Redefining Body Image: ⇢

redefiningbodyimage:

submission from baskervillains:

Imagine that you have this house. It’s not a particularly fancy house, but it’syours, and it’s home, and you love it.

Imagine now that someone comes up to you and says, “Your house is ugly, so I have no desire to talk to you.” They walk away and you are heartbroken, because now you believe that because your house isn’t perfect that you are worthless.

Now imagine the opposite, that you live in this mansion full of gadgets and designer furniture, and one day someone comes up to you and says, “Wow! I love your house! Let’s be best friends!”

Wouldn’t that almost be worse? Your friendship would be based entirely on the way your house looked. What would you talk about? Would you even care about each other? What if you got sick and were too tired to clean the house for a few days? Would they still be your friend?

Both of these situations are ridiculous. Your house is just your house, and while it’s important that you feel comfortable in it, is it really that important if it fits someone else’s standards of a perfect house? I hope the answer is no! 

Then why do we treat our bodies that way?

I am all for wearing clothes you love and using makeup or body mods to decorate your body and express yourself. But you have to remember that a body is just a body. It is just where you live—it is not you, or your history, or your future, and it does not determine your worth. 

If someone only wants to be your friend because they like your house, then they’re a douchebag and you should run like crazy from them, and the same goes for your body. You are not your body; you just live in it.

However, it is also really important that you feel comfortable enough in your house to call it home. Decorate it how you want, and use it to express your personality, not to fit someone else’s standards. And if your decorations spark a conversation, great! Maybe you’ve just made a new friend who will also care about the person who lives inside that house.

And never, ever forget that when you first meet a new neighbor, all you see is the front of their house. Maybe it’s not to your taste, or maybe you think it looks a lot better than your house, but you’re not there to criticize or envy their home; you are there to meet your neighbor and make a connection. The way their house looks does not impact either your house or their worth at all. At the end of the day, both houses are just a place to live, but the people inside them—they’re what makes you really happy.

28 June 79 redefiningbodyimage
body acceptanceself-worthself-acceptancebody image

Notes

  1. positivity-and-advice reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  2. melvass reblogged this from live-intentionally and added:
    Beautiful. And makes so much sense.
  3. compulsion-dexpression reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  4. live-intentionally reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement and added:
    I LOOOVE this metaphor. Worth a read, darlings.
  5. jlincognito reblogged this from elle-emeno-pee and added:
    I like this analogy. A lot.
  6. elle-emeno-pee reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  7. doesthismakemelookhuman reblogged this from self-love-101
  8. wassup-holmes reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  9. irisrabbit reblogged this from self-love-101 and added:
    Redefining Body Image:
  10. be-in-love-with-yourself reblogged this from self-love-101
  11. goldipants reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  12. self-love-101 reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  13. onimosity reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  14. proudtobeawoman reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  15. pablovalerie reblogged this from forgottendragonbite
  16. isaidjustcallitwhatyouwant reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  17. krbx reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  18. forgottendragonbite reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  19. from-the-water reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  20. loveethicliberation reblogged this from afro-dissented
  21. afro-dissented reblogged this from internal-acceptance-movement
  22. internal-acceptance-movement reblogged this from redefiningbodyimage and added:
    submission from baskervillains: Imagine that you have this house. It’s not a particularly fancy house, but it’syours,...
  23. chroniclesofalicia reblogged this from redefiningbodyimage
  24. femmagic reblogged this from redefiningbodyimage
  25. yellow-fever-psalm reblogged this from redefiningbodyimage
  26. the-missing-chapter reblogged this from redefiningbodyimage

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    The Internal Acceptance Movement is an online space that advocates self-acceptance, healthy body image, recovery from self-destructive behaviors and addictions, and the acceptance of all people, regardless of what they look like, who they identify as, what they have been through, and where they come from. I. A.M. is a space that offers support to those battling their inner demons and strength to continue fighting when all hope seems to be gone.

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