Hi Sara,

Your body image blogs are great! Keep them up, it is a voice that is needed, a voice that will someday drown out the last many, many, years of women hearing only criticisim.

Growing up, being a teenager, a young adult, a young women, a young mother, I do not think I ever felt love for my body, I do not think I ever really enjoyed being "in my body" there was always something "wrong" with it, something wrong with me. I never looked at myself and really thought I was pretty. It wasn't until I was older, early fifties, that all that changed. Breast Cancer was on the news every night, hormone replacement therapy was all the rage and as a Woman I had to make decisions about my health. I realized then that I was starting to be terrified of my body. I then started to get angry, angry at all the fear that was being presented to me from outside sources, doctors, media, magazines, other women and I then realized that I had never really enjoyed, trusted or loved my body, appreciated it, especially it's simple beauty. I decided to look in the mirror and see with my own eyes, my body, see with loving eyes, not critical eyes, my body. I started to become friends with my body, and soon all the critical voices were being shushed one by one until there was just one appreciative and loving voice left.....my own..."I" had moved back into my own body and kicked out all the "trashy tennants," living rent free for too many years while spouting complaint after complaint to me on a daily basis. They were gone and they haven't been allowed to return.

Young girls need help in developing loving friendships with their bodies, they need help in seeing the beauty of their bodies, not in terms of "sexiness" but in terms of actual beauty, the lines, the curves, the beauty of breasts, from a women's perspective, not a males. We learn, first, I think, in our society about our beauty as it relates to how the male gender is looking at it and that perspective is in terms of a sexual beauty....and that perspective should not be a young girls first perspective on her bodies beauty...but that is the case, that sexual perspective should come later after young girls are given a strong female view of their body.

It seems we have evolved to a point where the male sexual perspective on what beauty is has become the measuring stick for women...they own our body image....they own our bodies, and really they own us with that image....it is time we take our bodies back, our body image back, declare our beauty, own our beauty at every stage of our bodies growth and change...own ourselves, love ourselves and walk and talk and see in the power of that beautiful self images....

here is to the beauty, strength, and power of all women, everywhere...at every age...our strength and power is matched only by our beauty...but if we cannot see, recognize, or own that beauty...it lessens our power and strength as a gender equal to...

ruth

Hi Ruth,

I recognize so much of what you are writing here in myself. Perhaps we women are going through an evolutionary process that now is making us able to an evolutionary "jump". Our children are already much more aware wouldn't you say?

I join you in your encouragement towards women like Sarah.

Me myself am a so-called "late developer" just like you perhaps?

Doesn't matter, we found it. Our children will find out earlier in their lives. Perhaps one generation ahead and we are already "there". And by this I mean there where our mental attitude needs to switch to in order to be in line with other (techonological) developments.

Perhaps it is a perfect "Scheme of things" after all.

Harb, thanks again!!!

Love from the heartphone,

Mieke

Hi Sarah,
and Ruth & Mieke,

A beautiful feeling about being a woman is the amazing way we can look, when we are comfortable in our own style and confident just being who we are.
I know it's a struggle for lots of girls today, and I wish it were not that way.
Sarah -
thanks for offering good advice for girls and ways to overcome the critical voice inside, and the pressure from the culture.

Let's celebrate all that is wonderful about ourselves!
love,
~ Kate

A bird little morning's signal
Fresh air with silence
Sunlight exposure

In a black-flash
I am wardrobe-blurred with colors and images
Could be a negative of myself
A place where I am not anymore

But that day from the dark of my identity
G-man starts flashing at me
A 10 unlinear series of pictures

I turn back, searching for the source of bright
To find some-body that are just like me
In a moment-frozen
Frozen by this beauty maybe mine
I start to feel uncomfortable
A feeling on my knees

A long moment of me, fluid, so fluid of memories

A tear finding it's way to the door of my mind
A comfort-home of sea and sun...

Sarah,
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...thanks for helping us clean our lens.

Ruth, Mieke, Kate, Jean-Francois:
I appreciate your story threads that weave us as women. Stories that rise up from our bodies' hearts and souls. Our healing paves the way for others near and far. Our solidarity is powerful and uplifts beyond surface pettiness.

Trish~~

Thank you so much for your comments and feedback - they are truly appreciated!

Peace, Love, and Beauty,

Sarah Maria