The Up Side of My Double Chin
I’ve always hated my double chin. It seems like I’ve been self conscious about it for my entire life. Like I came out of the womb judging myself!
Certainly it’s been a troublesome thorn in my side ever since about 9 or 10 years old. I’d look in the mirror and try to roll or press it away using my knuckles. I’d lift up my head so that it wouldn’t show.
One time my dad caught me in this pose, and he stuck his nose in the air, making fun of me as if I was trying to look like a snob.
Actually, I was just feeling like a sub-standard human because of that bit of extra flesh under my chin.
As I grew older my obsession grew.
I knew if I could just lose enough weight the double chin would go away. And – while, sure, the double chin was more prominent at a heavier body weight, that darn double chin stayed put no matter how much I dieted.
Between that and my chubby cheeks, I was convinced I was irredeemably ugly at around aged 13. That double chin just ruined everything. It made me look awful in photos and it gave away the shameful truth… I was fat.
Looking back I’m so sad for that misinformed young teenager. And when I think about how many women and girls go through similar bouts of self-loathing, I’m not just sad—I’m pretty pissed off.
We are meant for so much more than this!
For you it might not be a double chin. It might be your belly, or your butt, or those thighs. Our body beautiful is somehow never perfect enough.
It’s so funny because now even though I know so much better, I STILL stress about my extra chin.
I get it that this fold of flesh under my chin is simply a bit of my genetic code. And since I’m basically now at my natural body weight, I know a ‘double chin’ doesn’t mean anything about my body size (and even if it did, I now understand that I certainly am not any less worthy because of my weight.)
And yet, I’m always angling my neck to disguise the double chin when being photographed or taking selfies. When I get on Zoom meetings I try to position my computer so the double chin is not accentuated (which it always is if I’m looking down.)
Some of that is just practical…I mean everybody tries to get into their most flattering angle when getting on Zoom…. but there’s something deeper going on here.
There’s this lingering vestige of a belief that I’m somehow not as good as everybody else because I have this double chin.
That it makes me unattractive, undesirable.
Just writing this, my conscious mind says, No way! You don’t believe that anymore! Look at how much you admire so many other people who happen to have double chins. You know it means nothing!
And yet… there it is. The old double chin shame. Subtle, but real.
Luckily it’s pretty mild at this point because of all the work I’ve done on learning to love and accept myself – warts, chins, and all!
But… what a waste! When I think about how much mental energy I’ve expended over the decades in shaming myself about my double chin, my weight, my food choices. All that comparing and despairing…. And for what?
All it did was stop me from seeing my own light. It made more afraid and hesitant about turning it on and turning it up… because after all, then my double chin would be lit up too!
My work now is all about helping women SHINE their light as they move into the 2nd half of life. Even – especially – when they don’t feel like they’re quite perfect enough. And I’m right here in the trenches with you!
I get it that it doesn’t always feel safe to shine your light as a woman. For eons it literally WASN’T.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that the media tells us that we have to be thin and have a perfect body in order to be lovable, then it piles on that ‘older’ means less attractive and desirable.
It’s time to call bullshit on ALL of that!
Your unique light, your wisdom, your creative power is needed on this planet RIGHT NOW!
But it’s dimmed if you’re worrying about sapped energy levels, getting older…or if you’re really good enough just because of extra weight.
You Are More Than Good Enough!!!!
Period. End of story.
When you truly get this, everything starts to change.
Want to talk about how you can start shining that love light stronger AND drop the extra weight? Let’s make a Zoom date! Click reply and we’ll set it up. Or just go HERE to schedule it.
