my children from this experience but I am determined to do my best to make sure they have a safe home to explore this , without undermining their experience.
So I regularly do subtle things like jiggle my wobbly bits , make faces with my rolls and stretch marks and display some form of love to it regardless because that way I can face the world and the children can see that I didn’t love my body because I reached perfection , I learned to love it regardless as my body keeps me alive everyday.
All we can do is try our best, we haven’t failed them, they need to learn from their own journey that might be relative to our own so they know this isn’t uncommon.
it’s pretty rewarding to hear your child say “ omg I am gorgeous “ On their own accord without awaiting everybody having the same opinion.
Whether it makes you wince, feel uncomfortable or cringe doing this for yourself , it is a better feeling than total abandonment, which is exactly how we feel either way when we dislike what we have.
Huge love
Em x
(yes the photo above are my jiggly belly with a smokily face on my rolls !)