Body Image

[valkryor]

This, believe it or don't, is pretty close to my actual body shape.



For a very long time, I have been disgusted that I look like that...shapeless and unappealing. But I had another gander at the Willendorf Venus after something wildelf said about being old world, the classic look of a mother and you know? It's not such a bad thing to look like the Willendorf Venus.

Associated with the Earth Mother or Mother Goddess, she's also associated with fertility, which naturally leads to sexuality. I get the impression from what I've read, that having meat on your bones for a woman in the Paleolithic Era is akin to being a Sumo wrestler in Japan today, that the extra pounds are to be revered and not reviled.

It's only since Twiggy that women as big around as a pencil have been considered the ideal beauty. No one wants to discuss Marilyn Monroe's dress size (a 16) when observing her sexual appeal. To do so might throw the entire 'size 2 perfection' into the garbage bin.

Dammit, I'm not a size 2. I never have been. I've always had hips and tits. I'm not the same size I was in highschool, and it's time I stopped longing to be that size again. It makes me even more depressed to think like that. I can still go out and buy clothes that are incredibly sexy on my body shape!

But you know what? If I can get back into the jeans I was wearing before I got pregnant, I'll be very happy indeed.

Comments

yay

[meowster.livejournal.com]

you should watch the tv show What Not to Wear. it sounds silly, but that show is all about dressing for your body shape and not conforming to what society thinks is sexy.

it's a pretty cool message - no matter what size and shape you are, you can always wear clothes that flatter your body type.

Re: yay

[valkryor.livejournal.com]

I do. A lot. But only the British version. The American one is a very pale imitation...

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

"Dammit, I'm not a size 2. I never have been. I've always had hips and tits."

Have you ever noticed that when people write erotica, even if they're describing a thin woman, they don't talk about her clean lines and sharp angles? They talk about curves and hips and tits and butts and all of the things that people associate with the erotic -- with sexiness, with plush luxuriousness, with decadence. This isn't to say that thin women can't be sexy -- everyone can be sexy in their own way. However, I think that even now, there are more people who appreciate curves than we openly admit.

[valkryor.livejournal.com]

I don't think that anyone would find literature describing what it's like primarily to feel someone's bones when in the middle of what was a good shag erotic. And as much as I hate to say this, men (well 90%, anyway) are hardwired to seek those mates who could bear them children. Which is why the phrase 'child-bearing hips' has more truth to it than any hard core feminist likes to admit. Curves are what makes a woman a woman. Without that, it would be hard to differentiate between the boys and the girls (unless we ran around naked, which would be a very silly when it's this cold outside).

[joncanuck]

True sexiness comes from the person you are, I've always found the more you get to know someone it's their personality that truly defines how they look.

The most beautiful person can become very ugly once their personality shines through.

The unfortunate part about body image is that you can have everyone in the world tell you that you are a beautiful woman, but what matters is what you believe.

Glad to see your opinion is starting to come around :)

[valkryor.livejournal.com]

It's been my experience that while everyone else reinforces the positive, it only takes one negative voice, one whisper of disapproval to throw all the positive comments out the window. It's a lot harder to work through those negative comments. One can bring me down for years.

[clawfoot.livejournal.com]

There are worse things to resemble than a goddess. :) And hey -- there are lots of people out there who prefer the goddess look.

It's hard to cuddle a twig.

[wildelf.livejournal.com]

*applaude* There's personally desirable and there's sexy and the problem is that many people mix 'em up.
I, personally, am not aroused by "larger" women [if they outweigh me, twig that I am, then they'll win the wrestling matches or something... *heh*] BUT I have seen some rubinesque beauties, some curvy BBWs who are just gorgeous and sexy. It's in the clothing [suited to the body], the carriage, the eyes... sexy is more than just a low body fat percentage *pfeh*

In the 'old country' big was sexy because big meant you could carry children and birth them more easily. Big meant you ate well and THAT meant you were wealthy. Big meant you didn't work manual labour daily and THAT meant you were a mother, a home maker, everything a woman should be.
The whole ghetto booty thing STILL points at big...

And it's not just the outside... it's the entire package. Inside, outside, all sides and facets that make someone beautiful *nod*

Note that you DO have a husband who loves and adores you, non? Score a big one for you over single twigwomen.

And no, it's not a bad thing to look like a goddess... it's damned classic, it is *nod*