Why do you love your body?

[HSMndLKfan92]

I thought that this coincides with the self-esteem and confidence threads that have recently been posted on here. I also think it's something good to think about, whether you respond to this or just write it down somewhere. I found this question in the Writer's Block archive on LiveJournal.

This is most of what I posted. (Some things have been edited out because I don't want to run into trouble.)

So. Why do I love my body?
That's a really tough question. I think everyone struggles with coming to terms with their body. And that journey of self-realization is a really, really rocky road to travel on. Mine's no different. I want to answer this so I'll have something to look back and smile on.

For the most part, my body is relatively healthy. Except for a few kinks here and there, I'm able to run in it, walk in it, use my limbs, smile, see, hear, and communicate with people.

My body is also fairly average. Except maybe for jeans shopping, I don't have a problem finding something to shop for. I consider it a blessing, especially for people who have difficulty finding shoes in their size!

Its my own. Not to sound conceited or something. But I mean it to the extent that it's my own special DNA, and there's no one exactly like me out there. So the statement "one in a million" can be stretched a little bit.

My body and my brain have had quite an experience, from vacations, late night telephone conversations, sleepovers, school, band, ballet, drum major academy, the never ending quest for knowledge. Both have brought me places that I never thought I'd go, and opened me up to new things that I couldn't dream up of on my own.

Physically, I like my eyes. They change color with my mood, and it's something I get complimented on a lot. It makes me happy about myself. I also get comments on my smile. I've learned to smile when I see myself in the mirror. It gives me something good to focus on so I don't start criticizing myself on my trouble spots.

 

[Sparx]

i have a lot of body issues. every day going outside is a battle, and usually i win. but it never gets easier. i just learn to deal with it in different ways and i learn better ways to dress myself to my liking

but these are things i've grown to...accept. not love, but i'm at peace with them, finally.
my face/hair
my legs
my arms/hands

 

[BabyPiglet]

It sounds weird, but when I think about it, I love my body because it's...home. It's mine. I feel comfortable in it. It's familiar. Thinking of trading it for someone else's would be like trading families with someone else. I love it for being mine, and always being there for me.

Physically, I like my feet, calves, forearms, fingernails, eyes, and hair (sometimes).

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

I've got a ton of body issues I shouldn't have but I was tormented throughout middle school. To be honest, I let it get to me way too much so here I am today with no self confidence.

So, at the moment, I'm quite fine with my collar bones, neck, and nails. And eyes, occasionally.

I'm slowly working on loving myself... I can't honestly say I really love anything about myself as a person right now.

 

[My Wild Love]

Well, I love the fact that I'm fairly healthy. I can run around, I leap, I can dance across the stage. I really enjoy that.
I love my freckles on my arms and shoulders.
I love my feet. They are the show case of my dancing lol. They are bruised and cut usually. In the summer they are cute though :]
I also love my calves, eyes, and nose.

There are some other thing I on and off again like about my body such as my booty haha.

 

[imabrat]

I agree with Jenny. I don't really know how to sum it up, but Jenny did it pretty well so we'll just stick with that. I'm honestly just quite happy I'm alive, and that all appendages are accounted for. Yeah, I may have issues with walking/running but it's going to get better in time.

Physically, I like:
- My legs. They aren't astronomically long, but they do account for 35/63 inches of me.
- My face. Sounds arrogant but I like my face. I like my cheekbones, I like my skin, I love my eyes. The only thing I don't like on my face is my freckles (even though they make me "me") and my profile. I can't stand my profile.
- My fingers, wrists, and hands. They're so dainty, and small. I think it's cute.

I think I'm very close to loving my body. I can point out to you a million and ten issues with my body, but only one really bothers me. I wouldn't seriously change anything except one. My stomach. I'm trying to slim it and tone it the natural way, but if nothing helped I may have plastic surgery. It bothers me, but I try not to think of it. People ask about my scars and say "well, shouldn't you have covered that up?". Why would I cover my scars up? They are me, they are my body, and I love my body. All of my scars tell a story, they're my battle scars.

Sorry if that was kinda weird, I've realized I may have jumped thought to thought.

 

[Sparx]

I agree with Jenny. I don't really know how to sum it up, but Jenny did it pretty well so we'll just stick with that. I'm honestly just quite happy I'm alive, and that all appendages are accounted for. Yeah, I may have issues with walking/running but it's going to get better in time.

