Show Notes
Most women learn to experience their bodies through other people’s eyes before they ever learn how to truly live inside them. I’ve had a few conversations recently that brought up things I wish I had known about bodies when I was younger, and things I wish I had talked about with my own daughter. In this episode, I’m unpacking everything from the unspoken rules women absorb from a young age to the patriarchal systems that keep those rules in place. There is such a rich conversation here for mothers to have with their daughters, but also for us to have with the younger versions of ourselves who grew up inside these same systems of sexual objectification, shame, and discomfort in our bodies. Here’s what I cover:
5 examples of good girl rules that shape the way women think about and experience their bodies The book More Than a Body and the “instrument versus ornament” reframe that changed how I think about self-objectification How girls develop shame around their bodies when they don’t have anyone to talk to about what they are experiencing The hidden trade women are offered between male attention and connection to themselves What it can sound like to have important conversations with girls about their bodies
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