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This morning, after I slugged a few sips of coffee, I put all my hair in a ball on my head, tossed on my many-years-worn-to-velvet cuttoff cargos, a tank top and slipped into my wellies to go work in the yard.
In order to garden, I'm having to rip out buttloads of pacific northwest grass (which is more like the world's nappiest afro than grass as I know it) with a hoe and a shovel, and given the hard work it is, it's best to do it before it gets too warm, so mornings are optimal.
While I was out there, feeling good, working the hell out of my muslces, smelling the lilacs, making way so I can grow some food, I thought of all of you.
Why?
Because I was having an awesome body image moment. Doing hard labor is always like that for me: I don't think about how my body looks, I'm all about how it feels. I can feel its strength, its vitality, its connection to everything else. I know what I have it for at moments like these: not for someone to LOOK at, but to be able to DO things with it. I'm thankful, in moments like that, that years of boxing, many more years of various sorts of manual labor, that my health is such that I CAN do things like this. The sun's on my face, I have mud on my hands, I know I'm growing freckles, giving my muscles the movement they like and exist for.
My partner has a pathological fear of things like mud and grass, which makes for a pretty comical partnership with a prototypical stinky hippie. But when he came out this morning, even though I know him well enough to know that the mud that made its way unto my cheeks and back (you ever want a lesson in how spatter works, use a hoe) is VERY far from his favorite thing. But I also know that how I feel about MYSELF when I'm in that element, and how vital I also look just because I'm working makes him all jelly-kneed. This morning's kisses made that apparent.
Thing is, I was having my good body image moment without him already: his reaction was seriously irrelevant. I was thinking about this before he even came out there.
I was also thinking about other scenarios and moments in which my body image is exceptionally strong, like: - when I was teaching ECE and Kindergarten -- little kids tend to notice and love very quirky things about adults, and have no filter, so they tend to say them out loud. I had a little Guatemalan student once who developed a crush on me, and once whispered in my ear (thinking himself quite the latin lover), "Your hair, it is the color of the honey on my pancakes." - when I was working the farmer's markets, again, doing lots of manual labor, being around loads of people, often older people, who spent their lives doing same. - landscaping work: moving boulders? Makes one feel like a superhero. - When I'm boxing. It's the time when I look the least "feminine" by mainstream standards -- no makeup, covered in sweat, my breasts bound down, punching and kicking and yelling...and I feel SO great about my body in those moments. Better than I've ever felt dressed to the nines out on a date.
That's my short list for this morning.
What's yours?
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • S.E.X: Get my book! Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan Posts: 39748 | From: Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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Heh. This might be wierd, but I have those moments the most when it's the middle of the night and I am sitting in front of my computer, my hair tied out of my way, wearing my glasses, gnawing on a pencil and typing away at a paper or a short story or even just a homework assignment. I love studying and working towards my degree and I pride myself on having gotten as far as I have. I am not sure why I am as conscious of my body in those moments as I am of my mind, but I somehow am.
-------------------- -joey Scarleteen Volunteer
"The question is not who will let me, but who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand Posts: 4405 | From: Europe/IN | Registered: Sep 2005
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This is interesting. I have never really noticed these momments, well paid close attention to them, until now.
I'm most relaxed when I am driving. I am most comfortable when I am driving. No stress, just me and my car and the air blowing through my 4 windows and sun roof. My music blasting, the country view, beautiful. I feel powerful at these times. Like I can conquor anything, I'm not sure why. But I feel beautiful.
Also, when I am hiking up to the bluff and I am exhausted from climbing up the back side of the mountain through all those trails, I feel pretty damn good about myself then.
I feel the same way, proud, when I am skate boarding alone and I land a move or I don't fully bust my *** when I come down off of the 1/2 or 1/4 pipe onto the pavement. When I've been outside all day pumping my legs up and down the pavement and banging my knees and elbows up, making them look like roadkill . . . My boyfriend loves watching me, too. He says he thinks I am so beautiful when I think no one is watching (I'll know that next time )
Since getting up in the mornings is SO hard for me most times, I feel so confident when I wake up somewhat early and am not tired, have the house to myself, no screaming or yelling, no chores to be done. I don't shower right away, I dont put on make up, I don't even change clothes. I blast my music and just run around in the house. No one is watching me, I'm alone, I don't worry that I have skinny arms and a tank top on, or that I have shorts and my butt hangs out, or that I have a tank and my pajama boxers on and my hip bones are visible. Who cares? I'm happy with my body. No one is there to judge me. Just me!
-------------------- And I say thank you for the scars And the guilt and the pain Every tear I've never cried Has sealed your fate. Did you take me for a fool or were you just too blind to see that every effort made has failed and there is no destroying me? Atreyu Posts: 364 | From: West Virginia | Registered: Dec 2005
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I think when I am outdoors and its beautiful weather, or when I am indoors dancing, either by myself, with friends, or at a party.
Posts: 193 | From: Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2006
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For me I'm most intune with myself and everything around me while hiking. There isn't anything quite like sitting on the top of a rock cliff in clear blue skies and abundent sunlight looking back on the 12 miles worth of rocky pathway it took you to get there. To sound cliche, you literally feel on top of the world. There is something about hiking for that long/far thath makes you realize exactly what you are capable of. And for me...just being at one with the outdoors gives me a sense of home.
Posts: 96 | From: Illinois | Registered: Mar 2006
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Ahh -greenapp1es, you're in Illinois! Are you from S. IL, by chance? Have you ever been to Garden of the Gods?
Posts: 193 | From: Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2006
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No...will have to try that though. I have nothing against driving for some good hiking...my favorite all time hiking place is Devils Lake WI. I typically try to go to Starved Rock as often as I can find people to go with me...the terrain there isn't exactly safe for heavy hiking by myself....particuarly since I have breathing issues that emulate asthma around inhaled irratants and excercise.
Will have to check that out at some point, thanks for making me aware of a new place to try! :-D
Posts: 96 | From: Illinois | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:my favorite all time hiking place is Devils Lake WI
Ha! Mine as well. I love it there: so many different types of terrain in one place, and the caves!
When I moved to Mlps from Chicago, Devil's Lake was a bit further away, but still reachable.
Alas, now that I'm in Seattle, y'all will have to hike there for me vicariously.
