Self love is the greatest middle finger of all time.
When people read my blog or view images of me, they inadvertently develop their own ideas of who I am and what I stand for. A lot of people applaud me for my bravery and compliment me for being so comfortable in my body.
As a girl, I was severely bullied. Kids barked at me and called me names. It was challenging but my mother worked in a residential care setting for people with extreme behaviors and mental challenges. So although the cruel words affected me, growing up surrounded by people with severe limitations taught me to be grateful .
As I grew, I was taller than most kids in my class and I was a late bloomer. I didn’t even begin my period until I was almost 15 years old. One time, during geography, our teacher asked the class a question about the flattest place in Canada and one of the boys pointed to my chest. The whole class got a good laugh. It was honestly pretty funny (though I didn’t think so in the moment).
When I hit high school things shifted. There was something about me that men noticed. I now understand that my sexual energy is incredibly powerful and looking back, I’m sure that’s what they were picking up on. I was flooded with a plethora of young men who showed interest in me. Or at least my body.
Many of these young men were the same boys who barked at me in elementary school. Much of my experience was easily overcome once I stepped into my womanly power. However, one area of my body I have continued to struggle with is my breasts. I breastfed my four children and I have never had an issue being topless in public. But somewhere lurking in my unconscious mind, I loathed my breasts.
They always seemed almost girlish to me. For years I had a strong desire to have larger breasts. As an advocate for self love and unconditional body acceptance I had some serious internal work to do. Part of this self portrait journey has been focused on not just accepting my small breasts but wholeheartedly embracing them. Just. The way. They are!
So today I feel brave. I have never before taken photos of just my breasts. But this morning I forced myself to literally get in touch with my breasts. And as always, I am sharing my journey with the intention of inspiring your own bravery. Inspiring you to unconditionally love and accept yourself. It is my deepest desire that you not just accept but wholeheartedly LOVE every inch of your uniquely beautiful body.
From my heart to yours,
Joy
You have beautiful natural breasts…I wouldn’t change a thing…natural is the best no matter the size😘
Absolutely stunning
🙏
I too was bullied in school, and did some bullying while trying to gain acceptance from those same bullies. Of course I regret the part I played, but reflection taught me a lesson that I wish I’d known then: bullies are full of their own insecurities. It would have empowered me to stand up to them.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We can appreciate beauty in artistry even when we may have a preference for a different style. So too with body image. I’d like to have ripping body-builder muscles but I hate the gym. I can still appreciate my body even if it is not all I would like it to be. Similarly, even a woman who has had a mastectomy has beautiful breasts, though not the image that Hollywood would idealize.
Love who you are, even if there are things you might change, given the opportunity…as many breast enhancement surguries that don’t go well can teach us…sometimes what we’ve got is better than the change we might seek. From this beholder, I would say you have beautiful breasts that are only one of many aspects of the beauty that starts inside and radiates out.
Be who you are, be happy with the body you have, enjoy, being naturally nude because it’s just your body
Enjoy
Great post.The road to body acceptance can be a rocky one,but so worth it in the end.Sharing your stories,struggles and experiences helps many.Well done,Joy.
💗 thank you!