This Couple's Beach Photo Is Going Viral For All The Right Reasons
Self-confidence should be celebrated over a number on the scale
Self-acceptance is not easy, especially for women. Concern over how we look can take up valuable mind space in our quest for the “perfect” body (whatever that is). One woman decided she’d had enough and decided to do something novel – love the body she was in.
Known as “Jazzy” on Instagram, the aspiring plus-size model and body positive advocate posted a photo of herself and her husband walking on the beach. In it, the wife and mother admitted she didn’t always believe her husband could really love the way she looked.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BU0CSzRAuER/
“Over the years this man has loved every curve, every roll, and every stretch mark on my body. I never understood why!” she starts her Instagram post. “How could he love something that isn’t ‘perfect?’ How could a man who was ‘born fit’ love someone like me!”
Once she found the confidence to love herself for exactly as she was, it became easy to see why her husband loved her wholly, perceived “flaws” and all.
“I don’t have a flat stomach, I jiggle when I walk, hell if I run up the stairs to [sic] fast my body claps,” Jazzy jokes. “But now I see I do have the ‘perfect’ body! Every roll, every curve and every stretch mark is put on me just perfect to make both of us happy!!! I love my body and I finally see why he does too!”
There are many women who, for a number of reasons, find it difficult to accept their bodies. Look no further than magazines and television to understand the societal pressure on women to be a certain size. Some women love their bodies regardless of whether they measure up to some arbitrary number on the scale, but for women like Jazzy (and millions of others) it can take a while to get to that point of acceptance. Hell, even when she is finally accepting herself, there are people trying to bring her down.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BU2aebmg9An/
And we wonder why women have such a hard time accepting themselves.
Jazzy’s husband does not deserve praise for loving his wife or finding her attractive. And no, it’s not what’s on the “inside” that counts, which so many well-meaning commenters have responded to her story. We are sure she is a good person on the inside, but she looks amazing on the outside, too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BU3uwndgYuh/?taken-by=a_body_positive_jazzy
Jazzy may think she’s lucky to have him, but we think he’s pretty lucky to have someone who is so self-aware. Confidence is sexy as hell. It’s what attracts people to each other and we wish every woman could be as accepting of themselves.
At the end of our lives, we doubt many of us will judge the time we’ve been given based on having a flat stomach or fitting into certain size jeans. But we’d imagine there are a number of us who will have regret over wasting time feeling like we weren’t enough.