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • S.E.X: Get my book! Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan Posts: 39748 | From: Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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i would have to say that i like myself when i'm playing soccer. i was once commented on my playing style; when at a full sprint in one direction and the ball quickly bounces in another, i sometimes windmill my arms a bit to balance my turns. i never thought about it. when i'm playing, i don't think about it. and i know i still do it. but i don't care! the only thing that matters is the team/game, not how i look on the field. when i'm playing soccer , i just let it go and enjoy myself. Posts: 15 | From: Canada | Registered: Mar 2006
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(In case it isn't obvious, even with just a few short responses, I think it's pretty obvious that body image is one of many, many reasons it's pretty vital that sports for young women and girls are supported.)
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • S.E.X: Get my book! Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan Posts: 39748 | From: Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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I felt these moments when i play football i feel strong and powerful running about in a football shirt that clinged to my stomach, breasts and arms what felt like i was showing my body of to the world through this football top. Also When kicking the ball using the upper half muscle of my leg which is the part of my body i hate the most but in football it never mattered i just felt powerful, strong and beautiful.
-------------------- Behind every great man is a great woman Posts: 89 | From: England | Registered: Jan 2006
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I have moments like this during my two favorite things -- archery practice and karaoke at the bar.
During archery, it just feels so natural to toss my head back, eye the target, straighten my shoulders and pull back the bowstring. As soon as I hear that soft whoosh of the arrow being released, I feel so..powerful. I'll even stand there, my arm still back, until the arrow hits the target, watching it so intently that people think I'm moving it with my mind.
When I'm on stage for karaoke(about once every 2 weeks, if I'm lucky), I feel like the audience is at my mercy. I always sing the same song (our system is kinda wonky, and every time I pick a different song, it messes up, so I stick to the same one from now on!) -- Black Velvet by Alannah Myles. Last time I sang, it was definitely one of the most memorable(they all pale in comparison to my first appearance on that stage,though). I was wearing my new favorite dress. I went through three stores, stalking through the clearance racks for a strapless black party dress. I finally found the thing at Goody's for $13. Killer deal, if you ask me. Anyway, I'm up there, in a brand new dress, showing off my back for the first time in months(I personally think my back is ridiculously beautiful, and the bad weather irritated me to no end), swaying my hips to the beat, and belting out one of the most seductive songs on our playlist. The audience went wild. Some sang along, others pulled out their lighters, and a couple of freshmen sat on the steps of the stage acting like my fanclub and yelling "WE LOVE YOU, JOSIE!!".
It was perfect. For one night, I felt like a world-class rockstar.
Of course, then there are my geek moments. To be honest, there really is no better feeling for me than when I'm fixing a computer malfunction for a friend. I'm usually in raggedy pajamas, my hair falling all over my face because I haven't brushed it in days, black sharpie on my nails from boredom, and a guitar pick in my mouth to cut down on the cursing(keeps me too busy chewing to cuss). I feel at home. It's like I'm Anjelina Jolie's character from Hackers(1995). When I was young, she was my geek hero, so the "pretty geek girl" is still really cool to me.
-------------------- "You owe me two lifetimes and a pair of perfect blue eyes." Posts: 406 | From: Georgia | Registered: Aug 2004
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I second the geek moments making me feel the sexiest and most free!
My best body image boosts are (Okay, I'll come clean) naked or towel-wrapped dances in front of the mirror after a shower. It's just so fun, carefree, and it feels so good that I don't care about any of my body's imperfections. I really am the sexiest, coolest person alive at those moments.
Next best thing? Times like now. Advising a friend how to remove a virus from her PC, compiling modem drivers on my Linux system. Playing GNOME Stones. Ahh, the nerds want me, but they can't have me.
Fabulous thread! It makes me feel great to read all of these.
Posts: 4631 | From: USA/Northern Europe | Registered: Oct 2005
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Taekwondo and track used to be my fixes, especially afterwards when the burn hit. I'd be in agony but still, the sense of achievement and the pleasant warm flush I'd get to my skin were just euphoric. Unfortunately I don't have the time for exercize that strenuous anymore.
I make do with quick walks but my other great image moment is waking up in the morning with my hair all rumpled. I like the messy look. Something about seeing my hair that mussed and wild. It's my one rather vain indulgence, but for lab safety I usually keep it tightly bound and pinned. Bed head is like a reminder that I might have to be a little restricted in daily life, but when the time's right, I can still fly free.
-------------------- What don't kill you is a learning experience. Posts: 65 | From: Caribbean | Registered: Sep 2004
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(and male sports too, miz scarlet ) and now that i think of it, helping people fix their pc's. suddenly, my computer knowledge goes from being nerdy to cool. interesting how that works..
Posts: 15 | From: Canada | Registered: Mar 2006
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Since everyone is mentioning it....add fixing PC's to mine too. I've been freelance computer repair for the last 5 years now. Successfully completing a programming job fits too I guess...though it takes all of my motivation to start. I feel like the master of the computer realm when everything is up and running though...and the computer obeys my every command. Posts: 96 | From: Illinois | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:(and male sports too, miz scarlet ) and now that i think of it, helping people
Male sports appear to be in no danger of continuing, being supported, nor have they ever, which is why I said women's sports. Sports for women as a whole has still only very recently even been accepted, and here in the states, the federal funding programs for women's sports/gym and sports scholarships are under a pretty big threat of being cut and/or removed.
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • S.E.X: Get my book! Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan Posts: 39748 | From: Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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I have my moments. Sometimes it's when I know I won't be seeing anyone outside of my family, and I decide to throw on all my wildest clothes and makeup. Often, though, it's when I'm wearing no makeup or fancy clothing at all.
Right after I've gone through two boards with a back-kick, for instance (experienced last Tuesday, with my boyfriend's patient coaching: the high I got afterwards had nothing to do with him, though I'm grateful that he didn't let me give up on myself; I was so glad I actually did it). I have a lot of Taekwondo moments (as my handle might suggest)--I've been doing martial arts for nearly seven years now, and I'm getting to the point where I'm actually quite good at it--and look good doing it!
Running, sometimes.
