Yesterday (Friday 28th June 2013) Body Gossip – a positive body image campaign that encourages everyone to be the best version of themselves – held a #BodyLove Flashmob at the South Bank Centre in London.

Everyone who attended wrote something that they love about their body on a heart and held it up to show the world.

As a Body Gossip Ambassador, I was supposed to be there in person, but sadly someone got hit by a train at one of the stations I have to go through on the route from here to London, and my train was delayed so much that by the time I’d got there it would have been all over.  I hope that whoever it was survived and will make a full recovery, but I suspect that’s not the case 🙁

The Flashmob was happening online too, so while I was really disappointed that I couldn’t be there in person, I did participate virtually from afar:

This was an interesting exercise for me.  Fifteen years ago I wouldn’t have been able to think of anything to write on that heart.

Not one single thing.

Fast forward to now (via an eating disorder, osteoporosis, travelling to the other side of the world, two car crashes and three young children) and I can honestly say that I love everything about my body.

And do you know why?

Because it’s strong.

Because despite everything I’ve put it through over the years, it’s never let me down.

Because it’s completely unique to me.

Of course I have days where there are bits that I don’t like.  If my hair goes frizzy in the rain for example.  Or if my skin isn’t as clear as it could be.  Or if I discover that a dress that I once loved doesn’t quite fit right any more.

But despite the odd occasions where there are parts I don’t like, overall I really do love all of me:

• My tummy is softer and rounder than it was, and that’s ok, because within it I carried my three amazing miracle daughters.
• My boobs are smaller and less perky than they were, and that’s ok, because they produced milk that nourished my girls during their first months of life.
• My feet are big in comparison to the rest of me (in my eyes anyway), and that’s ok, because they let me walk for miles and miles and miles.
• My skin doesn’t tan (it goes red then freckly), and that’s ok, because it has protected me from the elements for all of these years.
• My hair is (ahem) strawberry blond, and that’s ok, because it’s completely unique to me.
• I have scars, and that’s ok, because they show that I am a survivor.

The list could go on, but I’m not going to bore you with it.  Really I just wanted to get the message out there that it is possible to get to a place where you can love yourself, just because you’re you, and because being you is all you ever need to be in order to live the life you want to live.

As I said, it’s taken me a long time to get here, and it hasn’t been easy.  It wasn’t until I sat down to write my heart that I even realised I’d got to this point.  It was a bit of a surprise actually 🙂

So it just goes to show – it might not be easy, but it is possible, and through the work I do I’m going to continue to help as many people as possible get to the same point as me.

So if you are struggling with low self-esteem, or a lack of confidence, or an eating disorder, or self harm, or any number of other things that make you feel that you’re not being the best you you could be, why not get in touch and together we can talk about how I might be able to help you.

I’d love to know your thoughts and feelings about this blog post, and how you all feel about your own bodies, so please do feel free to leave a comment below.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

PS: It’s not to late to get involved – if you go to the Body Gossip website you can download your own heart and be a part of the ongoing online #BodyLove Flashmob too.  Come join the fun!

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