"I've gotta get old, I don't have to get old AND fat!"
"It's okay if your body image isn't what the world thinks it should look like."
- Nana
God, I love my Nana. She's sharp, beautiful, and has such a quick tongue you won't BELIEVE some of the things she has to say in this interview. There's a point where I have to pause because I am laughing so hard. Actually, that happens a few times.
I went into this interview with the goal on gaining the perspective on how things have changed in the last 80 years. My Nana's truth is that they really haven't - especially when it comes to body image. She recalls being younger and feeling short and fat. She recalls feeling neglected by her mother. She recalls not fully feeling beautiful until she met my grandfather, getting her self-worth from a man who didn't exactly give her what she was looking for. But she got through it all. The trials, the tribulations, and she came out the other side feeling blessed and grateful for the life she has today.
It ended up being a much more personal interview than I expected ... but I am so glad my Nana was willing to open up and share all of this with you. "Have Faith," she says, over and over. You will get through this little thing called life.
THANKFUL 30 CHALLENGE
Use #Thankful30 or #LYBThankful30 for 30 days of gratitude. Post something EVERY DAY that you are thankful/grateful for through the Holiday Season!
Tag @love_your_bodd on instagram!
Love Your Bodd Stuffz
Website: www.heather-boddy.com/loveyourbodd
Email LYB: loveyourboddcast@gmail.com
Tweet: @LoveYourBodd
Instagram: @love_your_bodd
Facebook: Love Your Bodd
Find Heather @HeatherBoddy on Snapchat, Twitter & Instagram
Wanna become a Pop Pilates Instructor? Follow this link to find a training near you: https://www.poppilateslife.com/a/527/osBvwVQc
Outside of the US? Don’t worry you can get online international training here:
https://www.poppilateslife.com/a/528/osBvwVQc
Love Popflex Activewear? Buy here and save:
Sign up for your BEACHBODY ON DEMAND 14 DAY FREE TRIAL:
https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/club?referringRepId=445873
(Select the bottom right option unless you wanna bite the bullet and sign up for the full monty! Heather will be your coach if you follow the link above!)
Do you struggle with finding things to be thankful for? This time of year can be hard for many and with the pressure of Thanksgiving and announcing things you are "thankful for" in front of friends and family can be overwhelming.
It is so important to practice gratitude more than once a year. Why do we save all of our "thanks" for a Holiday that - if we are going to get political - probably shouldn't even exist? It's nice that it brings family together. It's nice that it forces us to think of the things we are thankful for. But in all seriousness, we should be doing this every single day.
In this episode, Heather guides you through how to find gratitude in every day of your life. You'll hear from previous Love Your Bodd guests on: 1) how they practice gratitude daily 2) how practicing gratitude has changed their life 3) experiences they've had that seemed negative at first but that they are now thankful for and 4) ways they are grateful for their bodies and what they are capable of!
Guided Meditation Apps:
Calm
Simple Habit
Meditation
Headspace
Guided Gratitude Journals/books:
5 min Journal
Fitspiration Journal
Miracle Morning
THANKFUL 30 CHALLENGE
Use #Thankful30 or #LYBThankful30 for 30 days of gratitude. Post something EVERY DAY that you are thankful/grateful for through the Holiday Season!
Tag @love_your_bodd on instagram!
Love Your Bodd Stuffz
Website: www.heather-boddy.com/loveyourbodd
Email LYB: loveyourboddcast@gmail.com
Tweet: @LoveYourBodd
Instagram: @love_your_bodd
Facebook: Love Your Bodd
Find Heather @HeatherBoddy on Snapchat, Twitter & Instagram
Wanna become a Pop Pilates Instructor? Follow this link to find a training near you: https://www.poppilateslife.com/a/527/osBvwVQc
Outside of the US? Don’t worry you can get online international training here:
https://www.poppilateslife.com/a/528/osBvwVQc
Use code POPARMY100 for $100 off your training ONLY UNTIL Nov 27
Love Popflex Activewear? Buy here and save:
Sign up for your BEACHBODY ON DEMAND 14 DAY FREE TRIAL:
https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/club?referringRepId=445873
(Select the bottom right option unless you wanna bite the bullet and sign up for the full monty! Heather will be your coach if you follow the link above!)
Cosplay shouldn't have to be about your gender, your race, or your size. It's important to be respectful when it comes to the culture of the characters you are cosplaying. In this interview, Cosplayer Patrick Diamond speaks on how he chooses his cosplays, and how his physicality (race, size, ability) either does or does not play a role in those decisions.
"I haven't done Daredevil yet. I haven't done anything related to Spider Man ... It's just the characters themselves. They are so acrabatic in their poses and whatnot, I wanna be able to do that while I'm [cosplaying them]. When I pose, I like to evoke the character for a picture."
As a writer, he talks bridging the gap between "representation" of underrepresented characters while also maintaining a sense of realism. Not making characters a certain ethnicity, gender, or size for the sake of it but having a character-driven-rooted reason as to WHY. Which is so important.
