Dear Body, Love, JV

Body gratitude, compassion, and love.

[dearbodylovejv]

Dear Body,

Thank you for more than a year of standing strong, fighting the good fight, and never giving up. 

Love, JV

[dearbodylovejv]

THIS. This image. This is why I do what I do. I’ve felt like this more than once in my life. I’ve had dear friends tell me that they have too. It’s heart-wrenching. It’s disgusting. It’s wrong. No girl, woman, or human should ever feel this way about their body. EVER. 

Thank you, Shanea Gaiger of HarpyImages for granting me permission to feature your photograph, starring your lovely aspiring-actress-of-a-daughter, Mercy, on DearBodyLoveJV. You immediately yanked my heart right out of my chest with such an arresting, truthful, and change-making image. 

Love, JV

[dearbodylovejv]

Dear Body,

Thank you for adrenaline - reminding me what it’s like to give a damn. 

Love, JV

[dearbodylovejv]

[Gratitude] turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melody Beattie

[dearbodylovejv]

Dear Kelly Clarkson,

Because of You....

Women everywhere have even more permission to simply be their honest and true selves!!!

“There are just some people who are born skinny and with a great metabolism -- that is not me," she said. "I wish I had a better metabolism. But someone else probably wishes they could walk into a room and make friends with everyone like I can. You always want what someone else has.” - Kelly Clarkson via Huffington Post

You ROCK, Kelly. Seriously. Honestly. Beautifully.

Love, JV

[dearbodylovejv]

Looking forward to reading Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. Not a new book (2010) but just landed in my lap via the Universe last week.

Noted by Amazon.com: “In her most powerfully moving novel since Speak, award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia's struggle, her painful path to recovery, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the most important thing of all: hope.” 

Without having read it yet, Wintergirls seems to be a step in the right direction creating an honest and open dialogue about eating disorders in the teen literature genre. I must admit however, that I am concerned about a number of serious eating disorder triggers that I’ve found just in the short time I’ve researched it online. More on this when I can formulate an fully encountered and educated opinion after reading it. 

[dearbodylovejv]

Dear Body,

Thank you for hair that can be chopped and waves that ripen with age. 

Love, JV

[dearbodylovejv]

Meaghan Ramsey, of the Dove Self-Esteem Project, is absolutely alarming, on-point, and inspiring with her TED talk on why thinking you’re ugly is bad for you. Research shows that thinking you’re ugly lowers grade point averages, fuels absenteeism, and encourages greater risk-taking with drugs, alcohol, and sex. How can we overcome this unsettling truth?! Meaghan gives us six core themes to address - starting with ourselves. Let’s do this!!! #kissamirrortoday

[dearbodylovejv]

Curvy Kate, a UK lingerie brand which specializes in bras for women with D-K cups, just took a not-so-subtle stab at Victoria’s Secret with their new body-positive “World-wide Curve Celebration” contest. BIG *high-five,* Curvy Kate! Make sure to vote for your fav so that she can become the next Curvy Kate! 

[dearbodylovejv]

Dear Body,

Thank you for asparagus pee. So startling and funnnnnnny!!!

Love, JV

[dearbodylovejv]

Dear Body,

Thank you for rubber bandish capabilities that allow me to ROCK MY BODY & SOUL at the trampoline park for dayssssss!!!

Love, JV

[dearbodylovejv]

Check out this most inspiring blog: Herself. Such a bountiful and beautiful display of body love in all sizes, shapes, colors, and forms. 

“Herself is a gesture to women for women by women; a chance to witness the female form in all its honesty without the burden of the male gaze, without the burden of appealing to anyone. These women are simply & courageously existing, immortalized within these photos. Within their words, their experiences and stories are offered on Herself in the hopes of encouraging solidarity – that maybe we as women will take comfort in the triumphs of others rather than revelling in each other’s defeats. Let us reclaim our bodies. Let us take them back from those who seek to profit from our insecurity.” -Caitlin Stasey

[dearbodylovejv]

Dear Body,

Thank you for keeping me up at night. You let me know that something just isn't right in my Life at the moment. Now if you could somehow infuse those very connected waken moments with a lil' critical insight I'd be even more grateful. 

Yawingly Yours, 

Love, JV 

[dearbodylovejv]

Being Thin Didn't Make Me Happy, But Being 'Fat' Does

"You want to really blow people's minds? Try this at home: Be fat and happy. Be unapologetically fat. Wear a bikini, and mean it. Eat pizza and ice cream and enjoy it. Drink up your life and a bottle of wine, and make no apologies.The world wants you to want to be thin. There are whole industries built on your insecurity. They are bullshit. 

The world wants you to believe that thin and beautiful equals happy. It wants you to believe that you're only worthy of love, and life, if you are beautiful. And beautiful people just aren't fat.

Or maybe they are."

Gurllllll!!! 

You make my heart scream "YESSSSSS!!!!!"

Love, JV

[dearbodylovejv]

Dear Cindy Crawford,

You are a True Goddess. Thanks for giving us all permission to be REAL!!!

Love, JV

"I really think - at any age - it's learning to be comfortable in your own skin.If women would treat themselves with the same kind of love they give to their friends, that would be such a great gift we could give ourselves. What makes you the most attractive is self-confidence. That's what people see." - Cindy Crawford 

Check out the entire article on how Cindy took Twitter by storm at: stylist.co.uk

[dearbodylovejv]

Holy Mother!!! If this isn't a knockout display of genuine body love and a solid affirmation of Health at Every Size than I don't know what is!

Pole dancing might just be in JV's future!!!

[dearbodylovejv]

Dear Victoria's Secret,

Nice PSUEDO save.

Not sure how you can claim 'Every Body' with such a lack of body diversity here. 

While you're at it why don't you go ahead and remove every instance of 'perfect' - clearly you've been misinformed - there's no such thing.

Love, JV