Small man, large woman

Some time ago, I followed an art teacher on Instagram. She often shared images of art, along with her thoughts and reflections.

One time she posted an image of a large woman cradling a much smaller man, remarking on how rarely such scenes are portrayed in art or photography.

 

She also said she was larger than her partner and didn’t feel comfortable with it. It wasn’t until I read this that I realised she never posted pictures of herself.

This reminded me of an old girlfriend who would never date a man lighter than herself. She didn’t prefer bulky men, but they made her feel slim.

These thoughts returned when I bought a new motorcycle jacket. My old jacket had served over 20 years but was finally falling apart.

Wanting the same make but not finding it in my local shops, I went online. To my surprise, the size chart suggested I needed a large, whereas my old jacket was a small.

The new large jacket fitted well. 

My old unisex jacket was likely designed for men, and this new one for women. I guess I’m a small man but a large woman.

Even though my body size is the same regardless of what the tag on the jacket says, I liked it better when I wore a jacket tagged S than when I wore one tagged L.

Intellectually, I know our bodies are their own rightful sizes. Whether an S or an L fits me, it’s irrelevant to who I am. As the example above shows, it is even irrelevant to my actual size!

I am grateful for my strong, healthy body and one day I will no longer care about the labels in my clothes or how big or small I am compared to others.

I hope you can do the same.

Take care and enjoy yourself and your body.