Why I Can't Retire My Feminism

I'll be honest, I thought I was finished with the blog. I left the door open again and again but I don't think I ever really thought I would come back to it. I got weary of explaining why we are in fact still desperately in need of feminism just to have accusations fly that I look for trouble or enjoy being different or radical.  It's exhausting.  It is easier to raise children in every day life to appreciate equality than to put oneself out there for all opinions to find.

However.

Friends, my heart is heavy. No, I am not going to discuss the election. That friends, would serve no purpose right now.  All I can hope is that we are all doing our best and leave it right there.  No, friends, my heart is heavy at the sexist (and racist) pride that has been unearthed this election cycle. It does not surprise me that there is a sexist man running for president. What shocks me is how much this experience has normalized sexism. Explanations that confessing to a sexual assault can be chalked up to "locker room talk" ...   I'm truly speechless. To further understand why "locker room talk" is 100% unacceptable, check out another post from 2014, On Virtue and Sexual Harrassment.

Today, I want to shut down my internet.  I am overloaded with microagressions to full-out, head exploding sexism and, believe you me, everything in between.  It hurts my head.

Dear Google and Facebook (and anyone else listening in),

1.  I do not care what men think about me based on how much makeup I am wearing.

If you are wearing this dress,
we need to become friends
immediately.

2.  I do not care how many men want to date me based on the fact that I don't eat animals.
3.  I do not care if another gal is wearing leggings that show her "bum-bum."  Frankly, I don't care what other gals are wearing at all.  Unless it is this dress ---------->
4.  Please stop telling me that if I, as a mother, am not spending enough time with my kids, I will become a regretful, sad old woman, but if I spend too much time with my children I will create monsters who are incapable of fitting in with society.  Being a female parent does not give me superhuman abilities to wade through this BS without becoming incredibly anxious.*
5.  Please stop advertising weight loss products to me. Seriously.  Health and weight loss, while sometimes coinciding are not the same thing.

I could go on. My point, however, can be made in just one more thought.

Trump did not create this sexism-filled environment; he is merely the product of it who somehow got a hold of a megaphone.


*On a side note, there is no perfect parenting. There is good and bad to come out of even the best methods, so I support you doing what works for you.  

On Virtue and Sexual Harassment

**  Warning:  Candid material of a sexual nature **
May include triggers for anxiety and sexual abuse
Also, I understand this is not only a female issue, but this blog is aimed at women

Since joining the church I have often heard this catchy little phrase:  Virtue attracts virtue.  While I understand the goal of this seemingly constructive phrase, it carries the same problem the analogy of the frog and boiling water, being that it simply is not true.  I think it comes from a talk given by a General Authority in which it was stated that a virtuous person will seek a virtuous mate, but it has spread like wildfire through our individual stakes to be "virtue attracts virtue."  I find it a rather dangerous premise to teach young girls.

The first time I can remember having a first hand experience with not attracting virtue was in elementary school.  I was swimming at the apartment pool where my dad lived when a neighbor exposed his penis to me.  I looked at his penis.  I looked at his face.  He smiled, looked at his penis, and then looked back at me.  I think I might have been nine years old.  I didn't tell anyone immediately because I did not understand that stuff like that happens- that there are people who get off on that.  I convinced myself that maybe I was confused or what actually happened did not actually happen.  That same week, the guy gave my dad a train whistle for me to have.

When I was in middle school, I began volunteering to fill a gifted and talented program requirement of community  service.  I did 40 hours of community service at a local park where I got to know a few people really well. I loved it so much that I continued to volunteer after the requirement was fulfilled.  I bonded with other volunteers and hung out with my supervisor doing all kinds of odd jobs around the park.  My supervisor was this not quite my parents age, laid back guy who was always very candid with us (me and two other volunteers).  He was fun to be around, even if his occasional comments about my developing twelve-year-old body took me by surprise.  Two years after I began volunteering there, I was told my supervisor went to jail for drawing and creating child pornography of two of the volunteers there. All these years later, he is out and lives about fifteen minutes from me.

By the time I reached high school, I knew what inappropriate was, and yet I still had a hard time drawing a line between what was real and what my mind was fabricating.  My sophomore year I had a teacher who made time often to be alone with me.   He never crossed the line, so I wondered if his flirtations were in my head.  It wasn't until he had his hands in the front pocket of my hoodie and giving me hugs that were way too long and uncomfortable that I realized this was not normal or okay.  He moved schools and I never saw him again.

