Bikini Beautiful Week: Being Pregnant Was The First Time I Was Able To Turn Off My Body Loathing Soundtrack

1shutterstock_92419468__1374157254_74.134.205.46Bikini Beautiful Week is sponsored by BIC Soleil, the razor that’s just as bright and colorful as you are. Get bikini ready this summer with a flawlessly smooth shave from BIC Soleil. For special offers and to learn more, visit www.facebook.com/bicsoleil.

There has always been something wrong with my body. Whether it be my height or my weight or the fact my mouth is crooked or my eyes are too big and at certain times I can resemble an alien-esque anime cartoon. I have giant feet. My hair looks stupid. You guys have all heard this song many times before and like most women, you probably sing this boring, stupid song to yourself throughout your day. It’s what us ladeeees do. Things the ladies do are watching Scandal and criticizing on own bodies. It’s stupid and lame and no matter how many self-help books we read or how many brilliant articles we read all about body love and acceptance at the end of the day we are all singing the same sad stupid song that goes by the title of ”I hate my body.” That all changed when I got pregnant.

There is something so liberating about growing another human inside you.You realize that your body is this amazing, magical, powerful miracle that can actually house and grow and nourish another person! There is a whole other set of EYES growing inside of you! A tiny little rosebud mouth! A heart that beats! Crazy stuff. For me it made me learn how to respect my body and to realize that, hey, who cares if I am getting stretch marks on my skin because I am capable of growing a whole other human who will one day laugh and cry and walk and talk and hopefully one day offer a whole different pregnant woman a seat on a bus.

Now, this is just me, and other women may learn to appreciate their body a bit more and turn off all the negative self-talk in ways other than being pregnant. By being diagnosed with a serious illness like cancer and surviving it. By learning a new yoga pose that you never thought possible. By making peace with the body you have, not the body you will have 20 pounds from now. By feeling the sun on your back as you recline in your garden and realizing that you may have inherited your mother’s chicken legs, but they are legs that walk and run and carry the rest of you around as your explore this great big earth.

Because birthing my children made me appreciate my body, now that they live outside of my body I try and make an effort not to let the sad I hate my body song creep into my day-to-day reality of raising these little humans. When they tell me I’m pretty, even if I’m wearing an ugly T-shirt covered in dryer lint and my hair may or may not have flour in it from baking something I smile and tell them thank you. I find random women on the street and say something to one of my kids like ”That lady has a beautiful smile” or ” I love that mom over there and how her eyes are lighting up while she talks to her son” or ” Look how pretty her hair is.”

These women may not be considered fashion models on any given day, and they may not be typically beautiful or young or whatever ideal of beauty that is shoved down our faces by the media, but to me they are beautiful. Just like you. Just like me.

This post is sponsored by BIC Soleil.

(Image:  Everett Collection/shutterstock)

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