What made you start your "Journey"?
Introduce Yourself
Izzy, i think u and I have similar reasons-I always loved the way dreadlocks look, & as a kid I remember thinking about how people with dreadlocks seemed to glow from some inner light. I knew my mother would never let me, and I worried about what other people might say. To deter me further, whenever I asked about how dreads were formed, esp. in straight hair, I got ridiculous answers.Fast forward to this year: Right before burning man, I found you tube vids uploaded by one
eyeheartchrist . He posted his own dreadlock timeline to show that all anyone can have dreads, dreads = time + nothing. That whole week in the desert I was thinking about it.Then, mid burn week, came the defining moment. Riding my bike along the outer rings of the city, I came along a row of old skool art cars. I love art cars, and having made one myself, I just had to stop. One of those art cars moved me to tears. TEARS! It was pink, with a giant bra over the hood, made of bras. And all over the van, were products marketed solely to women- lipsticks, mirrors, false nails, hair rollers, jewelry- all products touted as making the consumer more beautiful. On the side, it read: "who profits from your self-loathing?" it hit me, hard.I began to cry, as I walked around, carefully examining the vehicle, contemplating the message. On the back, all those little plastic play food we get as little girls, playing "house" & a single watching eye, along with the words "I look fat? By whose measure?" As a fat young woman, (who grew up being teased, who only knew one year of being "thin" and even that only after a summer of disordered eating) I had been freed.I cried still, as I went away, so hard that my husband noticed and stopped, concerned. I tried to explain the thoughts in my head- "it just got me to thinking, what would I be like, how would my life be different, if our culture didn't place so much emphasis on physical beauty. I mean, esp. women's beauty. everyday we are pressured to strive for beauty, and a lot of the pressure is generated by the advertising industry and the media. If it weren't for all that, how differently would I feel about myself? Would I be confident? Could even I
love myself the way that I am?"So thus began my journey to self acceptance. I will refuse to be made to feel like less of a woman simply because I am over the weight others feel i should be. Because that's nonsense. I can be beautiful, and feel pretty and be confident in myself. I can even be healthy without fitting into a size 12 or smaller. I am beautiful the way that god made me, and so I shall be.And you know what, since I quit tryin to guilt myself for eating something i shouldnt and I quit worrying about a lot of things that are superficial and quit worrying what people think of me and just tried to let my true self shine a little more, I lost a lil weight. not that I care either way anymore, but it goes to prove a point.To quote Mr. Bob Marley, "Ev'ry little t'ing, gonna be alright"
Izzy-licious said: I have wanted them for as long as I can remember. I at first was afraid of what others would think and my mother was supportive like she is about nearly everything after I discuss why I am into something. My Father on the other hand always said things about how I wont be able to get a job and it goes for my hair and my tattoos and my piercings. But I dont live with him and I have a great job so HA! My journey hit it's 1 year mark on Sept 19th and it has been very eye opening. I am a big girl and I get judged for my weight often, Since my journey began I have really gotten comfortable in my own body and my natural beauty. I occasionally will get dressed up to go out and worry about how I look. I had lost 70 lbs in 2008 and have gained it all back plus 20 lbs. I am getting back on track with my weight. I have a great job, an amazing boyfriend (who likes my dreads) and a great job! Now I just need to get out of debt, save a ton of money buy an RV and travel the US! I love my dreads and hope to have them for 20+ years!
