A Valentine to the Body

Judging by the infiltration of pink stuffed animals and heart-shaped boxes in nearly every drug store I enter, Valentine’s Day is practically here. Usually, I like to prepare for this holiday by obsessively planning how to celebrate it: whether that’s which restaurant to ball out on with a date or which season of Chopped I’m going to binge under my heated blanket. This binary narrative is pretty normal around V-Day. However, when is the last time you took a moment to show your love for your body?

Your body is, perhaps quite literally, your ride or die. It will always be there for you; it will always have your back (and your butt, your hands, and your brilliant mind). Your body carries you through the world and this campus––it carries you through the hardest losses and your glowing successes, your earliest mornings and latest nights, and through the deepest snow or the warmest of Ann Arbor summer afternoons.  

If our bodies can do so many wonderful things for us, why is it so normal to show them such disdain for physical traits we see as imperfections? The body you have right now is yours––it always has been and always will be.

This Valentine’s Day, whoever is the object of your desire–whether it’s a hot babe or a hot blanket–I challenge you to also take a moment to add your body to a list of things to love. Say some kind words to it, fill it with nourishing food, get a massage, move it in a way that brings you joy, or just give it the rest it deserves. Your body is so worthy of love and appreciation from its closest and oldest friend: you.

If you’re interested in more body-positive content or becoming involved with promoting body positivity and wellness on campus, consider following the Body Peace Corps Facebook Page, or join the organization by emailing us! Keep an eye out for events for Eating Disorder Awareness week, which is February 14th through the 22nd!

 

Contributed By: Rachael Ankley, Body Peace Corps Program Assistant