Friday, July 22, 2016

I Solemnly Swear...

“To me, beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It’s about knowing and accepting who you are.” – Ellen Degeneres

I chose to have children. I consider this both an honor and a heavy responsibility. They will look to me for action. They will look to me for reaction. They will look to me as a reflection of how to view themselves. I have a choice here. I can show them a woman consumed by flaws and dissatisfaction, a woman who will only be happy in some ephemeral “someday” of a future when things about her are different, or I can show them a woman who embraces the being she is, flaws and all. I choose to be flawsome.

Beauty exists in so many more forms than a single image that is edited and printed on a glossy page. In our social world of filters and photoshop, being “real” is hard. But beauty is in the reality. It’s in those serene black-and-white, no make-up moments. It’s candid. It’s laugh lines and grey hair. Beauty is scars and bald and out there for all the world to see. Because beauty is real.

And beauty isn’t any particular size or color. Skinny is beautiful. Fat is beautiful. In the middle is beautiful. Black is beautiful. White is beautiful. Brown is beautiful. In the middle is beautiful. Because beauty is real.

And as long as we’re willing to be real about who we are, as long as we’re willing to embrace who we are, our beauty – not the makeup we’ve piled on, not the labels we insist on buying, but our real beauty – will be seen.

To my children, I make this vow so that you will never doubt how wonderful you are. How strong you are. How capable. On those days where no beauty can be found around you, may you find it in yourselves. So to my children, I make this vow.

I will never complain that my arms are saggy and be afraid to wear sleeveless shirts.
I will never complain that an outfit makes me look fat. I will use better words, like “it doesn’t fit properly.”
I will never become so dedicated to a size that I refuse to buy what fits me the best.
I will never complain that my legs are too pale, too stumpy, or too ...whatever... to wear shorts.
I will never be afraid to wear my swimsuit.
I will not complain about how “bad” my body looks.
I will not point out my flaws when I look in a mirror.
I will never teach you to hate your own body.

This I solemnly swear,
As a mother
As a woman
As a warrior in the crusade for body positivity