Body image.

Society’s standards.

Body.

Image.

It’s all stupid.

It’s so stupid and completely unnatural but it’s incredible how much power it all has over us.

As a 25 yr old female with an hour-glass shaped body, well…. I have never truly loved my body. Since I wear bikinis at the beach and workout at LEAST 3 times a week, the only people who know how I really feel are my absolute closest friends. My hips always look like love handles, my big shoulders make me look huge, my stomach is never nice, I look chubby, etc.

I know for a fact that I am not alone in this. I know that so many women and men out there look in the mirror getting out of the shower or look at a picture of themselves and automatically see the flaws in their bodies before seeing any beauty. Bodies that you and I would look at and say “Wow, they’re gorgeous.” – because on the outside they seem confident, they have great personalities, and because nobody notices your flaws like you do.

In my opinion, society’s standards are completely and unapologetically DUMB. But that doesn’t mean I love my body, it just means I WISH I loved my body.

I don’t WANT to hate my body. I don’t WANT to look at myself in the mirror and say “Ew”. I don’t WANT to ask someone I know will be honest if I look ok. I don’t WANT to change 10 times before I meet up with friends because that’s how many outfits it takes to make sure I look up to my own standards.

But growing up all I’ve learned is that too skinny is bad and too fat is bad and just-right-skinny is perfect. So we have to just be lucky and whoever is born with certain genes is supposedly the most beautiful. And I’ve realized over my years that genes are genes and rather than trying to change them we should love them!

I’m not just here to rant about society’s imperfections or to explain all the little things I hate about my body. We get it, society sucks and that’s nothing new. Men and women all over the world are trying to change their bodies to look a certain way and not accepting their natural bodies because society tells them that’s not what beautiful is – unfortunately, nothing new.

Instead, I’m here to rally the troops. The gorgeous bodies that are YOU! Let’s conquer this together. Tonight I’m posting a video of myself doing yoga in a sports bra (on my personal Instagram account @emiliecree). Something I wouldn’t even do at yoga teacher training with the family of beautiful women I was surrounded by. Because let’s be real – the bends, folds, and twists of yoga certainly contort your body into some “unattractive” angles. In fact, in a few minutes I’ll have to close my eyes and click “post” or else it will never surface. It’s a huge struggle and it makes me cringe just thinking about it.

BUT THAT’S OK!!! That is A-O-K. So today I post a video of myself doing some yoga on my back deck that absolutely makes me cringe. I could have posted a picture of myself at a great angle that show the upper abs peaking through but that’s not what this is about. I’m not looking for compliments or pity or sympathy or any of that because this is not about me, it’s about all of us as individuals and as humans with bodies. I’m looking for change.

Whether you feel like joining me in posting a picture or video, in which YOU see your flaws, onto a large platform to let it free and let it be, or whether you feel the slightest bit empowered to be more kind to yourself and ignore the body shamers of the world – in either case I have been successful in bringing a freedom to you, even if that freedom is a simple smile or a bit of hope for yourself, for your children, and for your grandchildren. #freeyourflaws #loveyourbody

Love to all of you beautiful bodies.