i love me some ME!

I took off my clothes yesterday…((((((giggle)))) that sounds like it was the first time I was doing that in a while! Well its just that yesterday I did that and I stood in front the mirror- jeepers creepers why on earth would I want to do that? Anyway I stood to my full height and looked straight ahead, I turned to the left and then to the right and you want to know what I saw? Beauty beyond measure, fearfully and wonderfully made.

I realised that I had been at the brink of falling into the same trap that most women fall into. That of comparing oneself with unrealistic, untrue images of beauty. I am an African woman, I revel in my curves, my strength is in the thickness of my waist, life bounces in the heaviness of my breasts, every single stretch-mark is a reminder of the wonderful life I carried inside my belly. You want to know something, I fell in love with that woman in the mirror, her image is permanently imprinted on my mind, I see the corners of her mouth lift slightly as she starts to smile, to appreciate the view in front of her.

I put on some clothes today… comfy and in my world stylish and I felt good about it. I don’t have to wear skinny jeans and stilettos and paint my face red, pink and blue to feel good. I like my style and I will stick to it, it defines me.

I think of one of my favourite songs of all time, from India Arie, and I just had to get excerpts from the lyrics to make the statement:

Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I dont
Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I wont
Depend on how the wind blows I might even paint my toes
It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul

Im not the average girl from your video
And I aint built like a supermodel
But, I learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
Im not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what Im wearing I will always be india aria

When I look in the mirror the only one there is me
Every freckle on my face is where its supposed to be
And I know our creator didnt make no mistakes on me
My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes; Im lovin what I see