Yes Ma’am is a cool feminist zine that publishes all kinds of writing and artwork. Awhile back they announced that they were soliciting submissions about the theme of bodies and our relationships with them. I had a poem lying around titled “What does it mean to love a body?” so I submitted it, and it appears in their latest issue: The Body Issue! (Note: some of the photography in this issue may be not safe for work.)
I wrote the first draft of this poem in my head while taking a shower. I was thinking about the body acceptance movement, which I support on principle, even if I’m not always sure what exactly loving your body means or what it looks like in practice. Is it just looking in the mirror and thinking “Yeah, okay”? Do you have to actually think you’re gorgeous/sexy/whatever? Is it – or should it be – more focused on your body’s abilities than its aesthetics?
So that’s kind of what the poem is about. If you feel like clicking over, I hope you enjoy the issue!
Emma Atkinson 