Thursday, August 23, 2012

the woman of 100 faces... sticks & stones

i know the man of 1000 faces. i have about 100, maybe, as you can see here ... yes, mood & makeup certainly can alter one's appearance dramatically... i heard the other day someone who doesn't much like me (can't much blame her) said i'm fat. my texas cousin, who's been big since age 5, was told to tell kids who made fun of her, "i might be fat, but you're ugly, & i can lose weight, but you'll always be ugly." i grew up being called "fatso" & "ugly" & "you're not chicana/you're not white" at school; kids can be so cruel, a sad fact corroborated by the many interventions i had to make to stop verbal bullying when i was teaching... but by my definition, ugly insides are far worse than ugly outsides... yes, i've always thought those who judge big people, overweight people, backward people, the "unbeautiful," the disenfranchised, etc., to be mean, stupid, shallow, even in some cases evil (not that my critic is in that camp). one side of my family is in general obese, but i've had other family members/people i've known who've seemed to think it an affront to be fat, but ok to be greedy & gossipy & materialistic... i don't hang w/these humans... to heck w/that crap. yes, what truly counts is a person's character. - you think i'm fat? well, yes, i've struggled w/weight since i was a little kid. it was the beginning of addictions: stuffing my face to stuff feelings. only time i was thin was when i had bad chemical & ED habits. dad warned me, "men don't like skinny girls, jenny!" despite his warning, i'm certain i'll always struggle w/body image/weight -- but not like i used to, for these days i know i'm decent, loyal, kind, funny, sweet, dependable, even thought to be talented, attractive, & beautiful inside & out by many, etc etc. i was fortunate to be raised by a wonderful family & to be loved by scores & scores & scores, & more importantly, to love them back... on top of that, an incredibly talented, brave, iconoclastic, handsome, one-of-a-kind fellow i know says i'm the most gorgeous thing he's ever seen, built "like a woman should be." more importantly than all of this, tho, i know who i am, & i like me. what others say is a reflection on them & their life-state, not on me. be well, be happy, be helpful, be productive, be grateful, & remember: sticks & stones.

1 comment:

Memphis Mike said...

Wow. Reading this brought back memories of taunts I received as a kid. Short, fat, and with not 1 but 2 different speech impediments! Yes, kids can be cruel...but they're often taught to be cruel. Conversely, we're taught to find things offensive.

As for you my dear Miss Angel, you are neither fat nor ugly. I find you to be one of the more beautiful humans I am blessed to know. If you don't believe me, ask your dogs. ;-)

I dig you, inside and out. Your brain is super hip...and that may be the coolest part of all.

Proud to call you my "friend". :-)

ML2U!

M