Exposed

Let’s be honest, it’s a pretty common thing to stand in front of a mirror without a piece of clothing on and criticize.

It’s not about appreciating the body, but picking out the things we don’t like about it. If I stand in front of that mirror long enough I will find an area on every part of my body that I am not pleased with.

Being naked, is being vulnerable.

There were times I would insist on keeping my shirt on with a partner because I wanted to hide my belly.

When he would invite me to join him in the shower, I always resisted because there was simply too much naked time for me to handle. Then of course there’s the wriggling out from under an arm to get fully clothed just to wriggle back under it.

No matter how many times a partner might praise my body, I wouldn’t hear it, I only saw that reflection I’d memorized in the mirror.

Every discoloration, every lump that doesn’t belong, every soft spot that I wished was firm, haunted my thoughts.

But tonight all of that changed. For the first time, I discovered what other people see when they look at my nude body.

Not people that are invested in complimenting me, for the sake of getting something from me, but complete strangers. As they painted my body, I tried not to grab a drop cloth and cover my body with it.

I regretted my decision to allow it almost from the first moment that I agreed to it.

But here’s something I never expected, I am beautiful. Through the eyes of others, all of my flaws are minuscule.

No one on Earth looks at my body with the same critical eye that I do. Instead they see something worth painting.

Is it possible to see ourselves that way? Is it possible to look into the mirror and find the beauty that others do?

We been so conditioned to pick out what we consider to be flaws that we can’t see how unique our bodies are, that when all the elements are blended together, they form a masterpiece.

I’m done judging my body so harshly. I want to embrace my body, all of it.

Next time you look into the mirror, and your beautiful naked body is reflected back at you, don’t tell it what it isn’t, instead talk about what it is.

Repeat after me: “I enjoy my body and all the pleasures it brings me with delight.”

Love,
Sammy
Single Wide Female (SWF)