Physically, I like:
- My legs. They aren't astronomically long, but they do account for 35/63 inches of me.
- My face. Sounds arrogant but I like my face. I like my cheekbones, I like my skin, I love my eyes. The only thing I don't like on my face is my freckles (even though they make me "me") and my profile. I can't stand my profile.
- My fingers, wrists, and hands. They're so dainty, and small. I think it's cute.

I think I'm very close to loving my body. I can point out to you a million and ten issues with my body, but only one really bothers me. I wouldn't seriously change anything except one. My stomach. I'm trying to slim it and tone it the natural way, but if nothing helped I may have plastic surgery. It bothers me, but I try not to think of it. People ask about my scars and say "well, shouldn't you have covered that up?". Why would I cover my scars up? They are me, they are my body, and I love my body. All of my scars tell a story, they're my battle scars.

Sorry if that was kinda weird, I've realized I may have jumped thought to thought.

i have four major lacerations down my stomach/left thigh. people always ask about them. mine look pretty nasty, so i'm not usually offended by people's questions, i think they're just genuinely curious.

 

[imabrat]

My issue isn't with them asking about my scar. I don't care if they ask me about it, sometimes I like to joke around and say "shark attack". I understand people are naturally curious.

What I take offense to is when they gawk at my leg. Or, when I tell them what happen and they say "Ew that's so gross! You should really cover that up, no one wants to see your 9 inch scar". That's when curiousity goes to far and insults begin.

 

[Sparx]

My issue isn't with them asking about my scar. I don't care if they ask me about it, sometimes I like to joke around and say "shark attack". I understand people are naturally curious.

What I take offense to is when they gawk at my leg. Or, when I tell them what happen and they say "Ew that's so gross! You should really cover that up, no one wants to see your 9 inch scar". That's when curiousity goes to far and insults begin.

i've heard the "eww thats gross" but it didn't really bother me, cause, yeah, i guess it is. no one has ever told me i should've covered it up though. the one that has always made me laugh is the "does it hurt?" um. no. it healed.


on the topic of this thread, i really like this article:
http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/...glamour.aspx?cp-documentid=21301585&GT1=32001

 

[bananda]

i think im one of the few people who can honestly say "i love myself"

i wouldn't mind if my chest was a bit smaller or my thighs were a bit slimmer, but it doesn't bother me that much. i also think i have a pretty face.

its taken me years to get here and i still have bad days sometimes, but for the most part, im good.

 

[::Snow_White::]

The only thing I have a problem with is my lower stomach, my acne, and my smile.
My smile is really awkward and make my cheek bones go really high so I basically look dumb, which is one reason I don't smile. Another reason is I just don't have the means to smile hardly, even if I'm happy, the only time I usually smile is when something is funny.

I love my legs, my feet, my calves, my ankles (I have a bad obsession with loving my ankles. lol.) My forearms, my face, my hair, honestly almost everything. But I worked hard for it. The acne I'm just going to have to wait it out.

 

[imabrat]

i've heard the "eww thats gross" but it didn't really bother me, cause, yeah, i guess it is. no one has ever told me i should've covered it up though. the one that has always made me laugh is the "does it hurt?" um. no. it healed.

Yeah people ask me that too. My sister can't touch my knee scar, she can barely look at it. I see her when she sees it's, and she shivers from the creeps. IDK why, but that's probably because it's normal for me know. My port scar does hurt from time to time (like, stinging) but they opened that thing up and closed it 3 times. I have 2 scars, one on top of the other, and I was glued, not stitched.

 

[olla86]

I love my body because it is mine and it is unique!

 

[Sparx]

Yeah people ask me that too. My sister can't touch my knee scar, she can barely look at it. I see her when she sees it's, and she shivers from the creeps. IDK why, but that's probably because it's normal for me know. My port scar does hurt from time to time (like, stinging) but they opened that thing up and closed it 3 times. I have 2 scars, one on top of the other, and I was glued, not stitched.

all of my nerves around the area were severed. at most, i get an uncomfortable tingling, but i can't really feel anything for a good 2 inches around each scar, and from the one on my stomach (its like horizontal, across the outside left edge of my stomach) i can't feel for five or six inches under that.

