Body Rolls and Self Love
Here’s a short story about body rolls and self love.
The other day I was just chillin’ around, probably on the couch watching Friends (can’t remember, but this is probably accurate), and I wrapped my arms around my body and my hand brushed my side. I was wearing a classic Steph-outfit that consisted of a t-shirt and high-waisted jeans, and this beautiful combination of fabrics just so happened to push a bit of my body up and into itself, creating a couple of…
.
.
.
rolls.
GASP.
And I’ll be honest, my initial thought was “Oh my god, I’ve never felt that many before. There’s what, 1…2…3…4?! FOUR?”. I was in disbelief that my body was even capable of creating so many perfectly round curves. I, of course, thought of this as a negative thing at first, because society loves to remind us that if your body bends, squishes, dimples, or jiggles in any way, that’s bad, bad, bad. But shortly after, I was reminded of how much I love french fries, and cookies, and pasta, and poutine, and so many more delicious foods that I no longer deprive myself of. I realized that these newly found curves and creases were a lovely reminder that I now get to enjoy the foods I eat, I eat as much of them as I want, and that I no longer feel the extreme urge to cut, decrease, or resist certain foods.
I’d also like to mention that I understand I am in a very privileged place to be able to write these words. I am able-bodied, slim, white, cisgendered, the list goes on. I am here, alive and well, and have the ability and opportunity to write about body-positivity and self-love because I am able to feel those things, and I am aware of how uncommon and foreign that may seem. But at the same time, I feel the urge and need to write about these topics, and be open about my moments of weakness because I’ve had others reach out to me to tell me I’ve helped them, and that my openness allowed them to feel a bit better about themselves. And it’s people who have chosen to do the same that have helped me feel better and learn to be okay with my ever-changing body.
So to wrap up this mess of a post, here are a few of my favourite Instagram accounts that promote/talk about/portray real perspectives of what self-love can look and fee like.