I LOVE MY STRETCH MARKS

Loving your body is something that’s definitely easier said than done, but full approval is something that every person truly values. There has always been a big push in the media for more models who aren’t stick thin and more body acceptance, in general. I believe that if more women with some more meat and stretch marks were depicted in adverts and magazine pages, maybe we wouldn’t have such an old-fashioned and unfair idea of what an ideal body is. Because honestly, there is no such thing. No one is perfect, and that’s what makes each person unique. I do have a few of these ‘tiger marks’ though not so much visible because they are in hidden places in my body. Mine kind of blend in with my skin tone so they don’t really stand out so much. I’ve been told that they don’t look bad and to wear them proudly because they are a badge of honor, but there was a time when I didn’t see it that way. I used to look at them as another flaw on my body that I didn’t like people to see. Only until recently, they have started itching. The more they itch, the harder I scratch them which I have realized kind of increases them. There is a price to pay to have babies, I guess. Again, my layman knowledge is that gaining weight also has a way of blessing the skin with these sophisticated marks. My stubborn ‘marks of honor’ have over the years refused your Bio-oils and coconut creams, believed to work magic when it comes to erasing them. Recently I had discussions with my friends about our stretch marks and how they make us feel. One of them says she wears hers with honor, even though they come from weight loss. She however says that she has a complex around men with the ones on her stomach ‘even though they don’t care.’ Another friend says hers really stand out when she is sunburned, especially on her arms. Although it can be an eye sore, she feels it doesn’t stop her from wearing sleeveless shirts. She states that when she was a teenager, she had lots of stretch marks on her inner thighs and that they never stopped her from wearing shorts and mini-skirts and dresses. A lot of us women have a few on our ‘kangaroo pouch’ because of pregnancies. That shouldn’t make us feel unsexy. They’re an indication that WE HAVE EARNED OUR STRIPES. A friend of mine sent me a link to an article with images of women with ‘love lines.’ #LoveYourLines is a social media photo campaign to help showcase the beauty of the female body. Interestingly, not all comments from Instagram and other social media communities were positive–perhaps reflecting the ambivalence women like my friends and I feel about our stretch marks. When all is said and done, I have learned to have conversations with my stretch marks and the lessons have been those on uncommon beauty, resilience and expansion. I HAVE EARNED MY STRIPES. Facebook/Instagram: Yvonne Tshepang Mooka LinkedIn: Yvonne Mooka Twitter/: @yvonnemooka Email: [email protected]