Screw beauty standards.
Thanks for being part of this thing we call Ravishly. We want to be the first place you come for inspiration, encouragement, solidarity, and we want you to take that energy with you when you leave. As a celebration of the Ravishly community, we welcome you to #RavsReaders, a weekly feature where we'll spotlight one of our beloved readers.
This week, Chrystal:
My name is Chrystal and I am a 34-year-old teacher. I love wine and the awesome donuts from a Charlotte-area shop (Your Mom's Donuts), but I also love working out at my local Burn Bootcamp. Kindness is a word I emphasize to my children (both at home and at school) — kindness to others, but also kindness in the way we think about ourselves.
There is a false mentality in our culture that 6 pack abs = fitness = beautiful. These abs that have stretched to grow three 9.5+lb babies, well past their due date, and have been rehabbed back from a 4-finger separation don't fit that standard of fitness and beauty — there are rolls and sags and a layer of fluff covering the muscles.... and I'm okay with that! Because they are strong, and today they made it through two 1000 Rep Challenge Core Conditioning camps. That's 2,000 reps. It hurt and it was hard, but they did it.
Screw beauty standards. I'm going to teach my girls to embrace this and celebrate what their amazing bodies can do. And I am going to keep eating donuts!
Would you like to be featured in #RavsReaders? Send me a photo (an Instagram link is also great) and your story (joniedelman@ravishly.com). Be sure to answer these four questions:
1. Name?
2. Age?
3. Thing you do most of the time (work, school, mom)?
4. Thing you love to do when you're not doing #3?
Ravishly...because life is easier when you're not alone.
