We watched Lizzo belting it out
Shaking her stuff
Being an icon of power
And my soulful, beautiful being of a friend looked at me and said:
It’s okay for Lizzo
But not for me
I looked at her with one eyebrow raised
And a nod of understanding
Because I’ve heard it so many times
The celebration of body-liberation
Is for all women
Except for you.
You’re all for fat positivity
For women being all sizes
for owning our curves
Our belly
Our butt
You admire that woman
Who lives in a large body
When she walks into the room
With confidence
And you say…oh yes
I love how she loves her body
I want every woman to love their body
Like that
But that’s not for me
Somehow, you believe
The rules are different for you
You’re not allowed to feel good
In your own skin
Until you lose 15 lbs
Until you have a flatter belly
Until your arms don’t wave in the wind
Until you fit into your skinny jeans
Until you’re sure no one will judge your size
Until
Until
Until
But, the body-liberation that Lizzo’s got
That’s for you too
You’re allowed to feel
Your power
Your beauty
Yourself
Lizzo’s body is not shrouded in shame
Her fatness is not covered in apologies
She is not promising to be smaller
And you
With the wondrous body that you live in right now
You deserve that too.
~ Nina Manolson
NinaManolson.com
Nina Manolson, MA, is the founder of Body-Peace®.She helps women end the war with food and body and finally feel truly at home in their body—as it is.
She is known for her deeply feminist, anti-diet, body-peace® approach. She brings her 30 years of experience as a therapist, Body-Trust® Guide and Psychology of Eating Teacher to helping women create a respectful and trusting relationship with their food and body.
Nina’s Body-Peace® work is all in service of helping people get off the diet roller-coaster, and into a compassionate and powerful way of eating & living which creates a positive long-lasting change in and with their bodies. Her courses, coaching, poems and Body-Peace APP positively change the conversation that women are having with their body.
Start your Body-Peace® journey with this free masterclass that will help you understand and shift your relationship with your body.
