I have stretchmarks, but I do not have children. The world is shifting towards self-love, and I see more and more moms embracing their “tiger strips,” recognizing that they earned those stretchmarks. I think that’s badass, and stretchmarks are scars for warrior mommas. I think stretchmarks are for women without children, too, and you don’t need to feel bad about yourself if you have them.
Your body, your amazing, strong, brilliant body, grew those stretchmarks. Stretchmarks grow when our skin experiences rapid growth, which happens during puberty for many women. They can appear on stomachs, thighs, breasts, arms, backs and hips. They are extremely common, and almost all the women you know probably have them. Why, then, are we so hard on ourselves for having them?
Stretchmarks are reminders that you’re a human. You have skin. You have a body that changes. It grows and shrinks and changes on a daily basis. The reason they appear can be for almost any reason, and whether you have children or not, you’re allowed to embrace them. I have stretchmarks along my hips, and I’ve only embraced them in the last year. They are here to stay, and nothing I do will change that, so why not learn to love them? I needed to stop hating them because that doesn’t help anything.
If you’re still not sure you can jump aboard the stretchmark acceptance train, I encourage you to check out the artwork of Cinta Tort Cartró. Maybe if you paint them with bright colors, you’l love your tiger stripes a little more too.
To the women without children (and for the women who do), your body is awesome, whether it has stretchmarks or not. Please always remember that!
XO, Alicia
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