A Letter to My Body

It is with great pleasure that I have the honor of announcing that BlogHer upgraded "Body Image" to its own topic rather than a sub-topic of the very important category of Health & Wellness. Even more exciting, BlogHer is launching a brand new Letters to My Body initiative. Today I'm calling for members to blog a “letter to my body” and link to the post using Mr Linky. (I know, "Mr. Linky" cracks me up, too, but it's very easy to use – see the box below.) You can also blog your letter on BlogHer (select the Letter to My Body topic) and it will feed directly into the BlogHer Letter To My Body widget we're creating.

In two weeks, I’ll choose one of the linked letters to feature on BlogHer. Another Contributing Editor will post snippets from that letter and link back to that woman’s blog, and she’ll encourage members to again write a letter to my body and post a link. That CE will choose her favorite letter and another CE will be tasked to feature it in her post with a call for more letters to my body. Every two weeks, BlogHer’ll feature a new blogger and her letter and do a call out for more letters. Very exciting stuff.

Of course, it's only fair that if I ask you to put yourself out there, I do so as well. What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than to send a love letter to my body? Here goes:

Dear Body,

I know we've had our differences in the past, but I am very happy to say that I'm learning to appreciate everything you do for me more and more each year. Since we live in a world which foists unattainable beauty standards on women, destroying our ability to appreciate our own figures and dashing our self-esteem on the hard rocks of media saturation, I have been unfairly harsh in judging you for years. (However, I felt vindicated for you when I read that a study in Spain of 1,000 women "concluded that Spanish women were not the very skinny tall types that designers idealize, but rather fell into three main body types: hourglass, pear shape and cylinder. It also found that 4 of 10 women had trouble finding clothes to fit, mainly because sizes varied from store to store and because what was on the racks was too small." I also thought, No shit, Sherlock.)

Thanks to all the societal dysfunction about what women should look like, I developed a nasty case of body dysmorphic disorder. No matter what you, body, looked like, I was certain that you were too fat and not good enough. I was not very nice to you. I forgot that while I may at various times have carried as much 167 lbs. or as little as 117 lbs. (when I had a violent digestive disorder) on my 5'1" frame, you were there for me, still functioning. No matter what size you were, you let me enjoy a lot of things in life, from the yumminess of a chocolate covered strawberry to the tingle of the touch of a lover. Did I ever thank you for these gifts? Barely.

Instead, I blamed you for things that were not going so well in my life. And yet the funny thing is, there is not one thing that you prevented me from doing that I really wanted to. Have I ever not gone to school, had a job, or been denied friends because I was not physically perfect? No. Did you stop me from finding a perfect partner for life? Certainly not, and although I may have blamed you for love spurned in the past, it actually was for the best that any guy who rejected me based on my body did so. Who needs affection that is based on looks, not personality?

Over the last few years, as I've gotten older, I started seeing how cruel I was to you. It turns out that when I stop being so nasty to you, constantly criticizing you for what you are not instead of loving you for what you are, I'm a much happier person. I appreciate that I can do all sorts of activities through you. I thank you for taking the abuse of daily life – from a jog in Central Park to obsessive typing on my tiny laptop keyboard - without complaining (for the most part). I'm damn lucky to have a body like you. You do an excellent job, and I am proud to inhabit you.

So, body, will you be my Valentine?

Love,
Suzanne

Suzanne also blogs about life and beauty at Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants.

Please don't forget to fill in Mr. Linky (heh heh) below and write a letter to your body, too.

Submitted by Suzanne Reisman (view blog

) on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 06:00

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Love this!

Love it! Love it! Love it!

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Submitted by sassymonkey on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 06:37

Oo, I'm first!

I wrote this open letter to my body when I broke my wrist and felt stressed out a year ago.

Nice initiative!

Love,
Cecile Weekly
www.cecile-weekly.com

Submitted by Cecile Weekly on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 07:06

Great post, Cecile!

How is that cease-fire with your body going all these months alter?

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

Submitted by Elisa Camahort on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 09:33

I am sooooo in!

Damn, i want to do this today. I can't. I can't. I want to tell you about my body and it's scars, it's puckers, my oragami breasts and all that. I want to talk about how strong it is, how it runs and swims and (can i say fucks?) and gives birth and explodes appendixes and.....

NICE JOB BlogHer for doing this..... I"m in. soooooo in.l But not until tomorrow. I can' hardly wait.
___________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE
make some good news!
www.JustCauseIt.com

Submitted by alyssaroyse on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:00

Fantastic. I love it.

I've just written my letter and I want to thank you. This is awesome. It's the little things like this that make BlogHer such a great community. I look forward to reading everyone's letters.

Submitted by CindyPTN on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:30

Great letter Cindy...

