When I heard the announcement that Martha Stewart was going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated, I had a mixed reaction.
One the one hand, it is something to be celebrated that a magazine that pushes a very narrow view of beauty and women’s body ideals was celebrating a woman in her 80’s.
But – on the other hand… it made me angry. “I was motivated by showing people that a woman my age can still look good, feel good, be good, blah, blah, blah” – this is what Martha said in a video on the SI website. “Be good.” It made me angry. As I scrolled through the photo gallery, I continued to feel mad.
The amount of obvious photoshop, heavily applied makeup, strategic and sexually suggestive poses, and plastic surgery. Is this what is required for a woman to “be good”? That’s a hard NO from me.
These photos are not representative of what most bodies look like as we age.
This is NOT the standard of what it means to “look good” or “be good”.
So – in case you needed a reminder today: it is okay to celebrate your body as it ages.
If it sags, if it wrinkles. If it has spots. If it has more hair (or less hair). If it bulges, rolls, lumps or bumps. Your body is good. Aging is good.
Don’t compare your real body to one that has been photoshopped.
What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below.
