My body is not yours to critique

Posted by Christina Zipperlen on

“My body is not yours to critique and discuss.
My body is not yours for consumption.
My body is my vessel.
An archive of experiences.
A weapon that has fought battles only I understand.
A library of love, pain, struggle, victory, and mystery.
Your eyes cannot define all it has endured.
Do not place value upon my body, place it upon my being.”
~ Sophie Lewis
The invitation to place value on my being...to put my attention on my actions, my ability to love, on how I show up in the world. For the longest time, this invitation wouldn't get through to me. It couldn't. My soul heard it to be true but society's belief systems were too strongly embedded in my being. I saw my body as the enemy, as a thing that belonged to me, a property I got angry at when it didn't obey my will. The belief that the appearance of my body would determine how much I was loved, how much I was allowed to belong, how safe I was in the world had too much control. 

Only after I hit rock bottom and almost lost my life did I start listening to my soul's desperate whispers: ∾ Place value on my being. Place value on my presence, on my ability love, on how I show up in the world. ∾ 

 

OUR OWN BATTLEFIELD 

Our Own Battlefield

 


And then there are these unexpected moves and outlets of the outside world. Other people’s entitlement to place judgement around me and others. 


I often wonder – where is this coming from?

“You are short.”
“Are you pregnant?”
“Oh, wow, you already have grey hair?!”

What determines the way we are supposed to look or be like today? What conditions us to believe that asking or commenting on someone else’s body without acknowledgment of further, deeper insight is actually okay?

Everybody fights their own battle. On their very own battlefield.
We do not know what the arena looks like, what someone has been going through in their life or even in the present moment. Consider that next time before you speak up.

What is your experience with owning your own body and shifting your attention from placing all your self-worth on external to more internal values? What do you do to claim your own body? We feel that this conversation is way overdue so we'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. 

Sending love to all beings.

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Comments

  • Your post very much rings true. I am battling a life threatening eating disorder myself, that has reigned over my life for nearly 40 years, brought on by my mothers very unkind comments as a child. Love your products and hope to add a necklace to my collection soon, just wish I could afford it. Much love x

    Tanja Wray on

  • Thanks you for sharing! This is beautiful, powerfull and we should talk about this more. I am also learning to shifting my intensions to my internal, even go to therapy for it. I love myself again and find it heartbraking sometimes how we can talk or think about ourselfs or others. The hardest challenge for me still is to (keep) fully connect(ed) with myself because I want to connect with all the other beautiful women in the world. I don’t want to be scared no more when they are gorgeous. I don’t want to feel less anymore. A daily challenge for me. Step by step I am growing. More kind to myself. Selflove for me is the key to a happy life! Thank you agaiin for this blog.

    Rianne on

  • Great message. I hope to see many more models for your jewelry with grey hair and soft bodies!

    Linda Goulet on

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