And the dirtier I get, often the more I like my body. Being covered in dust and mud from a proper days' work--that's the most worthwhile thing I've ever done, though so much it's just academics for me, which doesn't do much for the muddiness factor.
And any time I'm on stage. Put me in front of a couple hundred people and stick a microphone in my hand, give me a guitar or a role to play, and damn! do I kick ***.
I have a pretty positive body image in general, though. Sometimes I'll catch a glimpse of myself in a reflective surface (okay, a lot of the time I'm looking for it) and think, wow, I'm hot. It's a nice feeling. Lately I've fallen in love with my arms, which are FINALLY attaining muscle (my martial arts instructor, all unintentionally, made a comment about girls' inferior upper-body strength a few months ago. He meant no harm, but I'm incredibly stubborn, so I've been doing push-ups fanatically ever since).
Posts: 18 | From: New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2006
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For me, it's a day or two after I've run really hard and lifted weights. I feel my muscles tightening, and my legs feel so strong and dependable, I can feel myself held together perfectly. I get a little swagger and feel good about my sexy strength.
-------------------- I LOVE SCARLETEEN. This site is better than sliced bread! Posts: 83 | From: Northeast | Registered: Jul 2005
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Not trying to contradict anyone here, as I'm sure a lot of people have found sports to have had an enormously positive influence on their lives, but my experience of organised sports in my old school was very bad. Perhaps it's a combination of a tendency towards clumsiness on my part, the fact that my school sports kit consisted of a shirt and a pleated mini-skirt, and the fact that girls in my class would usually find some way to torment or humiliate me, but to this day I feel very uncomfortable engaging in anything strenuous or sportslike in front of other people. Is that a bad body-image thing? I guess so. Erm, sorry for going so off-the-point here, I just don't think that people should be forced to participate in sports when they don't want to, and organised sports in particular aren't a panacaea to the issue at hand.
Saying that, some of the best moments of feeling vital/alive that I can remember came after doing several sets of push-ups and stomach-crunches, ostensibly to keep myself awake. So physical activity is no bad thing.
Apologies again for my off-topic-ness...
Posts: 10 | From: England | Registered: Mar 2006
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-when I'm out of the shower/bath just like Lea. -when i'm just being lazy--no dress up, no make up, and just being me -when I have sex (just had to put that there!) -when driving, i get so powerful! -at work when i get compliments in how I look -when helping people with computer/internet stuff -of course after spending time at the gym -when I have my morning walks on the way to work, i feel so beautiful with the sun being up, and just feeling the breeze. -of course when i'm out at a club dancing, i feel i'm at my sexiest.
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(Zeqque, I know what you mean. In grade school I was terribly clumsy and gym was not a fun experience in the least. I think no matter what element you pick, be it physical appearance, physical activity, intellectual activity, etc. there are going to be some people who have had bad experiences and have negative self-image as a result. That's why I, personally, made the point once before that I worry these "listing specific stuff we like about ourself or others" type threads are not going to help everyone to feel good about themselves. I think comparisons are inevitable. I think it's most important just to be okay with who you are, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, b/c life would be boring if it were perfect, right? But this is just the mindset that seems to work for me...)
Posts: 193 | From: Massachusetts | Registered: Apr 2006
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(Hey folks? It's sooooooo easy to start a new thread on a new topic when one topic gives you an idea about something you've wanted to say or discuss.
So, why don't you do that, eh? Lately, we've just been having too many decent discussions derailed at the boards by people veering sideways. Please do try and keep on topic, and when someone veers off, if you want to continue a discussion with them, start a new thread. We got all the room in the world for y'all to do that. Thanks!)
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • S.E.X: Get my book! Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan Posts: 39748 | From: Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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Back UNTO topic, I'm fascinated by those of you who find something that is so NOT physcial, or about the body at all, like prigramming or computer repair, specifically helpful for BODY --rather than general self -- image.
If anyone wants to come back round and talk more about that, I'd be interested, because that's curious and interesting to me. It's not a scenario I'd ever have assumed would specifically benefit body image, and yet plenty of you are expressing that it does for you.
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • S.E.X: Get my book! Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan Posts: 39748 | From: Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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I wonder if it has to do with being pleased with succeeding at something your body normally doesn't do - I am the biggest klutz on the face of the earth, so when I put together a bookcase, or fix my computer, or adjust my glasses, I'm excited because normally, I'm much more adept at dropping, breaking or otherwise injuring whatever I'm trying to fix. I always get pleased when I accomplish something like that because it's not usually my best skill.
For my more physical side, I always love that moment when I'm working out where I just can't go on anymore... and then I get that little bit of extra wind that allows me to finish up my workout on a high note. I love that feeling!
Posts: 1679 | From: London, ON | Registered: Jan 2003
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I personally put programming/computer work as something that makes me feel sexy because-- well, it's hard to say. I suppose it's because it's something women aren't typically seen as capable of doing, as well as a chance to show off my smarts.
Really, any activity that allows me to show my intellect makes me feel sexy.. and when your mind feels sexy, who cares if your body has flaws!
Posts: 4631 | From: USA/Northern Europe | Registered: Oct 2005
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Really, any activity that allows me to show my intellect makes me feel sexy..
Ditto. When I feel smart, and like I have accomplished something, I automatically feel physically sexy, as well.
Like when I am making an important point during a discussion in class and I know all eyes are on me, or just during a discussion with friends, or walking out after an exam and knowing I just aced that thing.
I suppose part of it is because I exude confidence in those moments because I am so sure of myself mentally, and that confidence transfers to the rest of my, as well.
-------------------- -joey Scarleteen Volunteer
"The question is not who will let me, but who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand Posts: 4405 | From: Europe/IN | Registered: Sep 2005
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Call me crazy, but baking and cooking. My apron makes me feel good about myself, because I always feel very competant and in charge in the kitchen.
Also when I'm changing my menstrual cup and it's really full. First of all beecause it's pretty, second of all because whether I chose to do so or not, I am capable of being life support for a new human, just like my mother and my grandmother, and all the women before them. And, coolest of all, because there are stem cells in there that might someday prove medicinally useable. As long as I can still use my own cup, I would be SO willing to donate.
Also, of course, when there's a radio on and noone around (I sometimes get self-concious dancing in front of people) or when I don't have to get dressed right out of the shower. Hanging around in nothing but my body reminds me that my body is awsome.
