Derby Lite

Happy 20th anniversary, Windy City Rollers!

Nine years ago today, I had the honor of getting to know Roller Derby legend, Judy Arnold, at RollerCon.

🎶 Those were the days, my friend 🎵👑🐝

An ORIGINAL Roller Derby program from the Chicago Coliseum in 1945!
😍

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I miss my butt.

First of all, it makes you look like you can't think for yourself.

Secondly, it shows a distinct lack of social awareness & consideration for others (others who have often done nothing to harm you, personally).

Third, it implies a focus on the negative vs. an effort toward understanding.

Finally, you're loyal to jerks if they expect this.

Words matter.

Paulina Porizkova has voiced her concern over the normalized insertion of the word “still” into compliments of older women, such as: “You still look great.”

“I know it’s kindly meant. But those of you who use the term STILL when commenting on looks or a person’s abilities, are actually perpetuating ageism,” she wrote on Instagram.

This is beautiful. Do yourself a favor and read it.

You’re positive about other people’s bodies because you’re a good person
You’re horrible about yours because that’s what you’ve been taught

Your whole life you have been conditioned to think that there’s only one kind of body you should have, one kind of body that deserves love and happiness

Every drop of advertising and media has seeped into your subconscious, telling you the shape of your shadow is undesirable, because when you’re dissatisfied you’re easier to sell to.

It’s a trick

If everybody ate the same foods and moved in the same way, their bodies would still be different.

The people commenting hate all over the internet are full of a lifetime of anti fat brainwashing, just like you. They just happen to be not fat. But I’m pretty sure they have friends or family who are. I hope they see their comments. I hope they see their hearts. I hope they heal.
That’s not my job, if people are so resolute in their opinion that they’ve decided to type it out on the internet for all to see, then I’m not going to change their mind responding with my research, my knowledge, my lived experience.

Go through your social media, remove accounts that are aspirational. Favourite the ones that are inspirational. Follow people who look like you. Look in the mirror with love. Dress in clothes that fill you with joy. You need to look at your body more than anyone else’s. So that your body becomes your new normal.

Your heart will change, your soul will change, your mind will change, allow your body to do the same.

We have this one life, to find our joy, I’m not wasting it worrying about numbers and measurements, how palatable I am to others, the opinions of people I don’t love and don’t love me for another second 🧡

❤️‍🩹

🥀🥀🥀

WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME.

OR YOU COULD JUST LIVE

You are going to wish your body was more,
You are going to wish your body was less,
You are going to wish your body would change,
You are going to wish your body would not.

You are going to wish your body was many things,
between now,
and the day you leave this mortal coil.

And one day,
as is always the way,
you will look back,
and see,
that your body was always as it should be.
Doing its best
To be you,
for you.

And you are then going to wish that just once,
you had told your body,
‘I accept you, as you are, right now’.

And that maybe had you done this,
you would have spared yourself a lifetime,
of wishing for something you didn’t really ever need.

That what it was you should have been wishing for, in fact,
was the courage to accept,
the strength to embrace,
the wisdom to really see,
what you have.

You’re going to wish for many things,
when it comes to your body.

Or you could just wish for health.

And live your life,
flawed
and
beautiful.

Donna Ashworth

From ‘I wish I knew’
https://www.waterstones.com/win/i-wish-i-knew-prize-draw

Art by Helma Speksnijder

Caitlin Clark needed 8 points tonight to become the NCAA Women's all-time leading scorer.

So Clark did this:
49 Points
13 Assists
9 Threes

Usher and I wear the same brand. No biggie. 🩷👑🐝

Also the pretending they’re friends whilst doing such.