“Remember that nearly all adult naked bodies jiggle or wobble, have hair, have cellulite, have scars, have the marks of living. It’s easy to forget this if you’re mired in a media world that only includes Photoshopped images of the young and thin.”
Professor Renee Engeln, director of the Body and Media Lab, Northwestern University
In the near total darkness, I fumble, unbuttoning my shirt and then my jeans.
I nearly smack my head trying to find the door knob in this cramped yoga studio storage closet that doubles as a changing room.
In the main room, Angela, the professional portrait photographer, stylishly clad in all black, is dutifully checking the f-stops on her bulky Nikon DSLR.
She looks up at me. I look back at her.
And only one of us has clothes on.
It’s often not easy to love ourselves when we strip away the things that cover up who we really are. Our clothes, our resumes, our possessions, our cocktail chatter, and our filtered and curated images on our socials.
They keep us safe, conspiring to hide the scary and less flattering parts of who we really are. But now, here I am in the harsh light of this room, there is no hiding. Naked as a jaybird, straightening my gray hair, and sucking in my abs, I’m scaring myself in support of our Scare Your Soul Body Positivity Challenge.
After ten seconds of awkward conversation and me not knowing where to place my hands, Angela starts to click shoot on her Nikon.
And I begin to move.
Dean Town comes on the single Bluetooth speaker, and I - inexorably - start to dance.
Within one minute, I am having the time of my life.
Naked, dancing, free, joyous. Photos are snapping away. My gray hair is flying, my abs are shaking. I don’t care.
I’m having a blast.
So, what do you think YOU could do TODAY if you just were able to withstand ten seconds of fear?
This Week’s Challenge:
This week, spend some time loving who you are in a way that feels scary. It will take ten seconds.
Revel in your own body exactly the way it is with no cares about how it could change. Go skinny dipping, Seduce your significant other with the lights fully on. Be sensual, and fun.
Let that joyous feeling pervade your whole being.
…
Coming Up!
January 9th • 8 PM EST
Join Scare Your Soul x The Wardrobe Consultant Hallie Abrams for a special body positivity challenge!
So … We are all badasses.
We all have moments where we look real. We all have moments where we look and feel extra beautiful, handsome, and powerful.
Join us on January 9th, 8:00 p.m. EST on The Wardrobe Consultant’s Instagram Page as we together get inspired to love our bodies.
Let’s create a collective wave of courage, power, and authenticity.
Let’s inspire each other.
This challenge is all about inspiring the real and amazing you.
Listen to Scott on the ‘Brilliant Thoughts’ Podcast
Scare Your Soul, Scott, and His New Book Featured in Fast Company
Read the article!