u/throwrawifesandwich

I see a lot of young skinny ladies on here who are struggling with body image and fit, and just wanted to share my experience having been on that side of things and now being on the other side of the hill so to speak.

When I was in my teens and 20s, nothing ever fit right. I was skinny with no boobs and a flat butt, and being young, every part of me defied gravity. Even clothes that were my size fit weirdly. I am short too, so I often felt like a small child pretending to be an adult.

I'm 40 now and gravity has had its way with me. It's awesome. My butt (still flat) sinks down and fills out jeans nicely. My boobs (still barely there) actually have some shape to them. My hips are wider and softer. I still have trouble finding my size but when I do, clothes actually look good. Add to that the "I don't give a F about anything" attitude that comes with age and I feel unstoppable.

So, to the young'ns--society may tell you that as a woman your value only tumbles downhill from here like a lost ski. They may tell you to enjoy your youth and body while you have it, which will sound like impossible advice to follow. They are wrong. It only gets better. I did not enjoy my youthful body but I sure as hell am enjoying the cusp of middle age. Your prime of life is long and glorious. Get it!

I think this was one of the most intelligent and thoughtful pieces I've read by someone who is staunchly anti-abortion, and, frustratingly, it gets so so so close to self-awareness that it's almost painful.

In the piece, Audrey points to multiple issues facing the pro-life movement right now: the rate of abortions has only increased since Dobbs, maternal outcomes in restricted abortion access states are worse than in states with better access, and public opinion is only growing more in favor of abortion access.

And though she doesn't mention this, a source that she cites does--the anti-abortion movement is continually plagued with bad faith players who want to criminalize mothers, decrease resources for families, and generally make life hell for women and (birthed!) babies.

Both Audrey and her source call out a frustrating contradiction: it seems that opposition to abortion and support for women's rights and pro-family values is fundamentally at odds. You can never have one without losing the other.

To which I can only say--DUH. Abortion rights activists aren't out there because they just loooove terminating pregnancies. They're out there because they've done the math and have realized that by design, abortion restrictions exist to make life more untenable for women, and their families by extension.

I can only hope that for intelligent critical thinkers like this, the loop finally closes. The best way to protect children is to let their mothers have full autonomy over their own bodies and choose their own medical care.