Thinking a lot lately about how diet culture and western beauty standards consistently force women to not only despise their bodies and want to change even the smallest details about them, but also force women into thinking that is all they are defined by. All the while, bodies like ours are revered in the most renowned museums and history books, as art. Somehow patriarchal standards have continued to make women feel like we are competing against each other, ourselves and our own self image. Imagine looking at a beautiful sculpture in a museum and thinking “she would’ve looked better with xyz”. You wouldn’t, so why would we think that of ourselves? As I’ve gained weight people have asked me how I’ve dealt with it and the reality is, thin, fat, or otherwise my body will always be art. My body and beauty isn’t currency in which i have to pay to be respected in the world. I do not have to show up as perfect to be worthy. My body is art, it helps tell my story, but doesn’t define it.