Rediscovering the Sexy Woman Inside

I was looking through some past posts on my friend Valerie’s blog over at Atlanta Mom of Three.  One post really caught my eye and I couldn’t help but chuckle as I was reading it.  In Becoming the Sexy Housewife, she talks about how women tend to fall into a similar pattern once they have given birth.

Citing Dr. Laura from The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands (chuckle #1), she goes to describe how new mothers tend to be stricken with “frump” syndrome.  So, how do you recognize a woman who has this syndrome?  Well, she generally gets ready for bed by sporting some flannel pajama pants or sweat pants, (fuzzy) socks, and an oversized tee.  Guilty, guilty and guilty (chuckle #2).  To find out what the remedy to frump syndrome is (as well as what the other symptoms are), I strongly suggest you go and take a look at her post!

Besides giving me a few chuckles, the post also got me thinking.  Why do many of us end up doing this (admit it, you’re guilty too!)?  Is it out of exhaustion, because it seems simpler, because immediately after giving birth we feel the need to just slip into something comfy and never really go back to our old ways?  Or is it because of something else?  I mean, it’s no secret that women tend to be very critical of their bodies and even moreso once they have given birth!  So is this a result of a woman’s discomfort with her own body?

Of course, this got me thinking about how I feel with regards to my own body.  I tuned in to my thoughts and was stunned at the result.  I realized that I am at peace with my body!  This realization flabbergasted me.  I mean, I’ve had issues with the way I look for a loooooooong time.  These issues stemmed from the interaction of a multitude of sources, but they were with me all the time.  One of the many manifestations was my complete and utter refusal to be photographed.

Nowadays, I feel good.  I don’t care that my body has changed, I welcome the changes because they are all (stretch marks included) a testament to the wonderful life that I brought into this world.  Having my first child has changed me.  I realize that there are more important things in life than worrying about what I think I look like and how others might judge me.  I am what I am, I am who I am and I am happy with that.

So, in the spirit of embracing who I am, here are my first three steps:

Step 1: Blog about it – get it out there! (Check)

Step 2: Post a picture of myself (and my son, of course ;)) (Check)

Here I am at my parents’ house, not hiding from my grandmom’s camera for once (bonjour grand-mère!).

Step 3 (You may to wait before clicking this link – it’s not inappropriate, but may raise some questions if others are looking at your screen when you first open it.  Curious yet?): Get a year-long subscription to this. 😀 (Check!)

Are you a victim of “frump syndrome”? 

How are you dealing/have you dealt with your post-partum body?