Body Love
We see plenty of articles and ads that tell us how unattractive crow’s feet, heavy thighs, stretch marks and our other physical imperfections are. Well, this article is to tell you how beautiful they are. Every scar, wrinkle, missing part, or protuberance is a beauty mark and a badge of honor for who you truly are.
Your life is your greatest gift, and your presence on the planet at this time is your gift to the world. Once you understand the vast richness of your life, your wrinkles and cellulite can be perceived as wonderful adornments, and not things to be loathed and fixed.
Resist the programming of the beauty industry, which tries to set standards of perfection and eternal youth. Instead, see the glory in each of your unique qualities and physical features - just as they are. Adopt the attitude that they are things to honor and love, knowing that you’re perfect, beautiful and sexy just as you are.
By looking at yourself holistically, as a physical being and spiritual being on Earth, you will soon love your features. Your life decisions, experiences and genetics have formed your magnificent form and beauty. They also contribute to our unique character. Giving birth, indulging in an abundance of delicious food, even unfortunate mishaps, not only shaped your physical attributes, they formed your unique character. The accidents that caused your scars may have also made you a stronger woman as a result. Your flabby muscles may be the outcome of your primary focus to study and develop your intellect.
Become conscious of how your features may influence the way you present yourself to the world. Instead of hiding, hating, and feeling embarrassed or ashamed of them, embrace and love every aspect of them, and proudly appreciate and display your unique physical qualities. They tell your story and make you an interesting person.
Here’s a powerful beauty exercise called Body Love. Closely examine a part of your body that you don’t particularly like or wish to ‘fix.’ Write down its memoirs and capabilities, including your life choices, happenstances and talents that helped to form it. Also list how it contributed to who you are today. If you were born with a particular feature, focus on how it formed your present-day identity.
This simple exercise will help you see the value of your special features, and help you to perceive them as marks of exquisiteness. You may actually love them for all they say about you, and for all that they do for you.
For example, by beauty industry standards, my hands aren’t attractive or feminine-looking. When I was younger, I tried to keep them from view. But now I honor every age spot and scar, for they hold stories of my adventures. And I love them for their capabilities to create art and write and do an infinite number of other things. Yes, I use hand creams to keep them as healthy and smooth as possible, but I don’t hide them or feel ashamed of them.
I am an advocate of healthy living and treating our body with respect. And if you do decide to change your body, it will be a conscious choice, rather than a response to the pressure of beauty industry standards.
But by honoring yourself exactly as you are, you will love yourself more deeply. We’ll also behold and appreciate the vast differences and unique features of others. This would be a beautiful thing!