I can remember clearly the first time I sucked in my stomach. I was 10 or 11 and wanted desperately to be as little as the other girls in my dance class. Ballet was something I absolutely loved because it was the first time I felt free in the movement of my body, gliding across the studio in my tights and leotard. The costumes, the music, it all just felt magical to me and I loved every minute of it.
Until the moment I didn’t feel like I belonged because of my body. No one outrightly said anything to me, but I think when you get to about 5th grade the innocence of childhood slowly drifts away and you recognize different things about the world. Like how I was one of the taller girls in the class and still had my “baby weight.”
Looking back on it now, it makes me sad that an unconscious thought robbed me of the beauty I felt as a ballerina. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing sports and the discipline and endurance it taught me (along with so many other things). But there was never a time I put my volleyball jersey and spandex on and walked out onto the court feeling beautiful.
But now that I’m a 30 year old woman, about to become a wife, surrounded by many women that are wives, mothers and grandmothers, that feeling of beauty seems more important than ever. And what really does make us beautiful? Is it the putting on the newest makeup trend? Showing off your curves with a super tight, short crop top? (Don’t even get me started….)
First and foremost, what makes us beautiful is the TRUTH that you were created as good. From your mother’s womb you were willed and loved by the Creator and created as good. But in reality, what makes each of us feel beautiful is very different from one person to the next. And this is a journey we all have to take to discover what makes us feel safe in our bodies, comfortable in our bodies, and beautiful in our bodies.
For me, it has been the realization that God doesn’t make mistakes. He didn’t make a mistake in the way the wildflowers grow, in the way the sun shines on the earth and brings light and life, and he didn’t make a mistake in creating my prominent eyebrows and my stomach being a little soft.
Dear friend, Beloved was created for you.
The one struggling to know how to dress a postpartum body.
The one trying to feel beautiful in this weird time of winter when your skin is dry, face is dull and you’ve indulged in comfort food a little too much over the winter months.
The one who desires a timeless wardrobe that makes her feel worthy and beautiful and golden.
Beloved a boutique was created for you.