These are just some of the physical traits I’ve felt weird/sensitive about in my life.
Some have affected me more than others. Left me feeling frustrated, ashamed.
I’ve put bucketloads of energy into changing things about myself. Hiding things about myself.
Shit made me mad insecure.
I remember one time when a boyfriend pointed out my stretch marks. I didn’t even know what they were or why I had them.
At the time, I don’t think I’d ever seen marks like that on another woman. (Turns out they’re super common. Just another victim of Photoshop.)
I think everyone probably has shit about their body that makes them feel self-conscious. But we (mostly) all work so hard to hide it.
In all honestly, it’s quite safe and relatively easy for me to share these images on your feed, and out into the world. Because I’m white, cisgender, heterosexual, and thin.
Folks who don’t fall under these categories are attacked for sharing images of themselves, and for generally existing in their bodies in this world.
This past year I read Roxane Gay’s book “Hunger”. (I highly recommend it, she’s an incredible writer.) She’s a queer woman of colour, and happens to be very fat. She narrates what it’s like to move through the world in her body.
Without preaching, her book shows just how impossible it is to imagine other people’s perspectives and life experiences without hearing their stories, as told by them.
My understanding of the world is skewed by my own life. So I’m working on finding more perspectives to listen to, to learn from.
I’ve been working on being less judgmental of all people. About how they look, how they behave, the choices they make, etc. I try to remember that people are the way they are because of their lived experiences. Everyone’s on their own journey, doing their own thing. Just like I am.
I’ve found that I tend to be less judgmental of myself when I’m able to let go of judging others.
process &
behind-the-scenes
Here are a few selfie outtakes, and a vid showing the layer-building of the title frame illustration.
The fonts I traced for the title frame are called “Vulf Mono” (the italic one) and “Blackest” (the chunky one).