I have to stop and put a massive spotlight on this comment from @knoxvillemama.
She wrote, “WE ALL NEED TO LOVE OUR BODIES REGARDLESS OF.”
I wish I could pin this to the top of the entire internet. This is it. This is the entire message.
Thank you, @knoxvillemama. This is a truth that every single person, at every stage of life, needs to hear on repeat. We live in a world that is designed to make us feel “less than.” We are constantly bombarded with a million quiet messages—and a million loud ones—that our bodies are a “project” that needs fixing. We’re told we’re too big, too small, too wrinkly, too scarred, too “imperfect.” It’s an exhausting, relentless, and impossible standard.
That phrase you used, “regardless of,” is the most powerful part.
- Regardless of the number on the scale or the size on the tag.
- Regardless of whether you have cellulite, stretch marks, or scars. Those aren’t flaws; they are proof of a life lived. They are signs of growth, of change, of survival, of carrying life.
- Regardless of whether your body has “bounced back” after having a baby (a toxic phrase if there ever was one).
- Regardless of your age. Your body is not “failing” because it’s aging; it is succeeding at keeping you alive.
- Regardless of whether your body functions the way society deems “perfect” or “normal.” Whether you are able-bodied, disabled, or living with a chronic illness, your body is your home, and it is worthy of respect.
And let’s be honest, “love” is a high bar. On the hard days, when you’re in a spiral of negative self-talk, “love” can feel a million miles away.
So, on those days, let’s aim for respect.
Let’s aim for neutrality.
Let’s aim for gratitude.
Let’s just thank our bodies for what they do. Thank your lungs for breathing. Thank your legs for standing. Thank your arms for being able to hug someone. Thank your heart for beating.
This isn’t about looking in the mirror and forcing yourself to see a supermodel. It’s about unlearning the poison that taught us to be our own worst critics. It’s the daily, conscious practice of choosing kindness over cruelty. It’s a quiet rebellion against a world that profits from our self-hatred.
You are so right, @knoxvillemama. This is a “WE” thing. It’s a collective liberation. We all deserve to move through this world and just exist without the crushing weight of self-loathing.
Thank you for this powerful, necessary reminder. Be kind to yourselves today, everyone. You deserve it.
