What the Kimono Taught Me About My Body
Finding contentment and comfort in how I look
There was a time in my life where it was very difficult for me to feel good about the way I looked in my clothes– feeling great was something of a rare, and often brief, occurrence. It did not matter if I was overweight or if I was perfectly slender, the way I felt about my body was exactly the same. I realized that the internal dialogue can be a lot harder to shape than the actual physique.
When we feel unhappy about the way we look, we often think that something is wrong externally– that we need to be at a certain weight, measurement, or body type to like the way we look in clothing. But anyone who has embarked on these goals and successfully met them will tell you that it’s not as simple as crossing a finish line and suddenly feeling great about the way you look.
Obsession with the body can feel inescapable, like it’s everywhere in the world. But one day I found a little relief in a piece of clothing that didn’t pay much attention to the body: the kimono.
In traditional kimono dresses for women, the goal is to wear it in a way where the body looks like a…
