Love the Skin You’re In

Part of self-love is loving yourself as you are. Nobody is perfect. We’re all human. We all make mistakes. It’s OK to be you, just as you are.

As many of my readers know, I’m all about self-love this year. My new book (I Heart Me: The Science of Self-Love) is out in October. One section of the book is called ‘Love The Skin You’re In’, which reminded me of the poem that my partner Elizabeth wrote for the positive self-image campaign, ‘Body Gossip’, which has now been performed by celebrities (YouTube link below).

I’ve included it in the book but I just wanted to give you a sneaky look right now. It’s called, ‘Mocha Choca Latte, Yah Yah… Please’:

MOCHA CHOCA LATTE, YAH YAH… PLEASE

Yah, I’ll have a decaf extra skinny mocha choca latte please

My waist will be smaller to accentuate my double D’s!

You see, that’s the only part of me that’s allowed to be big

Otherwise the press will have a field day and call me a pig

They papped me on holiday, lying in the sun

Then proclaimed to the world, “Ha, look at her bum!”

In a terrible state I rushed to the gym

Pleading my trainer, “Please make me thin!”

The next two weeks I was worked to the bone

My ass, thighs and abs ordered to tone

My dairy became soya and steak became fish

The pounds were dropping off, I was getting my wish!

I grabbed my trainer and said, “You’re my hero!”

“I’ve dropped 3 dress sizes, I’m now a size zero!”

On top of the world, I attended a premiere

Expecting the press to say, “Wow, what a derriere!”

Instead though they didn’t and this is what I read,

“She looks like a rake and has a lollipop head”

Shocked and confused, just what the hell do they want?!

I thought I’d be praised for looking skinny and gaunt

What, I get slagged for being fat and for being thin?

Well I give up, I don’t know how to win

Now young girls are starving to look like me

Viewing my airbrushed pictures, if only they could see

That I have blemishes, lumps and bumps just like them

See if they could see that, well, maybe then

Things could change and we’d be allowed to be free

No dangerous diets and starving but we could just be

Whatever size we naturally are

And we’ll be admired from close-up and afar

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder

We should believe this, instead of looking over our shoulder

At who is thinner, prettier and who’s bones sticks out most

Its time to take a stand, I don’t wanna be a ghost!

When will we be happy with what we see in the mirror?

We are beautiful – let’s stop getting thinner and thinner!

You know what, forget what I ordered – for goodness sake

I’ll have a full fat latte – and a carrot cake!

A healthy balanced diet with a few treats thrown in

That’s the way to go – that’s the way to win!

So what if I have a few dimples on my thighs

It’s about time that magazines stopped telling lies

I’m taking a stand and being happy, not just thin

It’s time to be content with the skin that I’m in.

By Elizabeth Caproni

Links:
Here’s a YouTube video of the celebrity performance of the poem