Your Body Is Beautiful

The Battle of Body Image

Millions of people struggle with their body image. An online survey in the UK showed that 1 in 5 adults and nearly 1 in 3 teenagers felt ashamed of their bodies. And it seems that the pandemic has only made this worse.

There are so many things that feed into us feeling shitty about our bodies, from social media to advertisements to being judged for our BMI when we go the see the doctor. But at the end of the day, we only have this one body that we were born with and that we live in. So what is a person to do?

I vote that we learn to love the bodies we’re in, no matter what shape, size, color, or ability they come with. By now you may have heard the new hit song Victoria’s Secret by Jax, but it’s true that so many industries benefit from each of us hating on our bodies. Let’s save that time, energy, and money for things we actually enjoy instead.

Slaying Beauty Standards

Harnaam Kaur is a badass babe who has learned to embrace her body and encourage others to do the same. Some people know her for being in the Guinness Book of World Records as the the youngest woman in the world to have a full beard. Harnaam has a condition called PCOS which causes higher levels of a type of hormone called androgens, leading to increased hair growth.

Because of her condition, she began growing a beard when she was 16. When she was younger, she used to feel ashamed of her facial hair and would try everything she could to hide or get rid of it. Eventually she got tired of fighting against her body and decided to just embrace it.

She’s now a motivational speaker, promotes self-love, and helps spread awareness around PCOS. Watch her Tedx talk and don’t forget to check her out on instagram!

Reading Corner

Sonya Renee Taylor spits truths in her book, The Body Is Not An Apology. I can’t stop talking about it. Every time I start to diss my body, Sonya pops into my head with: “Jess, your body is not an apology.”

Sonya calls us not to just accept, but radically love the body we’re in. She explains in the introduction: “A radical self-love world is a world that works for every body. Creating such a world is an inside-out job. How we value and honor our own bodies impacts how we value and honor the bodies of others.”

Sonya goes on to talk about why so many of us have learned to hate our bodies and walks us through some great exercises to uncover those shitty beliefs we have and how to start overcoming them.

Show Time

If you haven’t watched it yet, Embrace is a kickass documentary that follows Taryn Brumfitt, an Australian mum and badass who struggled to love her body after giving birth to her three children.

For the sake of her daughter, Taryn learns to love her body as it is. She says to her daughter: “Darling girl, don't waste a single day of your life being at war with your body, just embrace it.” The documentary goes on to follow Taryn on an international journey to interview other women about overcoming body shame.

It’s so raw and relatable. Good luck keeping a dry eye watching this movie! You can check it out on iTunes or stream it for free on Tubi.

Daily Tune

How many of us let a shitty comment from someone about our appearance tank a perfectly good day? Or feel Let’s go back to 2002 and have a listen to Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful. Remember, you are beautiful no matter what anyone says.

Lola’s Lesson

Lola wants to remind you that every body is a summer body. Be sure to get out and soak up some Vitamin D before the temperature starts to drop. But also protect your gorgeous skin with sunscreen. No skin cancer for these readers!

Challenge of the Day

Alright. If you’re subscribed to this newsletter, then you’re interested in improving your relationship with yourself. My challenge to all of us is to take a few seconds a day to thank our bodies for what they do for us.

For me, I’m so damn grateful I can snuggle with my dog and chase after her. I’m grateful to taste my morning coffee, smell fresh flowers, hug my family and friends, and shake hands with new acquaintances. What does your body do for you that you really appreciate? I would love to hear what you come up with!