Just The Way We Are
Girl Body Pride: the Final Bow
This is a hard post to write. It’s surprising how hard it is to find the words, actually, considering that after much soul-searching and late night text message marathons with the friends I’ve made through writing. But then again, I guess knowing what needs to be done doesn’t make the doing any easier, even […]
Girl Body Pride New Year’s Resolutions
by Pauline Campos and Margaret Elysia Garcia The editors of Girl Body Pride wish you a very Happy New Year’s and a 2014 low on shame and high on pride. We decided to kick off the new year by sharing a joint post of resolutions to make our lives, the lives of our children, and […]
Body Back: How to Make Friends with Our Reflections
Newsflash, y’all! Kim Kardashian has her body back. No surgery, haters. So stop your finger-pointing and snide headlines, already. US Weekly calls Kim’s “exclusive” picture proof the ultimate revenge for all the post-baby body bashing stories. And as far as the media (and a large segment of our body conscious society is concerned), that’s all […]
Featured Headlines
Welcome to GBP
Girl. Because no matter what decade we find ourselves in, we share a desire to heal a piece of ourselves while doing everything within our power to make sure today’s daughters grow strong in mind before all else. Body. We are at war with the reflection we see in the mirror. It’s either too full or too thin or too curvy or not curvy enough. We want more for our daughters. We also want to be able to check out at the grocery store without being bombarded by magazine headlines touting The Best Diet, How to Get a Better Body Faster, and the Six-Week-Post-Partum-Bikini-Photo-Shoot that is now par for the course for practically every celeb mom. This constant reminder that we can’t possibly be happy as we are is what we (and … [Read More...]
Girl Body Pride: the Final Bow
This is a hard post to write. It's surprising how hard it is to find the words, actually, considering that after much soul-searching and late night text message marathons with the friends I've made through writing. But then again, I guess knowing what needs to be done doesn't make the doing any easier, even with the absolute certainty that I've made the right decision. It's time to bow down to the many incredible and established voices in the realm of body and self-image discussions. It's time to let Girl Body Pride fade into internet oblivion. While I've truly the experience and am grateful to have connected with some of most talented writers I know, I think this is the right thing to do. My role as Latina Magazine's advice … [Read More...]
Dieting Last Resorts
I decided to go on a raw foods diet. Mostly it sounds fine to me except it virtually excludes my favorite food groups: coffee, cheese and bread. Coffee, cheese, and fresh baked sourdough are such an intrinsic part of my diet that being without them for the last ten days has rendered me no different than the average alcoholic. I acknowledge, that I am powerless in the face of warm sourdough or worse a challah bread loaf which I could eat whole without help from anyone else. My husband often uses cheese as a garnish or spice. The only time we ever seriously considered divorce was the week we were stuck at my husband’s sister’s house without access to coffee. We’ve taken uncooking classes; we’ve read books by raw food … [Read More...]
Girl Body Pride New Year’s Resolutions
by Pauline Campos and Margaret Elysia Garcia The editors of Girl Body Pride wish you a very Happy New Year's and a 2014 low on shame and high on pride. We decided to kick off the new year by sharing a joint post of resolutions to make our lives, the lives of our children, and everyone else we encounter just a little more positive and a lot less freaked out by societal standards. Altogether now...I resolve to: 1) Ignore the noise. What other people say, think, do, or feel is their own business. Not everyone is going to like me, and that's just life. But when it comes to what they say, think, or feel about me and my reflection doesn't matter. I am the master of my reflection. 2) Smile at myself more often. When I see myself in … [Read More...]
Heart Pops
Let’s tell each other one thing that we love about the other person before we go to sleep. Okay, Mama. I’ll go first. I love the way your whole face lights up when you smile. Oh, Mama. That’s sweet…And I love when you give me strawberries. *** Where did I come from? A wish on a star. I’m happy you wished me. Me too, baby. Thank you for being my wish. Thank you for being my mom. *** Mama? Yes, baby? I love you so much it makes my heart pop. You make my heart pop, too. *** Mama, can … [Read More...]
