By Gillian Fuller, Allure
After 41 years of hating her body, one mom finally let go of her reservations
and learned to love herself—and its all thanks to her children. Kirsten
Bosly, a mother of two, was on a sunny beach vacation with her family
when she realized she forgot to pack her board shorts: The one thing
she’d always worn to the beach to cover up what she believed to be an
ugly body. But, after seeing a Facebook post urging mothers to take
photos with their children while they can—something Bosly typically
avoided because of her “resentment” of her body—Bosly decided to let go
of her fears and enjoy her vacation with her children—board shorts and
cover-ups be damned.
[post_ads]In a now-viral Facebook post, Bosly wrote, “Today marks a new beginning for me. For most of my life I have hated my body. Despised it. Loathed it. Resented it. Wanted so very much for it to change; for it to be smaller, thinner…less ‘fat.’…The truth is, I’m tired of being ashamed of my body; it’s done nothing but support me for 41 years….so today I let go. I let go of the hatred and resentment of this body of mine and chose to enjoy it for what it is; my body.”
[post_ads]In a now-viral Facebook post, Bosly wrote, “Today marks a new beginning for me. For most of my life I have hated my body. Despised it. Loathed it. Resented it. Wanted so very much for it to change; for it to be smaller, thinner…less ‘fat.’…The truth is, I’m tired of being ashamed of my body; it’s done nothing but support me for 41 years….so today I let go. I let go of the hatred and resentment of this body of mine and chose to enjoy it for what it is; my body.”
The post that inspired
her, she explained, “struck a nerve:” She realized that one day, she’d
be gone. She wanted photographs of her and her children for them to hold
on to and to cherish as they grow older: photographs that don’t show
their mother fearfully hiding, but instead, show her having fun with the
two people she loves most.
So instead of covering herself up,
Bosly went to the beach with her children and chose to enjoy herself and
the beautiful things her body has done, and can do. She even took a
photograph with her children and posted it to Facebook—as she writes,
“I
[took]…this photo so the kids will remember us enjoying this day
together, cellulite and all. No cover up, No board shorts. No modesty
towel. No filters. Just us. And you know what? I’m not ashamed…I look at
this photo and all I can see is how happy we are and that’s awesome. I
finally feel free and it feels fucking awesome.”
To Bosly’s
surprise, her Facebook post—and the message she wrote with it—went
viral, with hundreds of people reaching out to offer their support and
praise.
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She told Us Weekly,
“I’ve received messages from moms who’ve lost their children and hardly
have any photos with them because of their own self-esteem issues. I
have been called brave, which is a gorgeous compliment, but I find it
sad that a plus-size woman wearing a once-piece at the beach is
considered an act of bravery. It didn’t feel brave. It just felt
freeing!”
No matter how it felt, or how it came about, Bosly’s
newfound liberation is something we should all aspire to. The thing is,
she’s right: There are far more important things in life than the shapes of our bodies or the cellulite
on our thighs. What really matters is the people we love, and how we
choose to spend the time we get with them. It’s up to us—and we should
never let our own insecurities get in the way of us living our lives.
Need more inspiration? Check out Bosly’s empowering post in its entirety here.
