I was already slightly annoyed by having to wait so long, but this banner just lit my fuse.
I've had a big backside for as long as I can remember. As a teenager, I recall my friends acquiring headlights. I got the rumble seat instead. I felt self-conscious about my curves and often thought that men (and even occasionally women) were staring at my protruding posterior. I tried to disguise it with dresses, skirts, big shirts, and slacks of various styles. But nothing seemed to work.
The popular media, then as now, favored the anorexic heroin-addict waif look. I knew my body didn't fit that model and never would. There was simply no way.
At the same time, every lover I ever had (and especially Randy) took great pleasure in touching, caressing, squeezing, spanking, grabbing, and kissing the skin of my derriere. It took years, but eventually, I came around to the perspective that maybe broad and round was all right. It was a revelation for me that many men actually prefer partners equipped with padded seats. Perhaps, I concluded, those magazines had it all wrong.
Today, I refuse to be ashamed of my body. In fact, I think I look pretty decent and Randy agrees. Yes, my hips are wide and I do have a large bottom. So what? I refuse to hide beneath some unattractive smock just so twenty-something fashion models can feel comfortable about their own distorted body images. I am an adult woman and that's precisely how I look. Real women have curves and I have come to believe that's a good, healthy look.
It's been said that to truly love another, we must first learn to love ourselves. Appreciating our bodies is a first step along this road. It's little wonder that art students have been using pears as still life subjects for centuries. It's a beautiful shape. If we could see ourselves as our lovers see us, we would never feel self-conscious again.
I wish I had figured out this stuff thirty years ago. Life would have been a lot simpler.
OK, it's back to school time, so here's your homework...
Men: Tell your partner that you love the way she looks, and then show her as only you can.
Women: When he compliments you, the appropriate response is a gracious "Thank you." Find your beauty, within and without, and let it shine for your lover.
