Sunday, July 29, 2012

My right to bare arms


Since it's summer, I'm much more aware of my less-than-toned and less-than-tanned (read: pasty white) arms and of how uninclined I am to reveal them to the general public.  Which is why, not surprisingly, they are less than tanned.  It's not just me to feel this way.  How many times have I heard women say how much they hate their arms and are loathe to go sleeveless?  Too many. Loads of us cover our pipes up at all costs....and that's not easy to do with summer fashions the way they are.  To wear sleeves or cardigans to conceal the offending body parts on hot and humid days is unbearable.  It's not hard to understand why we're ashamed of our imperfect limbs: we are bombarded by images of ridiculous physical ideals by the media.  Not to mention the "bingo wing" and "welfare arms jokes". But, honestly, how dare I "hate" my arms, when there are people who have lost use of theirs for whatever reason, or who have lost them completely?  Heck, some people are born without arms.  Don't we owe it to them and to ourselves to appreciate and even be proud of our arms?  And, really, shouldn't this appreciation apply to the whole of our bodies, if we're lucky enough to be healthy?  Not a day goes day that I don't see someone out there who is physically challenged in some way. It puts my complaints and body image issues in perspective.  My physique is far from "perfect"....I'm no slip of a girl and I'm no athlete....but my pudgy little body works pretty well and for that I am grateful.  I can play tennis, hug my loved ones, take photos and, very importantly, hold my coffee cup in the morning, all thanks to my reliable arms and hands.  No need to be ashamed of them.  Plus, I can't help but think that I'll be more inclined to treat my body right if I can abolish the shame and silence the negative inner dialogue. I'm starting my own little movement and exercising my right to bare arms.  And, in keeping with the idea of appreciating my arms, I'm going to exercise my bare arms.  I'm going to shut this computer down so I can go and play tennis and start toning those wonderful arms of mine.