Radical Self-Love for Everybody and Every Body
The idea of having multiple genders is new to many, and downright frightening to some. It’s time we advanced the mainstream discussion of multigenderism beyond just the absolute basics of, Is it possible? Um, yes.
I know it can be difficult to know what to say to kids and how to talk to them about these events, but it is imperative that we do.
Emotional labor should not be the physical labor through which we are exploited by capitalism, it should be the practice of loving through which we achieve personal transformation and collective liberation.
It should go without saying that people have value beyond what they contribute to society, and immigrants should not have to endure labor exploitation or prove superhuman resilience to be deemed “worthy” of inclusion in our communities. We don’t impose the same unrealistic standards on citizens, after all.
The goal of imaginative, ecstatic solitude masturbation is to get me to a place where I know how to get my own body to feel good…
From the constant comments we see and hear about losing weight, to the sometimes constant looks of disapproval from passersby, it might seem like there’s no way to getting around the body shaming we go through during the summer. Here’s 5 foolproof, tried and tested ways for you to steer clear!
Radical self-care, like radical self-love, pushes against the boundaries of the ordinary. It is robust, proactive, and unconditional. It is genuinely radical – it gets to the root of our bodies, hearts, and minds.
In the aftermath of the Alabama Senate election, Black women have had to remind folks that our primary objective is not in ‘saving the country from itself.” Saving ourselves from this country is also high on our list of priorities and has been so for a very long time. Superficial social media praise juxtaposed against the harsh realities that Black women have to face in this country re/produce a stark and disturbing contrast.
The fact is, it wasn’t any new cultural phenomenon that made it so easy for my abuser to hurt me (and, even now, makes it hard for me to be believed or helped when I tell my story) – it was good ol’ fashioned patriarchy.
But the socialization of men is such that even a good man – a supportive man, a respectful man, a trusted man – has within him the potential for violence and harm because these behaviors are normalized through patriarchy.
Remember: your trauma around these issues is real. It’s legitimate. It’s not something that you should have to disregard, or silence, or make smaller inside you because it’s seen as inconvenient or “too much” for someone else.
From my body hair, to the way my tummy tucks out of my pants, folks always seem to be genuinely surprised by the appearance of these traits, when honestly I am fat and hairy year round. I don’t hide it in the winter, and I don’t want to hide it in the summer.
This piece was first published in Danish magazine Friktion and is republished with permission. Dutch beer company Heineken has recently faced backlash for its “lighter is better” ad, where a bartender with light skinned Latino […]
I know now that it is by no means simple nor often is it by choice, because the members you choose to be in your family, come with their own families.
As a person who was assigned male at birth, my fatness produces my gender in a very specific way. I have a big, soft belly and what might be called breasts on a different body.
