Body Positive!!!

Hey Everyone,

I want to start by saying that this post is not only for the fat, curvy, chubby (or however you want to define yourself) women (or men) out there - it is for everyone. I have yet to meet a person who doesn't have some issue with their perception of themselves or their body. This is one of the most all-encompassing problems women face today. When looking in the mirror, I tend to scrutinize every aspect of my appearance, even down to the microcosmic "problems" like visible pores on my nose, and I know there are a lot of you out there who do the same.

I'm sure some of you are wondering, if she scrutinizes herself this closely, how is she able to proudly post pictures of herself and her style for all the world to see? It comes down to one very simple factor - self affirmation. I cannot change the fact that negative thoughts about my body and myself will surface, but I can change what I do about those thoughts. Usually a trip to the mirror involves this thought process:

Negative Karen: Ugh, my butt is so big, I look like a stuffed sausage in this dress.

Self Affirming Karen: No, I can't think like that. I love my self and my body and appreciate all of the wonderful things that my body does for me. I do not exist solely as an aesthetic object, and my body's worth is not determined solely by my own negative perceptions of its appearance. There is no such thing as perfect, and my perception of beauty is determined by my position in a society that values unattainable or unrealistic aesthetic ideals. These values change and shift over time, which tells me that they are subjective and that I should not place so much credence in them. I am beautiful. I am smart. This looks good on me. I will wear it proudly and be happy. I will post it on the internet so other women will see it and know they can be happy too.

A long thought process? Maybe. But it's worth it. This thought process makes me happy and crazy confident. I acknowledge what I (perhaps inherently) view as my flaws, and I address them. Every time I have a negative thought about my body or my self, I self-correct, telling myself that others do not view the object of my insecurities as a big a problem as I do, and that I am my own harshest critic. The power of positive thought is astounding. There's a quote that I love that goes something like this: "whether you think you can or can't, you're right." It's natural to have negative thoughts about yourself, but once you catch yourself thinking in this way, stop, and challenge your negative thoughts. Maybe think about something that you really love about yourself...

I value each and every day in my body. Think of all the wonderful things your body can do for you - sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. The body even has the power to create another human life! Think of all these amazing things that your body is capable of the next time you have a negative thought about it. Self-esteem does not come naturally. It's a choice that we all have to make every time we look in the mirror. What way will I think of myself? Will I confront the negative thoughts that always seem to surface? I have answered yes to this question and I have finally learned to love myself. It takes some courage to make this leap into self-love, but once you do it, you will finally be at peace with your body (and shouldn't you be at peace with it? You only get one!).Think kindly about yourself. Don't say anything about yourself that you wouldn't say about your best friend. Before I learned to love myself, I used to think things about myself that I wouldn't say about my worst enemy. We all internalize negative perceptions of ourselves, but it is what we do about those internalized perceptions that defines how we carry on. Do you want to always be at odds with your body? It's really the only thing we can actually and permanently own in our lives. Make peace with it and your entire existence will be happier and more beautiful - I promise.

Centre and ground yourself with self-affirmation. Tell yourself that you look beautiful (because you do). Be at peace with yourself. Be happy that you are who you are. Love yourself. You will be happy that you did.