Bodies

With the supreme court ruling to overturn Roe V. Wade, now more than ever, the topic of a woman's body is extremely prevalent. The government’s decision has taken away not only a woman's right to her own body, but also has stolen away the rights that women have fought hard for throughout history. For our entire lives we have been objectified and defined by our bodies, and now the government is taking away our right to make our own decisions about our bodies?

Bodies are these amazing things with so many complexities. They allow us to move, function, and experience so many different feelings. The female body is especially complex. Female bodies are beautiful and admired but also hold pain. I am so fucking grateful for my body and so happy to have a functioning body that allows me to run and ski, to hike and swim, to feel pleasure, and to move freely. At the same time my body has caused me to shed more tears than anything else in this world. I have felt deep hatred for my body. I have experienced crippling social anxiety due to my body, and I have blamed myself for not having a body that I feel proud of. I am sharing this because I feel like this is something that many girls (and some boys too) can relate to. Sometimes I feel fierce in my own skin and amazed at how much it can do and accomplish. Other days, I sit in the mirror looking at my body, ridiculing every single inch. I wish I could sit here and tell you that I love my body no matter what it looks like but in all honesty that is far from the truth. Yes, all bodies are beautiful. They perform and function at a level that I cannot wrap my head around. Our bodies account for the amount of surface area that we take up on the planet. We are these incredibly unique and intelligent creatures with beautiful bodies that allow us to perform incredible tasks. I wish I could let this remain the view of my body but our society teaches us otherwise. No matter how many people may tell me that my body doesn’t/shouldn’t define me, actions speak louder than words and when we have become accustomed to men, and now the government, treating a women’s body as if it is their own piece of property that they just secured a loan for, then yes it can be hard to remember how magnificent and incredible our bodies are. Our rights are being completely stripped away from us in front of our eyes. We need to take action NOW to defend our sacred bodies. The bodies that allow us to do and feel so many incredible things.