By my senior year, I decided that men in authority were not to be trusted.  Some may be trustworthy, but how can you tell when clearly the ones who weren't knew how to blend in?  So when my computer teacher started making lewd comments about my body, I told him to shut his mouth or I would get him fired.  Three years later, he drove his car into a tree after being accused of similar acts by a couple other girls at that school.

Just sitting here I have thought of half a dozen more stories like this, but I'll finish with a recent one.

A few weeks ago, while waiting in the car with my two-year-old for a friend, another car pulled up beside me.  I got the feel something was odd by the way this young guy pulled up and did not go anywhere.  He simply made eye contact for a moment, and then I went back to talking to the kiddo.  It was about five or ten minutes later, when I looked up at him still in his car and realized his penis was completely exposed and he was masturbating, while watching me and my child.  I was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.  I was also five and a half months pregnant.  This time, I called the police and reported his plate number and vehicle description.

Clearly, my reaction to sexual harassment evolved over time.  If I had been the me I am today, those situations may have ended differently.  So why am I revealing all of this now?  What purpose does it serve to air this out in a setting so public as the internet?

To let you know this stuff happens every single day.
Not just to girls and women who invite it.
Not just to those who wear tank tops.
Not just to those who were drunk at that party.
Not just to those who are popular.
Not just to those who have perfect bodies.
This stuff happens to women and girls all the time.  Having to deal with stuff like this is a reality of being a woman.

I consider myself to be a virtuous woman (having or showing high moral standards as defined by Google), or at least striving to be a virtuous woman.  I take steps to live a clean and moral life, particularly free from sexual temptation. So why then are men who are clearly not on a virtuous path attracted to me?  The honest answer is that I have absolutely no idea, but it has nothing to do with my virtue.  How can a nine year old swimming in apartment pool be unvirtuous?  Furthermore, children in particular will internalize this.  If I am on the receiving end of this harassment, clearly it's my fault.  I must not be virtuous enough.  No, no, no.  This is wrong.

Noteworthy is that when writing about this experience I was tempted to use words like immorality, licentious, or some other synonym that would take the place of the word sexual or try to use other words besides penis and masturbate.  I wonder why that is.  Possibly because virtue is not limited to cleanliness of a sexual nature in my mind.  Or maybe because at this point in my church membership I have started shying away from candid speech.  I really hope it is not the latter.  Candid speech on particular topics (including this one) is really necessary.  In fact, I would say that not understanding sexuality is just as dangerous as becoming too familiar too soon.  If a gal does not know the dangerous possibilities, she will not know how to prepare herself.  Virtue is definitely worth striving for, and I do believe virtue will protect you spiritually.  However, being virtuous does not mean that you are not a target for scuzzy people.   Virtue will not protect you physically.  You have to protect you physically.  Let us not confuse virtue with naivete.

As we are preparing for our baby girl, I ask the husband what his thoughts were on how to make sure our daughter could protect herself against such aforementioned predicaments or to help her handle them.  His eyes went kind of wide and he shook his head, saying that he had never really thought about it;  that the idea that women had to deal with this kind of thing made him really angry.

I am suggesting that we maintain and even work to increase our virtue while educating ourselves, one another, and our children on the realities of being women and the precautions we need to take.  The first steps are identifying how to empower ourselves, our children, and one another.

