UERJ 2018/1

Our (Im)perfect bodies

Since I write a lot about positive body image, you’d think that I am well over the idea that weight

should be something that I allow to define my life. Yet, the vestiges of my past life as a woman

obsessed with weight still linger. A good example is vacation pictures. If I show you pictures of all

the places I have been in my Iife, I can give you minute details about the place itself, the food, the

[5]  sights and the weather. I can also tell you something else simply by looking at those pictures: the

exact number on the scale I was at that particular time in my life.

Sometimes my past catches up with me. I like to think of myself as a recovering weight-a-holic.

The fear of being overweight is a constant one of despair at not being personally successful in

controlling your own body. What good is being in control of finances, major companies and

[10]  businesses if you’re not in control of your body?! Silly idea, right? And yet that is exactly the

unconscious thought many intelligent women have.

Feeling satisfied with your appearance makes a tremendous amount of difference in how you

present yourself to the world. Some women live their entire lives on their perception of their

physical selves. But I’ve been there, done that. The hell with that idea! Personally, I became tired

[15]  of living my Iife this way.

My friend is an art historian who specializes in the Renaissance period. Talking with him recently gave

me a perspective on body image. As we walked through the permanent exhibit of Renaissance

Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he pointed out the paintings done of women.

The women came in all sizes, all shapes. Some were curvier than others, but all were beautiful.

[20]  Some had what we refer to as love handles; some had soft, fuller stomachs that had never suffered

through crunches in a gym. Though I had seen them many times, it was actually refreshing to view

them in a new light.

We are led to believe our self-worth must be a reflection of our looks. So, in essence, if we don’t

believe we look good, we assume we have no worth! Yet, self-worth should have nothing to do

[25]  with looks and everything to do with an innate feeling that you really are worth it. You are worth

going after your dreams, you are worth being in a good relationship, you are worth living a life that

fulfills and nourishes you, and you are certainly worthy of being a successful woman.

There is a quote attributed to Michelangelo that I’ve always admired. When a friend complimented

him on the glorious Sistine Chapel, the great artist, referring to his art in the feminine form, was

[30]  said to have replied: “She is worthy of admiration simply because she exists; perfection and

imperfection together”.

BRISTEN HOUGHTON

Adaptado de twitter.com.