Dear Stretch Marks

Dear stretch marks, 

Why do so many people, so many women hate you? Despise you even? Let’s really address this shall we? I mean, women spend so much money on creams, prescriptions, and treatments to get rid of you. I just don’t get it. And it really seems to be women that have such distain for your presence. When you appear on men, it’s typically due to muscle growth and they are so proud! So why can’t women be proud of you too? 

For me, you lay along the lower part of my waist line. You have been there since high school. I’m not exactly sure when you first appeared or when I first noticed you but you were there. At first, I thought you were weird. I thought only pregnant women got stretch marks. I was already fat so I thought I at least had that advantage. If I ever had children I would be in the clear! No stretch marks for me! But, there you were. Did that mean I was as big as a pregnant woman?? ::Sigh:: Even then, I didn’t pay you too much attention. I wore a one-piece bathing suit at that time, not only for swim team but to hold all of what I had in one place when I would go to the pool or to the beach. I knew no one, especially me, wanted to see all I had to work with. Plus, I was just dealing with a bunch of other ‘ish and worrying about stretch marks that were already there was not one of them. 

Then, going into college I lost some weight. And during my college years I lost a lot more. At one point, I lost too much weight. Those were crazy times huh? And there you were. Just hanging out. Sitting there beneath a bit of extra skin because I pushed my body too hard. I lost weight too fast and the skin on my torso couldn’t keep up. You were part of a body I just knew would never be perfect. A body I knew would never be what I wanted it to be. You were just another imperfection. But, I never hated you. No amount of dieting or exercise would ever take you away and that would just be something I would have to deal with. Maybe I could cocoa butter you away once I thought I was skinny enough? Hmm. 

Fast forward to this morning. As I changed into my gym clothes to start the daily grind with my 4am workout I saw you in the mirror. I set my gym shorts just below my waist line so I could take a moment to stare at you. And it crossed my mind. Why do women hate stretch marks so much? Stretch marks are beautiful. They tell a story. They are part of the bodies scripture. 

I spent some time looking you over. I could see how deep you were across my lower waist and the small branches that spread like sunbursts on my hips.  As I ran my fingers back and forth across you, feeling every groove, I thought about how for some women, you are the story of child bearing. The story of bringing amazing life into the world and all their bodies have gone through to get there. Their stretch marks speak volumes of changing form, roller coaster hormones and creating life. With every month that passes and each kick of a tiny foot you may expand.  For others, you appear because they have chosen to alter their body with artificial parts such as breasts, butts or even calves. They decided to make a change to their bodies that perhaps it wasn’t quite ready for. 

For me you appeared because of my weight gain and then became more prominent with my weight loss. You seem to fade away in the winter and become more prevalent in the summer when you are sun kissed. Which is odd, by the way, that you don’t tan. What’s up with that!?  You tell such a deep part of my life story. I think of you as part of my amazing tapestry and I would never want to see you go. For me, you signify strength, endurance, discipline and dedication. You remind me how far I have come and continue to go.  I hope more women can learn to appreciate you and embrace you because stretch marks are awesome. 

Love, 

Jennifer