folded, stretched, relaxed. a body is just lines and light and shadow. there’s no such thing as bad angles. i don’t look at a circle and wish it were a square. a shape is a neutral and natural occurring thing. any reason to see the body as ugly is directly rooted in colonialism, racism, colorism, fatphobia, misogyny, ableism, ageism, etc. — that is not a violence i want to perpetuate, internally or externally. when i contextualize my insecurities and see them for the historical violence they are, i get closer to humanizing myself and others. addressing the trauma of being called ugly is hard work but it’s valuable work. i don’t outsource dignity or desirability or beauty. those belong to me.
you only owe your body and others two things: liberation and kindness.