#SaggyBoobsMatter: This Movement Encourages Women To Love Their Saggy Boobs
Beauty standards are being flipped on their axis. Black women are the headhunters of the beauty revolution, reminding us all of our beauty that exists despite the patriarchal ideas that have shaped the standards for so long. Breasts are synonymous to woman, but their beauty and desirability is often minimized when they are not the right shape, the ideal size, or the appropriate amount of perkiness. Newsflash: saggy boobs matter.
Chidera Eggerue, also known as The Slumflower, is pushing the agenda of self-love even more forward by embracing and loving her own body just as it is. Chidera is a 23-year-old award-winning British blogger whose focus is on uplifting women, challenging them to love themselves so unapologetically that it becomes the norm. It was the driving force behind the creation of the campaign aptly titled Saggy Boobs Matter.
Chidera made a vow to herself that at the age of 18, she was going to secure her first job and get a boob job. The decision was seeded in her resentment towards her own breasts; bra shopping became a strain on her spirit, and she desperately wanted change. Chidera told BuzzFeed News:
"A lack of representation of saggy-looking boobs when I used to go bra shopping in M&S [as a young teenager] made me realise that something is wrong with the way the world views women's bodies."
She never got the boob job. Instead, Chidera decided to stop wearing a bra and began her journey to self-acceptance and ultimate self-love. It was through learning to accept her body and recognize how beautiful she is through empowering affirmations and body positivity that she was able to become a voice for other women.
The Saggy Boobs Matter movement was created out of necessity. Women are taught to believe that perfection is the definition of beauty and anything that doesn't match that is less than. But Chidera wanted to defy the norm.
She believes that there is a conversation to be had about body hang ups and how women can embrace them.
"Through creating #SaggyBoobsMatter, I have been able to help women articulate their own body image hang ups – especially slim women who don't really know where they stand in the body positivity movement. Saggy boobs are underrepresented. Being underrepresented makes you feel alien to society. This fosters insecurities in people who don't have the mental strength to see value in themselves beyond other people's standards."
Women - and men - are taking to the movement and rejoicing. Chidera has been receiving messages from women all over the world who have thanked her for starting the movement and being present for a demographic of women who are often body shamed and overlooked.
Best decision I made was throwing away all my bras in 2015 👌🏽 and I ain’t ever going back #SAGGYBOOBSMATTER— Nia the Shmoney Coach (@Nia the Shmoney Coach) 1516975988.0
#SAGGYBOOBSMATTER | im here for it. 🙂 https://t.co/6FrRXMFV3c— the REAL mama mia ☯️ (@the REAL mama mia ☯️) 1516670643.0
You people are wicked its not our fault we got saggy boobs Women have different bodies and so does the boobs #SAGGYBOOBSMATTER— JONAM’S PRINCESS👑👑 (@JONAM’S PRINCESS👑👑) 1516641322.0
This #SAGGYBOOBSMATTER movement is something I could go for 😭😭😜— 6’1 & Wholesome ♒️ (@6’1 & Wholesome ♒️) 1516681566.0
"I've had breastfeeding mothers message me telling me that this movement has helped them in their postpartum journey, and that, for me, is so important because the people who are being hateful towards this movement have conveniently forgotten that a large majority of them were breastfed on saggy boobs."
Though Chidera has looked into the eye of body shaming and cyberbullying, she has used these experiences as a catalyst to keep pushing her message. Putting yourself out there on the internet is not an easy feat, but The Slumflower has used her platform to give women a voice to speak up about their bodies and know the intention behind their creation.
"For the women who look like me: Your saggy boobs matter. And from now until you die, what's going to matter, ultimately, is your character. Sometimes people are scared of what they haven't been taught to accept. We still have to exist loudly, though."
Chidera's message to women is simple: we are made with intention and our bodies are not a mistake.
Whichever way you please, empower yourself to believe that you are beautiful despite whatever hang up you have about your body.
In all of our womanness, we are already godly. We possess a magic that cannot be touched. Chidera's movement is a prime example of the power that we possess once we love ourselves fiercely, unapologetically, and validate ourselves.
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Olivia Jade is a writer and creative engineer, intersecting wellness, culture, womanism, and self-development. She waters the flowers in her mind so others can recognize their own internal garden. Link up: @akaoliviajade (Twitter and IG) oliviajade.co
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Blac Chyna Opens Up About Her Initial Fear To Share Her Spiritual Journey With Others
Watching Angela “Blac Chyna” White’s transformation in real-time has truly been a sight to see. It wasn’t that long ago that she announced that she was reversing her cosmetic surgeries in an effort to go back to who she was before the world came to know her as Blac Chyna. In previous interviews, she stated that she was dissolving her facial and lip fillers, removing her breast implants, and getting a butt reduction, as well as removing the dimple piercings that enhanced her fame and controversial tattoos.
In a recent Tamron Hall interview, the mother of two said that she has “fully recovered” from the procedures. She is also celebrating one year of sobriety and opened up about being worried about how her new journey would be received by others.
“I’ve been in the entertainment industry for so long, right, and of course, like, you know, coming out, I’m like young, I’m gonna do wild things as we all have,” she said.
“...I feel like by me being vocal and showing everybody you can change your life and things can get better, like through myself, that right there is an accomplishment, and that’s a part of freedom, too.”
But as she started on her journey, many people have shown her grace, which is something she’s grateful for. “And then the fact that people have been showing me grace, it’s like amazing,” she said. “And I feel like when I did it, I just did it. It was more so like spiritual thing and I feel like people see that, and I’ve always been like my authentic self, so what you see is kinda what you get with me, and that’s just kinda what it is.”
Chyna, who recently received an honorary doctorate from Sacramento Theology Seminary and Bible College, has also repaired her relationship with her mom, Tokyo Toni. The social media celebrity surprised her daughter on the Tamron Hall Show. Prior to the sentimental surprise, Chyna dished on the reconciliation and having a better understanding of her mom.
“I must say, some of the things I have to take accountability for because, like my actions. As a mother, you don’t want to see your daughter doing certain things ‘cause it’s like it doesn’t matter what my past was or what we’re going through, I didn’t raise you that way,” she admitted. “So, it’s like, okay, maybe I was a little bit wrong. Maybe I was acting out a little bit. But I feel like as we grow older, I kinda see more, and I understand more.”
Chyna will be starring in season two of Fox's reality competition show Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
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