Summer is in full immense and the weather feels hotter than ever! You know what that means right? Time to put away the long sleeves and bring out the tanks and shorts. This is all fine and dandy for some, but for the rest of us who may have body insecurities, its not so wonderful. I know the select few people who know me will be thinking, “What body insecurities could you possibly have?” Well, I’m going to tell you, BUT before I do, you must promise me that you won’t be judgmental.
You promise??
pinky swear…
Okay then. I’m insecure about my muscular arms…
I know. Some of you reading this probably want to hit me in the face, but please, try to at least understand my point of view. I’m a tall woman (6’2 to be exact) who has always had a hard time feeling womanly. Ever since I was young, I was extremely girly and adored indulging in activities that society deemed as “feminine” (i.e. barbie dolls, makeup, that stupid easy baked oven that NEVER baked the cookies all the way, etc.) . As I continued to grow taller, I became more insecure with who I was and the way I looked because we are programed at a young age to perceive that a tall stature is more of a masculine feature. And all I ever wanted was to feel “dainty” and “cute”, which are typical attributes of femininity.
It didn’t help either that, as I progressed in my basketball career in high school and college, my body had the ability to develop muscle mass rather QUICKLY. My arms looked so built that even an ex- marine officer was astonished when he saw them. It may have been fascinating for some, but not to me. I felt even more masculine than I did before.
Now,
I look back and see how foolish I was to think like that. In fact, a lot of people never saw my arms as gross, but they truly admired them. Additionally, I began to feel a lot better about it when I saw beautiful women like Michelle Obama, Angela Bassett, Misty Copeland and Simone Biles, gracefully and confidently, show off their muscular physiques. The lesson I want you to get from this story is: STOP ALLOWING YOURSELF TO SHAME YOUR BODY! Forget what society tells you on how your body should be and find contentment in your physical feautures. No matter if you are a size 2 or 2x, you are beautiful and deserve to see all the glory and power there is in being you! So, let us not forget that body shaming comes in all different sizes and we (yes I’m talking to you) need to rally together, support one another and change the common perception of what an “acceptable” female body looks like. As a woman, you have all the credentials to establish your own definition of femininity. Don’t let this chauvinistic world tell you otherwise…
