Women's Bodies Are Not Open to Judgment Essay

Women’s bodies aren’t open for judgment

Will we ever just let women be? Will we ever be able to move about the world in our uniquely amazing bodies without the judgments and criticisms and critiques?

Bogdan Sonjachnyj/Shutterstock

As a woman, I am no stranger to the constant evaluations and judgments that people make about women’s bodies. As a teen, it was my frizzy hair and acne. As a new mom, it was the “when are you due?” questions when I wasn’t pregnant. And now that I’m in my 40s, it’s strangers grabbing me on the street to recommend eye cream (true story).

I’m guessing you’re no stranger to judgments either. The assessments about our bodies—is it too much of this or too little of that—start at a young age and they ramp up from there. We are either too big or too small. Our breasts are too big or too small, too perky or too saggy. Our butts are too flat or too bouncy. Our skin is too light or too dark, too wrinkly or too shiny.

When British actress Florence Pugh dared to wear a dress that revealed she had nipples (shocker!), she was inundated with criticisms from “vulgar men.” When Justine Bateman dared to forego Botox and exist in the world, wrinkles and all, she was called “brave.” Same with Sarah Jessica when she skipped a few hair coloring treatments and showed the world that she had gray hair.

Will we ever just let women be? Will we ever be able to move about the world in our uniquely amazing bodies without the judgments and criticisms and critiques?

Women are brave for a million reasons—showing our bodies in the natural state of the aging process should not be one of them.

Florence Pugh spoke out. So did Justine Bateman and Sarah Jessica Parker. Cue the standing ovation.

But what about those of us non-celebrity women who are sick and tired of our bodies being measured, evaluated, and assessed based on someone else’s measure of beauty? Will we ever just let women be? Will we ever be able to move about the world in our uniquely amazing bodies without the judgments and criticisms and critiques?

It should go without saying that all bodies are beautiful. There is no such thing as too much this or too little that. The real issue is that we shouldn’t be open to these judgments in the first place.

Newsflash: women’s bodies come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Our bodies are amazing and unique, and the one thing we all have in common is that they are all beautiful.

Women’s bodies are not open to your judgment.

Our bodies are capable of growing and birthing other human bodies. Our bodies can feed those baby humans. And our bodies hug and carry those little humans.

Our bodies are not open for judgment.

Our bodies can run marathons or bike up hills. Our bodies can move through the world in wheelchairs and on crutches. Our bodies can powerlift weights and hold yoga poses.

Our bodies are not open for judgment.

Our bodies can carry us through a life of pleasure and pain, successes and failures, highs and lows. Our bodies are not open for judgment

Our bodies have nipples and hips. We have cellulite and wrinkles and stretch marks. We have bellies and butts. Some of our bodies have breasts, some do not. Some of our bodies are big, some are small. Some of our bodies are strong, some are flexible. Some of our bodies have tattoos, some of our bodies have piercings.

Our bodies are not open for judgment.

Our bodies can hold hands and catch tears. Our bodies can cry our own tears and jump for joy. Our bodies can carry us through a life of pleasure and pain, successes and failures, highs and lows.

Women’s bodies are a miracle to celebrate. And they are not open to judgment.