1. Start early with appropriate education.  Do not give vague, inaccurate names to your children's anatomy.  Teach your children to use proper words like penis and vagina.  Teach them not to be ashamed to use proper anatomical terms.  This will cut the embarrassment of 1) asking questions and 2) reporting wrong doing on the part of anyone in their lives.  
2. As soon as your daughters start going out by themselves, get them some pepper spray.  I once had a classmate interview a campus police officer on film where he advised all the women on campus against pepper spray.  He said that pepper spray would simply inflame the confrontation further, and that what he really recommended was a rape whistle.  Ladies, when a man is coming after you, go for the pepper spray over the rape whistle 100% of the time. Police do not appear out of thin air when a whistle is blown.  However, your attacker's eyes will immediately begin to burn if you hit them point blank with pepper spray, thus allowing you time to escape.  I suggest Guardian Self Defense products because of their handiness and low cost.  
3. Teach your child to trust her own instincts.  If something feels wrong or felt wrong, even if she cannot put her finger on it exactly, get out of the situation.  Teach her to be confident in her decision to do so, and help her understand that she does not have to justify getting out of a situation to anyone if it makes her uncomfortable.  Teach her to set aside her manners and being polite if she feels threatened.  Something predators feed on is that we teach girls from a very young age to be pleasing and polite.  That's got to go.  I love manners, but being abrupt, direct, and curt has its place, too.  
4. Help her to understand proper boundaries.  What is an appropriate neighborly relationship?  How about a familial relationship?  What about your teachers, coaches, boss?  What is the importance of boundaries in these relationships?  Let's stop making inappropriate power dynamics sexy.  Make it an open discussion, one that is not had merely once.
5. Believe her.  Whether it's your friend, sister, daughter, or whoever.  If she says something is not right or something happened, believe her.  Opening up about something like this is hard.  I remember not reporting the situation with the sophomore teacher because I thought if I said anything over something that may have been all in my head, I could ruin his life or I would be in trouble.  It felt like once opened, the situation would never go away.  Telling someone would make it real, so I kept it to myself until years later.
6. Enroll your kids in a self defense class of some sort, be it karate, krav maga, whatever.  These classes boost confidence (something that predators target less) and promote being able to take someone down should they come after you.  
7. Identify with your daughter appropriate responses and reactions in varying degrees to sexual harassment.  Maybe it is enough to leave the room.  Maybe you need to inform a parent.  Maybe you should call the cops.  While all these conversations may seem daunting, the more you have them, the more natural they will become.  Awkward goes away.  
8. Recognize that trends in fashion may promote attacks- and no, I am not talking about mini skirts and tank tops.  I am talking about high heels, ponytails, big jewelry, tight clothing.  All of these things either restrict one's ability to run or they are easy to grab and restrain a person.  When I worked until all hours of the night in the city, I would pack an extra pair of shoes and would remove my jewelry before leaving the building.  
9. Have a Tell Someone policy.  For example, if someone makes you uncomfortable by showing, talking, touching, etc., tell Mama and/ or Daddy.  If Mama makes you uncomfortable, tell Daddy.  If Daddy makes you uncomfortable, tell Mama.  Tell Someone.  

Am I suggesting you should have to do all these things?  No.  I am saying that is the reality of our world currently.  I am saying that to give our daughters the best chance of nipping this kind of garbage in the bud is to educate them on how to prepare themselves rather than feeding them the idea that if they are virtuous, shady characters will not be drawn to them.  

Feminists and Femininity

Hello love! 
I've been doing a bit of light reading (catching up on your blog), and i have some thoughts: I have been thinking a lot about being a woman these days, and I think there is a vast empty canyon between "girly girls" and feminists. Why has it been so difficult for me to find my own balance? I think it is valuable and important to spend time painting your nails, because you should spend some time on yourself. I also think when it comes to "binders full of women" kind of issues we should feel confident enough to stand up and compete with men. Go take over those jobs ladies! (if you want them). If that means a power suit with shoulder pads, then do it.
UGH!! Why can't we (as women) be feminine and still command the respect we deserve from society? Can you imaging if a female CEO sat down at a board meeting and started breast feeding? The world may explode. But why? Why does one have to undermine or compete with the other? I am a hippie and a business owner who wants to wear red lipstick!!!
We get confused, and think being a girl and being a woman are the same thing. They are not. I've grown out of lip smackers* teen beat, and glitter eye shadow. It's time to grown up, embrace your curves, and take pride in being a woman. With sex appeal, education and ambition.
I have never felt like I was good at being a girl. I do like being a woman though. I am trying to re-invent myself a little bit. Even though I am uncomfortable sometimes, I am wearing red lipstick all the time. It makes me feel good, It makes a statement, and I think like Elizabeth Taylor says: Put on your lipstick, pour yourself a drink, and pull yourself together.
That was a lot, thank you for reading. 
*note: you are never too old for lip smackers. I was only making a point. :)