Posts: 33 | From: California | Registered: Mar 2006
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Reading all of these makes me want to add to my original post.
I agree that I think it is wonderful how something not directed to body image at all can make you feel sexy and beautiful (like fixing computers or something of that sort)
I feel sexy when I am busy at work (Which, honestly guys, doesn't happen very often. Actually about twice a month! I'm an "accountant" or "office assistant" for a small department of the government with 6 employees including myself!) When I have reconciled accounts which takes me 3 hours to do, or entered and sorted bills or mail, or when I do payroll and timesheets once a month, or even when I am typing a memo or transfering money, I feel very sexy. I feel like I am the "stuff" (better choice of words ) when I hand my boss a completed assignment and I know I did an awesome job, and it makes me feel even more self confident and beautiful when he says, "Wow, great work, Lea! I knew I hired you for a reason!"
Also, in my down time at work (which, like I said before, happens A LOT) I crank the music (because I am alone in my office while the guys are out in the "field" inspecting, doing their thing) and I dance around. I sing, and since I like rock music, sometimes I bounce my head to the beat.
I think when no one is around and I can just "let go" I feel the sexiest.
Also, there's some kind of totally sexy vibe that my boyfriend gives off. Every where we go all the girls are staring at him. It makes me feel SUPER sexy when I have my arm around his or when he has his arm around my shoulder and mine around his waist, walking down the mall, everyone looking. I feel even sexier when he notices that people are staring and he gives me that smile and kisses my cheek or my hand.
(I'd also like to agree with Jules and say I feel totally beautiful and sexy during sex. I think most of us are that way, huh?)
-------------------- And I say thank you for the scars And the guilt and the pain Every tear I've never cried Has sealed your fate. Did you take me for a fool or were you just too blind to see that every effort made has failed and there is no destroying me? Atreyu Posts: 364 | From: West Virginia | Registered: Dec 2005
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Wow, I love reading the replies to this thread. I hope it keeps going.
To add my own...
When I'm up till 5am in the morning, writing like a madwoman. When inspiration hits me, and my insomnia gives it a boost up, I could be hunched over a keyboard, practically salivating on it, for hours and hours. I can literally feel myself "deteriorating" in a sense--hair frazzling, clothes smelling, eyes burning, etc. But it's so GOOD, like a super fierce jog, because once I'm in the "zone", my breath and my heartbeat and my entire biorhythm is just IN it and I can FEEL the art flowing through my system, flushing my cheeks and energizing every part of me. THAT makes me feel REALLY damn beautiful. And it doesn't even really have to be writing--it can be ANY sort of art that I lose myself in. Drawing a picture has to be the most exciting. I crawl around it, holding my breath as I perfect a line here or there, sticking pencils in my hair so that I know where they are, smearing charcoal and colors all over my hands, wiping the sweat off my face, not caring that I stain myself everywhere. When I'm done, I'm a sweating, panting creature with streaks of color from the entire rainbow splattered randomly over my face, hands, and clothes. I love it. I feel fierce. Like a lioness fresh off the hunt. =) It's good stuff.
Posts: 212 | From: Private | Registered: Feb 2006
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I have longish blond hair, and it covers my eyes. I am not sure how this works (it could be narrow slit difraction or it could be the light hair colour acting as a prism), but when I put my hair over my eyes and look towards the sun, small thin rainbow lines will appear on the inside of my hair, following single strands (and the rest of it will turn bright golden.) If you have long hair, I'd advise trying it at least: there is something to be said for waking up to a rainbow on every sunny morning.
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RedGoddess, I love how you describe your art creation process! I also love it when my hands are covered (for many days) with colorful ink from printing. Of course, the chemicals seeping into my skin during the time are another story...
I would say my best body image moment is when I play capoeira angola. (That's an Afro-Brazilian martial arts-dance for those who aren't famillar.) We are constantly in motion during training, pretty much hopping/kicking/cartwheeling/somersaulting while squatting... and singing. The mixture of moving, drumming and singing gives me a great sense of equilibrium. I have good days and bad days, but overall the little steps of progress are extremely satisfying.
-------------------- ~Lena Posts: 2548 | From: USA | Registered: Jun 2003
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Best body image moment..well, there's this herd of rescue horses turned out in a huge field near my house. My best body image moment was when I finally got them to trust me to walk amongst them. Wandering amongst a group of near-wild horses and feeling totally accepted by them, because they dont care how I look and they let me pat them and check thier hooves (thankfully thier owner doesnt mind). It sounds insane that this is a favourite, as I was in a field treadin in horse poo and got knows what and stank of horse when I got back home..there's just a poetry about the way they all move together because that's how they feel safest. All of my best poems and essays and things i think i've ever written, were written sitting in that field.
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The time when I feel best about my physical image is when I am taking a shower in the dark. That might sound kind of anti-good body image and freaky... but for me, I really enjoy my long, hot showers in the dark. I have a thick black shower curtain, and so when I close the door and turn off the light, it feels like my own little escape. At first everything is pitch black, but after awhile my eyes start adjusting and sometimes I am mesmorized by the shape of my body, as I wash my feet or whatever, and I'll sit in the tub and watch the water fall onto my body and feel warm and beautiful.
Even recently, being pregnant and NOT enjoying it, I have to admit there is a certain fullness and healthiness-feeling from my round tummy and (GIGANTIC) breasts.
-------------------- The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you. - B.B. King Posts: 701 | From: WA | Registered: Apr 2006
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definitely something i enjoy is being asked about something because 'HEY IT'S HER! she'll know, she knows everything!'.. it's nice to have the guys come dashing up a minute before class, finishing their homework and asking me about it..
on the sports front: when i'm riding and truly get that harmonic connection and partnership with my horse where i can just think about doing something and my horse does it flawlessly- *that* is amazing.. feel like you could jump the moon.
now i must admit- seeing me in the mirror with my hair piled up on my head, in something sexy and my favorite black kitten heels- i have to wink at myself just to finish the look..
now, girls, repeat after me: looks are not everything! being SMART and SELF CONFIDENT is the SEXIEST THING EVER. and i have that straight from several guy friends, by the way.
