Guest post/crosspost: I refuse to be afraid of visibility

Hello lovelies,

I've never directly crossposted another blogger's post before, but Eryn's post from two days ago really spoke to me, so I asked her if I could crosspost it here.

And if you aren't familiar with Eryn's blog, go check it out! She is an amazing and thoughtful writer, she posts DIY sewing tutorials every once and awhile, and is just in general one of the highlights of my blog roll!

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I refuse to be afraid of visibility

(original posted by Eryn on her blog)

I’d written a long, detailed explanation about why “doing you” is the most important thing in the whole world. I attempted to get all political, because breaking the cycle of shame and silence about how people have treated you because of the way you look is political. I’m comfortable saying owning your body for exactly what it is- is radical. But, the process of writing about the experience of being 300 pounds and owning it, was like the first time I drove a stick-shift (I stalled, into infinity). Yet, shoving my experience into gear gave me some well deserved clarity about why I choose to curate my own image and why I think everyone else should.

I think most of us grow up being told what to do, all day, everyday. Its my personal belief that this behavior closes off the infinite possibilities to us as individuals and as a collective. All of us get categorized, pigeon holed, and stereo typed- even those who are holding the clip boards and disapproving gaze. Somewhere in there, we either learn to conform to who we are supposed to be, or when we can’t or don’t want to conform, we are shamed. I believe this is a cultural fundamental that is reflected in our collective attitudes towords women, people of color, transgendered and queer folks, children, old people, immigrants and the poor. Based on our own perceptions, which are molded by arbitrary ideals and standards, we are convicted in our right to police who people love, who people fuck, how their bodies are supposed to look, how people should dress, and how people should conform themselves to how we think they should be. Let me say that again- We, as a Western Culture, behave as though everything around us should change to conform to standards established by elite and powerful white men.

I don’t want to get hung up on the whats and the who’s, and instead offer my own solution. I know I’m supposed to keep my fatness all quiet, and full of shame because, you know there’s some obesity epidemic I should give a shit about instead of questioning the mental and emotional anguish of hating my body. “Doing me” means wearing what I want, and taking pictures of that, and plastering them all over the internet and crossing my fingers that someone else will see them and question their own body hate. “Doing me” means loving the most I possibly can in life, and believing that any body is entitled to their choices in life as well. “Doing me” means taking an appreciation for my body that wasnt given to me.

Take an appreciation for the body you have right now, especially if no one has given it to you. Take it, and run with it, and do you.

Because I mean what I said, I'm hooking you all up with a photo I took for a thesis project someone was conducting on tumblr. Y’all should know I look so much like my late (and nutty) grandmother in this picture, its scares me!

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Thanks so much Eryn! There's plenty more awesome where that came from.