Why I love my body
So hey, apparently there was a Writer's Block question on LJ that I missed. Very simply: Why do you love your body? Which is certainly something that, in my experience, American women in particular have trouble articulating. So I'll take a shot at it. I love my body because, barring a few small things, I think it expresses my personality. Don't know which came first in that case, chicken or the egg, but it does pretty well on that front.
I am tall, I love being tall, I stand up straight and I think that expresses my assertiveness pretty well. To push it a little further, I can also see over people's heads, usually, and that's a nice parallel to being able to see consequences that are a few steps down the line- which is something I've always prided myself on. (Barring chess. Unless I'm in a chess mood, I suck. Just one of those things. I think it's just not a direct enough parallel to the battle its trying to portray, and it's not abstract enough to be it's own separate thing- if it went a little further either way, I'd be better at it.)
I love my hair color- actually, that's the one thing about my body that I've always loved, every second of my life- because it changes color in different lights, and sometimes still a bit with the seasons, though not as much as it used to. I do hate the stereotype "blonds are fun, redheads are firecrackers, and brunettes are serious" but I guess it fits me well enough. Also, since I get natural blonde and and red highlights, I think it expresses my versatility.
This is a little unusual, but I love my fingers. I have what have been called "piano hands", and they are large with long, delicate-seeming fingers that still have strength to them. Their dexterity is something I have always depended on (despite the fact that my piano skills are sorely lacking) and I live in fear of something happening to them. They can turn pages or calm cats or mix meatloaf with equal ease, and even when I'm dressed at my dowdiest I think they lend a certain grace.
I love- well, I guess my body-fat ratio, or whatever you call it. I was an absolute twig as a teen, constantly got asked if I was anorexic, or otherwise ill. My metabolism was incredibly fast. it's slowed down now, though it still works all right, and I finally have some curves. Technically, I'm just on the line for being overweight, I think- but I look like a healthy adult at last. Which is why I often will go off on a serious rant when people talk about health as though the only thing you have to do to be healthy is to lose weight. That really ticks me off and will get me started every time. I am an adult, I am a woman, and my figure expresses that quite well.
I love my eyes. For those of you who know me in person, this is a little weird, as most of you have never actually seen my eyes except through my glasses- which make them appear about half the size they really are. I do not love their dysfunctionality- I long for Lasik- but I love what they look like. Because my vision is so bad, I can only really see them in small hand mirrors (larger mirrors I wind up breathing on and therefore can't see my face when I get close enough to see without my glasses) or when I take a picture of myself without my glasses on- which I do, now and then, to remind myself of what I really look like. My eyes are large, and a warm, twinkly brown, and I have lashes long enough that even after Lasik I will never wear mascara (yay). They are the only obvious thing I inherited from my dad, and I can't wait to get Lasik and let the world see them better. I've been called sphinx-like, and I think that once I get rid of my glasses that will change, because I've seen a bit of what I look like when I'm emotional without my glasses on, and the emotion is all in my eyes. I think this will also help my ministry, which will be nice.
I love my body!
I am tall, I love being tall, I stand up straight and I think that expresses my assertiveness pretty well. To push it a little further, I can also see over people's heads, usually, and that's a nice parallel to being able to see consequences that are a few steps down the line- which is something I've always prided myself on. (Barring chess. Unless I'm in a chess mood, I suck. Just one of those things. I think it's just not a direct enough parallel to the battle its trying to portray, and it's not abstract enough to be it's own separate thing- if it went a little further either way, I'd be better at it.)
I love my hair color- actually, that's the one thing about my body that I've always loved, every second of my life- because it changes color in different lights, and sometimes still a bit with the seasons, though not as much as it used to. I do hate the stereotype "blonds are fun, redheads are firecrackers, and brunettes are serious" but I guess it fits me well enough. Also, since I get natural blonde and and red highlights, I think it expresses my versatility.
This is a little unusual, but I love my fingers. I have what have been called "piano hands", and they are large with long, delicate-seeming fingers that still have strength to them. Their dexterity is something I have always depended on (despite the fact that my piano skills are sorely lacking) and I live in fear of something happening to them. They can turn pages or calm cats or mix meatloaf with equal ease, and even when I'm dressed at my dowdiest I think they lend a certain grace.
I love- well, I guess my body-fat ratio, or whatever you call it. I was an absolute twig as a teen, constantly got asked if I was anorexic, or otherwise ill. My metabolism was incredibly fast. it's slowed down now, though it still works all right, and I finally have some curves. Technically, I'm just on the line for being overweight, I think- but I look like a healthy adult at last. Which is why I often will go off on a serious rant when people talk about health as though the only thing you have to do to be healthy is to lose weight. That really ticks me off and will get me started every time. I am an adult, I am a woman, and my figure expresses that quite well.
I love my eyes. For those of you who know me in person, this is a little weird, as most of you have never actually seen my eyes except through my glasses- which make them appear about half the size they really are. I do not love their dysfunctionality- I long for Lasik- but I love what they look like. Because my vision is so bad, I can only really see them in small hand mirrors (larger mirrors I wind up breathing on and therefore can't see my face when I get close enough to see without my glasses) or when I take a picture of myself without my glasses on- which I do, now and then, to remind myself of what I really look like. My eyes are large, and a warm, twinkly brown, and I have lashes long enough that even after Lasik I will never wear mascara (yay). They are the only obvious thing I inherited from my dad, and I can't wait to get Lasik and let the world see them better. I've been called sphinx-like, and I think that once I get rid of my glasses that will change, because I've seen a bit of what I look like when I'm emotional without my glasses on, and the emotion is all in my eyes. I think this will also help my ministry, which will be nice.
I love my body!