Like Mother, Like Daughter
As I write this, my just turned 9 year old daughter is sleeping beside me, curled up and making sleep sounds. We are still in that post Christmas stupor and I'm feeling a bit strange that this was the first birthday and Christmas that the daughter wanted absolutely no toys whatsoever. Her list to Santa was all music, book and art supply related. The apple , they say, does not fall far from the tree. Tonight she even said, "Mommy, did you know there are kids who don't like to read and don't care about music and art? Isn't that weird?" That question made me feel like I'm doing a good job. Because it's not easy raising a girl in this culture and mothers can feel like failures on a daily basis in all sorts of ways. As the year wraps up, … [Read More...]
Body Back: How to Make Friends with Our Reflections
Newsflash, y'all! Kim Kardashian has her body back. No surgery, haters. So stop your finger-pointing and snide headlines, already. US Weekly calls Kim's "exclusive" picture proof the ultimate revenge for all the post-baby body bashing stories. And as far as the media (and a large segment of our body conscious society is concerned), that's all she wrote, folks. But is it, really? I'll bet you already know what I think. And it rhymes with "bullshit." Stories like this -- along with every one of said headlines bashing Kim's pregnant and post-baby body up till now -- are sending us the very message that I truly believe to be at the core of body image issues for so many women, be they mothers or not. They tell us that our bodies (and … [Read More...]
Manifesto: On the Practicalities of Life
by Kelly Wickham "Don't step directly over the graves, mom," my youngest warned me. "It's earth. It's ok. We're not here to disturb," I called over my shoulder. It's Fall and I like taking pictures. Sometimes, Morgan comes with me and then I spot a graveyard. I am calm with him, calmer than I was when he was younger. When all the children were younger. I am much relieved to have come into my 40s as a different mother than I began. The older children dislike it and chastise me when I brush off the sticking-his-heels-in-the-ground behavior of Morgan. They like to remind me that I would have yelled at them and fought to win the battle. Sometimes, they forgive me the … [Read More...]
Driven: The Prize
by Rachel Kargas I have always been self motivated. In school nobody had to remind me to do my homework. In college I could be found at 10PM on a Friday night in the quiet corner of the Memorial Library nursing a cup of black coffee while my friends were out doing shots and drinking Sex On The Beach until the wee hours of the morning. Most days I woke up not sharing the hangovers of my counterparts but ready to hit the gym for one of two daily workouts. I was motivated. Driven. I graduated as the highest ranking senior in the school of Child & Family Studies, a fact that is often met with smirks when shared today. "What difference did that make?" people will ask, pointing at their mediocre grade point average and their impressive … [Read More...]
The Weight of Great Expectations
by Robin O'Bryant Thanksgiving was fun. We spent a week at The Farm in Jasper, Alabama with Zeb’s family. I love them and I have the best in-laws in the world. I don’t even have to try to like them, because I just do. They are awesome. And I say that because I don’t want anyone, anywhere to confuse what I’m about to say– but sometimes the holidays just suck. Yeah, I said it. The holidays suck. Maybe not for everyone, but I know I’m not alone in this. I mean, I guess EVERYTHING about the holidays doesn’t suck, but for me, anyway, they are almost always emotional. You know that hollow, day after Christmas kind of feeling?? That. I hate that. I guess it boils down to expectations. No matter … [Read More...]
The Go-To List for Girls
I have a confession to make. My career and passion is in the beauty business. I manage a salon and retail shop. But that's not the confession.For most of my life I thought I was ugly. I used to be the girl who thought I was too ugly to get my picture taken. I thought I was too ugly to go to my neighborhood’s block party when I was 14. I thought I was too fat to go to the clubs with my girlfriends. That's the confession. No one knew how I felt about myself because I pretended everything was okay. Looking back at the pictures I allowed myself to be in makes me angry. I was pretty. I actually had a nice ass. I just didn't let myself see beyond the self-doubt. Everyday I hear young girls say the most horrible things … [Read More...]
Recent Comments