Self Image

Black women in South Africa are less concerned about their appearance and body image than women in the U.S.  Don't get me wrong--the women here love to look their best, but they appear to be much more comfortable with the size and shape of their bodies.  Granted, they are probably not bombarded with the t.v. and magazine images that cause many American women to become overly conscious about the size of their waists, busts, and rear ends.  Or maybe they realize that there are more important things to worry about on a daily basis, than the shape of one's legs or the flatness of one's abs.  Even those women who I've seen at the gym or at the races I've competed in while here, don't seem to workout because they want a body of a woman that's as skinny as Paris Hilton (or whoever the current "it" gal is).  Rather, they generally just seem to want to be fit.

We all know that black women have certain assets that are their trademarks.  However, the women here don't make an effort to hide their shapes.  What used to be an awkward experience was when I would go into the changing room at the gym or at the yoga studio and the women would be changing their clothes.  They are completely comfortable in getting completely naked in front of you.  Whether they have a few extra rolls around their waists or whether their breasts droop down to their belly buttons, they appear to be 100 percent proud of it.  I haven't gotten to the point yet that I want to stand naked in front of a bunch of people I don't know (though when I think back to college days, many times we showered in open communal showers) but I'm sure it must be exhilarating to feel comfortable in baring your body without any hangups about the way it looks.

I admit that I am conscious of my body image at times.  I'm not sure if that's due to television images or the fact that I have been a runner practically all of my life, but as I get older it takes a lot more energy to try and maintain that 18 year old figure.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not obsessed with being skinny, but having a healthy body attributes to a healthy self-image--South African women demonstrate that having a healthy self-image does not mean that you need to look like Halle Berry (or again, whoever the "it" person is these days).

As American women, we need to be proud of who we are and the way God made us.  There is something admirable about someone who feels comfortable with themselves regardless of how they look.  We should take a page out of their book and learn to appreciate ourselves more.  When we appreciate ourselves for who we are, then others will too.