My Red lipstick rocking friend :),
The short answer is that people are most comfortable with boxes. These boxes are incredibly limiting. It's also a tool used by people to make a group as small and unlikable as possible. Think about how many times you've heard the phrase "I'm not a feminist, but...." So many people don't want to be classified as feminist because anti-feminist push the image of unshaven, no make-up, buzz cut women who look more lumberjack than most men. And let's be honest, not many people enjoy having that image attached to what they stand for.
Personally, I think that's garbage. I always go back to the basic definition: equality between sexes and genders. I think the more diversity to support the cause, the better. One of my favorite pictures is one of a "Votes for Women" march. The women are dressed to the nines in their lace and big skirts with hoops in them. These are not "butch" women. These are ladies with an agenda.  I say rock on red lipstick and whatever else makes you feel bold and your best self.
I think another point you hit on was the difference between being a girl and a woman, and the cutesie make-up being different from the entire make-up (not just cosmetics, but everything that makes up a woman's outward appearance). I was reading in a book called "Cinderella Ate my Daughter" where it discusses how society and the media sexualizes girls from a very, very young age (think baby bikinis). Because of that, women are very good at displaying sexy but not internalizing sexy. Our "sexy" is a display rather than something we feel- I accredit much of this to society and the media's boxes of what we should and shouldn't be.
Why can't I buzz my hair and wear fake eyelashes and red lipstick? Because it conflicts with society's boxes. It's all or nothing. Except it isn't. That's just what you're made to believe.

Much love,
Blythe

White Halloween

Today I began doing some Halloween planning (Hey, I know it's August 31st, but I like to plan) for the Trunk-or-Treat happening at my ward.  I have been so very, very excited that I actually carted my fourteen-month-old-son to three different Halloween themed places to check out decorations and get ideas.  I also cruised around the toddler section to peruse for costumes for Baby (actually, I guess he is "Toddler" now, huh?  Ugh, why does that make me want to cry?)  I noticed something a little quirky.  Or sans-euphemism if you will, a little racist.

I'm looking through probably one hundred toddler costumes and not one. single. model. is African American.  Not one.  Out of the every costume in this particular store, I found one Asian female child.  That was the extent of the diversity.  I decided to look up some statistics (All taken from USA Quick Facts) on race in American:  

USA:

Asian                                       5.0 %

Hispanic                                 16.7 %

Black                                     13.1 %

White (not Hispanic)                63.4 %

South Carolina:

Asian                                       1.3 %

Hispanic                                  5.1 % 

Black                                     27.9 %

White (not Hispanic)                64.1 % 

I decided there was no way that Halloween Costume distributors were simply ignoring over 36% of the American population, so I took to the internet.  On Amazon, I searched for "Halloween Costumes" and scrolled through three pages before seeing an African American model (Incidentally, the costume was a pimp;  What kind of message does this send?).  

One logistically problematic occurrence is the net material provided in many of the Disney Princess costumes.  It's used to cover what would be exposed skin around the midriff, and every costume I've seen has one skin tone:  Caucasian. 

I then did the most logical thing I could think of:  I searched for Princess Tiana costumes.  I figured, Tiana is actually an African American Disney Princess- surely her costume models will be the same.  I am only slightly comforted that the models were not white (well, not all of them) because the model were so light-skinned.  I am not one for describing race, but most of the models looked mix-race at most.  A few had blond hair!  I mean, come on!  These two Tiana models, as cute and darling as these two little girls are, do not help the case for diversity.  

I would really like to know what is going on here?  Is there something I am missing?  This seems worthy of a letter writing campaign to stores and distributors.  What are your thoughts?

Boycotting

I have heard a lot about the Chick-fil-a goings on about supporting anti-gay agendas (it's like the so-called "gay agenda," only opposing), and I have heard a lot about boycotting Chick-fil-a.  I have also heard and read a lot of gripe from the pro-Chick-fil-a crowd about the boycott.  Complaints have filled up Facebook, declaring that those who are boycotting are being silly; that in fact, the boycott-ers are the truly intolerant one because they can't accept someone having different beliefs than themselves.  These public declarations denounce the boycott, calling it pointless.

To be frank, I think we need to have a talk about the purpose of a boycott.  The basic definition (there is one more complicated that involves coercion and intimidation) of a boycott is to abstain from buying or using.  I would personally add (though my name be not Webster) that for product abstinence to be cataloged under "Boycott" that a political or personal or moral statement is being made.

