5 Things About Me That I Let My Daughter See

I hope she sees a woman unafraid of the shadows

Photo by Zara Walker on Unsplash

I believe in the adage you can’t be what you can’t see. So I make a point to let my daughter see these five things:

1. My Body Unadorned

Getting dressed, thin, wintry morning light slanting through the window and illuminating my freckles, stretch marks, a long scar, shapely unshaved legs, the generous swoop of my belly and the wide strength of my back. Emerging from the shower, drops of water on my calves and neck, arm reaching for the towel, the soft underside of my bicep cutting through the steam. At the pool, in a swimsuit, in a wave, in a splash, warmed by the sun.

Unplucked eyebrows, monthly zits, half-moons of lavender under sleepy eyes. Mauve mouth, broad nose, big cheeks. Teeth that never had braces, a forehead that’s never had Botox. This is me. As far as she’s concerned, my face is a lily and needs no gilding; I feel the same about her.

I let my daughter see my physical being, unadorned and unaltered, un-dieted and un-young, because this is who I really am, and because this body was her first home, and this face her first mirror. It is all her genetic inheritance and I want her to know it is good. I want her to see a woman comfortable in her flesh.