Pushing Thirtyy & Beyond…

Real Women Have Curves (Or a Lil Somethin’ Somethin’)

I'm sorry ladies, but you don't really look like this

It’s nothing new that women are obsessed with their body image.  Most of the conversation centers around whose fault it is and what the side effects are, never really reaching any kind of conclusion.  Whatever the case, whatever the elements are that make this the case, one thing is clear — most people’s perception of self is completely distorted, so it doesn’t really matter what you actually look like.  It’s more about how you carry yourself.

I was a skinny kid, always at the average height, really average overall, except for my butt, which has been slightly larger than average for as long as I can remember.  The beauty of having this “abnormal” asset (haha), is that it isn’t in front of your face all the time.  Sure, it’s on display for others to judge, but one’s hardest judge is often him or herself.

I developed at average speed, so other than feeling like I was too small in the bust area for a while (and occasionally now) I was never overly insecure.  At some point, everyone else started getting taller and I stayed the same height.  I didn’t think anything of it.  I have never carried myself as a short person and therefore am not often referred to as the short girl.

But somewhere along the line, I stopped being skinny.  I never became overweight really, I just became super curvy.  My butt remained larger than usual, and I got hips and thighs to back it up.  I basically became a woman.

But when people started saying things like “She’s got some meat on her bones,” or “You’re just thick,”  I was taken back.  In my mind, I was still that average skinny little girl, and I still carried myself as if I was average.    So of course, I became self-conscientious.  Who wouldn’t?  People were seeing me differently than I saw myself.  I began to wonder, “where can I lose weight?” as I looked in the mirror.  Okay, a pound or two here, a pound or two there, but how am I going to look like those skinny girls?

Those skinny girls, you know, the small group of people that seem to duplicate and surround you every time you feel a little bad about yourself?  Yea, those girls.

The truth is, I will never be one of those skinny girls, no matter what I do (short of becoming anorexic, but I love food too much).  Sure, I can lose a few pounds and tone up, but this is the shape of my body, and I need to embrace it.

Because there really isn’t such a thing as average, not in today’s world.  We are all so different and unique in our own ways.  We should always strive to be better, healthier people, but we should also embrace the body we have been given and carry ourselves with confidence, even in the face of ignorance.

Because we all have a little somethin’ somethin’.

For another take on this whole body image thing read Dezolutions’ post, Chubby Girls Nightmare.