Jes Baker

I’m mostly really ok, even when my body feels like a sack of skin. If you’re wondering how you can live in your skin-sack peacefully, here are five ways:

REAL TALK — my body is going to keep changing for the rest of my life. If it's not weight gain, it will be aging. If not aging, it could be an illness. If not an illness, it could be any number of things that will cause inevitable change in which I will be required to learn to love the change.

I want to be seen, too. But now that I’ve settled into my fat body, now that I don’t waste my insomnia on worrying about my husband leaving me for a skinny blonde (as I’ve been warned), now that getting dressed isn’t an existential crisis, now that I shop online and just avoid the back of the store relegation, beauty has lost its magic.

I've gone into Lane Bryant about 68 times in my life, and each time I'm lucky to leave with a faux-snakeskin belt or wide-shaft boots in an on-trend style. Most of the clothing, however, is draping, muted, and made up of superfluous yards of fabric covered in condescending ruffles and flowers. Imagine a fat baby going to a funeral for her former fat self and you've got Lane Bryant's general look.

Having the ability to homeschool your children is a gift wrapped in a ribbon of privilege with a bow of opportunity on top. There is no need to pretend like this isn’t the case, and while we sometimes struggled to make ends meet, my mom was still able to stay home and educate us.