As a body image activist, writer and feminist artist who often uses her body as a canvas for her art and activism, I’m used to putting my fat body on public display. I have very thick skin and am at peace with my body and have been for many years, but I still, unfortunately, I get lots of troll comments about my body. Especially my legs. I’ve had thighs as thick and textured as tree trunks all of my life and one recent internet troll tried to insult me by saying they looked like redwoods. It was an accidental compliment, though, because those trees are powerful and majestic. Whether you are a woman who has legs like wispy, white willows or gigantic oaks or somewhere in between, it’s likely that you’ve felt some shame over this body part of yours at some point in your life. This summer focus on making your legs a priority and focus of some love. Here are three of my favorite easy tips to creating a little more positivity toward your legs:
1) Try a massage and a mantra. One of my favorite ways to work toward acceptance of a particular body part is by rubbing it gently and intentionally with nourishing lotion or fragrant oil. Add in a mantra to say out loud while you’re caressing your legs, like “thank you for carrying me through the day” or “I love how you let me ride my bike.”
2) Care for that chub rub. Folks big and small have thighs that touch and add in the heat of summer sweat and bare legs due to shorts, skirts or bathing suits and sometimes you’ve got a real painful rash. Luckily there are a bunch of quality products now to prevent chafing, including lightweight undershorts and creams or my personal favorite, Gold Bond’s Friction Defense Stick, which you apply kind of like you do deodorant.
3) Accessorize them with something cute & comfortable. Pick up a pair of comfortable summer sandals for wearing out on the town or some sturdy ones for hiking in the hills. Step outside of your comfort zone and pick up a pair of shorts at the mall or a cute new sundress at the thrift shop. Be brave and bare them in a bathing suit at the beach and let them see the sun and feel the water. Small fashion risks can be relatively easy and lead to bigger, braver steps toward radical self-acceptance.