What is your favorite quote? Does it have to do with perseverance, self-love, or body positivity? The other day, I was listening to music while working and I’m not pretty by Jessia came on and I was listening to the lyrics of this song, glad that there was another song addressing body positivity. As a woman and wheelchair user this is something I struggled with because while I may be thin, due to my disability, I don’t have a body that society would call beautiful. Even though body positivity is being addressed more these days, the conversation still only exists around the size of your body so I’m sharing body-positive quotes every girl needs to read with my take on them as a wheelchair user.
7 Body Positive Quotes Every Girl Needs To Read
“Since I don’t look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good.” ~Serena Williams
The research process for this blog post is the first time that I’ve read that quote and now I know that I’ll be repeating different is good when I start to get those negative thoughts, that self-doubt. Growing up, I didn’t want to be different, I’ve said as much in my letter to my disability. However, I realized around the time of starting this blog that in difference there is power, there is the chance to blaze your own trail, there will be hard days where you don’t want to be different, but as Serena says, different is good. The next time you are dealing with a hard day or a day where you haven’t taken the time for self-love or to give yourself grace, remember that different is good.
“You’re a work of art, not everybody will understand you, but the ones that do will never forget about you.” –Anonymous
I know that there can be different interpretations of things, quotes especially, based on life experiences, but Is it just me or does this quote seem like it could be speaking about disability as well? I mean we all know that many people don’t understand life with a disability doesn’t automatically mean a miserable life locked away from the world. Living with a disability means that people will underestimate you, try to limit you and decide what your capabilities are, show them that you are more than that because the people that can see that are the ones that will be with you for a while.
“People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder.”- Salma Hayek
I love Salma’s take on that statement, we’ve heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I’ve always thought it meant we see different things when look at something or someone, but Salma’s right, some don’t know the power and freedom of the realization that when it comes to your body, your life; your feelings on the subject are the only ones that matter.
“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously” ~ Sophia Bush
I think it’s something we all need to remember. As long as you are happy with how you look nothing else matters, but also keep in mind we all have flaws. No one is perfect. I’ll be the first to say I’m not in love with all of the changes having Cerebral Palsy has made to my body, but I’m learning to roll with it, to love it. Self-love is difficult and you are allowed to have days where you don’t like something about your body, but it’s also important to find things you love, as the author says, work in progress.
You can be quadriplegic and glamorous, there’s no rule that says otherwise. ~Jordan Bone, My Beautiful Struggle
If you’ve been reading my blog or following me on Instagram then you already know that this one of my favorite quotes. This statement was made to Jordan Bone, the author of My Beautiful Struggle while she was in the hospital following her spinal cord injury. After reading this section of the book, I went back to reread that statement and smiled because it is true, we can be disabled and glamourous. The fashion industry has only recently started paying attention to the subsets of their target markets with disabilities, but there is still a long way to go, you and I know that. However, for right now I’m taking the clothes, nail polish, and makeup and figuring out my definition of glamorous because like the statement says they are not mutually exclusive.
Confidence is the only key. I can’t think of any better representation of beauty that someone who is unafraid to be herself.” – Emma Stone
I had to include the quote by Emma Stone, because I agree. We talk about all of these aspects of the body that equate to beauty and never once has anything been said about the way a woman carries herself. I can say that over the past year, I learned to appreciate my body, love the journey that I have been on in my skin and doing so I’ve felt more confident. It is a work in progress, but that’s okay.
“Young women, don’t worry so much about your weight. What makes you different or weird – that’s your strength.” – Meryl Streep
What makes you different is your strength I love that part of the quote because in life it seems like we’re always comparing one aspect of our lives to one another. If we keep doing that how are going to accept ourselves and love the lives and bodies that we have? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again different isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Different may me we face more changes at times and in terms of beauty, it can be hard when you don’t look like what society has deemed as beautiful. However, you can’t be someone else, and someone else can’t be you so find your strength or that thing that you love about your life and/or body and go with it. Do as Meryl says embrace what makes you different.
Body positivity is important, we need to learn to love ourselves and our bodies for what they are. We also need to recognize that there is more than one type of body positivity issue that we need to address. Disability is beautiful too, your body is great the way it is and as long as you are happy with it, nothing else matters. This list is full of my favorite body positive quotes, but if I had to pick a favorite, something that I would hope every girl would take away from this list it would be Serena’s quote with the ending different is good.
Do you have a favorite body positive quote you feel every girl should know about? Let me know in the comments.
~Kimberly