In applying this to the Chick-fil-a debacle, one might ask why people would boycott an organization simply for the owner having a difference of opinion.  It's true, that would be quite silly.  However, the boycott is not opposing Chick-fil-a's president Dan Cathy.  The boycott is opposing anti-gay groups.  Think about it for a minute.  Chick-fil-a makes multi-million dollar donations to anti-gay groups.  How does Chick-fil-a get the money for such donations?  Through patrons' money used to buy their product.    I personally find it merely responsible to know just who/ what your are supporting with your money (both directly and indirectly).
Pretend for a moment that rather than donating millions of dollars to anti-gay groups that Chick-fil-a was donating that money to groups that supported or even funded abortion clinics.  How fast do you think all the boycott nay-sayers would become complete anti-Chick-fil-a activists?  My guess is pretty quick, and understandably because abortion is something they neither support nor want to fund in any manner.  Well, lots of people don't want to fund anti-gay groups.  It's that simple.

My point is this:  whether pro- or anti- a particular boycott, there is no reason to bad mouth the people participating in the boycott.  Cut that garbage out.  Support your cause and let others support theirs.  Have you ever boycott something?

Recap of the Charleston Pride Parade

Baby and I were excited to go to the Charleston Pride Parade.  The floats were pretty cool, but I loved the banners most. They included phrases like "Equal means everyone" and "Freedom can't protect itself."  One guy, named Tommy, wore a sign that I have seen go around Facebook.  It said,

"Love thy neighbor.  Love thy homeless neighbor.  Love thy Muslim neighbor.  Love thy black neighbor.  Love thy gay neighbor.  Love thy immigrant neighbor.  Love thy Jewish neighbor.  Love thy Christian neighbor.  Love thy Atheist neighbor.  Love thy disabled neighbor.  Love thy addicted neighbor."  I really enjoyed how this day was all about acceptance and love.  There was no hate in attendance.   It was also a family affair.  I was able to take a picture of Tracy and her grandchildren.  

A question that I get a lot, some in jest but many, MANY seriously, is am I trying to make my son gay? The answer is no, I am not.  However, I am trying to teach him that everyone has a responsibility to stand up for what is right.  Everyone has a responsibility to promote equality.  Also, if my son is gay, how can I wait until he tells me this to start being an activist for LGBT rights?  Wouldn't that be a bit hypocritical?  Won't he be looking at my opinions and interactions long before we had that conversation?  

Baby's favorite part was getting beads thrown to him from a float.  I think we walked over two miles celebrating.   It was a really fun event!  

Tidbits from the week

This week has been hard for me, so there is no real put together topic for this post-  it's going to be a little of this, a little of that.  I started my week seeing another feminist secret this week on the Post Secret Blog.  It served as a reminder to me that we are all hypocrites until we're perfect (which I don't really believe to be attainable in this life), so we need to cut others and ourselves some slack.    To the author of this secret:  You are not a failure-  you need help and support.  Don't we all?

I started my book review for Cinderella Ate My Daughter, by Peggy Orenstein.  Get excited for that because it was excellent book, and I have so much to say about it that it is turning into a huge project simply organizing my thoughts about it.  I feel like I am back in college writing a paper.  Anyone with a daughter-Heck, anyone with a kid or who has been a kid- I think you should read this book.  But more on that whenever I have the time to post my book review.

Last week while shopping for some kiddo stuff, I saw this little number in the infant section.  I haven't worked out the details in my mind, but I would rather my little swim naked than swim in this.  I think it has to do with naked being chalked up to her being a baby, but this swimsuit begin sexualization in infancy.  But how?  I need help identifying what it is that makes it so, but I truly believe naked would be more appropriate.  Please leave your ideas in the comments below.  Or if you feel like being more private about it, email me.

Here's another random:  I have noticed recently that it would seem I am more drawn to music from male musicians.  It's weird.  I noticed this because in trying to update my current listening enjoyment, I was trying to balance the female/ male contributions, but overwhelmingly, my musical taste leans towards male voices, with the exception of the Broadway genre.  In Broadway, I think I like female voices because then the range is good for me to rock out along with them.  I would be really interested in finding some statistics or readings on male versus female musicians.  Is this merely my taste in music or there a reason I lean towards male musicians?

While staying at my mom's over the holiday, Baby had the chance to play with both his toys and some of my childhood toys.  I have to admit, when I saw him playing with both his toy truck and my (now his) dollhouse, it warmed my heart and made me smile.  I've seen this meme going around in which a picture showing matchbox cars tucked into doll furniture is accompanied with the caption that this is what happens when you trying to disprove gender stereotypes.  To that I respond that trying to break gender stereotypes after a child has learned them is hard.  Starting from the get-go is another thing entirely.