It's lighthearted and profound and you'll enjoy it! Listen today!!
FIND PATRICK DIAMOND
Instagram: @DiamondQCosplay
Love Your Bodd Stuffz
Website: www.heather-boddy.com/loveyourbodd
Email LYB: loveyourboddcast@gmail.com
Tweet: @LoveYourBodd
Instagram: @love_your_bodd
Facebook: Love Your Bodd
Find Heather @HeatherBoddy on Snapchat, Twitter & Instagram
Wanna become a Pop Pilates Instructor? Follow this link to find a training near you: https://www.poppilateslife.com/a/527/osBvwVQc
Outside of the US? Don’t worry you can get online international training here:
https://www.poppilateslife.com/a/528/osBvwVQc
Love Popflex Activewear? Buy here and save:
Sign up for your BEACHBODY ON DEMAND 14 DAY FREE TRIAL:
https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/club?referringRepId=445873
(Select the bottom right option unless you wanna bite the bullet and sign up for the full monty! Heather will be your coach if you follow the link above!)
Love Your Bodd is a proud supporter of the Born This Way Foundation
"Born this way foundation is committed to making a kinder, more compassionate world. Our work is made possible by generous contributions from people around the globe. Your contribution to Born this way Foundation will go toward empowering young people and addressing the issues important to their well being: kinder communities, improved mental health services, and more positive environments online and off-line."
CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT. https://bornthisway.foundation/
They have an entire resources page that connects you with resources for whatever issue you're facing:
CLICK HERE IF YOU NEED HELP. https://bornthisway.foundation/get-help-now/
National Outreach Hotlines:
For Eating Disorders:
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline
Call: (800) 931-2237
For Sexual Assault:
https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline
Call: 800.656.HOPE (4673)
For Domestic Abuse:
http://www.thehotline.org/help/help-for-friends-and-family
Call: 1-800-799-7233
IT'S THE SPECIAL NEW YORK COMIC CON EPISODE OF LOVE YOUR BODD!
Heather walked around Comic Con and found people of all sizes, genders, sexualities, and walks of life to interview for this episode. She also recorded some questions at NYCC Panels that she thought listeners may enjoy or need to hear.
You'll hear from people about their comfort in cosplay, what it means to them, and how it shapes them as a person. Check out Love Your Bodd's Instagram account (@love_your_bodd) to put faces with some of the interviews.
Sexy Cosplay Panel. 30 min mark. Answers to Heather’s question: “I was wondering if you have any comment on putting the costume on and how that makes you feel but also, specifically, about body positivity - is there more room for body positivity in this realm than anywhere else right now?”
“I don’t mean to say that I hate myself but when I look at myself in the mirror when I’m not in costume, I don’t want to look at myself. But when I’m in a costume I’m like DAMN GIRL YOU FINE!” - Microkitty
“I feel super empowered in it [cosplay] but I do think the cosplay community has room to grow in certain areas. I think that we need to work on being more accepting of cosplayers of different sizes of different races … being more aware of different gender identities in general when talking with cosplayers. But I do think it’s a really healthy community and I believe that it can grow to be more accepting.” - Juniper Jackson
“In the Cosplay community people are very positive and uplifting but unfortunately there’s some people who feel that you have to look a certain way to cosplay. Like you have to be a certain size or race to cosplay a certain character and that is BULLSHIT. ‘Cause Cosplay is for everyone no matter what. I feel like we need to work a lot more on that. Because of that, there are people who want to cosplay but they see all this and they are very hesitant. We need to really fix that so that more people can join in. Cause you know, this is a very uplifting community, it really helped me a lot. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t cosplay. So we need to work on being more accepting of everybody no matter what size they are, identity, or their race.” - Stardust Megu
“As a plus sized cosplayer, starting out I was very very insecure about the way things came out like certain photos, things like that. I actually did a photoshoot as Aquaman from injustice and pretty much didn’t share the photos until like a year later. Until, ya know, I was way more comfortable a year later and I was like ‘Why didn’t I share these? These look dope!’ Like, why are these not yet on social media? And putting them out there, I felt great!” - Patrick Diamond
Talking Comfort and Emotional Support
“There were two Spider-Men doing flips and the guy standing next to us was like, ‘Agh, man I love seeing that. I hate seeing fat dudes try and do the same thing.’ And my friend turned to me and he was like, ‘Hey Pat, you want me to like say somthin to these dudes?’ and I’m like, ‘Calm down. Thank you.’ So yeah, having an emotional support system [when dressed in cosplay] is amazing.” - Patrick Diamond
“I think another important thing to note is that when you’re in a sexy cosplay, you don’t have to post photos of it. You don’t have to walk outside in it. If you have a photoshoot, it doesn’t ever have to see the light of day. It can be for you. It doesn’t have to be for the world.” - Microkitty
“As a New York local I will reiterate changing at the con. I have leggings and a t-shirt in my bag and I will put that on before I walk out into the streets of Manhattan again. In an ideal world I would not be harassed based on wearing something that’s a little more revealing but it certainly does make things worse in the current state of things. So I will prepare for that and bring an extra outfit, arrive, change at the con, and then change again before I leave.” - Juniper
What was the first cosplay you put on and how did it make you feel?
