Fat From the Side.

This is me at Christmas dinner (I have cropped out the friends I was sharing Christmas dinner with for the purposes of this submission). When I first saw this photo (after my husband had sent it out to all of his family in a Christmas message), it was like someone had slapped me across the face. I was horrified and so upset. And I was horrified and upset with myself for feeling horrified and upset by this photo. I thought I had come so far in my body acceptance, and it felt like my reaction to this photo set me back a bunch. But then I started to analyze my feelings, to figure out why this image was so shocking to me. The answer was simple: not only is this me from the side - my least favourite angle - but also this is me sitting down. I have rarely, if ever, seen a photo of myself quite like this before. So of course it was shocking, and I forgave myself for being so startled by it. My fat is redistributed somewhat when sitting, in a way that makes it more prominent than in any other position. As a result, this photo forces me come to terms with my fat more than any other I’ve had taken. So once I got over the initial shock and had time to analyze it, I came to the conclusion that this was yet another step in my body acceptance. And all that I have learned and the hurdles I have overcome so far have led me to this moment, so that when I see this particular photo of myself I can learn to accept it too. Rather than deleting it, as I might have done in the past, I have instead included it in the Christmas photos I sent to everyone on my email list, as well as posted it on Facebook. And that’s pretty cool. 

submitted by ilikeprettyclothes