Body Series #2
Body Reflections
As we research, listen to other women more and delve deeper in to women’s relationships with their bodies we’ve been discussing the idea of Body Reflections. We all have stories centering around our bodies that we can reflect on. And here are some of ours:
“I remember maybe 6 or 7 years ago, seeing my sister get changed in front of me and the feeling of shock I felt when I saw her stomach. She has three children, and I’d never seen a loose, stretch marked tummy. When I think back on this moment, I’m horrified that I even had this thought. Why hadn’t I seen a body like this before? Afterall, after having my own kids, it’s what mine looks like now. I wish we all saw more post-partum bodies. Not ones that snatch back, tanned and taut, but loose, saggy, pouchy, stretched ones, like my sisters and now like my own.”
In most companies I have worked in the CEO (who has the final say) has been a man, they can not know what comfort is for a woman’s body, it’s not even a consideration.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about how I viewed my body when I was in my 20’s. I feel sad for that young woman who spent way too much time criticizing and comparing herself. I feel especially sad when I see photos from that time. I can recall disliking so many parts of my body and feeling so self-conscious. What a waste of time. I looked amazing, and why didn’t I flaunt it!?”
“I think back to all the ways in which I tried to change my body, or conceal it, when I was younger. Like even just wearing contoured or padded bras to ‘shape’ my boobs a certain way or hide my nipples. I am now so much better at embracing my natural look… I genuinely think our boobs look most beautiful in their natural state and shape!”
“As a woman with perky nipples I felt like wearing a padded bra was my only option in my younger years to hide them. They were referred to as looking like tic-tacs once and I was embarrassed about them from that point. As I got older I thought, ‘you know what, Kate Moss has perky nipples just like me and she doesn’t give a sh*t so why do I care so much?’ Wearing synthetic padded bras is not great for my body and my breasts and I don’t like the way they look or feel in them. Why do I need to hide a part of me that is completely natural? I’m realising, I don’t!
What do you love about women?
OMG, We can literally do anything!!! I work with a team of women, most of them working mothers and it's amazing what we achieve in a short amount of time when we are all balancing so many different responsibilities. Communicating with women is the best!I recently moved the Videris office. Myself and one of my other female team members moved our entire storage unit - I packed it all up, we loaded a van, drove to the new space and then carried hundreds of boxes up 2 flights of stairs. When I returned the van less than 2 hours later the guy at the storage space couldn't believe how quickly we had moved everything!