Love Your Boobs Love Yourself

Many of you are aware that I learned I was BRCA1+ last year and decided after a lot of prayerful contemplation to go ahead with preventative surgeries. On December 6th I had a double mastectomy and my world was forever changed. No longer would I be a higher risk to get breast cancer like many others in my family...but I my physical appearance would forever be altered. Often people that didn't understand how hard this was to go through would comment, "hey at least you will have perkier boobs." Well I went from DD to barely a C cup and have faced the mental struggle of how different my body looks and feels. I've gained weight in all the wrong places and lucky or not so lucky me, my breast remain the same C cup (smaller then my 17 year old daughters).

So when Courtney asked me to be part of this project, I said of course. Because although I do not "love" my NEW boobs (yet), I am learning to. And I do not let it affect my self esteem and still find joy in the world around me. I hope sharing my story will help one person and that's why I let down all my insecurities and say "look at my boobs" with this project. So scroll down and learn more about "why" this project came to be and see the video that was created that includes me an a few other amazing ladies!!!

Me along with a group of other blogging women from different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, ages, shapes and yes breast sizes have decided to come together and to love ourselves and our breasts! You can join in this movement too by sharing a picture of yourself and type what you love about your breasts and what defines you as a woman! You don't need a blog either! Just tag your photo with #LoveYourBoobsLoveYourself on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and search the hashtag to see who else has joined in. So go ahead and watch the video, it will truly inspire you to stop breast shaming and start loving your breasts and yourself more!

 



Most of you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to most women it's a month to bring more awareness to breast cancer, to remind women to get their mammograms regularly, to celebrate those who've survived, and remember those who've lost their lives to breast cancer. But this month isn't just about that. It's about reminding women to embrace ourselves and recognize what makes us beautiful, unique, and what defines us as women. My friend Courtney from the eclectic lifestyle blog Fry Sauce & Grits started a movement called LOVE YOUR BOOBS, LOVE YOURSELF. Courtney is a bra fitter, bra educator, blogger and is passionate about women issues. She created a video where she interviewed a group of women and asked them questions about their relationship with their breasts, how they've experienced breast shame, how they feel the media depicts breasts, and how we as women can come to love and accept and love our breasts.

"I find that most women have a hate relationship with their breasts and that makes me really sad. They're either small, large, lopsided, saggy, or too wide, and it made me realize that we need to stop this breast and body shaming because our bodies are beautiful and powerful," Courtney said.  

"I hope to inspire women with this Love Your Boobs, Love Yourself video that to completely love ourselves as women, we need to love and accept our boobs. There's a direct relationship between our self image of and the relationship we have with our breasts. Breasts don't define us but they are definitely a part of us. I want to bring awareness that this dysfunctional relationship we as women have with our breasts and with our bodies are directly stemmed from what the media portrays to be what is perfect and the ideal of beauty. I want to push the message that we aren't defined by our breast size and how we as women are defined by something greater." 

Below are other brave and beautiful women who are sharing their stories of breast shame, breast love, what they've learned from their breasts, what they mean to them, and how we as women we can learn to love our breasts and ourselves more! So don't stop here. Get clicking around, its a blog hop! I hope as you click around (and YES pin these different posts!) you will feel the importance of women loving themselves, the empowering effect sharing each of our voices will inspire others in some way. 1. Feel Great in 8  2. Life in My Heels 4. Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl 5. Utah Mom Connection
6. Lionesses at the Gate 7. Ashlee Marie 8. Tara Made It 9. Dreaming About Someday
10. MOMentity 11. Dana Ohlsen Photography 12. Lucky Blogs 13. A Ruffled Life 14. Laura's Crafty Life 15. Fry Sauce & Grits 16. Allred Design

Are you ready to share your story? Make sure to tag your picture with the hashtag #LoveYourBoobsLoveYourself and @courtney_frysauceandgrits to participate in this powerful movement to inspire women to completely love themselves!