Day 21 - Naughty November
A 30 day spicy posing series to find yourself in the nood!
When did you stop looking in the mirror? Was it last year, ten pounds ago, after baby #2, when your mom told you that you let yourself go, when your dad died?
We have all had that moment, where the mirror, and what we saw reflected back, became our biggest shame gremlin. Our wildest fears incarnated and now walking around for the whole world to see. Fat, old, flabby, frumpy, unkept and not worthy of love. Doesn’t matter how you got there or who helped you along the way, the mirror and what it reflected back became enemy number one.
The first memory I have of this wild phenomenon was in high school, in the throws of my eating disorder, where I would use the mirror to ferret out all the bits of my body that made me unlovable. My rolly belly, my dimply legs, my back fat and my double chin were the reason my life felt out of control. The only time I would stand and look at myself in the mirror was when I would roll my skin into itself and pretend like it didn’t exist.
The mirror reflected a sad face, a fat body and someone who didn’t deserve any semblance of love, joy or happiness.
Then I would walk out into the world and get feedback that didn’t match what I saw in the mirror. People would make comments on my smile, my hair, my long legs, my strong arms and it was confusing as hell.
So if this is you, I want to hold your hand and say this with SO MUCH LOVE. The person you see in the mirror, and the person the world see’s are two very different people. When we stand there and pick ourselves apart, we neglect to see all the wonderful bits of ourselves that people love. Like our joy. Or how soft our belly feels when little bodies hug us. Or how the right side of our face squints up in joy when we witness a beautiful sunset. Or how soft our hips are to grab onto during amazing sex. Or how our back looks in our favorite halter dress. Or or or. The list is endless because we don’t see the person the world see’s. We see the broken, old, flabby version of ourselves that we made up in our heads. Because society told us that we aren’t good enough and never will be.
So today I am going to invite your to spend some time in the mirror. Today’s pose is set in the bathroom, so after you shoot, set your timer and just witness yourself in the nude. It’s gonna feel hard as hell, you may cry, you may laugh, you may be disgusted, and that’s all ok. We cannot jump from body disdain to body love without crawling through the dregs of body tolerance first. And that takes seeing our bodies and witnessing them through neutral eyes. This takes time and repetition, but I can promise, that it gets easier.
I love you friend. You can do hard things and learning to embrace yourself for all the gloriously delicious human you are is one of the hardest things you will ever do in this life.
Journal Prompts:
Journal Entry #1: How does taking a selfie feel different from looking in a mirror? What do you notice when you control the frame?
Journal Entry #2: When was the first time you felt compelled to compare your body to someone else’s? What is a more recent occurrence of comparison?
Journal Entry #3: Confidence isn’t something you have; it’s something you do. What does confidence look like in action for you this week even if you don’t feel it yet?
Pose 21: Booty Above Water
The Setup:
Step 1: You need a tub for this one, which makes this pose a little niche. There are so many cute poses you can do in a tub, but for the sake of being the most inclusive, you will be kneeling in the tub for this one. Place yourself in the tub, on your knees, facing the water faucet. Ideally, you want directional light on this one, so your best bet is to turn off the overhead light and turn on the lights above the sink. You want your phone to be facing your backside, so situate it as best you can in your small space to see the back of your body.
Step 2: Fill the tub with lukewarm water, not hot. If you make it super hot your phone will steam and your body will become splotchy from the heat. Ideally keep it a temp that is manageable but not hot.
Step 3: Facing away from the camera, sit-down into your heels and spread your knees. If your tub has a surround that you can put your hands onto, hinge at the hip and lean forward, placing your hands on that tub surround. Drop your head down to your chest and arch your booty up.
Step 4: If your tub has no surround or it is too small to put your hands, simply push your hands up the wall and hollow down into your belly button, pinching your shoulder blades together and dropping your head back.
Step 5: After you place your hands, think about bringing just your booty out of the water by rising off your knees. Try and maintain the arch in your spine and head placement while you move your booty.
Step 6: Play through this pose and rearrange your hands to get exactly what you want.
Step 7: Drop your head back and forward for variation.
Step 8: Stop the video, pause and take screenshots!
The Breakdown:
The Final Results:
I love you friend!
Katelyn
PS, I am here if you need someone to chat with about this. My email is always open! Reach me at katelyn@katelynscott.com!