CARPE DIEM

Gift Wrapped

 rosprynn (c) 2005

Last night on international radio I shared that as a high school student I was bullied mercilessly by other female students because I had no chest. Well yes, I had a chest of course, but compared to my classmates, my lack of breasts was
only worthy of derision. But, as the years have gone by I have come to
realize that that our bodies are not the total sum of who we are.

If you follow statistics, it appears that the number of women lining up for breast surgery - predominantly to enlarge their breasts - is on the increase (pun intended!) Articulate, beautiful, wise women are buying into society's notion of what beauty means.

It has been a long road for me to be happy with the body - the gift wrap - I was given. Of course it didn't hurt that Twiggy became a 'huge' (g) icon of the 1960's. Every step for me has been a journey of discovery, of acceptance.

Some of you have heard me talking about Richard Gere, and how much I love HIS wrapping; truthfully, though, gorgeous as I think he is (and so does his wife I'm sure), to me his beauty is what shines from within the wrapping. Years ago, I worked alongside a top London model. She was fawned over, appreciated for the beauty of her wrapping, and in her wake I was seen as the ugly duckling, if I was noticed at all. But, this woman was one of the most unhappy people I have ever met. Despite her 'gorgeous' wrapping, all that I felt from her was her unhappiness. I have known many with gorgeous wrapping, both men and women, but I have seen that wrapping be a hindrance in their relationships. People have responded to the wrapping and not always bothered to see the true beauty within.

At one point in London, there was a gi-normous billboard of my face in a sidewalk window. That was a very interesting experience, because strangers could only respond to the wrapping, having no clue who I really was.

Years after London I became a model myself, for a sculpting class In the USA.
Yes, somewhere out there are a whole bunch of sculptures of me. Yes, I was nude, and yes I was terrified. But ooooh what I learned. The wisdom I gained from that far exceeded the $$ I was paid.

Time moved on, and in a spiritual chatroom, I casually commented that I have no boobs. A friend gave me a hard time for putting myself down. I reassured them that I really wasn't, but pointing out how silly it is, especially in a chatroom, to be judging others by the wrapping.

So now we come to the season of gift buying/making, and gift wrapping, and I wonder if any of us who receive gifts would judge the contents by the
wrapping? I am notoriously inept at wrapping gifts (ask my daughter), BUT to
me it is what's inside that counts.
So it is with human bodies. The wrapping we are given is mere packaging for who we ARE, our heart lights, our soul lights. In MY ideal world, every one of us would look beyond the wrapping and recognize the beauty just waiting to be acknowledged. We would honour and treasure the essence of ALL gifts, which continues on, long after the wrapping is put aside.

I'll show you mine, if you show me yours. :)