Guest Post: Body Challenge

Some of you may already know that I share a daily photo blog with the wonderful Mrs Kypo... she's my blogging bestie and yet we have never met in person!

Mrs Kypo's own blog, Cupcakes Frocks and Pink, is inspiring, insightful, honest, pretty and fresh. Check it out!

I have decided to re-post Mrs Kypo's latest post about shaking hands with your body and accepting it for what it is (and isn't)... it's a tough gig for many of us. Is there more hope for the Middle East?

Enjoy x

Writing about body image is not an easy topic for me to write about.

When Carly emailed me asking if I would like to participate in her Body Image Challenge I automatically said, yes.

I shared my excitement with Mr.Kypo and we started planning our mini photo shoot.

We took butt shots and even a front shot in bra and knickers.

Today I should be posting my photo and I am no longer.

Not because I am ashamed of my body, I feel it is not appropriate for me as a kindy director to have a photo of my body on the Internet.

I am like other woman who suffers body insecurity and there have been stages in my life where those insecurities have ruled me and I’ve said no to one to many things.

My view on it is, women are judgemental of each other. I am one to do this.

I’ve compared my butt with my best friend and calculated woman’s sizes in my head hoping that I would be smaller.

Last week I saw some photos of myself and whilst others shared they were beautiful images, I was incredibly critical. I noticed that I am starting to age and for a spilt second contemplated Botox.

Then,

I snapped back into reality and thought, I am never going to look like those ladies on magazine covers, I am no longer going to think about slim…as the new mantra says, “Healthy is the new skinny”. I wonder the pressure those ladies on the magazine covers have to stay that way? I know the pressure I feel to want to be that woman.

I am me.

I am beautiful and I am not my body.

My body is my vessel and has given me the most magnificent gift.

Two babies.

The stretch marks over my body tell that journey and what a magnificent life changing journey it was.

Every part of my body tells a part of my life’s story.

Rather than want what I can’t have I am incredibly grateful what I do have.

I have once had that boyfriend who judged my body, who shamed my body and abused my body to discover a man who loves my body, who has not judged my body, who has not shamed my body and has seen straight past my body into me.

I make a stand not to compare and judge the woman’s body around me but be immersed in their beauty.

And what beauty they are.