An open letter to the person who reported my post on Facebook:
Dear person,
I’ll admit,
when I first
saw the notification
that my post had been
removed, I was frustrated.
Frustrated…
that this post - which inspired so many
people to reach out to me, because it
touched them deeply - would no
longer be able to touch
more lives.
that I now have
someone in my field
who is not in support of
my work and that I have
no way to dialogue with you
about it or remove you from my page.
that so many people would still rather
lash out at another, instead of
doing their own work.
that my expression was
hindered, simply because
the human body triggers you.
that this is still an issue in society at all.
that breastfeeding mothers are
criticized, young women are
sent home from school
for being a distraction,
and little girls enter
a world where they
are viewed as
an object.
that nudity is seen as wrong and
the human form diminished;
nakedness made impure.
that there’s a whole other layer in
which women don’t have the
rights to their own sexuality,
to express it freely
and embody it.
And then I felt compassion,
when I realized how much
you must be hurting…
That maybe, just maybe, someone
told you that your body was bad
or wrong. That you should hide
it and be ashamed of it...
and you believed them.
That seeing a nude form and being
so pained that you can’t let a
photo of it exist in the world,
may just be how you feel
when you look down
at your own
nakedness.
That your
own body likely
receives so much
judgement, for it reach
the point where it bubbles
out into the world and into
other peoples’ realities.
That maybe no one
told you it was possible
to the work within yourself
and you don’t have those tools yet.
I see you.
I feel you.
I know it hurts.
And there IS a better way.
Our triggers are our teachers
and there is a valuable
lesson for you
in this one.
There is so much
more available for you...
If you’re ready to dive into this space
of possibility, I invite you to message
me (or someone else you resonate
with more), to really examine this.
And, if not, that’s okay too…
I just ask that you please unfollow
/unfriend me on here, so that
we can both keep living our
chosen lives.
Sending love,
Andrea
UPDATE: Exciting news!!! 🔥🌸🌙💫 The post has been restored! I'm not sure if it had anything to do with this letter (or how that could even work), but either way, I'm thrilled.