Posts: 86 | From: southern CA | Registered: Dec 2005
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Everyday when I get out of the shower I lather lotion all over my body and give myself a mini massage. It really makes me feel beautiful. In fact its probably a little masturbatory The point is that I look at my body, run my hands over it and I can't help but think that it is a beautiful, functioning living thing and I should take the time to treat it better because I am just so grateful to have it!
-------------------- "too often, I have been the Lover cursed to Love the F***** and f*** the lover over " Raquel Ramirez, The women I have been Posts: 17 | From: Ohio | Registered: Mar 2006
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Well i love it when i am swimming because if i could swim all the time that is what i would do. I love swimming because all you have to do is swim and have fun and you don't notice your body cause your underwater and you feel weightless and it just makes you feel like you don't have t impreass anyone you just have to have fun and be yourself.
i also like it when i am riding my bike because you have to concentrate on the road or on the trail and you don't sit there and think about your body image.
But the best moment in my life for body image was when i was told at the end of last year by a grade 11 that i was the cutest boy in the school and that is a big thing for me because i think i am ugly and short. and i wasn't doing anything but sitting on a bench waiting for my mom to pick me up cause i finished exams. She is also the first person who ever kissed me. And i think she is the prettiest girl ever.
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i feel the most sexy when i'm writing poetry or short stories, when i'm in a heated intellectual debate, and when i'm giving a--confident--A+ presentation. i also love it when i'm dancing at home in front of the mirror^^
Posts: 1 | From: Thailand | Registered: May 2006
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I dance in front of the mirror too!! I probably spend over an hour a day just dancing. That's why my feet have calluses all over them, but they keep them from hurting after dancing barefoot on hardwood floors.
Also... masturbating? I don't think anyone's said it... but you really can't get off when you're thinking about the cellulite on your thighs or anything. It's the ultimate form of self-love, IMO.
Posts: 129 | From: Mid-Atlantic US | Registered: Feb 2006
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I feel great about myself the day/days after I do some type of physical activity that leaves my body feeling sore. Not an extremely painful soreness, but the kind that makes me feel like I'm doing something good for my body.
I also love the feeling of my boobs feeling bigger before my period. It's not about whether or not other people notice... I don't think it's a big enough difference for anyone else to notice. But the physical feeling of not quite fitting into my bra really offsets the bloat-y feelings and cramps that come along with my period. I feel so womanly.
There are more but.. I'm too lazy to think of them right now.
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-After a close match at a debate tournament. -While/after taking a test I know I'm totally going to nail. -Right after exercising. Which rarely happens since I'm too lazy to exercise all that much haha! -Rumored...I feel the same way about baking! Especially if people tell me they really like what I made.
Posts: 11 | From: here | Registered: May 2006
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I can be perfectly honest when I say this: I have rarely had a moment where I did NOT have a good body image. I don't know what sets me apart from other girls but I have just always known that I had a nice body. Maybe I wouldn't feel the same way if I was bigger seeing as I'm thin, though not anorexically thin. But I have stretch marks on my boobs and my thighs and I have cellulite on my butt. It's just never bothered me at all. I consider myself very lucky.
Posts: 32 | From: manhattan beach, ca | Registered: May 2006
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I feel beautiful when I have art supplies covering my fingers and smudged on my nose, when I am covered in sweat and distributing goods to hurricane victims in New Orleans, when the victims come up to me and say "god bless you" and "I just don't know what I would do without you" with tears in their eyes, when I get the right answer on an obscure question in Trivial Pursuit, when I prove my point in a political debate, when I wear a dress that swishes just right as I dance to imaginary music, when I am asked for an answer because I "know everything", when I prove the teacher wrong, when I walk into my psychiatrist's office for the first time wearing a crown and radish earrings, when I blow new acquaintances minds because they can't believe I'm really that young, when I put on a killer outfit just to hang around the house in, when I dance naked to bubbly music late at night all by myself, and on days when I just feel special.
Posts: 1 | From: Massachusetts | Registered: May 2006
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Catching waves on my longboard in my little white bikini. SO hot!
Hanging out with the guys. There's something about being completely unfeminine, completely un-worried about how I look, and completely able to relate to a bunch of guys in a testosterone-cluster that makes me feel really sexy.
When I do something bold like wear bright red lipstick or my bright traffic-cone-orange handbag.
Fertilizing or repotting my orchids.
Gotta agree with summergoddess on sex Especially when I'm on top! *Giggles*
Finding a great deal on something at a garage sale. Resourcefulness= sexiness.
Nailing a tough parallel parking spot in my signature TWO strokes!
***I think it's really interesting, just as a sidenote, that a lot of us feel really sexy or have great body image moments while doing things that are "usually" associated with guys. Like manual labor, and contact sports. AWESOME! Maybe it's feminism coming out in all of us that we may (or may not) know we had in there?
-------------------- "Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best." -Woody Allen Posts: 229 | From: California, USA | Registered: Feb 2006
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the times when i see myself as being good looking is when i wake up in the morning and i look all muscular and stuff. I find myself to look allot better looking in the morning i dont know what it is but its awesome
Posts: 20 | From: Winnemucca | Registered: Mar 2006
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i know ballet has a bad reputation in terms of body image issues, but i never feel better about myself than when i'm at the barre, even though i'm probably a good 6 or 7 inches shorter and yet about the same weight as a real live ballerina dancing in general, come to think of it, makes me aware of the awesome stuff my body can do. it's a very happy thing for me.
Posts: 17 | From: USA | Registered: Aug 2005
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Another ballet dancer weighing in on that - doing just simple plies at the barre makes me feel like I can do anything, there's something about such a simple movement that makes me feel really strong and totally happy in my body. Alternatively, a big powerful combination in the center, with lots of jumps and turns, feels fantastic; I don't even care what I look like for those few seconds, it just feels so powerful.
Another great body-image moment for me is studying for an exam, especially during finals when I cram in several hours of studying every day. Pencils shoved in my hair to hold it up, glasses slipping down my nose, wearing ratty old stripy socks and mismatched clothes and sitting all folded up in some weird way on my chair. It just feels like I'm totally at home in my body.
-------------------- "Every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man." ~Margaret Mead Posts: 2277 | From: Townsville, QLD, Australia | Registered: Sep 2004
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karybu- i don't know how the centre slipped my mind during that post...a big, resounding YES to pirouettes, leaps, and all the rest.
