Body Image

Have you ever thought about your body from the point of view of your skin?

This week we (ahem) take a second to reflect on the myriad of ways that you can practice self-care, and review how important it is, especially for marginalized folks, to love and protect ourselves fiercely in a world that does not often leave room for either.

This week focuses on Sonya Renee and the folks over at The Body is Not An Apology, a resource devoted to the idea that no one should have to feel ashamed about their body. There are quite a few articles, workshops, and user submissions across a broad range of experiences, with a focus on the intersectional nature of identity and the belief that the personal is political.

The crappy thing about ideal body types is that they are designed to be unreachable by 99.9% of the population: they’re unrealistic. They’re about satisfying one’s conception of what is perfect; that’s the very definition of ideal. Unfortunately, some ideals are also really common, especially once…

You’re asking a common question Arty. I want to turn that question around a little. What difference would it make if this was baby fat? Your answer can tell you a lot about the messages about bodies, beauty, and worth you’ve internalized over the years. Everyone’s answer will be different, and I can…

First things first - it sounds like your family needs to step back and let you make your own choices here, without adding their own commentary or judgment. They may be coming from a place of concern, but it’s misguided and hurtful, and whether they wind up being right about this or not, it’s still…

soclara continues Because I lost all this weight without any form of exercise outside of basic walking when necessary or working, my body is legitimately disgusting. It’s flabby, loose, my breasts are like half empty sacks, my thighs are humongous blobs of fat and cellulite (not exaggerating, not…

Some thoughts and tips on navigating sexuality as a fat teen, and dealing with sizeism and fatphobia.

I hid my fears and insecurities by desexualizing myself. Now I’m on the path of uncovering ways to unlearn ugliness as an identity.

Sexual shame hinders women in far too many ways. It’s a difficult beast to tackle, as it assumes so many nuanced, subtle forms in our daily lives. To be sure, some forms of sexual shame are blatant, but many of them are so deeply engrained that we scarcely even notice them. By making ourselves aware of the different ways we’re made to feel ashamed, however, we can begin to overcome them.