Don’t Tell Me What I Should Do With My Body

I usually respect hearing opinions I disagree with. I love having debates and considering multiple perspectives and ideas. These conversations expand our minds and are important to have so as to not get stuck in a particular way of thinking.

However, I draw the line when it comes to others thinking it’s okay to make comments about what I choose to do with my body.

Our bodies are the only things that can never be taken away from us. The way we choose to decorate them, the amount of sex we choose to have, and our weight is our own prerogative.

If I want to shave my head, dye it purple, have sex with 45 different people, and get a sleeve of tattoos, then I will. It doesn’t have any impact on anyone else’s life except my own (unless I get an STD, but let’s pretend for the sake of argument that I didn’t).

When I get a tattoo, the last thing I have on my mind is how to hide it from view. Tattoos are an expression of my story. My experiences. My body. It will go wherever feels right, and if that happens to be directly in the middle of my forehead, then there it will go.

It makes me upset when people openly judge me for having them on my body. It feels as though they believe they have a say in what I choose to look like. It’s fine if someone dislikes them and chooses not to get any themselves. Once again, this is their body and they have control over what they choose to do with it or how to decorate themselves.

Our bodies are our canvasses. Some choose to wear clothes that express themselves and their personalities. Others wear jewelry or makeup. When so much of life is not entirely under our control, we should be able to at least have a say in how we choose to look.

The fact that said choices could be deemed to be “unprofessional” is ridiculous. What is “professional” anyway? Everyone looking exactly the same, wearing the same clothes, possessing the same thoughts? Perhaps I use my individuality as a way to screen out potential employers. If someone’s sole reason for not hiring me is due to the way I look, and they ignore the multitude of other traits that make me who I am, that’s their loss. Not mine.

One day, I hope our world reaches a point in which the way we physically look is not looked down upon if it doesn’t fit into the stereotypical mold of what is “beautiful” or “typical.” I hope we will learn to appreciate the multitude of ways that a person can present themselves. And most of all, I hope the decisions we make that have zero impact on another person’s life are not used against us.