Do I Love What I See? Brown Skin. Full Lips. Natural Body.
Updated: Sep 6
Growing up, I remember going to the dentist/orthodontist as a child, and she made a note about having “full lips” in reference to my lil’ overbite. I also remember shopping and being complimented on having a “cute shape,” but for whatever reason, I didn’t see what other people did and went through my phases of being insecure. To be honest, I probably always had a nice shape because I stayed active, honey. Back then, I tapped into track, soccer, basketball, dance, cheerleading (of course, as we grow older, things change and certain interests fade away); being toned and fit came naturally. Shout out to genetics too!
I say all that to say, as I observe the world today, well, where I’m located, it seems like surgery is the new normal. In a way, I understand why people feel the need to have procedures done, especially for weight loss, congenital diseases, etc. With the media glorifying certain things, it can be difficult not to indulge in what’s being thrown in our faces every day. I’ve been skinny skinny, athletically toned, thick, and obesely overweight and never felt the need to go that route.
Sometimes I feel like we even dismiss how genetics plays a role in what we look like…because it does. Even when I went to the gym after becoming obese and fasted, the weight barely came off. True health starts from the inside out.
It may sound “corny” (something I don’t like but that’s a different topic for another day), but I didn’t see the weight come off until…well, let me keep it real…I went through the lowest moments of my life. Not only did I suffer emotionally, financially, and mentally, but there was a physical aspect as well.
In a way, I feel like it was the best thing that could’ve happened to me because not only did it reset my body, but it aligned my spirit and mind. I learned how to truly survive, appreciate the simple things in life, and be grateful. Even when I was struggling, I still had full access to my apartment gym but chose nature as my playground. We miss so many things when we’re driving or rushing to places, and when I was walking and going hiking, boppin‘ to music in my ears, I didn’t have a care in the world. It’s actually hilarious when I think about it because I was having full-on dance sessions on the sidewalks while walking to the store, library, and wherever else I needed to go. I wasn’t worried or feeling anxiety from the frantic stories in the news or trying to get the right angles for Instagram; it was just me, SoundCloud, and Mother Nature.
Back to the point, though, I feel like in the present moments of my life I can’t judge anyone too harshly because I briefly did the makeup, eyelashes, contacts, and wigs, but at the same time, none of it is “real”. Plus, I’ve seen some beautiful and wholesome content where wigs can help those with cancer, alopecia, etc., and where others are using them as a means to express themselves artistically. This is only one perspective on a very broad topic.
When all of that stuff is taken off, though, the real question is “Do I still love what I see when I look in the mirror?” and although I hope the answer is yes for other people, for me today, I can confidently say yes. I love my brown eyes, brown skin, blemishes, eczema, eyebrows, eyelashes, stretch marks, thick thighs, wrinkles, and everything else in between because it took me a long time to get here, and people are now paying to have full lips and other accessories I used to be insecure about. Will I ever pop a lil‘ makeup or a wig on again? I don’t know…right now I don’t feel the need to do so, but I’m for sure not doing the nail thing; it’s giving real nails, honey.
At the end of the day, we’re all going to do what we want to do(as we should), and it is what it is, but I’ll forever advocate for natural beauty.
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