Sounds like you have a lot of love for your body and just need to remind yourself every now and then. I love the bit about rewarding your body by dressing it nicely. I bet our Fashion editors will love that too :)

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

Submitted by Elisa Camahort on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:31

Fantastic Post and Idea!

Oooh, I hope your body takes your offer and becomes your Valentine :-)

So much of this rang true for me--and it's all stuff I thought about this week as I was dress shopping and wishing for something different...but why? Why not just love what I have? Working hard on this. And I think it does get a bit easier with age and gained perspective.

Thanks for the great post,
Mel

Venting about infertility since 2006
www.stirrup-queens.blogspot.com
and we're not talkin' cowgirls...

Submitted by The Town Crier on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:31

It did accept my gift of a brownie

After I took a nice leisurely stroll, I thought my body and I would enjoy a VD brownie. It accepted, and we are both quite pleased. No regrets allowed.

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS)& Other Rants

Submitted by Suzanne Reisman on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 14:19

Thanks for this post, Suzanne

Fantastically written.

-k
---
Kristy Sammis
BlogHer's Conference & Event Planner
e. kristy@blogher.com

Submitted by Kristy Sammis on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 12:31

What a Great Valentine's Present

Done!

I was surprised how emotional I became writing this. It is an apology and an affirmation in one page. Thanks.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

Submitted by debra roby on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 15:41

Aw Deb, that's lovely

Your post was both lovely...and pracitical, full of actionable advice :)

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

Submitted by Elisa Camahort on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 16:35

My Letter

I can't wait to write my own! Great letter to yourself, Suzanne. These letters are a wonderful idea!
Alex Elliot, Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting

Submitted by A Elliot on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 18:09

Lovely. Thanks. :) (I

Lovely. Thanks. :)
(I posted mine yesterday - there must be a few of us on the same wavelength these days! Ha! I hope it counts, anyway. ;D)

Submitted by Marste on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 00:24

I totally related, Marste

As a former actress in NYC, I so related to your letter. Thanks for writing it.

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

Submitted by Elisa Camahort on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 10:11

Worthy Post, Worthy Idea...

Excellent work...I've gotta do a post on this as I can't tell you how many teens we have that NEED to 'write letters' to themselves...yowza.

Brilliant. So glad BlogHer is taking the lead to make body image its own category, too!

Body image links a child’s emotional and physical health, and one quick glance reveals a nation in trouble amidst this appearance-based culture...I really believe that now more than ever, deconstruction and media literacy is key here...

Looking forward to more...We have a 'body image' category on Shaping Youth too, covering the impact of media/marketing on kids. Mind if I link back and ask our readers to join in this letter writing idea? Fabulous. Kudos all around.

Amy Jussel
Shaping Youth
www.shapingyouth.org

Submitted by Shaping Youth on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 01:21

Lovely idea! Off to write my

Lovely idea! Off to write my own letter....

Submitted by RaisinCookies on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 02:34

More than 50 words

but I posted it at my First 50 Words blog.

http://www.webteacher.ws/
http://first50.wordpress.com/

Submitted by Virginia DeBolt on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 08:49

I love these. This was fun.

Submitted by Nudemuse on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 18:24

An issued warning to my Body

Here it is:
http://www.blogher.com/blog/jeninshanghai

Thanks for the great idea!
It was quite a release to get all of that out!
Peace!
Jen

Submitted by JenInShanghai on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 18:38

I actually wrote a letter to

I actually wrote a letter to my body a couple of years ago and have it linked in my side bar. Can I use that one? Or should I write a new one?

Submitted by Yvonne on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 22:33

Beautiful, Suzanne! Well

Beautiful, Suzanne! Well said.

And Yvonne, I am not the Boss Applesauce, but if you still like it I would think it would be great to share!

Your Pop Culture Librarian also writes almost daily at I,
Asshole.

Submitted by Super Jive on Sat, 02/16/2008 - 10:25

I agree Yvonne

Share away. other bloggers have found letters to their body from the past and re-published them, so you should too :)

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

Submitted by Elisa Camahort on Sat, 02/16/2008 - 11:04

Thanks, Ladies

I went ahead and re-posted my letter.

Submitted by Yvonne on Sun, 02/17/2008 - 00:43

I did it

Thanks so much for the opportunity!

Keep posted with my life on my blogs:
www.momtothescreamingmasses.typepad.com - a story of one woman's insanity with her six kids
www.theelffdiet.com - how I lost 80 pounds with a New Year's Resolution

Submitted by Carmen S on Sun, 02/17/2008 - 22:04

Cool!

This is my first BlogHer activity, and it was really awesome. It's been a bad body week and it feels good to be positive about it for a change.

What a great idea- thanks so much!

