My Relentlessly Judgmental Eyes - A Note on Body Image

A body image poem about the journey to body acceptance.

My Relentlessly Judgmental Eyes

I wish I could tell you when I stopped looking at my body like it deserved to be torn apart by my own relentlessly judgemental eyes who searched for perfection.

I wish I could identify the second the stretch marks on my thighs turned from something I hate to art as I trace them with my fingers.

The moment I started seeing my hips and curves as dangerously beautiful instead of too much. The day that the cellulite on my legs stopped making my heart drop to my stomach. 

I wish I knew when I started noticing the powerful femininity in my body instead of picking it apart piece by piece, so I could share the secret with anyone who sees their body as something to fix. I think that over time, my relentlessly judgmental eyes found perfection in the body they saw in the mirror versus the one in my imagination. 

Over time, I decided that I am someone I love and my love isn’t conditional on what my body looks like. I decided I deserve the world, and not a world in which I never feel good enough. I decided to love and accept myself like I love and accept everyone else. I decided that my body is magic and it is not in need of fixing. 

My relentlessly judgmental eyes are kinder now in the words they translate to my mind. My life is full and so are my plates, to nourish and fuel the body I have now, not the body I used to fantasize.

Life is sweet, savory, and satisfying, and I owe that to the piece of me that started to see my worth as more than the size of my body. 

I owe all of this to my heart.

I owe all of this to love.  


 

Written by Chelsea Shafer, RD, LDN, CYT

Hey, I'm Chelsea!

I’m a Registered Dietitian, 200-hr certified yoga instructor, and cat mom! As HSH Office Manager I love all things intuitive eating + movement and I’m glad you’re here! Learn more about me and the HSH offerings here.

 
 
 
Chelsea Shafer

Hey, I'm Chelsea!

I’m a 200-hr yoga instructor, cat mom, and soon to be RD! As HSH Office Manager I love all things intuitive eating + movement and I’m glad you’re here! Learn more about me and the HSH offerings here.

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