 

[Shelton123]

I like my pretty eyes.
I like my big lips (for kissing )
I like my high cheek bones
I like my straight teeth
I like my flat stomach - not skinny, not fat, not muscly which is good, IMO
I like my long legs
I like my shiny hair
I like how one arm is longer than the other so I can freak people out
I like my pale skin

I love the way I look. Sorry if I'm rubbing it in to people with body issues (well, not really...

 

[imabrat]

all of my nerves around the area were severed. at most, i get an uncomfortable tingling, but i can't really feel anything for a good 2 inches around each scar, and from the one on my stomach (its like horizontal, across the outside left edge of my stomach) i can't feel for five or six inches under that.

I got pretty lucky because my nerves were saved during surgery for the most part. If you scrape your finger along my scar, I won't feel it. You have to really apply pressure for me to feel it. It stinks when I shave because before I know it'll, I'll have knicked myself.
After surgery, whatever nerves were saved were lost to neuropathy from the chemo. My sense of touch is so whacked now, I either feel too much or not enough.

 

[STOPxmickeytime]

I used to have a really low self-esteem.
It's weird, because I didn't notice it at the time really, but looking back, I really hated my body.
Not to say that now I'm 100% happy with my body or that I never have those I-feel-fat-and-gross-and-nothing-looks-good-on-me moments, but I'm growing to accept and embrace who I am.

I love the flexibility and mobility that my body (and my age) give me. I love how I can climb mountains and draw pictures and dance around to Thriller, how I can race my little sisters and stretch or do yoga when I'm feeling stressed out.

I love my legs. I love the length of them and how they look when I occassionally dress up and wear heels. I love how powerful they make me feel when I run, and how graceful they make me feel when I dance or do yoga.

I love my freckly skin, and how it only barely tans in the summer, so that really I'm the only one who notices it.

I love my eyes. I love how they can express my emotions so clearly, even when I feel reserved and might not want to show how I really feel, they always give me away. I love how they change color constantly, because it reflects how my personality itself is fluid and how I too am always growing and changing.

I love my smile, and my straight teeth that didn't need braces. I love my dimples. I love my obnoxiously loud but contagious laugh that everyone said my grandma who I never had the chance to meet was known for, too.

I love the color of my hair. It's completely it's own and constantly changing. I love my hair even when it poofs out and looks like a lion's mane, because it's my own.

I still deal with body issues like everyone else, but I really think it's important to remind yourself what you love about your body. Great thread, Jaimie. :]

 

[MickeyisBeast]

I think this is a good idea for a thread ;]

Hmmm...
I am super skinny, I'm not trying to sound like a brat, I just am, its my genes. I have loong legs and a tiny waist. I can hardly fit into Aeropostale's 00 pants, I have to wear a belt (bleck). I love my body, because I love myself, even if I was the total opposite of what I look like now, I'd still love myself, because that's all that really matters.
Some people just luck out with genes, some people don't

 

[imabrat]

I love my freckly skin, and how it only barely tans in the summer, so that really I'm the only one who notices it.

I'm the same way. I spent a little more time outside this summer and thought I was getting pretty tan. Then I went to my uncle's house and my aunt was like "Sonya why are you so pale?". Of course, this is from someone with German/Irish genes and she was as brown as a turkey thanks to tanning beds.

Some people just luck out with genes, some people don't

Too true. Neither of my parents had acne, and I have pretty great skin. It's freckly, but I've had about 5 pimples/zits in 16 years. I wash my face regularly too. My sister started getting acne around 10 years old. She (among other people) tell my I hit the genetic jackpot.
People say that about my hair now that it's naturally curly after chemo. The lady in the dentist office the other day said "Well well well, didn't God give you such a gift! You're blessed to have that hair!". I really didn't know what to say to that so I was like "erm, thank you?". hahah

 

[MickeyisBeast]

Too true. Neither of my parents had acne, and I have pretty great skin. It's freckly, but I've had about 5 pimples/zits in 16 years. I wash my face regularly too. My sister started getting acne around 10 years old. She (among other people) tell my I hit the genetic jackpot.
People say that about my hair now that it's naturally curly after chemo. The lady in the dentist office the other day said "Well well well, didn't God give you such a gift! You're blessed to have that hair!". I really didn't know what to say to that so I was like "erm, thank you?". hahah

You are very lucky, I don't get very much acne at all, but I've had more than 5 pimples :]

From what I've read from the TB, I've heard you had chemo. How are you doing lately?

That's sweet that lady said that, lol :]