Reader Request: Smart vs. Pretty

Reader Judy sent me this request via e-mail: One of my fellow engineering students made the comment that girls in engineering are either “hot” and dumb, or really smart, socially awkward, and “ugly.” Upon remembering that I am, indeed, a girl, he babbled something...

Body Neutrality

Before I became aware of the voices contributing to the body image conversation, most of the information that I took in about my body related to its faults. Because most of the messages promoted by the media and big business are about how women’s bodies are...

Photography and Body Image

Back in March, I linked to Anna’s post in which she discussed what she learned from taking a photo of herself every day for a month. And even before that, a friend sent me this post about feeling too fat to be photographed. Both women’s perspectives have...

Thinking Beings with Corporeal Forms

I’ve always been smart, and I’ve always known it. But as a young girl, I was never considered pretty, or cool, or attractive. And I knew that, too. I envied my peers; Envied their trendy clothes and sleek hair, envied their confidence and style, envied their seemingly...

Clothes that Make You Feel Good

We talk a lot about figure flattery around here. There are more requests for posts related to traditional figure-flattery priorities than just about any other topic, so many discussions point in that direction. But I hope that this message is always clear: YOU get to...

Body Love, Pride, and Vanity

Occasionally, someone will pipe up in a conversation about body image to request consideration of pride and vanity. Suggestions of praising one’s own body aloud – either into a mirror or in conversation with others – can seem not only challenging,...

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