For a long while the mirror has not been my friend, focusing on the things I don’t like about my body I will cringe at myself in the mirror and quickly chuck on my clothes. I can easily pick faults and very rarely look for anything that I actually like about how I look. The other day I was putting on my makeup, toddler in one arm, juggling her and my mascara smiling and pulling faces in the mirror when I noticed my eyes, that they look kind and I thought to myself that its so rare to look and see something positive. Staring at my beautiful girl alongside me in the mirror I decided my attitude towards myself has got to change, I don’t want her to see me looking at myself the way I do. I want her to grow up with body confident parents. My boys too. I want them to grow up respecting a woman’s body, respecting their own bodies, how can I teach them body confidence when I don’t have it to show them?
I set myself a challenge, to look in the mirror and choose 5 things I like about my face and body. Then next time I see myself and start to focus on the parts I’m not so keen on I need to remember instead the features that I like. My body has been through a lot, three full term pregnancies and recently I’ve blamed it for things that weren’t it’s fault, miscarriage and the breakdown of my previous marriage. Its time we start to be friends again.
Finding 5 things wasn’t easy but here they are;
- My eyes – I like the blue of them and that they look at my children with love and kindness.
- My lips – I like the shape of them and that my children have the same shape as me.
- My waist – I like the fact that it is still there even after three children.
- My legs – I like that they are slim, that I don’t have to worry about them.
- My hands – I like that they are feminine, my fingers long and dainty.
I would love for you to join in the challenge. This isn’t just for women as body confidence in men is also so important. If you do, tweet me @mummyandmonkeys and I will retweet and include in a roundup of all the posts.
PS I know beauty is more than than just the way you look. This is just one aspect of the new being kinder to myself that I am having a go at.
I tag to have a go;
Hannah at Hi Baby Blog
Sian at Quite Frankly She Said
Louise at Birds and Lillies
Maria at Suburban Mum
Julie at Pondering Parenthood