Lastly, I have been debating whether or not to march in the Charleston Pride Parade this Saturday.  I really want to, but I'm sure there will be repercussions associated with it.  Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?  I would really love ya'll's feedback this week!

I Get Angry (Part 1)

"At some point during this semester, you'll get mad." 

~Idee Winfield, my Sociology of Gender professor

This is how Dr. Winfield began my Sociology of Gender class, describing some of the topics we would be covering.  Nah, I thought, I already got mad when I started into Women and Gender Studies.  My mad phase is past.  Wrong.  It's this continuous emotional, spiritual, ideological cycle, like a twelve step program- only anger and hurt seems to be the first step.  My cycle seems to go as such:  anger, hurt and sadness, activism, satisfaction, voyeurism, anger.  What I have to remind myself is that this cycle is in constant motion, so if I just wait, one feeling while phase into another.  This too shall pass.

Anger comes from the flawed organization of our American society-  this phase is usually spurred by something discriminatory brought to my attention.  

Next, I feel hurt and sad that anyone said discrimination doesn't affect pretends like it does not exist.  Issues are dismissed as nonexistent, and I am told time and time again that I am reading too much into something.  I am not.  You wouldn't feel that way if it happened to you. To me, that is the same as telling me I am an ornament in your life rather than someone you care about.  

My turmoil then turns into something productive:  activism.  A rush of adrenalin and happiness comes now because I think I am contributing to my cause.  I have something about which to feel great.  This leads me to feel very satisfied.

This leads to complacency.  I now get to look around and watch the world for a while because I have done my bit.  That is, until I see the injustices come shining through.  Then, I get angry. 

This works for me socially and emotionally.  The problem I face now is that I feel angry in a religious setting.  I feel religiously angry.  I have to evaluate whether this is a phase or something new I have encountered that needs to be dealt with more permanently.  

I think Jonathon Swift summed it up when he said, "We have enough religion to make us hate but not enough to make us love one another."

Because, honestly, I see individuals who love, and organizations that engender hate.

Part 2 will come tonight or tomorrow.  

Love Your Body Day 2011

Supporting what you believe in is important, otherwise you're just a spectator rooting for the good team.  Why not join the team?  Since last year's Dating Violence Seminar, I have decided that at least once a year I will do some sort of feminist activism.  This year my activism was to throw a party for Love Your Body Day. 

Awesome Publix cake, as promised

The party began with food and good company.  In the invitation I definitely promised cake and door prizes.  I ordered the cake from Publix and ask that the words "Love Your Body Day" be iced on the cake.  My request was met with a hushed tone and the reply, "I'm sorry-  we can't do that."  Confused, I assumed it was because they did not have a stencil for it.  But, non, entertainingly enough, putting the word "Body" on a cake is a no-no.  It was explained to me that "body" on the cake could insinuate perverse ideas.  I had to laugh to myself a bit on that one.  After a long think about what could convey the message of the day and not include the word "body," I called back the Publix bakery and had them put "Celebrate You" on the cake, with which they were much more comfortable.  The cake was delicious.

Packets full of recipes

Next, there was a station for nutritious eating that was based upon health rather than skinny figures.  There were packets of recipes given out as well discussing antioxidants and omega fatty acids.  This was something I was excited to have because rarely in the media do we hear about diets for health.  Often we here about our "girlish figures," "Bikini bodies," and becoming "high school skinny."  The entire focus for the eating presentation was on health rather than calories.  Included in this display was a storyboard that showed beautiful women of all different shapes and sizes. 



Beautiful bodied women



I especially love Dove's campaign for real beauty.  This set up worked really well next to a slideshow made by NOW for Love Your Body day that discusses women presented in advertising.  To view that presentation, please visit NOW's Sex Stereotypes Beauty Page. 

Lastly, I prepared a craft (because who doesn't love a craft?!).  On one side of a small bag I painted a hear or a star and LYB.  The other side was to be decorated with things we love about our body or things we love doing with our bodies. 

Front of the bags

Decorated back of the bags

I would definitely say the night was a success.  As my activism for the year I hope I was able to help put a better perspective on female bodies and how to both appreciate them and not take cues from the media on what they should be. 

Happy Love Your Body Day!