It Never Stops

Something I often think about is where does the apparent lack of acceptance of our body’s come from. And I don’t mean others not accepting how you look, I mean us not accepting our own body’s. Surely if we are not happy with what we have it doesn’t matter how many others love your bits… you will still be left feeling insecure.

I hope I am not speaking out of line, I realize that as a young woman who is overweight I am a prime candidate for body insecurity, but I have noticed that all-most all woman I know have some issues with the way they look. Whether your sixteen and have just got you first glimpse of you adult form or your 60 and the aging process takes hold, I do not believe I am lying when I say most women seem insecure about something body related if not all things body related.

This got me thinking, and I have a theory. Not an answer may I stress merely a hypothesis as to why female body confidence seems to be low? All humans go though puberty. A confusing and, on reflection, a rather hilarious time where your body changes from that of a child, to an adult. All humans’ age. Sorry girls its true gravity will one day take hold for the men and us. This is absolutely natural but, for some reason society today likes us to stay young for as long as possible with creams potions and maybe even the odd nip and tuck. But as Lana Del Rays song de jour tells us; ‘we were born to die’ morbid perhaps but the only guarantee in life.

I think there is a difference for women though, in how much our bodies change and develop in comparison to how men’s do. Men go through puberty then they slowly age though time till they shuffle off this mortal coil. Women do the same we grow as a child, go through puberty and then slowly age till… well till you kick the bucket. BUT, we also go through much more every month for our fertile years we menstruate a constant cycle of changing hormones which also affects us physically in different ways. Some folk get spots, others bloat other people get incredibly depressed… the list goes on. All of these side affect of your period I believe will affect how you perceive and accept your body.

Many women have one or more children a natural yet traumatic process in which your physical appearance changes very quickly during the months of gestation. Then birth (I cannot speak from personal experience) but an event, which is natural, but does traumatize and change your body whether you deliver vaginally or with a cesarean. Then there’s the production of milk and how that affects the physical appearance of your breasts and the post baby weight that many new mothers feel pressured into losing quickly. Many women have trouble conceiving or carrying children also this will of coarse affect how you view your body. Conception and birth are amazing and challenging things and cause a lot of changes to a woman’s adult body.

Then as you age you have the menopause, on which I am not an expert, but  its another big hormonal and bodily change. A lot of women talk of there breasts sagging and something called the middle age spread (which I think men suffer with also). Also the psychological impact of realizing that you are no longer fertile would I think have an affect on how you view your physical appearance.

Essentially what I'm saying is excluding the current trend in society to dress well stay slim and avoid carbs ;).  Women never really, I think, get the chance to just have a bit of time to enjoy there adult form as it is because we go through so many changes and events all of which have the potential to be emotionally and physically traumatic although perfectly normal.

I hope this makes sense. I do realize I am a young girl passing opinion on many events I have yet to experience but I do not think I am being insensitive. I truly believe that the part of being a woman that makes us feel powerful (the ability to, with a little help from our dangling friends make babies and give birth, means that we are in a constant state of change and, in a society where looks are considered important our ever changing body’s make it difficult for us to fully relax into our appearance

That’s my theory anyway J

p.s when I was spell checking this the sentence in paragraph 7 which reads:  “Essentially what I'm saying is excluding the current trend in society to dress well stay slim and avoid carbs ;).”   The computer suggested it should read “…to dress well stay slim and avoid crabs ;).” AHHA!