{ THE KURVIE KORNER }
DEAR BODY PROJECT BY LATIFFANY ANDERSON
We have all heard the saying “Your body is your temple” or “Your body is sacred or pure”. Many of us have heard and repeated the statements as children but did not follow through as we blossomed into the women we are today. As adult women, overindulging, and being consumed by staying busy are how many of us live. There are some of us who do not give our bodies enough of what we need and have adapted a sedimentary lifestyle. We have treated our body as after thoughts, even more so we have treated ourselves as a whole in the same regard. The way I treated my body was a direct connection to how I felt about myself. If you have read my previous article, you are aware of my struggle with my reflection. As a child I did not know how to value what the mirror showed me. I started to appreciate, and value the body I was blessed with in my early 20’s. I’m currently in my 30’s and I’m still on this lifelong path. Every day I take a step on a complete self-love journey. It has not been easy, yet it has been rewarding. I have been able to share my battles with other women. In those conversations we relate on our desires to treat ourselves better. I asked our MS. Kurvie 2018 Jamequa Abernathy to join me in the dear body project. The dear body project was an idea that I journaled about in 2018. During this time my journaling consisted of poems, things I wanted to remember, and letters.
I wrote short letters to myself, as well as others. I began writing one to my body. My first dear body letter was an apology. It read: “Dear Body, I’m sorry will never be enough. I created spaces that harmed you. I did not appreciate you, your fullness, or your beauty. Because others ridiculed you, I saw you as ugly. I will teach my daughters, nieces and God daughter to love their bodies. I will not allow them to see disdain as I did.
Dear body despite my actions I love you. Ill prove it.” I wanted to continue this mission with women I was surrounded by. I hoped that it would inspire young women to look at themselves with love. I wanted anyone who was struggling with the way they look to see beauty in every part of themselves. I wrote two dear body letters that expressed how I felt about my outward appearance and how I promise to ensure my body will be cherished. In the first line of the letter it read: Dear body, you are beautiful. I went on to pour more
positivity, and declarations onto myself. My second letter I acknowledged the mistreatment I have allowed. The first line read: “Dear body, I promise the next energy that is allowed next to you will desire all that encompasses you.” I had to promise my body that the next gentleman that is allowed to experience her in any aspect will cherish all of her. He will have to honor her as a whole being, and not just the parts he dreams about. Seeing those words bought tears to my eyes and make me further realize I had more inner work to do. Jamequa Abernathy, winner of Ms. Kurvie North 2018, MUA and model wrote a moving letter to herself. She spoke on the hurt her body has experienced. She also praised her body for enduring life’s troubles. My favorite part of her letter read “Thank you for allowing love to win again, you’re worthy of it” This statement spoke to me as I can relate to feeling unworthy in the past. I have asked a few other women to join me in this journey. I am excited to read their letters and discuss our experiences. This process has and will continue to reveal my insecurities and my strengths. Even if the words are for your eyes only, I encourage you all to write a dear body letter. If you’d like to share a story or your letter with me please email me at misslatiffany@gmail.com, message me on my social media platforms.
ROCHESTER WOMAN ONLINE :: AUGUST EDITION 2020
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