Posts: 17 | From: USA | Registered: Aug 2005
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Here's an extra thing to think about to toss in here:
Is body image, for you, all about being/feeling sexy? Somewhat about being/feeling sexy? Not at all?
One thing I find very interesting for myself as I grow older is that it becomes less and less so. Some of that, no doubt, is just becoming more aware as the years have passed as to how "sexy" rips me off in the world as a women, and how it doesn't necessarily benefit moe. Some of that, no doubt, has todo with working in arenas where it's ever made clear to be that it's such an arbitrary thing, that there literally is are scores of people out there who will find something sexy in every shape, size and thing you can imagine.
But a big part of it -- and it's been really freeing for me -- is simple aging. In so many ways, what is considered to be "sexy" in a very broad, cultural way is so tied up in youth that the older you get, the more you're exempted from some of that, which perhaps sounds awful -- and some people experience it as feeling awful, thus the tummy tucks, facelifts, botoxing-to-death of the world in response -- but personaly, I haven't experienced it as being awful in any way at all. It's been really quite NICE, which would have surprised me 20 years ago.
I find that the older I get, the more my body image is about the function, use and visceral feel of being in my own skin. Which has really been pretty darn cool.
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • S.E.X: Get my book! Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan Posts: 39748 | From: Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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Ahh, ballet! ('nother dancer here) It's really too bad that it has such an association with bad body image, eating disorders etc... I was part of a professional school (RWB) for a while and certainly experienced that kind of opression. However, no matter what my teachers might think, for me it isn't about how I look when I'm dancing, it's about how it feels to just nail the tripple pirouette, or the sixteen fouettes, or the balance in arabesque. You just feel like you are glowing. Unfortunately I have had some bad experiences involving dance (got kicked out of said school for aesthetic issues involving turnout... hehe) but it still feels really great when I can forget about all of that, and I realize that all of my hard work has payed off. There's something to be said for a really slow adage on a flexible day when your legs are up to your ears, too! Go dance!
Posts: 27 | From: Canada | Registered: Apr 2006
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To answer the new addendum...body image to me has nothing to do with feeling "sexy" at all. Its about feeling healthy and in touch with my body. After hiking for miles, I'm sweaty with hair flying everywhere, and depending on the weather caked in mud. And to be honest, I really don't care. I'm happy to be out in nature. I feel great about myself that I'm able to hike for 15 miles in hard terrain with exercise induced asthma and asthma emulating allergies. I love the feeling in my lungs taking in the fresh air of the country, and the feeling of the sun pounding on my spf 45 sunblock slathered skin. Positive body image for me is more about what my body is capable of, what my body can do...not about feeling sexy in any way.
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I feel best when I'm reading great poetry, and people are really into it. Also, when I pamper myself and take a long time dancing in the mirror just smiling and complimenting myself. I might start out thinking I look like crap, but if I REALLY try, I can usually make myself feel good. I just need lots of time and lots of special pampering for myself.
Also, I'm HORRIBLE at sports. Really, I am, so when I’m playing a sport and I'm doing well, I feel SO sexy. Volleyball is the most recent success story for me. I can play that fairly well. I play with all boys too, so its very empowering to have the guys saying 'Here comes the dominance!' when you go to serve, and knowing inside that you ARE doing great. The compliments don't work unless you feel it inside already
-------------------- ~Mary
“People out there must be told about the self-loathing that follows rape and how it's the greatest breakage in divine law to mutilate themselves, as I have done.”Tori Amos Posts: 40 | From: Virginia | Registered: May 2006
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Many of you said you feel best when hiking... I'm a backpacker, but for some reason I don't have the best body image when I'm backpacking. Hiking and working out is a wonderful feeling, and I loveeee being out in nature for days, but it doesn't do anything for my image.
My most relaxing place is in the shower because it's really the only place I'm totally alone to think.
I think I have the best body image when I play in band. I know it's pretty random, but the pep band at my college is very small and I'm so comfortable around all the people that I don't care how I look. I love playing my instrument, it's so relaxing and fun. I think it's one of the few times during the week where I don't have to be self conscious.
Edit: I also do a lot of tie dying, and it makes me feel awesome when people like my stuff.
-------------------- "We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down." -Kurt Vonnegut Posts: 15 | From: USA | Registered: May 2006
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Ooooh. I play lacrosse and that's when I feel the best. I'm a bit good at it, so I'm confident and when I walk up to the center line, getting ready to position myself for the draw (the draw is when the two opposing centers put the sticks together and, at whistle, fling the stick up and try to get the ball). I swing my lacrosse stick on my shoulder and I walk confidently to the center line, screaming words of encouragement to my team mates.
Oh man, I've never thought of this! My friend who was keeping the score board during my last game said it was so cool to watch me. He said "You looked like you were flowing, weaving in and out." Oh man did THAT feel GOOD!
When I play I can dodge people, I can twirl...It just feels so good to be in control! I also love it when I'm walking home or walking through school with my lacrosse stick in my hand and my adidas sports bag on my shoulder, wearing flip flops, jeans and a t-shirt. That's when I feel, not the sexiest, which is surprising because I would think I feel the best when I feel sexy, but I feel the most proud and cool. Oh I LOVE lacrosse!
Posts: 23 | From: USA | Registered: May 2006
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I am so fascinated how I brought up this point in my previous entry (last paragraph) without reading Miz Scarlet's post about body image and sexiness:
"That's when I feel, not the sexiest, which is surprising because I would think I feel the best when I feel sexy, but I feel the most proud and cool."
I think it has to do with when you feel the most confident. If that's when someone feels sexy, then that's it. But for me, I guess it's when I'm walking with a lacrosse stick in my hand, flip flops on my feet, and an adidas string knapsack on my shoulder - I think it's because I'm most confident with my lacrosse abilities.
How we view our bodies has to do with how comfortable we are within our skin. I realize that my percetion of my body is somewhat negative and, according to my boyfriend, distorted. (I can blame the media and my lack of confidence in my physical features). But I try to see the positives, as hard as that may be for me.
