Here's my offering for you this week: I'm so honored to be speaking at the Braving Body Shame Conference! It starts February 24 and it's entirely online and priced on a sliding scale (!) so everyone can attend. Proceeds go towards an honorarium for each speaker as well as to ASDAH to support their work.

In my talk, I'm discussing my history with body shame, what helped me overcome it, some ways I still struggle with shame, and the uses of anger in fighting body shame. I'm proud of this one; come join us! Sign up here: https://www.bravingbodyshame.com

 

A quick note: Yes, I did forget January's free stock photos! Check below for both January's and February's downloads.

Hi friend, I hope you're doing well. We had a lovely weekend out at the Washington coast, even if it was freezing cold. On Saturday it rained all day, so we watched the little birds at the feeder outside our Airbnb window and snuggled under blankets and I worked on recovering from my head cold. 

 

On Sunday we went up to the Straight of Juan de Fuca (which I'll someday figure out how to pronounce) and explored some tide pools at Clallam Bay.

We'd intended to explore a few different beaches, but Clallam Bay kicked. our. tails. It looked like a simple quarter-mile stroll down a beach made of small pebbles to the rocky point, where the tide pools were exposed at low tide. Well, you know how when you try to walk in really deep dry sand, your feet sink way into it and you flounder around and it's really hard to walk? But if you find the right part of the beach, usually down near the water, the sand gets nice and firm and easy to walk on?

Well, this beach consisted of 100% deep sliding pebbles and no "safe" zone at all. It was like breaking a trail through deep snow. Combined with not feeling well, I had to stop every five or ten steps to rest. That quarter mile took an hour and we both had to rest for a while before walking out onto the rocky tidal area. The tide pools were completely worth it, though. Live sea urchins! Sea anemones! Teeny tiny hermit crabs and sea snails, and enormous barnacles! Prehistoric-looking chitons and limpets clinging to the rocks!

After struggling back through half that sand to the car (we found a shortcut up to the road and walked the road the rest of the way), we decided there was no way we were going to conquer another beach that day. Instead, we headed out to La Push to visit First Beach. You can see the beach and beautiful sea stacks just fine from the parking lot, which was about our speed at that point. Then we had dinner at River's Edge, which has a spectacular view of the water, and headed back to our Airbnb to collapse.

Did we do less than we planned that day? Sure. Did it matter? Not one bit. We used what energy we had and let the rest go. I'm trying to give myself permission to carry this over into daily life, so here's my official permission to all of us. Permission for you! And you! And me! And YOU! to use whatever energy you have today in the way that best works for you, without overdrawing your energy in a way that will punish your mind and/or body in the future, and then to rest without shame.

Warmly,
Lindley

My favorite photo this week:

The Conversation

"Listen: Your vulva is fine no matter what it looks like. I promise. Whether it’s hairy, splotchy, lopsided, or pimply — it’s great.

But the myth of what a vulva is “supposed” to look like is really narrow: It should be small. It should be thin. It should be smooth. It should be hairless. The labia minora should be hidden. Gah. Sounds a lot like what our bodies are asked to do by society as a whole: not take up space and present as prepubescent as possible. Gross." 

 

» Melissa Fabello @fyeahmfabello

Quick Resources: On Counting Calories (and why that's not an effective way to change body size)

January & February Free Stock Photos

Click the link below to claim your free stock images for this month. The link will expire in two weeks, so be sure to grab them soon.

If you enjoy the free photos I provide each month, please help support Body Liberation Photos by purchasing stock images or becoming a supporter. Low on budget? Consider linking and/or giving photo credit to bodyliberationphotos.com when you use these free photos. Your support makes it possible to continue creating and offering these images. 

New Finds

Behind the Scenes

Straight out of camera! Some outtakes from my headshot session with Rikki and Philip of G*Whiz Creative. I'll talk more about them when I have finals to show, but you can find them on Facebook. I adore Rikki's laughter here.đź’ś

Coming Up

Some body-positive and HAES-related events coming up soon:

 

February 24: Braving Body Shame Conference, Online

February 24-March 1: National Eating Disorders Awareness (#NEDAwareness) Week (NEDA Week)

February 26: Plus Size Modeling and Pop Up Shop, Las Vegas, NV

February 27: Body Liberation Book Club, Seattle, WA

February 28: NEDA’s1st Annual In-District Advocacy Day, anywhere in the US (no experience needed)

February 29: Fat Crafternoon by The Fat Kid Crew, Redwood City, CA

February 29: Size Inclusive Snowmobile Adventure, Winter Park, CO

February 29: Fat Positive Event Planning for Beginners with NAAFA, Phoenix, AZ and Online

March 1: Zero Discrimination Day(LGBT)

March 4: Lillian Bustle at Libertease Returns!, Jersey City, NJ

March 5: Short Talks: Home, Seattle, WA

 

See all upcoming events I know around the world on the calendar. (And if you know of one and don't see it, do me a solid and let me know so I can add it!)

Hi! I'm Lindley.

- she/her

- photographer

- author

 

Hi! I'm Lindley.

 

I'm a professional photographer (she/her, pronounced LIN-lee) who celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards. I live outside Seattle, WA. 

 

I talk about and photograph fat folks because representation of large bodies in the world is vital to our body liberation.

 

 

People come to me for:

  • Body-safe portrait, boudoir and small business photography sessions
  • Diverse, body-positive stock photos
  • Fat fine art photographic prints
  • Health at Every Size (HAES)-aligned consulting, writing and editing
  • The Body Love Box, my monthly body-positive subscription box
 

Pssst! Did a friend forward you this email? If you'd like to get your own body liberation guide every week, just drop your email address here.

 

You're on this list because you signed up at bodyliberationphotos.com, representationmatters.me or sweetamaranth.com.

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