Love

For a long time I couldn't define what my own personal love looked like.  It was hard for me to see myself as beautiful or desirable. I was constantly comparing myself to other women. At 33 I have just begun to appreciate, love, and define myself as beautiful. It took realizing that if I don't love myself how will anyone else. 

I was recently on vacation with my family, which is large, Italian and dominated by women. While lounging on the beach with my Mother and 3 Aunts I listened as all 4 of them warned me about how awful their bodies were. One by one they told me how their thighs were to big or that they were sorry about how their stomachs looked. I was saddened that they saw themselves this way, and immediately chimed in and made a rule of no negative body talk on the beach. I also made a point of telling each of them how I saw them, women who's bodies still looked healthy and beautiful. They politely said thank you and agreed to speak positively about themselves while on the beach. As the day went on I started to realize they didn't know how to do this. They either said nothing of themselves or would say things like "I love my legs but I just need to get some laser treatment for my cellulite" They couldn't compliment themselves without insulting themselves as well. This happen numerous time that day and it made me realize the importance of self love and teaching other women around me how to love themselves. 

That vacation I thought about all the things that add to a woman's insecurity and negative self image. I promised myself to stand up for my fellow woman and to come to her aid when I see her struggling to love herself. I realized my responsibility and have taken everyday to try and hold up my end of the deal.  

So in closing I implore you to find your love for yourself and share it. Stand up for your fellow sisters and lead them to their best self. We have to banned together and push our gender forward, we need to teach our daughters about the amazing beauty that being a woman is about. We are the vessel's of life and its time we started acting like it. 

LA I see your charm slowly taking hold
Glimpsing around the corners and winding through the canyon.

LA I see your bones slowly bowing inward
She feels the pull of old lovers and safety,  afraid to step foot in the new world.

LA I see your intimidation slowly grinding at the weak
I feel it trying to lay its head down and rest within my heart.

LA I see your charm slowly taking hold again
Glimpsing around the corners and winding down the hills.

Killa Kinda Day...

Finding your inner silver lining,  it's easier than it was yesterday.

The universe has me by the waist
Plentiful and dim
Flip the coin only to have it roll away with the wind

I choose the left door not the right
I choose the left door not the right

The universe has me by the throat
Boisterous and mean
Flip the bird only to have it not be seen

I choose the left door not the right
I choose the left door not the right

I am Woman...

Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes 

Even in 2014 I personally can say I have felt oppressed because I am a woman.  I have felt unsafe and scared simply because of my gender.  I have experienced my male counter parts confusion when its past midnight and I am nervous to walk home or to the subway.  The freedom of walking down the street and not worrying is in fact a male freedom. 

With that said I have taken great pride in my womanhood and all the power it provides me.  I do not shy away from walking home alone past midnight and I do act tough when in fact I am nervous and unsure of the street I am on.  I walk as if I am genderless and would have no cause to pull my head down. I do this for my fellow woman, and I learned this from women like Gloria and Dorothy. They stepped up when woman needed them most, they laid their lives and freedoms on the line so you and I could say to the world, "This is my body my mind and my dreams and I will not go quietly into the night".

Woody Guthrie: Hobo's Lullaby

Woody Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his guitar. His best-known song is "This Land Is Your Land." Many of his recorded songs are archived in the Library of Congress.^[1] Such songwriters as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Pete Seeger, Andy Irvine, Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg, Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, Bob Childers and Tom Paxtonhave acknowledged Guthrie as a major influence.

Can your personality be explained in 21 photographs?

I shudder to think of a world that did not include Tilda Swinton.  She daily challenges the world and its definition of beauty, sex and femininity.