Submitted by Overflowing Brain on Sun, 02/17/2008 - 23:04

I've posted mine!

http://averagejane.blogs.com/average_jane/2008/02/average-janes-l.html

Submitted by Average Jane on Mon, 02/18/2008 - 10:46

Just posted mine

What a great exercise!

Submitted by Mamasbloggin on Mon, 02/18/2008 - 11:32

I posted mine as well.

I feel a bit intimidated around all these other really good bloggers, but mine is up nonetheless.

Submitted by Angie B on Mon, 02/18/2008 - 21:04

Right on Angie B!

Nice work.

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

Submitted by Lisa Stone on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 16:10

Great idea!

Thanks so much for this idea, I took it in a different direction, but it was very helpful for me!
http://puppybraille.livejournal.com/578862.htmlNickie's Nook
and Nickie's Nook the Book

Submitted by puppybraille on Tue, 02/19/2008 - 23:06

i was a scoffer when i

i was a scoffer when i initially saw this letter to my body deal. not so now.

http://katydidnot.blogspot.com/2008/02/certain-of-my-disassociated-parts...

Submitted by katydidnot on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 01:06

Wonderful letters!

It is fantastic reading everyone's letters. So I don't miss any, I just want to remind everyone to put a link in their comment so we can find your letters. (It seems that Mr. Linky has disappeared, making this even more critical.)

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS)& Other Rants

Submitted by Suzanne Reisman on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 08:03

Mr Linky comes and goes

Not sure why Mr Linky disappeared briefly but he's back - and in case you're worried, we can access those links through the Mr Linky control panel if needed.

:-)

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Submitted by Denise on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 11:36

great post!

thanks for the inspiration!

mine is mr. linky'd (#25)

Submitted by jen.scharpen on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 02:53

Found it from Yvonne

And I can't wait to do it myself.

Incredible idea.

Miss Britt
http://www.miss-britt.com

Submitted by missbritt on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 08:19

fabulous idea

this is such a great idea. i posted my own letter. thanks for the inspiration to appreciate what i have. :)

Amy
Crunchy Domestic Goddess
BlogHers Act contributing editor

Submitted by amygeekgrl on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 08:55

Mom2One/Judy K.

Mom2One/Judy K.
Just Enjoy Him: Ramblings of a Mid-Life Mom

When I read "Letter to my body," I had such a totally different take on it. I think I'll just go with what I initially thought:

http://justenjoyhim.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/letter-to-my-body/

Submitted by Mom2One on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 11:37

Wow Mom2One/Judy K!

I just read your post, thank you...You are one brave woman. I salute you. Thanks for the link to your blog - I'll be watching as you kick cancer in the teeth.

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

Submitted by Lisa Stone on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 12:15

My letter

I posted my link to my letter but i don't have it scheduled to publish for everyone to view on my main page until midnight tonight. But it should be viewable if you click the link directly to it.

http://sleepingmommy.com/2008/02/22/dear-body/

Sleeping Mommy
"If sleep deprivation is an effective form of torture, then the CIA should seriously consider employing my children."

Submitted by sleepingmommy on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 14:00

Thanks for the inspiration!

This is so fun. Here is my letter
http://www.xiaolinmama.com/2008/02/a-letter-to-my.html

Submitted by xiaolinmama on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 13:47

Letter to My Body

Great idea. I wanted to write mine before I read others, so I hope to read through them all this evening and tomorrow.
A Letter To My Body, Sticks and Stones

cooper

Submitted by cooper on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 16:19

That's part of my problem Cooper

I haven't done one because every time I read another great one I feel like I just can't write something "like that" to my own body.

So yea. I probably should have written mine last week before we launched. Or maybe I can go without reading a them over the weekend and start fresh with my own thoughts.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Submitted by Denise on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 16:40

I did it

and it was a hard post to write.

Submitted by carrisastone on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 16:28

YIPPEE

Count me in!!! I have already begun. However, the sandman has arrived and is knocking. I must go answer it. I will continue it tomorrow.

Good night!

Pam
Wife to Ron
Mom to Michael & Lauren
http://homeschoolblogger.com/hmschlmomto2

Submitted by SoccerMomtoMandL on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 20:53

Count me in

Count me in, too!
This was a really great, thought provoking exercise.

Karla from www.untanglingknots.com

Submitted by untanglingKnots on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 21:07

This is a great idea

I think this is such a great idea to get women thinking about their body's and how much they mean to them!

Ginger from http://gingersblog-thatkindofgirl.blogspot.com/

Submitted by Gingerspice082 on Fri, 02/22/2008 - 00:09

thanks for this idea! i

thanks for this idea! i loved the idea and tried to respond to it. I failed, but failing to write a letter to my body helped me to realize and articulate something else that's more important to me. thanks again.

Submitted by seelight on Fri, 02/22/2008 - 01:10