You are worthy of love.
As women we are not made to fit in your boxes.
Too fat. Too thin. Too curvy.
My ex used to tell me I should wear jeans more often.
So that I'd look more like a model…
So that I'd look (even) thinner…
“Your skirts make you look bigger than you are…”
“I’m just complimenting you on your figure, I’m not insulting you…”
What I heard was…
Fit in my box and you will receive love.
Look the way I want you to, and then you’ll be worthy.
I internalized all of that.
I know that a lot of women (and all genders) struggle with this and I truly have so much compassion for each of us.
The paths we walk and the challenges we each face with our body image all run deep, and are all built upon our conditioning and our past experiences.
We are told again and again that we need to be “fixed”.
I am aware that my body is the epitome of male beauty standards. I’m naturally thin, fit, and I’ve never once worried about my weight. And yet, I still didn’t fit into a man’s box. I nearly ruined my own life to leave him.
So…
You know what I say to that now that I’ve left?
F*ck your box that kept me feeling small.
We are more expansively, uniquely beautiful than any man-made box could handle.
We are made of miracles, art forms that weave worlds.
My body is worthy of love. And so is your’s.
You don’t need to be fixed, because you were never broken.
Keep loving you,
Kelsey