Think back to a day when you felt amazing. Your waistline was playing nice, your body had perfect proportions, and your skin seemed to glow. What was it that brought on that effortless beauty? What experiences and words created the type of grace that let you put on your shortest dress and reddest lips, without feeling silly or out of place?
We can call down that feeling by creating a body mantra, which can be a great asset when you’re not having one of those amazing days. We all need words and pictures to infuse us with the self-love and feminine beauty we know we have, and to combat the onslaught of unrealistic media images we see every day.
After reading body image and beauty manifestos by A Typical Atypical and Oh, Honey. No., Elle and Jen went hunting for their own body mantras – the words that inspire them to embrace their beauty with reckless abandon.
My shape is unique to me, and is not meant to look like anyone else. There is no “perfect” shape, and there never will be. The human race will not eventually conform to one appropriate body type, so neither should I. Energy spent on “if I were only”s will always have been better spent elsewhere. My thighs are not a curse, they are a reminder that I am strong. My soft stomach is not a sign of sloth and gluttony, it’s a sign of fair hedonism and proof that enjoying life is not less important than being “beautiful” in the eyes of the media.
I will not hold myself back from trying things because I’m worried about how my body will look or act. I will not skip dessert solely because I do not want the calories. I will treat my body as a temple, and there’s no rule that says “No Dessert in the Temple.” I will exercise my body because it needs it to function well, not so I can look like someone else, or obtain someone else’s figure.
Here’s the big one: I will stop sucking in my stomach. It only promotes the idea that my body is “not okay” and needs to be manipulated so that parts of it look different than they actually do. This also allows my self-consciousness to remain in tact, as it’s become second nature when I enter a room, or pose for a photo.
I will look at myself with honest eyes, and without unnecessary criticism. I will look at parts of my body that I would like to improve from a place of health, not a place of beauty. I will dress my body for my body, not for the body I wish I had. I will show off the parts I love without apology, and always work towards happiness before physical appearance.
My body was made for childlike grace. It was meant to fit into small spaces; to be warm and comforting without taking things too seriously. My body fits the woman I am, and I fit inside it. That is something I’m proud of.
My height and hands remind me that “cute” isn’t a four-letter word; that it can inherantly be sexy and flirtatious as long as I make it mine. My size makes me adaptable: I am a precocious kid in ballet slippers; I am a chamelon in heels; I am a bombshell in leather and lace. Five feet with soft curves is an utterly mobile beauty, and I will no longer worry about whether that beauty needs a name.
…no matter how old I am. My self awareness will never be defined by my age. Instead, I will celebrate every fine line and grey hair, every lump of cellulite and deep blue vein, knowing that my body will become exactly what it needs to be, as I need it. I will dance to my body’s ever-changing symphony of time, because no matter what my body looks like, it’s mine and I cherish it.
As the years pass by, I will shake my widening hips and show my changing curves to the world. I will keep this body healthy so I can dance within it for years to come – so I can be a chamelon in heels or a precocious child in slippers, when I turn forty, fifty, sixty years old. I will choose to move through time, changing my clothes like a shedding skin, never labelling myself with what I have to be. I will adore every ounce of my body, and smile like a child at those that would criticize it. I will accept and celebrate my changing beauty, as I accept and celebrate others’.
And I will always, always make time to fit into the smallest spaces.
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Lovely thoughts, ladies!
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Posted by Ashe Mischief | June 12, 2009, 4:21 pmRT @TheDemoiselles You body talks to you, do YOU talk to your BODY? Learn about The D’s body mantras in our latest post! http://is.gd/107p6
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Posted by Molly Hoyne | June 12, 2009, 8:42 pmMy hats off to both of you ladies @TheDemoiselles! This one blew me away! Thank you for writing it: http://is.gd/107p6
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Posted by Kristin Price | June 12, 2009, 8:51 pmThis is a great post RT @craftyasparagus New @ The Demoiselles: Creating a body mantra: http://tinyurl.com/abodymantra Come create your own!
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Posted by Leslie Seaton | June 12, 2009, 8:34 pmhere, here to embracing who you are! Inspiring post – Thanks!
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Posted by Mary P. | June 13, 2009, 10:05 amRT: New @ TD: You body talks to you, do YOU talk to your BODY? Learn about The D’s body mantras in our latest post! http://is.gd/107p6
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Posted by Jen | June 13, 2009, 6:11 pm@MissElle Great Post!!!! Loved what you said. http://bit.ly/mRyId
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Posted by Julie Rorrer | June 13, 2009, 6:19 pmbeautifully said, lovelies. I hope many people have a chance to hear you and will also listen.
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Posted by shelley | June 15, 2009, 1:43 amGreat post. We think that confidence is the single most attractive attribute that we can have, be happy with what you have and enjoy it.
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Posted by Seattle Boudoir Photography | June 18, 2009, 10:47 amthanks so much for these almost prayer like thoughts – it made my day..i guess especially this phrase “My shape is unique to me, and is not meant to look like anyone else. ” is one I often forget and we ought to remember and pass on..thanks!
.-= sar.´s last blog ..Fashion Potluck. ifb links a la mode. =-.
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Posted by sar. | June 18, 2009, 2:40 pmLadies ~ A must read: A body mantra http://tinyurl.com/kon6gp PS: @craftyasparagus & @MissElle are wise beyond their years!
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Posted by M641 Clothing | July 3, 2009, 1:26 amRT @M641: Ladies ~ A must read: A body mantra http://tinyurl.com/kon6gp PS: @craftyasparagus & @MissElle are wise beyond their years!
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Posted by Christine Vivian | July 3, 2009, 2:14 am