The other day I was talking about skirts with one of my co-workers. I was wearing one that was just above the knee and she said she didn’t like to wear anything showing her knees because they looked “old”.
Whaaaaaaa??
She’s a very cute, petite 40-year old woman who has nothing to worry about.
I showed her my knees with all their scars. I really don’t care what they look like. I’ll show my knees if I want to wear a skirt that is a little shorter. I’ve had scars on my knees since I was probably 10 years old. They have been a part of my body for a very long time, and I’ve just accepted that my knees don’t look picture perfect and haven’t for much of my life.
I’ve read online of women that don’t like showing their ankles because they are too “vein-y”. I didn’t realize that was a big issue. I swear my skin is almost transparent in places. It’s been that way most of my life, and I’ve accepted that they are not picture perfect.
There are places on my body that I definitely don’t like, but they are things that I know I can change. My waistline is too thick, due to too much wine and chocolate. A bit of it is genetics, too. I haven’t really had a skinny waistline very often in my life. When I did, I was either starving myself, or I just finished nursing my kids and couldn’t keep up with all the calories my body needed. Getting closer to 40 is making it harder to lose weight, so I need to exercise. Slowly I can see my body getting more fit. I can do that. Things that I cannot change I have learned or am learning to accept.
The hardest right now is the wrinkles, though. I have been using some really good skincare products for several years, so I’ve done what I can. I am not quite as accepting about them yet. Hopefully in time they will grow on me as they grow with me.
Taking self-portraits for outfit photos tends to bring all your flaws to the forefront. I didn’t notice all my wrinkles until I saw them staring back at me from the computer screen. That was a lovely revelation.
*sigh*
I guess I am getting older. Time to get used to it.
Hmmmm….I have a wicked scar on my shin, and it’s never occurred to me to lengthen my hemlines to cover it up. Now that I’m realizing this, do I get some sort of body image prize? I’ve only had it two years, so maybe it’s more an old-style-habits-die-hard explanation at work, and not a deeply ingrained positive body image.
I love the approach you took with your knee-conscious co-worker!