But it's when I'm playing lacrosse, or doing something confidently, that I don't worry about anything but what I'm doing. I'm rejuvinated, walking with a skip in my step, feeling proud and confident.
Our body image, to me, is how confident and comfortable we are at specific moments in time. It depends on what we consider beautiful, and that may change constantly (just like fashion). But it goes back to our own instinctive level of comfort and beauty, what we truly believe is just AWESOME. And that, as I state proudly and confidetely again, is when I'm playing lacrosse.
Posts: 23 | From: USA | Registered: May 2006
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my body image is about the function, use and visceral feel of being in my own skin
as opposed to equating "sexy" with body image.
I agree with the former. I seldom think of myself as "sexy" (that is, sexually attractive). It's not a useful concept for me, as far as I'm concerned. Instead, I think of myself as physically attractive in terms of my obvious health and fitness level.
Hallie's got a good point - it's interesting that a lot of these posts associate good body image with "masculine activity." I think that's definitely a positive response to feminist growth - we're drawing on experiences that don't pigeonhole us in traditional roles.
My best body image mooments are when horseback riding, lifting, and sometimes when I'm dressed nicely and can see that my body looks fit and proportionate in a close-fitting dress. Or when I wake up and wash my face and see myself in the mirror.
I've felt toughest when road marching in driving cold rain without any rain gear... and a lot of the male soldiers around me were complaning about the rain WHILE wearing rain gear.
Posts: 455 | From: New York, NY | Registered: Apr 2005
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I run cross country and play soccer, and after a 5 mile run or so, with (literally) my whole body drenched in sweat - (when I'm "glistening" as my fellow runners & I like to call it), when the muscles in my legs are on fire, and I can feel my lungs being filled... I'm my favorite person when I'm wearing my cleats- I feel like I can do anything. I could care less what the crowd thinks I look like- they're there to watch me play, not judge how many split ends I have or how much my clothes cost, etc.
Inspiring question, Miz Scarlet
Posts: 7 | From: strawberry fields forever | Registered: Jun 2006
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My best self-image moments are probably when I'm dancing. I love to dance, not even in a class, lol, but on my own, and I can hold my own against some trained dancers. \m/ I just love the way it allows me to move, channeling the music through myself, it just makes me happy and at peace with my body. Of course, the endorphins don't suck either.
Posts: 8 | From: Massachusetts | Registered: Jun 2006
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I totally agree with Aranel, elliebean and karybu, ballet dancing is one of the best things for a good body image. When I am dancing is one of the only times I like my body and how I look. My dance school recently closed, so now I just tend to dance around my living room. But the feeling of being graceful, elegant and powerful whilst you are pirouetting around a room is great. It is one of the best image boosts you can get. It makes you feel fabulous!
Posts: 1 | From: Bedford | Registered: Jun 2006
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I heart this thread. And I love reading these, I just gotta say.
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • S.E.X: Get my book! Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan Posts: 39748 | From: Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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my personal, best feeling, is when i wake up in the morning. cause im not a morning person, and i cant see well from far away, and i sleep in the nude, i look into the mirror, while im still lyin down, with my comforter still draped around me, and i see my back. i love my back, and i love to move, and watch the well defined muscles moving.
its just... i dunno... the greatest feeling, apart from dancing at school dances, and having some random guy want to dance with me cause im sexy. i dont need them to tell me, because i know i am, but i do love it when im not known as the "freaky smart girl" and people think i am pretty, and tell me, when not trying to get me to do their hmwk.
one other thing i love to do is sing, because i can feel myself be alive. i can feel the music coming out of me, and know that i sound good. i can feel my diaphram moving up, and my stomach moving out, taking in breaths, feeling the air which keeps us alive moving through my body.
alrgiht... last one, and a short one. when im meditating. because then i am just me. and my thoughts are my own. and i feel intouch w/everyone and everything.
-------------------- "Im not the next of them, I am the first of me..." -First of Me, Hoobastank Posts: 24 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jun 2006
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Do you ever have one of those days when you just feel pretty? I woke up today, had no horendous zits that weren't there the night before, and the one I did have is nearly gone now, and decided to smile before I pulled the covers off my head. It was one of those days when you wake up a few minutes before your alarm goes off, and you're actually HAPPY, because you're awake, not still sleepy, and you didn't get woken up by a very rude beeeeep.
I didn't shave my legs, or my armpits (a usual thing for me sunday mornings... I take a bath and shave. I feel girly and refreshed for the week) because I lost my razor last week in the post-moving chaos of college. I'm starting to embrace my armpit hair, but not enough to keep it around once I get through the piles of belongings in my room. But it was nice to do something different.
And then, I got out of the shower, put on one of my favorite "cute" outfits, and then decided it was more of a t-shirt day. I LOVE tees. It's kinda a problem, and my mom laughs at me for it (mostly because we own a few too many of the same tees... not on purpose, it's kinda creepy but fun). Anyways, I put on a green one. Green is my fave color to wear because it makes my eyes look a bit more green, not that I don't love the blue.
And it was a day for pigtails. I love pigtails. They just make me smile every time I shake my head and they hit my face.
And to make it even better, I was talking to Andrew a couple hours ago (he's at his parents' this week), and he asked me if I would wear the same green shirt I'm wearing - because they bring out my eyes, and put my hair in pigtails - because they make me look happier and cute, this weekend when I see him. Talk about feeling pretty and being called pretty over the phone.
And I love my body. When I'm doing anything and everything. Sometimes I feel like people must think I'm crazy for loving my red hair and freckles, but they make me ME! And I love it. I love being me. I'm so thankful for a *mostly* healthy, functioning, amazing body!
quote:Originally posted by kathe: I feel beautiful when I have art supplies covering my fingers and smudged on my nose, when I am covered in sweat and distributing goods to hurricane victims in New Orleans, when the victims come up to me and say "god bless you" and "I just don't know what I would do without you" with tears in their eyes, when I get the right answer on an obscure question in Trivial Pursuit, when I prove my point in a political debate, when I wear a dress that swishes just right as I dance to imaginary music, when I am asked for an answer because I "know everything", when I prove the teacher wrong, when I walk into my psychiatrist's office for the first time wearing a crown and radish earrings, when I blow new acquaintances minds because they can't believe I'm really that young, when I put on a killer outfit just to hang around the house in, when I dance naked to bubbly music late at night all by myself, and on days when I just feel special.
