Joni Edelman

In honor of World Bipolar Day, I present a sample stream of consciousness based on my experiences living with this disorder.

If you decide pit or leg hair isn't a big deal, then bam! It's not a big deal.

photo credit: Lindy West (instagram), by

When I had my first child, I couldn't have prepared for the way it would make me feel.

...I’m going to help you! By “help” I mean “tell you all the things that didn’t work.”

I didn't get a lot of mothering as a child, but when I did, it was from her. She taught me how to sew, how to crochet. She taught me how to stand up for myself, to be tough. She taught me how to make fried chicken and fried okra, which I will never make, because it's fucking gross.

It doesn’t get any more difficult to insult ourselves, regardless of how old we are. It would be ideal if it got easier to respect ourselves, but it generally doesn’t do that either. Every year you age, and every year the aging you looks at the you of the years before and thinks, I can’t believe I thought I was fat/ugly/etc.

Are the advances worth the trade-offs? You be the judge.

I'll let you in on a little secret - being thin didn't make me happy, but being "Fat" does! Be fat and happy. Be unapologetically fat.

All boobs are good boobs. And all areola too!