“My first cosplay was Sonia from the Dresden Files and it felt great and one of the best comments I got sticks with me to this day. When I posted it in a fan group for the books someone said they now see ME whenever they’re reading the novels. That really felt great.” - Patrick
“My first one was Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club, which really foreshadowed my entire gender journey.” - Juniper Jackson
“My first cosplay was Haruhi Suzumiya from the Anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. And I first wore it at New York Comic Con 2010, which was my very first convention as well. I felt really great about it. And my cosplay wasn’t perfect but people were very supportive and some people like, we even did the dance together. I don’t know if you guys know but the ending song, there’s like a dance that’s called ‘Hare Hare Yukai’ - it was really popular back in the day.” - Stardust Megu
“It’s really sad this is my first one cause my third cosplay was the most empowering one for me. But my first cosplay was Elwood Blues from the Blues Brothers. The thing about it was, me and my buddy, we can both sing and dance, so we would do the whole skit. We did Shake Your Tailfeather and I would serenade people… it was a lot of fun. So while I didn’t necessarily feel like I do when I’m Bushido Brown or Slenderman - I dunno how you feel about that - it made me feel like, you know, I’m dancing, I’m singing, I’m having a good time, my cosplay’s kickass, I learned how to freestyle rap. These were all things I never thought I would do before in public. So it felt really great.” - Jarvis White
Problematic Faves Panel
“People have to think about that [creating plus characters]. I’m working on the third of the vampire novels and I had a character in the 1941 section, who was part of the supernatural organization, and she’s at a dinner party at Carrie Grant’s. And I started writing her and she was like this very standardized skinny, intellectual, science-supernatural science woman and I was like, ‘I don’t like that.’ I pictured a friend of mine who is a full-sized woman, who is very confident in her body, and I was like, ‘that’s who I want her to be!’ And it wasn’t that it did anything other than just made her not a standardized character. It made her more interesting suddenly, there was a whole range of other behavior, there was a relationship, something became much more sensual to me in my head, and I think that as writers, we need to be very deliberate about that. The default is to the standard medium-sized body, average height person and unless there’s a reason for that to be different, you don’t think about that. I think we just need to start making people different. Write down that they’re black. Write down that they are different races and colors and body shapes because that’s the only way anyone is gonna get that stuff into the movies. Put it in the books and keep pushing it out there.” - Terrance Taylor
“Why can’t she be Rae in My Mad Fat Diary AND Rey in Star Wars? She should be able to be both of those things.” - Mark Oshiro
HUGE SHOUT OUT AND THANK YOU to everyone who participated and allowed me to interview them. I couldn't do this without these amazing individuals. To anyone at NYCC who I didn't get to - shout out to you as well. The cosplay community may have room to grow, but I think it's one of the most positive communities out there right now.
Love Your Bodd Stuffz
Website: www.heather-boddy.com/loveyourbodd
Email LYB: loveyourboddcast@gmail.com
Tweet: @LoveYourBodd
Instagram: @love_your_bodd
Facebook: Love Your Bodd
Find Heather @HeatherBoddy on Snapchat, Twitter & Instagram
Wanna become a Pop Pilates Instructor? Follow this link to find a training near you: https://www.poppilateslife.com/a/527/osBvwVQc
Outside of the US? Don’t worry you can get online international training here:
https://www.poppilateslife.com/a/528/osBvwVQc
Love Popflex Activewear? Buy here and save:
Sign up for your BEACHBODY ON DEMAND 14 DAY FREE TRIAL:
https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/club?referringRepId=445873
(Select the bottom right option unless you wanna bite the bullet and sign up for the full monty! Heather will be your coach if you follow the link above!)
Love Your Bodd is a proud supporter of the Born This Way Foundation
"Born this way foundation is committed to making a kinder, more compassionate world. Our work is made possible by generous contributions from people around the globe. Your contribution to Born this way Foundation will go toward empowering young people and addressing the issues important to their well being: kinder communities, improved mental health services, and more positive environments online and off-line."
CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT. https://bornthisway.foundation/
They have an entire resources page that connects you with resources for whatever issue you're facing:
CLICK HERE IF YOU NEED HELP. https://bornthisway.foundation/get-help-now/
National Outreach Hotlines:
For Eating Disorders:
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline
Call: (800) 931-2237
For Sexual Assault:
https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline
Call: 800.656.HOPE (4673)
For Domestic Abuse:
http://www.thehotline.org/help/help-for-friends-and-family
Call: 1-800-799-7233