I know exactly what you mean! Heehee, you sound like a fun person.
-------------------- Life isn't meant to be easy; it's meant to be worth it. Posts: 7 | From: California | Registered: Jun 2006
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When I'm dancing around my house, running around like a complete goofy fool, I feel so silly and gleeful and graceful . And my dad smiles at me and tells me he loves watching me dance because I look so happy.
Sometimes when I come out of the shower, I look at myself in the mirror and wrap the towel around myself as if I'm a marble statue from the Renaissance. I don't have a perfect body; I have acne on my face and back and a little cellulite on my white bum (think the Coppertone Girl white), but I drape the towel around myself and turn to look in the mirror, and I feel beautiful.
When I'm in the car, singing loudly to myself and just feeling in the groove.
-------------------- Life isn't meant to be easy; it's meant to be worth it. Posts: 7 | From: California | Registered: Jun 2006
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Hmmm. For me, body image is occasionally about being sexy, but mostly it's about being alive. I have great moments... -when I'm driving and one of my favorite songs come on, and I roll the windows down, hit the accelerator a little harder, and belt it out like there's no tomorrow -when I've been working in my tiny herb garden and I smell like thyme and rosemary and basil and fresh earth -after I watch or participate in a great musical/play/concert/etc. -when I wear my mid-length skirts and walk down stairs, they billow out in front of me (a bit of fun: wearing my new black tiered skirt last week, I rather giddly told my friend that I looked like "a floaty wave of death" going down her stairs... )
Most of all, though, is being out for the birth and life of a storm, being whipped by wind and dancing in the torrents of rain... I feel like I'm part of that awesome power, and I'm radiating energy... so amazing.
-------------------- "Cut her down." "She is a witch!" "But she's our witch. Cut her down." Posts: 167 | From: Indiana, USA | Registered: Jun 2006
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(Okay, save that the topic wasn't self-image, it was expressly about BODY image: which also is not just about beauty, either. Enjoying being in our own skin, physical purusits or the matter doesn't mean no one is dismissing their brains or their smarts, or that enjoying being in one's own skin is about having "nice legs." I don't see a need to derail threads that are of value to others, okay? I think we have a few here about goals and achievements that ARE expressly intellectual and not physical, so if those are the issues you want to address, by all means, find those threads and add in.)
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • S.E.X: Get my book! Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility. - Robin Morgan Posts: 39748 | From: Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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I'm kinda glad this thread got bumped - I hadn't seen it before and it's really, really inspiring. If I may add to it?
My best body-image moments: - Catching an unexpected glimpse of myself in a mirror and noticing that I'm actually kind of pretty. - Swing dancing! Swing dancing, five million times over. I feel ridiculously sexy when I'm dancing. Especially when I do aerials (when the guy tosses the girl in the air or lifts her up), because it makes me feel really light, and honestly? Flying through the air or being hoisted off my feet is a spectacular feeling. - Working out. I've become newly committed to it and the feeling I get after working up a great sweat and lifting weights for a bit is terrific. Hooray endorphins! - Actually, not just swing dancing. Dancing in any form! Silly dancing, spinning, attempting to waltz and failing miserably, grinding occasionally, just all kinds of dancing make me feel amazing about myself.
-------------------- So if you care to find me Look to the western sky As someone told me lately Everyone deserves the chance to fly Posts: 365 | From: DC | Registered: Aug 2006
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best body image moments, in order from most frequently occurring to a one-time thing --
4. finishing an exam/passing in a paper (props to my brain and my tired, tired fingers)
3. laughing like crazy with my friends
2. cuddling on a couch, by myself or with someone else, but DEFINITELY wearing comfy socks
1. my all-time best body image moment occurred at the top of Half Dome in Yosemite. When I went to Yosemite with my friends, they failed to mention that we would be climbing 18 miles in a day. It turned out to be an incredible experience though, and a beautiful day. When I hauled myself up those last few vertical steps...happiness ensued.
Funny--on the weekends I get dressed up to go out with friends, but the moments when I'm in party gear don't even come close to my four best. I can only conclude that my best body image moments come not when I try to measure up to societal standards of sex appeal (ie wearing eyeliner and low-cut dresses), but when I feel, like a lot of the rest of you, completely comfortable in my own skin. That comfortable feeling is my preferred brand of of sexy though, because it usually results from the things I mentioned--a good laugh or cuddle, a feeling of accomplishment, or a fantastic workout (sexual or otherwise). Feeling well rested definitely helps too.
Plus, eyeliner irritates my contact lenses and low-cut dresses leave way too much skin exposed--I get coooold. Guess non-conformist sexy is the only way for me.
Posts: 87 | From: bay area & new england | Registered: Apr 2001
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When I don't have my contacts in and can't see my reflection... hahahaha
Posts: 18 | From: kazakhstan....ok not really. | Registered: Sep 2006
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I had a great moment at the gym today where I was totally reveling in making my body work, smiling at the guys and gals I was swapping machines with, joking around with my family that I didn't even notice or care I hadn't shaved my pits in over a week and was sporting some pretty bodacious hair for all the world to see. When I finally did remember, I laughed and told my mom because we both agreed that my confidence was so high from my workout, no one had even noticed. It was AWESOME.
-------------------- Unlucky at cards; lucky at love. Posts: 1679 | From: London, ON | Registered: Jan 2003
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-------------------- "Cut her down." "She is a witch!" "But she's our witch. Cut her down." Posts: 167 | From: Indiana, USA | Registered: Jun 2006
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Oh, I've got another one too!! - Rock climbing! Just started up again, and when you finish a route without cheating or falling, it's such a great feeling. And when your body starts getting exhausted, and you can't even haul your butt up an easy route you know you should be able to do, that's when you know you've gotten in a fantastic workout. Plus, when I'm climbing and there's a hard move, I tend to be a screamer: I just let out these grunts/yells/growls/whatever you want to call them, from deep down inside, as I go for the next handhold. It makes me feel like my body is so powerful.
-------------------- So if you care to find me Look to the western sky As someone told me lately Everyone deserves the chance to fly Posts: 365 | From: DC | Registered: Aug 2006
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